From the Mouth of My Babe...

Isaac and Maddie climbing at a local playground.

We spent a couple of days in Boston this past week while my parents have been in town. As we passed by the place where the Boston Tea Party occurred, Maddie inquired, "Can I join their tea party, mommy?"

The Birthday Girl

Yesterday was Maddie's birthday so we tried to jam pack it full of fun for her and the whole family. I hope we succeeded. 

Her day began with an early wake-up so her dad could see her before he left for work.

Isaac had his last day of preschool in the morning and I arranged for Davis to go to a friend's house to play so that Little Mads and I could have some one-on-one time. She chose to go to Fro-Yo World because she wanted frozen yogurt with a cherry on top. There were balloons outside the door as we went inside and Maddie exclaimed, "Look! I think they're celebrating my birthday at Fro-Yo World, too!" and as soon as we walked through the door she announced, "Today's my birthday!!"

Then it was off to Old Navy--I had a gift card and told her she could pick out a new shirt but she said she wanted to get something for her brothers. Pretty cute. She chose a tacky Mario shirt for Isaac (he loved it) and a Superman t-shirt for Dave (so did he).

I put together a small party for Maddie and a few of her friends. She originally opted for a Popsicle Pool Party, but when the weather forecast looked a little chilly we decided to change it to a Princess Popcorn Party.

We ended up playing "Pin the Fairy on Maddie's Nose." Did you know you can blow up a black and white photo to 3'x4' at Staples for $4.99? Pretty sweet. 

Check out those fairies.

Grandma sent her an Ariel dress and she pretty much picked up a Diva attitude as soon as she put it on. See the video below for proof. Here she is helping me put popcorn into goodie bags. 

Ice cream cupcakes for dessert.

A few fellow princesses.

Make a wish! 

Maddie loved capitalizing on the fact that it was her special day and milked it for all it was worth, so this morning when I refused to give her bubble gum for breakfast and she pleaded, "But it's my birthday!" I smiled and with great pleasure quietly replied, "Not anymore, my dear."

Because it's her party and she'll dance if she wants to:


A special thanks for all the phone calls and well-wishes. Maddie thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention and we had fun celebrating with her.

Maddie Ruth @ Age 4

I was feeling nostalgic a few days ago and read through a post I wrote for Maddie's third birthday. I was surprised at how little her personality has changed over the past year. She is still very independent. Still very outgoing--I don't think there's a shy bone in her body. Still very stubborn. And still as animated as can be. Her grandma once described her years ago as being "La Joie de la Vie," which translates to "The Joy of Life."

One of my favorite things that Maddie says is "achooing" instead of "sneezing." As in, "Mom, I just keep achooing over and over because I'm sick!" I have never corrected her and I never will. I love it.

She knew I was taking her picture here. Nice pose, huh?

In typical 4-year-old fashion, Maddie is full of questions. Some of our funniest conversations as of late would not be appropriate for a public blog, but remind me to tell you sometime about a recent family scripture study time we had.

This little girl seems to subscribe to the philosophy that it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. This belief, coupled with her fierce independence and spirited personality tend to keep me (and my makeup bag) on our toes.

She is thoughtful and kind and loves to write little notes or put little treats in our personal mailboxes.

If Maddie's life were a movie, it would most certainly be a musical. She is always singing and dancing her way through everything. This particular morning she kept belting out, "I Often Go Walking..." as we trudged through the strawberry field.

After going back and forth for months about Maddie's preschool situation in the fall, I decided to enroll her in a formal classroom (none of my kids have done that before---we've always done a neighborhood co-op). She is thrilled at the prospect and is already talking about her teacher and how much fun she is going to have.  

We sure do love you, Maddie.

New Videos of Davis and Maddie

Davis with his current favorite book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus


Maddie shares her "a-mazing" church talk. She refused any help on Sunday morning and marched up to the podium all by herself. It was pretty cute.

Working on Our Summer Bucket List

Preschool Field Trip to the Local Fire Station

I was a little jealous that I didn't get a chance at the fire hose like the kids did.

Knocking down a cone with a giant hose proved to be a lot of fun.

The preschool crew.

 The Farm

Maddie and her buddy checking out the farm's pig.

Giddy up!

No you can't have a goat for your birthday.

Milk that cow!

Isaac gave the hayride a thumbs up.

 The Bronx Zoo

Checking out the sea lions at the world's largest urban zoo. We can check another NYC borough off our list of places to visit. 

Getting geared up to see the animals. 

In front of the lion's lair.

Careful there, don't get too close...

After walking our keesters off all morning we took an afternoon monorail ride and saw many more animals from the comfort of our train car. 

The Beach

At our favorite local beach a few days ago. It's my goal to make it to the beach at least once a week. The kids were swimming like crazy in what had to be 40 degree water. Brrrrrr!

Orchard and Fruit Farm

CT is full of fruit farms and strawberry picking season began a couple of days ago. Getting Davis to refrain from eating the berries until after we paid was fruitless (pun intended!!! bahahahah!)

Maddie, on the other hand, was much more cautious and deliberate. She loved picking berries with her buddy, Emmy. Fresh-picked strawberries are heavenly.

An exhausting and adventurous couple of weeks. I think we better slow down or I might burn out by the end of the month...