Ahoy, Matey!

On Saturday we had a birthday party for our favorite pirate girl at Padaro Beach Grill. We gotta say, it was simply a great day. The weather was incredible, it was a fun mix of new and old friends, the kids had sword and frosting induced fun, the grub was good and the ocean sparkled bright blue. It was, shall we say— a treasure. Most of all, we were overwhelmed by the blessing and joy of Clara Elizabeth Grace, or as she was known that day, Captain Clara. Thanks to all the mateys who made it a special day. 

Funny side note: Leah was dressed and ready to head out the door to the party when Clara insisted, for the first time ever, in picking out mom’s outfit for the day. Since it was her party, how could you refuse? Comfy sweatshirt with a skirt? Why not? All for you, baby girl.

A Few Little Things

Just a few little moments we don’t want to forget.

Mornings with Sassy are a highlight of this season as Casa Neunuebel.

Ben proudly sporting his nametag at church, the first nametag for which he wrote his name all by himself.

The preschool Easter egg hunt, where to Clara’s dismay, they hide real, colored hardboiled eggs.

Clara put these glasses on and really thought she was totally in disguise. 

Birthday Girls

Clara’s fourth birthday celebration spanned three weeks. It started with an “Orange Birthday Party” (can you guess her favorite color?) with David and Judy a week early, before they left for a trip, the celebration continued with G’ma Zipper (Leah’s mom—Ben named her that years ago and it stuck) when she came for a visit over the real birthday weekend and finished with a swashbuckling pirate party this past weekend.

It was a lot, but Clara is an easy girl to celebrate. We asked Ben what he loved about his little sister. He thought for a moment and said, “Well, she’s fun to be with, she’s kind and she’s generous.” He then gave examples of how Clara has shown all of these traits to him. Next question. “Why do you think other people love Clara?” He fired right back, “Because she’s cute and adorable.”

We may be a teeny bit bias over here, but Clara Elizabeth Grace is all of that and more— fun, kind, generous, cute, adorable, cuddly, sweet, stubborn, smart, thoughtful and a captivating mix of tomboy, mama’s girl, sweetheart and firecracker. Here’s to you baby girl, we love you. 

Orange Party with Fuzzy & Juju

Since the kids birthdays are an even six months apart we have a tradition of giving them one gift on their sibling’s birthday. It’s a way to celebrate their role as a little sister or big brother for that past year. We have found an added bonus similar to “Santa’s watching”— the weeks leading up to birthdays seem to have a lot of sibling love.

Fun with Zipper

What could be better for birthday dinner than Crushcakes cupcakes and Rusty’s pizza?

Birthday Girl

Birthday Girl #2

In the middle of all this fun Leah had her birthday. Honestly, it was a hard day. The past year was filled with a lot of pain, upheaval and uncertainty; she just wanted to skip over it. We tried to map out a simple, fun day but that fell apart due to a sick babysitter and some other mix-ups. It was redeemed by sitting in the sun reading with Ben and Clara, take out Chinese, an incredible love letter from her man and hope for a good year ahead. It's going to be a good one, right??

You can’t be blue for long hanging around here— it’s just not possible.