Clara Morgan is THREE!

Thanks Aunt Gigi and Uncle Christopher for the great princess dress up stuff!

On Clara's Birthday we went to the zoo with Jack and Tara. We rode the train and the carousel!

And fed the goats!

Best Friends!

Clara just had to ride the... Dolphin?

On her Birthday morning we got up early, got dressed up like a princess, and went to Clara's favorite donut place.. Daylight Donuts!

This is what she had to wear! Due to the tornado, we had to move Clara's party at the last minute, so things were a little rocky... but it turned out great!

Jack at the party... looking like his daddy!

Happy Birthday my Princess!

Blowing out candles.

Aunt Audra Claire, Uncle Rhett, and Aunt Valerie's bug house was a big hit! Mostly because 99% of Clara's friends are boys!

Jack and Clara immediately set out to catch bug (Well, Clara caught them, Jack won't touch them)!

Grandaddy, Grandmother, and Aunt Audra Claire.

"Baby Laurie" is too cute for words! Opening gifts...

Clara, Harrison, and Thomas!

Mumzy and Poppie got her a bike for her Birthday!

Learning to ride it with Daddy!

At three years old, Clara Morgan is potty trained, sleeps in a big girl bed, knows her alphabet, colors, shapes, can count to 15, and carries on a conversation like an adult. Her favorite color is pink, her favorite foods are broccoli, mac n cheese, chicken, green beans, hot dog, boiled egg, toaster strudel, biscuits, and gummies. She loves worms, bugs, "choking hazards" and craft projects. She weighs 28.5 pounds, is 3 feet tall and is the joy of her mommy and daddy's life.

Easter

Jumping with her boys :)

Jon, Mia, and Clara at Grandmother's house.

Hunting at Mumzy's house..

Finding what the Easter Bunny left her :)

The trail of eggs the bunny left for Clara to follow to her basket.

my little artist couldn't just dye the eggs, she had to decorate them!

Easter was really fun this year! Clara was super excited about the Easter Bunny and She woke up at dawn to go outside and see what he had left for her! She also has a great time with family! :)

First Camping Trip!

For Mother's Day, Robby and Clara took me camping! It was great. I have really been missing camping and Clara was so excited to go! She loved it! For her Birthday I got her a pink flash light, sleeping bag, water bottle, and back pack for camping so she was all ready to go :) We built a fire, went on a hike, played in the river, and all slept great in the tent ( despite the campers a few sites down who decided to bring two very annoying yappy dogs and stay up all night drinking, swearing, and listening to Lynard Skynard). Clara wants to do it again and I think it is a great idea! Family tradition :), I hope!

Flower

Clara has begged and begged for a hamster for her birthday. I really do not want a hamster in my house. Mainly I fear that they will get out, have babies, or bite Clara.... Robby and I even offered her a dog.... but she persisted, so on her Birthday we took her to the pet shop and got her a Guinea Pig. A friend of our, who is a vet, suggested it, and it was a GREAT idea (thanks, Bridget) She thinks it is a "medium sized hamster"! She named her Flower! Clara is great with her new pet. Meet Flower!!!!!

Tornado

I took these pictures a few weekends ago. We were going to a family reunion in Summiton.....

I took these pictures of Cahaba Heights the morning of the tornado. My camera ran out of battery, so I did not get too many. Robby and I lost my car, his is still in the shop and a tree fell on the laundry room and the fence... we feel pretty lucky.....

The last post I made in this blog was the day before the tornadoes came through Alabama. Cahaba Heights was one of the first places to get hit around 5:50 am. We just got Internet back last night, so I have a lot of catching up to do.... On April 26th, Clara was spending the night with my mom and dad, because Robby and I had gone to see some friends play at Otey's. When the sirens went off at 5:30 am Robby and I checked the Ipad. There wasn't even a tornado warning that we saw, so we went back to sleep. Next thing I knew, a branch hit the window in our room, my ears were popping and it sounded like a train.... Robby and I jumped out of bed and ran into our hall towards the kitchen, a tree fell on my car outside the kitchen window, so we ran back towards the laundry room and a tree fell there as well. I have never felt so helpless, we were like gerbils running with no purpose..... and just like that it was over. Neighbors started coming outside and calling each other, power lines, trees, and debris were everywhere, everyone was OK. All I could think about was Clara. When I finally got a call through on the cell phone, my parents said everything was fine, but that Clara told them during the tornado that went through Altadena Valley (where my parents live), " If this is what it is going to be like here , Im going home"! We spent most of they day walking around the neighborhood, everything looked so different. People were helping each other out of their homes, a neighbor handed out coffee. You just had a sense of helplessness, there was such an eerie silence. When we heard that another tornado was heading toward Birmingham from Tuscaloosa we went to my parents house. Due to the lack of electricity, Internet, tv... we had no idea how bad the Tornado was. When I went to work the next morning, we watched the news all day. It was devastating. I boxed up everything I had in my back stock that was not perishable and gave it away, just to feel like I was helping in some way. Clara still talks about the "tomato that eats trees and hurts people" but she always ends it with, "mommy, we will fix it, we will make it OK, it will never be the same, but we will like it". It's funny how much you can learn from a child.