one...two...THREE!

Ok.  So I have a lot to catch up on.  But hey.  At least ALL my Christmas is done.  finished.  complete.  HURRAY!

First and foremost.  Today is Claire's special day.  I can't believe it's been 3 years.  Three years since Claire received her second birth...day.  ONE week before Christmas Day is Claire's tea PARTY day.  And she's in charge.  This year, we got to spend the party with some extra special company.  After making a twenty-one (21) (15+6) (7x3) (yes it was long) hour drive this past weekend, Claire got to welcome Grandpa and Grandma Skinner, Uncle Ben, Uncle Zach, and Aunt Lacie to her carefully planned-out party.  She started planning it out on this paper.

9 place settings, the long lines are licorice, the circles are sweedish fish, the colored-in-circle with a rectangle is a balloon, and the letters (on the front and back) say root beer & water.  And so we went to the store and got the supplies.  Because of a helium shortage in Idaho (weird, right?) there isn't any helium to be found in the city to fill the balloons.  So we settled for a pack of colored balloons, blown up and TAPED by Benson and Claire themselves. They can blow, but tying is a bit tricky for a 5 &7 year old...so they got creative and tapped.  That's a tight tape!  I love it!

Claire (with Dad's help) welcomed everyone to the tea party and thanked everyone for coming to this 3rd annual event.  Next Benson and Claire took our orders, after passing out the menu.  We could check one of the following drinks, root beer or water, and one or two of the following treats, sweedish fish or red vines.

After getting our orders, they prepared the trays and brought up our treats, exactly as ordered!  Impressive.  We enjoyed a delicious treat, great company, and a balloon fight soon to follow!  It was perfect.  I loved it.  And I think she loved it too.

So great to celebrate her life.  So grateful for the life she's able to live because of another's sacrifice.  Another family is most likely mourning on a day like today.  I hope they feel a small sense of peace because of the difference they've made in our life.  What a miraculous time we live in.  Had Claire been born even a generation earlier, the medical advancements just might not have been enough to keep her alive this long.  I feel so blessed to live today; to witness the miracle of her life and to see the difference Claire has made in my life and in the lives of countless others.  What a wonderful way to welcome in the Christmas holiday!

Happy 3 Years Princess Claire.