Look Who's 7!!!

Our sweet Madlyn turned 7 on Saturday, April 10. Of course Jeff & I have mentioned several times in the past few days that "we can't believe it's already been 7 years" and that "she is growing up so quickly". Just a few facts about Madlyn's birth:

• her due date was April 4, I was induced 5 days later on April 9
• she was born at 4:34 am on Thursday, April 10
• she is our lightest baby so far at 8 lbs. 8 oz.
• she had a little bit of brownish/reddish hair in the back
• she looked like her Grandpa Jim (she was even called a "Jimlet" by one family friend)
• since I had been awake for a couple of days straight and Madlyn wasn't sleeping, I asked the nurse to take her to the nursery for a few hours our first night. They were begging me to take her back because she pretty much didn't sleep all night for them and hated the swing. I'm grateful I got the sleep I did though because our first year together lacked greatly in the sleep department:)

Mads got her ears pierced on Saturday - whoo hoo! She was very excited but got quite nervous when it was time. She was glad to have her cousin Taylor there with her for moral support:)

Funny thing, Madlyn keeps asking me if she looks like she's 8. I tell her that "no, you look like you're 7". She likes Cole's answer better than mine because he told her that she looks like she's 11. It's so funny to me how badly she wants to grow up...reminds me of someone else!

Oh, can you see her two missing front teeth? She was very happy to lose her 2nd front tooth and hopes she can sing "All I Want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth" when it's Christmas-time! At the rate her teeth grow in, she just might be able to:)

Mads and the birthday cake

Silly girl!

Always the poser:)

So Maddie's cousin Taylor surprised her by coming down from Dallas on Friday afternoon and was here when she got home from school. She was actually hiding in a big box on our front porch and I told Madlyn to go open it...out popped Taylor! It scared Madlyn but then she was ecstatic! It was so thoughtful of them to come down and we had a great time!

Friday night, we pulled out the camp stove and roasted marshmallows and ate S'mores, played the Wii (Madlyn got a cooking game - I don't think she loves it too much), and stayed up late - much, much too late for the kids:(

Saturday we ate oatmeal for breakfast (Madlyn's request) and then the girls went to Claire's to get ears pierced! In the early afternoon, we went to Subway and then to the park for a picnic and to play. Jeff took Mads & Cole to see the movie "Tooth Fairy" at the dollar theater and then we ate pizza and had birthday cake before rushing off to bed!

At dinner we talked about what we love about Madlyn- Jeff & I said that she is a great big sister, smart, loving, thoughtful, athletic, etc. The boys said that she is nice and lets them sleep in her bed sometimes. I truly think she is about the best big sister that ever was.

Madlyn loved the weekend and all the attention and it was so fun to spoil her! We are so blessed to have her as a daughter and love her dearly. How grateful we are that Heavenly Father decided to send us a girl first, even when we (I) weren't sure what to do with girls:)

Happy Birthday, Madlyn!

aka Mads
Maddie
Madazoa
Hadley Design Group


Oh, so Madlyn had originally requested my "famous peanut butter sandwiches" for her lunch on Saturday and homemade fried rice and orange chicken for dinner. She then changed her mind and wanted chicken pot pie but since we didn't have time on Saturday, I made the pies on Sunday. She is so funny about food and is such a great eater and will eat almost anything! I think I will have to make her some orange chicken soon though - that sounds yummy!