Claire celebrated her 6th birthday on Saturday.

Actually, she celebrated Friday, inviting a friend for her very first sleepover, Saturday, for pizza and presents and the real deal party, and today she will celebrate again at school.

And being six is a really big deal. First of all, it is one whole hand of fingers PLUS the thumb of your other hand. For Sure. It is also a big deal because six year olds can have a friend sleep over and kids who have friends sleep over are much older than five year olds and others who can't. AND six year olds can go up to the concession stand and buy their OWN popcorn with their OWN money all by their OWN selves. Well.

I can't believe that my baby Claire is growing up so fast. When we were at Happy Joes she played a car racing game where she came in last place. BUT....she actually knew how to play the game (five-year-olds don't, you see), steering and all....keeping the car in the general vacinity of the street it was supposed to be on.

All I could think when I was watching her race her car was that 10 years from now she will be driving a real car.

This growing up thing must be stopped.

But then last night when I went into her room to check on her before I hit the sack, I saw my sweet-six-year-old all cozy in her fuzzy-feet pajamas and snuggled up close with her teddy bear.

I guess she isn't going away to college just yet.
But just in case, I'm not going to blink ever again.