When it comes to conversations of Clara’s antics, it always seems to end in one or the other of us shaking our heads while saying, “That girl…”

That girl has already accumulated more black eyes than I ever have.

That girl cries over the slightest injustice but doesn’t bat an eye at bloody injuries.

“Hey Mom!” Clara shouts,  “Bet you didn’t notice…. THIS!” And she pulls up the leg of her pants and thrusts her foot out to show me the scratch on her ankle complete with blood smeared half way down her foot.

Me: “No, I didn’t!”

Clara: “Yeah! – Can I have a band-aid!”

Me: “Sure.”

Clara: “OK, I’ll get it!”

And off she runs, leaving me shaking my head and thinking “That girl…”

That girl is the best peacemaker in the family.

That girl has ideas and she can entertain herself with anything.

One day after seeing Jane and Clara engaged in overly suspicious activities with their bedroom window, I came running upstairs to kill the fun.

Me: “We don’t throw water out the window! “We don’t throw anything out the window!”

Clara: “How about rocks?”

Me: “What about rocks?”

Clara: “Can I throw them out the window?”

That girl…

That girl is my go-to “finder” of lost objects.

That girl often has to do with why they are lost in the first place.

Clara hands me a pair of poultry shears that she “found” and drops it between our bare toes.

Me: “Wow, that made my toes scared, how about you!?”

Clara giggles: “No, I knew where it was going to land.”

That girl…

That girl climbs trees and jumps out of them.

That girl can climb straight up a rope with just her arms.

That girl loves the beehives.

That girl collects her own duck eggs for breakfast.

That girl is never bored.

Yes, our conversations about Clara always end with one of us shaking our heads with half smile, as we say, “That girl…” with more than just a touch of pride.

Happy fifth birthday Clara!