six

six

yes it's time to come to the realization yet again that both of the girls turn a year older every March and April
and now my older daughter, Madison, is turning six

I love to celebrate their birthdays
but they all seem to always come too quickly year after year

each year I have moments where I just want time to stand still,
 grab their little hands
and hold onto those precious things

just exactly the way they are in that moment

so tiny

so innocent

and so sweet

but reality is...birthdays come whether we are ready for our children to grow up or not

Madison is

six

today

and just like Hayley a month ago...

Madison is beyond excited

she is usually sooo hard to get out of bed in the morning but she popped right up this morning

excited to see her balloons above her bed

and her new lion friend hanging from her chandi

she was grinning ear to ear this morning

as she woke up to her hooting owl alarm the Easter Bunny got her a few days ago

as a matter of fact the first thing she said to me yesterday after I picked her up from school was

I told Miss M--- that "I got an owl alarm and it hoots to wake me up"

I felt as though she was saying it with the Junie B attitude
{we are reading that series together}
and the Junie B attitude makes all the difference when reading that statment
trust me

it was so cute!

As we were talking about her birthday yesterday

 I said

"today is your very last day to be five...can you believe it?"

she said

"I know mom!!!"

Ummm...Hayley seemed more shocked about that statement
{when I told her about her very last day to be three}

I guess I need to get with the six-year-old times now
it's not quite as cool to keep reminding her of such things

 I don't seem to say such surprising things to Madison any longer

she is getting too old and smart like that

so I continued and said

"So what do you think six means?"

Madison said "well, I'm another year older and then comes even better things"

ooooooo...I think I need to be taking her advice when it comes to birthdays

I love this little girl so much

Over the past year I really took it to heart how hard she always was
{and still is}
on herself

it's a hard road to continue on

and I didn't want her being stuck on it
feeling like she has to be perfect

so I made it a mission to help her come out of her shell more

to relax

to enjoy

to know it is perfectly fine to not get things right all the time

and have to work at them

I seem to use myself as an example of not getting things right all the time
it definitely makes her laugh
and to me that's worth her knowing that grace is for everyone's mistakes
or other times when things have to be practiced and tried again

over the past year she has started taekwondo

which has been the best thing for her and her confidence

I'm so proud of how far she has come

from the beginning of class not wanting to get up in front of others

to now she loves to do so
{most of the time}

she still has her moments of struggle but she has come a long way

I truly think it is amazing

Madison is my mama bear

focused and on point all the time
all.the.time

I seem to joke with her a lot

I love her silly side because when she shows it...

 you can really see her unique and wonderful personality

 

 it is the most beautiful thing because her face shines and sparkles

 her confidence and belief in herself grows every.single.day

a couple of months ago her class was on Channel 5 doing 5 is #1

and when I picked her up from school I asked her because I knew it would make her laugh

"Did you get wild and crazy on camera and do your Taylor Swift dancing and singing?"

She replied "Mom!!!...now you know we weren't supposed to do that...
we talked about this...

My teacher Miss M said we were not supposed to be wild and crazy on camera"

I said "darn...now I won't get to see your Taylor dance moves"

she laughed and said "I'm silly with you guys!"
and yes she is

Kindergarten has done more than wonderful things for Madison

she has had the very best teacher

and the perfect fit to Madison's personality ~ I couldn't be more thankful 
for Miss M---

 Madison makes friends so easily 

 she is so caring and sweet

you know... a likeable girl

{that statement reminds me of Hope Floats...but it's true}
here is part of a note Madison's friend wrote her...I just love it

Madison loves reading, school work, and projects

she loves to always have a pad with her to draw and write in

she loves to joke around

except when the jokes on her...
she wasn't too fond of Hayley and I's spider in her car seat joke we played on her a couple months ago
but she loves to stand around the corner, jump out, and scare the daylights out of me

where I'm literally screaming because she did such a great job

she is the very best helper
and loves her sister more than words could ever describe

she couldn't be a better big sister or friend

Madison's special gift is the way she makes others feel

she always cares how someone is and loves to do nice things for others

she definitely is a beach and summer lover

but occasionally and randomly talks about snow
in the middle of summer

odd, perhaps
...but cute because she can be so random with thoughts

she loves Taylor Swift like her sister loves Eric Church,

 loves to dance and put on fashion shows for me in my high heels

 and loves to take pictures with her camera she got for Christmas

she loves, loves to be outside,
ride her bike,
 and run with me

I say all the time that another 5-6 years she will be kicking my hiney on runs

I can't wait for that as it will make me a proud mama

Madison is insightful at times but so very literal at other times

the other day I had to run an errand for work after the girl's class

we were driving on the back roads and came to a stop light

there were absolutely no cars around

and she asked

"Mom why is the light red when we are the only ones here?"

I said "kind of silly isn't it"

so of course I just keep talking with them about this and that
and sooner or later

both of them say at once...

"Mom...mom!!!...you can go...the light is green"

I said "oh ~ thank you!!
What would I do without you both?"

Madison said "Well...you'd still be sitting at the light Mom!!!"

oh for the love of her...I couldn't stop laughing

Today I most definitely cannot wait to celebrate her and how caring and sweet she is

she makes everyone feel special everyday

today will be wonderful to celebrate her

she is so excited about her beach cake

to have quesadillas tonight with family

and she said....."as soon as I wake up tomorrow...I am six

and cannot wait for all the fun"

she is definitely a chocolate lover over vanilla
like her daddy

loves cheese, yogurt, broccoli, strawberries, and cheeseburgers

 she loves to wear my sunglasses and come up with her own poses

as I was taking pictures the other day
"Miss Director" said
"I get to do my own poses right Mom???"

I laughed and said "why of course"

so here are her favorite poses she did

Happy sixth birthday my beautiful butterfly

I love you

I'm proud of you

and I will always, always believe in you

Happy Birthday

Madison Ella