Maddie, Our Treasure

"What games are you going to play at your party, Maddie?" enthused Owen (Mr. Sameness, game aficionado) as he thought ahead to his sister's birthday party planned for the next day.

"I am not going to play any games," answered Maddie. Games can get out of hand. And I don't want anything to get out of hand at my birthday party."

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When Kristin called me to share this conversation that she had overheard, I could picture it, right down to the expression on Maddie's face! She had determined that she wanted a "quiet party," and things "getting out of hand" was just not in her plans. She also knew what she did want, from the guest list to the table centerpiece to the cake that she would help to bake.

This little girl is such a treasure to our family! She entered the world on a hot summer day as a deluge of rain flooded the streets of our town. She stayed in her mama's lap, peacefully observing the world until her first birthday. On that day, she totally ceased being a contented observer and became an active participant and a girl with an opinion. Her mama jokes that she got a 'tude for her first birthday!

Our Maddie tenderly nurtures everything from her little brothers to backyard toads and caterpillars to plants. She loves to help her mama bake and clean. She is a girl with enthusiasm and ideas and plans. She loves peas and corn-on-the-cob and strawberries. She is a slowpoke. And she loves books. No matter what her mama is reading, whether it is one of baby brother Ben's board books, or one of her own favorite Kit (American Girl) books, Maddie appears on the sofa eager to listen.

Happy 6th Birthday dear Maddie! We can't imagine our world without you!