Anna's birthday

We celebrated my oldest daughter's 9th birthday. Her birthday makes it an official year now that we have lived in North Carolina as a family. We pulled the moving truck away from the house last year on the morning of her birthday and traveled to NC. I remember having cake for breakfast that morning, in an empty house, while friends had come over to send us off. This year I wanted to do something special for her since her birthday last year was filled with mixed emotions.
We celebrated at the state park with friends that we now consider our family here in NC. They met us at the swim beach by the lake on Saturday afternoon. It was a busy day for the lake beach with lots of "interesting" people to watch. But the kids had fun playing in the muddy sand and splashing around. We made our way over to a pavilion to cook out hotdogs and of course have cake. The ice cream accidentally got left behind in the freezer at home but was fortunate because it probably would have melted in the cooler in the 95 degree heat.
Can't believe how quickly my daughters are growing. Some days seem like they pass so quickly and then others seem to drag by. I asked Anna if it would be a good present to have her baby sister born on her birthday. She quickly declined, especially since she was already sharing her day with her dad, for her actual birthday happened to fall on Father's Day this year. I guess it is a good thing for them to each have their own special day.
Yes, I'm still waiting. Wondering when Clara's special day will be.