Madeline's 5th Birthday!!!

Well we officially have a FIVE year old daughter. I'm sorry but I'm still choking on those words. Five is just such a HUGE milestone in my mind. And the time truly has gone by in the blink of an eye.

Here are some things we love about our oldest daughter:
1) She is very silly. She loves making funny faces, using funny voices and doing funny dances.
2) She is tender toward people, especially her little sis Hannah.
3) She has a very strong sense of right and wrong and she demonstrates responsibility in making sure that everyone (including herself) is doing what is right.
4) She has a phenomenal memory, which is a quality especially admired by her mom!
5) She LOVES doing homework. She will beg for homework sheets and doesn't seem to tire of learning.
6) She is attentive and can focus on tasks for a very long time.
7) She is a great communicator. She has a large vocabulary and she enjoys asking what new words mean. You can bet she'll use new words appropriately after learning about them.
8) She loves God and believes that He'll "never let go" - the lyrics of one of her favorite songs.
9) She enjoys thinking of friends and loved ones to pray for.
10)She is physically affectionate. She still loves to climb up in our laps, play with our hair, hold hands and wrestle around, just to be touching.

11) I (Jen) have called Madeline "mussie" since she was a little baby. The nickname came from the word Mimi used to say when she gave Chrissy and I kisses. Madeline is my little kiss :)

We could go on and on...

Here are some pics of Madeline growing up:

Newborn

1 Month old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

Proud Big Sister!! 3 1/2 years old

One of mom's favorite pics - 3 1/2 years old

4 years old

5 years old - sporting her style Madeline wanted a bowling party this year for her birthday celebration (not that you could tell from these pics - somehow we didn't get a single shot of any of the kids bowling!). We took our families and 3 families of friends to a local bowling alley. Madeline and I made cupcakes for her friends. Poor Hannah came down with a fever on the way to the party so she spent most of the party sleeping on Nana's lap. We were pleased to party with Papa, Nana and Dean, Manda and Cody, Becca, the Clarks (Eric, Michelle, Zach and Laney), the Neals (Preston, Megan, Vadin and Tolbyn) and the Feighners (Erik and Brooke...Jennifer and Camryn needed to be home for nap time). We missed Aunt Chrissy but will be sure to celebrate with her soon!!

Madeline, sweety, you are dearly loved. You have shaped our family in such a special way and we thank God for you daily. We love seeing the young lady you're becoming and we look forward to experiencing life with you in the coming years.

Love, Mom and Dad