Happy Birthday Madeline!

Well, I am a few days late with this post. Life has been a whirlwind lately and I am beginning to think that is just the way things are going to be right now. Our sweet, little Madeline turned 11 on March 3rd! I know every mama can relate to how fast the years slip by once you have children. It seems like just yesterday I was walking through the neighborhood in labor with her. Marc and I took a walk and picked a bunch of daffodils. That has become "Madeline's flower", so now we always have a vase of them on her birthday. Mariah went for a walk with me and picked these on the side of the road. She was so proud to present them to Madeline for her birthday!

Madeline has always been easy. She was a content baby and is still a sweet child. She is such an encourager and never says a negative word about anyone.

She is the only one of our school aged children that has a birthday that falls during the school year. She gets the day off of school (which the others think is just not fair!:>) She spent her day reading, knitting and watching movies.

She requested cheesecake with cherry topping for her birthday. I found the easiest recipe on the Taste of Home website, and it was VERY good. Here are some of my helpers licking the bowl!

Another tradition we do on birthdays is to let the birthday child plan the dinner. Madeline picked a very rich casserole, but we did have steamed broccoli with it! :>)

Singing to Madeline. (I think Marc was "directing" us.)

A sweet card made by her big brother.

McKenzie made her a pillow. I wish I had had a video going when she opened it. Her reaction was so sweet. She was very proud of her "old-fashioned" pillow.

Each birthday I have several things that I do. I always weigh and measure them and write it in their baby books. I have journals that I write in occasionally for each child. The younger years I always trace their hand in it and get a handwriting sample (when they are really little they scribble in it for me!) We usually pull out old pictures and look at them too. Here are some of my favorites of her.

Madeline was our smallest baby so far and the baldest. When she was six weeks old we went somewhere. I had her in a pink outfit, pink hat and a pink blanket. This older lady asked how old "he" was. Why is it if a baby has hair it is assumed it is a girl, and if it is bald they think it is a boy? Myles looks a lot like Madeline did and he doesn't have a whole lot of hair either!

Here she is at 18 months. She was getting some hair, it was just snow white!

The evening of her birthday each family member spoke a blessing to Madeline. Marc wrote one for her to keep and read it out loud that night. It was a very sweet time.

It is always sad to me at the end of the day on their birthdays. Another year gone......

Happy birthday sweet girl!