Joy Inexpressible

Matthew 18:3 And He said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

May 3, 2011- Madeline personally accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord, Savior, and Friend.

Recently, in obedience to the Lord, she asked to be baptized.

Today- was that day.

Matthew 19:14 Let the little children come to Me...

and do not forbid them...

 for of such...

 is the kingdom of heaven.

 1 Peter 1:8 Though now you do not see Him, yet believing...

 you rejoice...

 with joy inexpressible...

 Luke 1:47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Hello Kitty Times Five

                                     

If you know my Madeline, you know the following: she smiles nonstop (she has since birth), is dramatic to the max, and is infatuated with Hello Kitty. So with her third request in five years for yet another Hello Kitty birthday party, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find any new creative ideas. Thankfully I was wrong.

I came up with the idea for the invitation during a period of insomnia. The other side gave the party info. Lots of tracing and cutting, but I got to use glittery scrapbook paper and stickers. Not to mention pink ribbon.

I decorated the foyer with pink bows. I loved them so much they stayed around for a couple weeks after the party. I would have left them up longer, but then realized I'm not five years old anymore, and so shouldn't decorate my house long term as if I were.

I bought these plain white lanterns and decorated them as Hello Kitty. There is even pink glitter on the bow. These also stayed around for an extra couple weeks.

The flowers came from a local florist. I then decorated some flowers to look like Hello Kitty. Amazing what you can do with a little hot glue.

       

       

The party table. I swear that I hurriedly ironed the tablecloth- though this picture clearly shows I missed some spots.

Cake pops need a better name- something that involves the words labor and tedious. The amount of time it takes to eat one of these scrumptious pops is not at all relative to the time it took to make each one. (Did I mention these took a long time to make?)

Hello Kitty fruit arrangement. I just spray painted the bucket and used cookie cutters to cut the pineapple.

Hello Kitty bow pasta.

Artist I am not, but the kids loved them.

Madeline requested cupcakes this year instead of a cake. I used a vegan recipe for the cake and icing, so Lydia was able to eat them too.

Guests were decorated as kitties upon arrival, and could make beaded friendship bracelets. They also played Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty (of course!)

My baby girl- at least I have one child out of four that clearly looks like me.

Bow!

The littlest kitty.

My "older" kitties.

My girls!

Madeline is about to be "surprised". I should explain that this was actually a surprise party. Madeline had told me weeks before that she wanted the party to be a surprise. Once everyone arrived, she would go upstairs to her room, the guests would hide, and then we would call her back downstairs and yell surprise. She was very serious about this part, and reminded me almost daily until party day that this was very important to her.

My boys. Handsome, aren't they?

Happy fifth birthday Madeline! You love kindergarten and your teacher; you amaze me nonstop with your incredible ability to read anything and everything; I love that adorable smile that takes over your entire body each and everytime. You still sneak into our room at night to get extra snuggles. You love Jesus and praise Him nonstop. You witness to all your friends, and ask Mommy nearly every day to ask their mommies if they will go to church with us. You teach me so much, baby girl. I love you!!

Never Too Early

Even though Bill and I are made for each other, there is one big difference between us. I like to be early to everything, and if I arrive right on time, I consider myself to be late. Bill, on the other hand, can consider anything up to 15 minutes or more late to be in the realm of "on time". It doesn't drive me as crazy as when we were first married, but I still like to be early to anything. So it's no surprise that I was very early to an event last night. Madeline's preschool teacher from last year was launching her Premier Jewelry business, and I wanted to take Madeline to her launch party with me to spend some time with her. She lives in town about twenty minutes from our house, so Bill came home in time to watch the younger kids while Madeline and I went by ourselves. I was excited to have a night out with Madeline, and to look at jewelry. I was also happy to see her teacher Mrs. H, since it had been several weeks since I had talked to her- we never saw each other apart from school.

Madeline and I set off a bit late due to a bad thunderstorm. I knew we would arrive a few minutes late, but I still wanted to go. Once in town, I got lost on the side streets, and had to call Mrs. H to ask her about directions.  I felt terrible because it was already a half hour past when the party was to start. That's when she said, "Michelle- the party is NEXT Monday." I wasn't late. I was early. REALLY early. Seven whole days early. I was immediately frustrated with myself. But right away, she asked if I wanted to come over anyway. Normally, I would say- Of course not, I don't want to impose. Especially because I didn't "hang out" with her regularly, and would have felt awkward just coming over unplanned like that. But there is something about Lisa that puts me at ease. (She told me not to call her Mrs. H because that would be wierd- thank goodness, because yes- it did feel wierd.)  She's funny, easy to talk to, and I was excited for some girl talk. So after getting lost only twice more, I finally found her house. (I only drove past it three times before finding it.) I stayed for a couple hours and chatted away while Madeline played with her two children upstairs. She is so easy to talk to, the time flew by. When I was leaving, Lisa mentioned that she misses the days when people could just drop in at someone's house. I agreed with her. Bill and I are close friends with our neighbors across the street from us, and we stop over at each other's homes just about every day. I don't feel wierd rummaging through her kitchen, or running over to borrow a couple eggs to make dinner. It should happen more often between friends.

So Lisa, thanks again for having me over. I had a blast- I would love to hang out with you more. I'll see you next Monday!

Stay-at-Home Misnomer

It's not too long ago that I spent days in a row couped up at home, never seeing the light of day, or at least not stepping out past the front yard. Stay-at-home mom meant just that for me: I stayed home, and occasionally lost a part of my sanity in the process. Then, about a year ago, all of that changed. Not only did I take on a part-time job, but my oldest daughter started kindergarten, my second oldest started all day preschool, and we also spent time in after-school activities, including ballet once a week. That's when it clicked and I understood what all those moms were whining about back when I longed for a life outside my house. I'm not sure which is the lesser evil- being caged up like an animal, or spending life out on the road bustling from one location to another. Let's just say, I'm ecstatic that summer has arrived.

I always said that I would never become that mom that lived out of her minivan, and I still hold to that promise. Number one, because I don't own a minivan, but number two- because I will continue to strive to find that balance between allowing my kids to have fun while not overloading their schedule. This will be even more of a challenge in a few more years, when all my children are old enough to be involved, but right now I'm living in the moment. And that means ballet once a week during school, and soccer in the spring and fall. Watching them dance like ballerinas and kick a soccer ball (occasionally even making it into the net) warms my heart like I never could have imagined before they were born. Seeing any other kid do the same activity is cute, but to see my own baby who I grew in my belly and gave birth to do the same exact thing- words can't describe how happy it makes me. Madeline made her one and only goal in soccer a few weeks ago, and I went nuts. Seriously, I screamed and jumped up and down like a complete lunatic before I gained my senses and sheepishly sat back down in my chair. The next week Amy was visiting, and overheard a dad say to the coach, "Remember last week when Madeline made a goal, and her whole family went crazy?" Yeah, the "whole family" reference meant me. Guess I left an impression.

It'll be Isaac's turn to join the lesson gammet this spring when I sign him up for soccer. In the meantime, my older two girls will be taking a one week session of tennis lessons (seriously, how cute will that be!) and swim lessons this summer, then resuming ballet in the fall. Maybe by then I'll convince my love that a soccer mom really does need a minivan to go along with the stereotype. (**wink**)

 While Brooke hustled the entire game, Madeline took frequent water breaks. She was the only kid out on the field that combined ballet and soccer while running. In her last game, Madeline kicked the ball ( a rare event) and another dad said, "Look at that smile! You would have thought she just won the World Cup." I love her passion!

 The cheering section. Lugging my kids and their stuff is a workout in itself.

 Purple soccer balls- who knew? Her shin guards are pink, even though you can't tell. Her pink cleats ended up being too small, but my friend Kelly gave me these black ones, so it worked out- thanks Kelly!

 Brooke LOVED soccer. She asked every day if she could go to practice, and was devastated if it was rained out. She is pretty talented too- she's all girl and all sports rolled up in one. She has her game face on the whole time- so adorable!

 Beautiful ballerinas!

                                                Dancing before practice started.

Madeline smiled at me the whole time this day, when she wasn't picking her nose or daydreaming off in space.

Pierced Ears? No Drama, Please!

During breakfast a few days ago, while eating a bowl of cereal and drinking her milk, Madeline suddenly burst into tears. When I asked her what was wrong, she sputtered out "My ears are pierced but I didn't want them pierced and you took me to the store but I didn't want them and now I want to take them out." Tears fell down her cheeks into her lap.

Now, I am a compassionate mother- I hate to see my children in pain, and I comfort them in any necessary situation. But in this moment, all I could do was roll my eyes and bite my tongue. I looked at Bill and said, "Why in the world is she bringing this up now?"

A short back story before I go on: My wonderful father who I dearly love had an insane rule that my sister and I could not pierce our ears until we were 13 years old. I was so scarred (I don't think my dad reads my blog, but just in case,  Dad- I'm joking!!) that I decided my own daughters would never have to wait. I always told Brooke and Madeline that anytime they wanted to have their ears pierced, all they had to do was ask. So one day at the mall, when Brooke was four years old and Madeline three years old, they both asked to have their ears pierced. This request was without any forced subliminal messaging or persuading. I made arrangements with a store to have two women ready that afternoon so both ears could be pierced at the same time.

The girls were so excited, and had they at any point decided to change their minds, I would have been ok with that. Sad and disappointed, of course! But I'm not going to pin my child down while someone sticks a needle in her against her will. Well, I take that back; I have done that. Immunizations are a necessary  pain though- saves lives, ok?

So, my dear Madeline, before you grow this idea in your head that mommy forced you to get your ears pierced and you decide to seek out therapy, here is evidence from that day. Your adorned ears are adorable, I might add!!

Before:

And after: 

Ok, so you are bit ticked off here in this picture. But you were smiling less than a minute later. And you never shed a tear.

Brooke's before: 

And after: 

That night, the back of Madeline's earring came off, and she had to go in the next morning to have it repierced. But that event was not forced either, nor were tears shed. Being a mother means being imperfect, but Madeline- please remember: I love you, and you are beautiful whether you have pierced ears or not! (But I'm glad they are!)



Fixing the Water Pipes

I had decided she was never going to come. I would be pregnant forever. After daily contractions for weeks on end, and my stubborn desire to be all natural and to not induce, Madeline was nine days past her welcome. So, after putting Brooke down for a nap, I had a good frustrating cry, then got ready to join my SIL Julie and our mother in law for lunch that day. A few minutes later, I felt a tiny, but distinct "pop"! And then a trickle. Either I had peed myself (definitely within the realm of possibility) or my water just broke. I can't remember who I called first- Bill or the midwife- but not much further down the list of phone calls was to Julie, letting her know that I wouldn't be making it to lunch after all. Later that evening, Julie's then 3 year old son ran up to his daddy and asked him to get his toolbox. He explained that Aunt Michelle's water was broke and he needed to go over and fix it for her.

I remembered this story tonight after Madeline spilled a tall glass of water all over the living room floor. After cleaning up the mess, I chuckled about that hot summer day nearly four years ago when I considered her spilling the water to actually be a good thing, and my sweet nephew's ingenious solution to help me fix it.

Hello Madeline!

HI!!! My name is Hello Kitty. I am a Japanese bobtail cat, and I usually reside in London, England with my parents and twin sister, Mimmy. My hobbies include traveling, reading, music, eating yummy cookies that my sister Mimmy bakes, and making new friends. As I always like to say, you can never have too many friends.

Let me introduce you to my bestest friend, Madeline Day.

She lives in the United States, and her hobbies include playing with her siblings, solving puzzles, dancing, singing, dressing up as a princess, and, of course, playing with me! She likes me because I'm cute, wear a bow, and am fun to hold and sleep with at night. I don't remember when we first met, but we have become great friends. Here are some pictures of our journey together.

This is her Hello Kitty hat and gloves that she received from her Aunt Angie for her third birthday.

Here she is at her birthday party with her Hello Kitty cake that her mommy made.

Every Hello Kitty princess needs her crown.

Her Hello Kitty bike from Grandma P.

I even get to go to preschool with her!

I helped her to not be scared on her first day.

I have been with her through most of the past year, and it has been so much fun! There has been some Hello Kitty sadness in the house lately, though. Madeline's most beloved stuffed Hello Kitty that her mommy bought from the Dollar Spot at Target recently lost its bow (my signature accessory) and so every night for the past several weeks before bed, Madeline has diligently prayed for a new Hello Kitty doll. And last night, her prayer was answered!

I can't wait for all the adventures that lay ahead of us!!!