Mojo's Madness: Mermaid Sighting in Monterey Bay

Claire is eight.

Wahh!

I always HATED...HATED when people would tell me that to "cherish these moments. It goes by so fast". But it is so true! All my babies are growing up, and there is nothing I can do to stop them.

So, we asked Claire what she wanted for her birthday, and she responded....

"I want a mermaid tail."

"A what?"

"A mermaid tail."

"Claire....what....are you going to do.....with a mermaid tail?"

"I'm gonna wear it."

"And where do you suppose you will wear this mermaid tail?"

"In my room!"

In hindsight, this may have been a great gift! It would have benefited us both. Claire would get what she wants, and I would have hours and hours of time that I didn't have to wonder where she was or what she was doing because I would know that she would be in her room, wearing her mermaid tail, and brushing her hair.

That's my Claire. She has such a vivid imagination, and she is not afraid to use it.

Needless to say, I am a lame mother. I did NOT get the mermaid tail. But I did use my imagination and chose something that was somewhat of a compromise.

A flipper set complete with a snorkel and a mask.

I was actually really nervous that she would hate it and be mad at me forever because I didn't get her what she wanted. But when she opened her present, she was ecstatic! We took her to the beach that day and had her pose for a few mermaid shots, and she loved it.

Mermaid by the Sea

Katheryn and I stayed up late the night before Claire's birthday to make her a mermaid cake. I really should have taken the picture as soon as I was done with the cake. Claire's birthday fell on the day after Fat Tuesday. Our sweet neighbor, Rebekah, who my children adore, had made a king cake and shared some with the kids. She had a few extra 'babies' that she let the kids have. Claire decided that they should go on her cake. So, when I pulled the cake out to sing 'Happy Birthday', this is what I found.