11

Can't believe that this girl is 11! Her birthday fell on a Monday this year, she was more than excited to go to school on her birthday. When I came in the afternoon to take her birthday treat, her teacher didn't even know it was her birthday--she kept it a secret. She said she did tell a couple friends. BUT still. That's a hard secret to keep!

 Rewind, our friend Emily had several chrysalis's aka butterfly's waiting to hatch. That morning, I noticed it was really black. As Lilly was getting ready for lunch, she said "how come there's a butterfly in there" and it was hatching or opening up whatever you call the process.

We were so excited to tell Maddy and the beautiful butterfly that they shared the same "birth" day! After school, we let it go. Super fun. Maddy not too long ago just asked for butterfly's' for her birthday. Where has the time gone!!

Sweet friend Alli came and decorated Maddy's room while she was at school and made her a candy poster for her birthday. It was so sweet.

After school, Maddy had piano lessons and then it was time for dinner and cake. She wanted mini pizza's on the bbq.

We had all the family over for dinner and cake--she wanted lemon poppy seed cake and home made vanilla icecream. Everything was amazing! She's getting grown up taste buds!

Her candle was so fun. It was a flower and when it lite up, it opened up and sang the melody of Happy Birthday! And it kept singing and singing and singing.


Here's the flower opening up and if you listen hard enough maybe you can hear it sing :)

 Here's Maddy ready to blow it out!

 And then opening gifts! 

 This is her Taylor Swift t-shirt and finding the tickets! Yep, I'd say she was pretty excited.

Love this girl to pieces. She has a rough time sleeping lately, the Dr said it is normal with all the changes in hormones and should be regularizing as time goes on but that we should go see a phsycologist to get things normal and medication is always an option. So far, life has been crazy and we haven't done anything. We go off track Friday, for a month, we'll see what we need to do to get some sleep around the house! When Maddy doesn't sleep....no one sleeps.

She is very genuine and loving and the best big sister. She is a tease. Love this picture of her and Jack. They really are great friends.

She loves kids and is always so helpful. This week we are watching cousin Blakelee and she plays an reads to her and is so great with kids. She even asked the other day when can she babysit. I use her all the time!! 

One more year in Primary, can't even fathom that she'll be a young women soon.

She is very talented, she sets high goals and works to achieve them. She wants to be able to do a wall hand stand for 2 minutes. A sweet neighbor Rebecca teaches neighborhood gymnastics and is working with lots of girls. She has taught Maddy a lot including about burpees and squats! Never to young to learn about exercising.

She plays the piano, is an excellent reader and student 4.0 if it were graded that way this young, loves to learn, loves to be arsty and craft, loves to listen to the Mom's talk, but loves to play hard, enjoys singing, painting, writing, drawing. She wants to be an author when she grows up. 

We recently re-did Maddy's room. She was in a day bed and as she grew the bed somehow got smaller. We are loving the new bed from Grammie. This was once my bed or my parents I believe. I painted it white and gave it some distressing.

I'm grateful each day that she is my daughter. Love her so much. 

Happy Birthday Maddy!