Thankful Thought #2 . . .





Today I'm grateful for Surprises of Service.

After my class, I came home and found this.

 

My sweet little Maddie had raked all the leaves into piles and was putting them into bags.

No one asked her to.  She just wanted to help me out.

I love that girl I tell you!

 

Having your child do something without being asked is the best!

 

It was a pretty big job and she still had several piles to go, so I sent the rest of the crew outside to help.   



And the most awesome thing?  They all went straight to work-without arguing!  

It's the little things that make me happy! 

I Can See Clearly Now . . . .

Madeline and her newest fashion accessory (acquired this past Saturday).

Glasses!
It was inevitable.  I'm pretty sure that all my children have inherited both of their parents blindness and will all need glasses at some point in their childhood.

Doesn't she look darling?!!   (And so much older too)!

Day # 20 I Am Thankful For. . . .

MY MADELINE!

Madeline is my oldest daughter and soon to be 12 year old!

I have to say that:  Every mother needs a Madeline!
She makes life a little bit sweeter.

She is so, so responsible.
I have no problem leaving her in charge if I have errands to run.
Lately I've been leaving Lexi.   Lexi adores her big sister.

In March, Madeline competed in the County Spelling Bee.
Before the contest, they gave all the kids a list of words that might be used.

There was about a 1,000 words to study and in many, many, many languages.
Half of the words Jared and I couldn't even pronounce.  We had to let the computer spell the word to her!

It was A LOT of work.  She was so diligent in her studying.   She never missed one day of studying them.

She made it to the second round and did awesome.
There was quite the crowd and it was really intimidating.
When it was over she said she was glad she had done it and that it was a good experience.

Madeline has a kind heart and is a great helper to me.

I often know if Maddie's been somewhere because the room is usually cleaner and more organized!

A few things about Maddie:

• She has only taken piano for a few years now, but she is quite the accomplished pianist. 
• Madeline is a creature of habit.  She makes a schedule daily and SHE STICKS TO IT!
• She recently started babysitting for OTHER people.  (Everyone tells me she's an awesome babysitter!)
• Soccer is her favorite sport.  
• She loves to read!  We have the EXACT same taste in books.
• Madeline LOVES school.  Since Kindergarten all her teachers have told me she's a 'dream student.'

I'm so glad you're mine.
Love you my Maddie Kate.

Maddie the Scribe

Even though we are out in the "mission field" I am so grateful that we get conference through our local cable station (we don't have BYU TV). I couldn't imagine dragging the kids to the church to sit through 4 hours of listening to speakers. We do make them come in and listen when the prophet speaks and I decided I wanted them there to sustain the officers of the church. They were pretty excited when I told them about the Solemn Assembly and that we got to sustain a new prophet and to hear a new apostle announced. They all kept asking "when do we get to stand!" After they read the names I told them they were free to go and play. They all took off, but I wasn't too surprised when my little Madeline pulled out her notebook and began to take notes. I was impressed however, that she watched all 4 hours today and took notes on every speaker.
While she was taking her notes I was taken back to the past because I loved taking notes at Conference. My siblings and I would bring out our blankets (I also recall some mattresses being dragged into the living room too) and claim our spot to watch the sessions. I would take out my notebook and meticulously write things down. I just thoroughly enjoyed the experience of writing things in my notebook.
Madeline did a fabulous job and was very organized and neat in how she wrote everything down.
I told Maddie that I loved taking notes at Conference too, but the next day I would think that my notes were written sloppy and so I would recopy them in better handwriting (I don't know why; apparently I had some issues).
So in response she told me:
"I don't have to recopy. At school on Friday, Mrs. Ramirez told the class that she wished everyone had Madeline's handwriting!"
I don't think we have to worry about her confidence being low.




By the way, we are all missing Jared who is in Utah.
Can't wait to pick you up tomorrow. Love, love, love you!!!

The Secret to Maddie's Donut Dozen

On Thursday night Maddie told me she just knew that she was going to be picked for the "Donut Dozen" at school on Friday.
The Donut Dozen is where the principal picks 12 students on Friday morning to come and eat a doughnut with her in her office. (Throughout the year the students can get an "Eagle Excellence" (the blue paper Maddie is holding) for good behavior or for helping. All the eagle excellence papers go into a big bin in the front office and the principal picks the names from that). I told her I hoped that she would get picked too, but that their were a lot of kids that had gotten eagle excellence's and so maybe their was a chance she wouldn't get picked. But she told me she just knew that she was going to go to the donut dozen.

So imagine my surprise when she comes home on Friday and had actually been picked for the donut dozen!!

The first thing that popped into my head was "it's like the Secret" (probably because I had just read Angie's blog about the secret and finding her pirate cling).
So I'm going to take a page from Oprah, Angie, and now Madeline and I'm going to believe that we are going to sell our house (maybe I'll believe we are going to sell it for half a million dollars) and it might actually happen. At least it's worth a try!