We celebrated Clara’s 10th birthday last week. We started the celebrations two weeks before with Clara’s countdown calendar, which was themed as a masquerade ball. Each attendee came with a quote to help Clara guess who he/she was. There were only a few that stumped Clara.

We celebrated Clara’s birthday the day before her actual birthday, so we could attend a graduation party for another MK in Ban Lung. Isaiah made a fantastic balloon arch for Clara’s doorway. Becca, Micah, and Clara each decorated a chalkboard for Clara. Clara spent the morning decorating her birthday cake – chocolate cake with peppermint frosting.

Clara requested bratwurst, mac & cheese, and beans, , and a special drink for her birthday meal. The Yamadas had brought us some Veleeta cheese, which our kids were suspicious of, to make mac & cheese. It was so much better than the Kraft box mixes, and all our kids thought it was great! No leftovers. After dinner we did gifts. Micah made Clara 10 cards…each different than the rest. He’s been working on them for a few weeks. Clara was pleased with all her gifts. Then it was time for cake, and then we ended the evening with a slideshow of pictures and videos of Clara’s 10 years.

On Clara’s actual birthday we went into Ban Lung to eat supper at a restaurant, and then we spent the evening eating yummy snacks and fellowshipping with others, celebrating Bella’s graduation. One of the snacks was cotton-candy which the family had made – a huge hit!

Clara is our daughter who is full of life, loves to laugh, and is quite vibrant. She’s excelling in her piano and violin playing. She’s doing a great job taking responsibility to get her school work done each day, and she’s a good older sister to her younger siblings. Clara also doing a good job with learning Jarai and becoming brave to actually use what she knows when we’re at church. We thankful for our sweet daughter, Clara Grace.

The fan in Clara’s hand was a homemade gift from Isaiah.