The Lion King

We were so excited to bring Madelyn to the stage production of The Lion King! As you all know, she loves to sing and dance, and we had heard such great things about this performance that we wanted to make a night of it.

Being the frugal gal that I am, I waited to purchase the tickets because I was hoping to find a good deal somewhere. And I did. The only drawback was that the tickets were for a Wednesday night, and the show would be at 7:30 pm. I was a little concerned because that meant we wouldn't get home until almost 11 pm. But… we decided it was a great opportunity, and we really wanted to let Madelyn experience the arts like this (especially at a discounted price)!

Grammy and Papa even decided to join us for the evening, which made it extra special! We had dinner at PF Changs and then headed over to ASU Gammage for the show.

The show was everything we expected and then some! WOW! And after the show, Madelyn immediately asked if we could come back and do it again! We said, "Absolutely!"

First Piano Recital

Today was Madelyn's first piano recital! She started taking lessons just after she turned five, and has really been enjoying it!

She was extremely nervous and had been talking all week about not being sure she could do a good job. We continued to encourage her and tried to remind her that it's not about being perfect. Instead, it's about getting up there and trying your very best and having fun.

We had been reminding her that if she made a mistake she needed just keep playing and not start over. Being the little perfectionist she is, this was a difficult concept for her. All week long she would practice and occasionally make a mistake, at which point she'd start the song over. I really wasn't sure how that was going to work at the recital, hoping that we wouldn't be listening to her replay the same songs until she got them perfect.

Getting a new outfit for her recital was certainly a bonus, one that sparked a bigger interest in performing in front of a crowd. I mean, after all, if she could wear her fancy new outfit it really wouldn't matter if she messed up, right? Right.

The recital was held at Burton Barr Public Library in Phoenix, and WOW! What a library! It was huge!

Madelyn was super excited that Grammy could come with to watch her play! She said it was important to have people who love you in the audience. I agree. ;)

Grammy helped with some pre-recital adjustments on Madelyn's dress, and of course had a little extra time for another photo op.

Madelyn did a fantastic job playing her three songs. She made a few mistakes, but I have to say I was so incredibly proud of her for keeping things going, and not getting frustrated. She even commented afterwards that she "messed up" but kept going! YAY!

Here's a clip of her performance:

When she was finished, and sitting back in her seat, she turned around to us and smiled a BIG smile! I am sure she was a little bit of relieved, and also a little excited!

Here's a group shot of Miss Whitney and her students, as well as one with just Miss Whitney and Madelyn:

WE LOVE MISS WHITNEY!

After the recital, Miss Whitney invited everyone to NYPD Pizza for dinner! It was fun celebrating Madelyn's very first recital!

Halloween 2013

Today has been an incredibly long day. Actually, it's been an incredibly long week. But here we are…Halloween, one of Madelyn's favorites holidays (right after her birthday and Christmas - in that order).

As everyone knows, kindergarten is the best place to be on Halloween because it's the only grade that gets to dress up and celebrate at school. My biggest concern with the school party, however, was how Madelyn might finagle her gorgeous Belle gown on the playground. I just didn't see a happy ending there, so I tried to think of an idea that she could wear just for her school party. I was worried about this because she's been practicing "Belle" for the last 4 weeks!

I went to the costume closet, and realized most of her previous costumes we just recently loaned out to Auntie Kim's friends. Oops. Talk about timing! But, just as I was about to give up, a little piece of red fabric popped out at me. I pulled out Madelyn's costume from 2009 and immediately thought we could make this work. When Madelyn got home, I prepped her instantly for the idea of having TWO Halloween costumes this year! "How lucky could a little girl be to have two instead of one?" I asked. Her eyes lit up and she instantly agreed. Especially when I pulled out the accessories! YAY!

I was really excited about this because the sweet ladybug costume Grammy made for her never got worn on Halloween because Madelyn came down with strep that year. Who would've ever guessed that 4 years later we might be able to recycle it into something just as adorable! I couldn't resist sharing a comparison of 2009 to 2013. I actually got a little teary because I can't believe how much she's grown in just 4 years. My goodness.

Once I picked her up from school, she was ready to get prepped for her evening costume, Princess Belle. And brace yourself because what you're about to see is one of the most amazing Belle costumes EVER! Grammy really outdid herself yet again! And we adore her oh-so much for all the hard work and love she puts into Madelyn's costumes! They are always perfect with a special flare that only a Grammy can add! 

See? Amazing, right?

We had a fun night trick or treating around our quiet little neighborhood. It's a small block, and many people are "party poppers" as we like to call them, but somehow Madelyn's bucket seemed to overflow by the end of the walk. Perhaps that had something to do with comments like this, "You are the prettiest little princess I've ever seen!" and "I love your dress so much! I would have worn that to prom!" or my favorite (looking at me), "Where did you buy that dress? It's gorgeous!" To which Madelyn replied, "My Grammy MADE it!" Fun, fun, fun.

Madelyn somehow really enjoyed it when there was 

just a bowl with some instructions outside.

No barking dog. No doorbell. Just candy. ;)

Madelyn insisted on first sorting her candy by color. Then by shape. Then she had to lay them all out and count each one. 80 total, I believe. Nice work, kiddo.

Tea Party with Allison

Allison recently asked if she could take Madelyn to a tea party in Cave Creek, and of course we said yes!

Just a few days prior to their tea date, Grammy found an old dress and hat that she made for Livvy. Actually, I think she said Madelyn found it, and wanted to know if she could have it. Grammy was excited that Madelyn was so interested in the cute little outfit.

When she came home with it, she said, "It would be perfect for my tea party with Ally!" And I agreed.

As it turned out, we had just bought some shoes and a purse on sale for Madelyn's Christmas outfit. They were the perfect pieces to accessorize her outfit! It made us giggle that Livvy was three when she wore this dress and Madelyn is 5 1/2.

Allison brought Madelyn to the English Rose Tea Room. They enjoyed lunch, which Madelyn quickly confessed she could eat things in whatever order she wanted. I asked her what she chose to eat first, and she replied with a huge smile and wide eyes, "A cookie!" That probably would have been my choice, too. ;)

Pinkies Up!

Thanks, Ally! Madelyn had such a wonderful afternoon! 

Student of the Quarter

Chris and I are so very proud of Madelyn for getting the Student of the Quarter award at school! We know she is an amazing kid, but were pleased that her teacher thinks so, too!

 Madelyn was the first one to be called up for her award.

 Look who it is! Luke also received the Student of the Quarter award. 

It was cute to see them together.

 Madelyn and Mrs. Mussleman

Madelyn and Principal Brodie 

(flashing the "fork" to support ASU)