A Family Birthday for Madi

We celebrated Madi's birthday

with all the family last weekend,

where Madi learned that when you have a 4-year-old cousin and a 2-year-old sister, you don't really get to open the presents even though it's your birthday... :)

We had pizza and ice cream sundaes and really just enjoyed being with family.

(The girls are on tiptoes here because Aunt Corey is obsessed with the fact that they will soon be taller than she is and is always trying to prove that she's still got the height advantage...)

Converse, Pedis & Movie Theater Popcorn - Madi's Eleven!

Madi turned 11 yesterday!

It was so fun to have her birthday on a Saturday -

we got to celebrate all day long!

We made the most of it too...

• pancakes and hot chocolate for breakfast
• her favorite dance class - lyrical
• birthday cake baking
• mommy & me pedicures!
• lunch at Red Robin
• Tooth Fairy at the movie theater
• cake-eating
• present-opening
• watching the Disney movie Starstruck in the basement

pedicures - so fun!

with her sisters at lunch

her most-hoped-for birthday present

We love you Madi B!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl.

Bayli

My baby girl really is the cutest thing ever.

I love the way, left on it's own, her hair wings out on the sides like this.

She is becoming such a big girl and is so much fun!

She loves Dora the Explorer and we act it out every day. She likes to say "Oh no! Swiper's trying to swipe my ____!" and then we have to get him to stop and say "Oh man!"

This morning in the tub, he was trying to swipe her piggies. :)

She's got such a great imagination.

She loves to make "my house" out of the kitchen cabinets and wants everyone to come in and sit by her.

"Sit by me Momma!"

She pretty much will only ever wear pajamas ("nammies").

If it's really important to me, I can manage to get her to wear "day clothes", but most days it's just not worth the battle. That girl loves her nammies!

Out of everyone in the family, she's the one that really loves Cooper.

She calls him "my boy".

She loves, loves, loves her Laurie Berkner Band dvd!!

This is her doing the "We are the Dinosaurs" march, while wearing her dinosaur face.

It really, really makes me laugh!

• She loves to watch TV - especially Barney, Elmo, Dora and "my ninging movie".
• She especially loves the guy in the Laurie Berkner Band and says "I love that ninging boy!"
• Her 3 big sisters have taught her a few things I wish they hadn't, like sticking her tongue out and saying "That's annoying me!"
• She is the life of the party and loves to be right in the middle of all the action, especially with her sisters' friends.
• She still can't make the sounds for "s" and "f", so the singing movie is the "ninging" movie and a fish is a "wish". She loves to call Skylar "Dy Dy" and calls Mike "Daddio".
• She asks me 20 times a day "What's that sound Momma?"

Not a day goes by that I am not so incredibly thankful to have her in my life,

my beautiful little angel.

A Surprising Start to Birthday Season!

Saturday Night

we threw a big Surprise Party for Madi's 11th Birthday!

I thought it was pretty impressive that we actually surprised her,

especially considering the fact that she asked for a surprise party... :)

For about 16 hours, we had a house full of cute, excited, loud eleven-year-old girls.

They ate pizza, fruit & ice cream cake, competed in their own version of American Idol, watched a bunch of movies (Freaky Friday, Hairspray & High School Musical) and did a minimal amount of sleeping in the basement...

I think it was a fun night for everyone and my Birthday Girl sure loved it!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

I hope this year is your best yet!