A Brush with Stardom

Well, not really... Madelyn had her first appearance in the local newspaper today! Her picture (with her teacher) was one of three chosen as part of the "back to school" announcement for the district. Madelyn thought it was pretty cool, and we told her not to be surprised if people started asking for her autograph. ;)

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Musselman!

We were so excited to find out that it was Mrs. Mussleman's birthday today! We all think she's pretty amazing, even though she's a Bear's fan (sigh). Madelyn has been planning what to make her for about a week now, and was so excited to finally get to give her the gift!

As always, Auntie Kim helped come up with the extra "personal" touches, first being this adorable "cozy" for a Starbucks cup. She made it from scraps of material, in the shape of the cardboard holder you get at Starbucks. She also added a cute button with an elastic band to hold it together when it's on the cup. So cute! I asked her to do Bears colors (sigh), and not being a football fan herself, she happily obliged. :)

I thought this would be a fun gift. But Madelyn had something to say about that. She insisted that we also make Mrs. Musselman a cupcake for her birthday, and with all this new talk of the Bears (sigh), it had to be a "Bears" cupcake. (Honestly, kid. You're killing me.) So, I did what good mommies do, and I called Auntie Kim back to see if she could make a cute fondant topper for the cupcake. Of course she could! She's AMAZING! So that was in the works, and I went on to call Grammy to see if she wanted to make the cupcake. And that was that. This mommy took charge, and put other people to work! ;)

Unfortunately, when Madelyn mentioned giving Mrs. Musselman a cupcake for her birthday, she also meant she wanted to make it for her. Oops. Plan B: Figure out how to make cupcakes that taste good.

As I talked more with Auntie Kim, we decided to do a Skype baking session! So now we've put baking alongside technology, and all of a sudden I think I'm a little more interested. ;)

Madelyn and Auntie Kim discussing "The Plan."

As it turned out, we had an amazing time baking these cupcakes! It was so neat to Skype with Auntie Kim as we were decorating...

So, what does a Packer fan do when she has to give a Bears cupcake to someone? She finds a way to add a little Packer fun to the plan, that's what!

Those of you who know us, know that even having the Chicago Bears fondant decoration in our house was truly traumatic. I kept it covered at all times. But, in an effort to better deal with this stress, I decided it would be fun to fill the cupcake with green and gold frosting so when Mrs. Musselman took a bite it would ooze Packer colors. (insert evil laugh here).

I have to say, the cupcake turned out really cute (and it tasted good, too)!

Madelyn also made a card for her (more Bears, bleh):

I was impressed that she kept it all a secret. I was worried that she'd give it away, having known two days prior to her actual birthday. YAY, Madelyn!

Mrs. Musselman sent me this message via email:

Thank you so much for the birthday gift.  It was totally unnecessary but I loved it!  The best of course was the cupcake!  Madelyn was dying for me to take a bite and when I did I was cracking up!  You are something else!!  GO BEARS!!!!

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Musselman! We can't wait to have more fun throughout the season... oh, I mean school year! ;)
 

1st Day of Kindergarten

Dear Madelyn,

Today is your first day of kindergarten! I can’t believe how quickly time has passed and how fast you’ve grown. Last night, as you were dancing around the house, singing songs about how much you wished you were in school at that very minute, I smiled at how confident you were about taking this big step into the “real world” of school. You were so excited about meeting new friends, and even seeing old ones. You also sang about your teacher and how nice you thought she would be, and you even made up a song about PE!

I loved watching the excitement through your eyes, even as mine welled up with tears. Yes. I got teary-eyed as I watched you, wondering where the time went, and knowing that time won’t slow for me as I try to keep you little. You laugh when I tell you that because you think it’s funny that I don’t want you to grow.  But I try to explain that it’s not about you getting taller. It’s about you getting older and wiser, and understanding the world around you. It’s about my little bug growing up every day and feeling like you need me less. You will meet so many people who will make such great impressions on you. And you will meet some who won’t. But, as I sit here at work, wondering what you’re doing and if you’re having fun (I am sure you are), I am saying a little prayer that along this new path you won’t lose your sense of wonder, or your creative insight that sparks a song in everything new you do. I hope you continue to see the world through happy eyes and enjoy giggling at the funny things. You are my shining star, and I am so very proud of you!

Love,

Mom



Seriously, Mom?

Can we leave YET? (Madelyn waited on this step for 15 minutes.)

I am just SO excited for Kindergarten!

 

We saw Auntie Kristin first thing this morning!

YAY for Luke! Madelyn was excited to see one of her favorite COOP friends!

 

"Puffins"

Last night, as a special treat for the start of Kindergarten, Madelyn and I made "puffins," otherwise known as mini pancake muffins! Madelyn was excited to have some time in the kitchen baking these yummy breakfast treats! I was excited because they were super easy to make, and I knew they were going to provide an easy breakfast for our early mornings! :)

We made half with blueberries and half with chocolate chips!

They were both quite delicious, but (no shock to anyone) Madelyn only wanted to eat the ones with chocolate chips! :) I froze most of them so they would keep longer, and we can just pop them from the freezer to the microwave in the morning! Love it!

Fondue Fairytale

We've been looking forward to this day all week! The Melting Pot, in conjunction with Disney Radio, was doing a special fundraiser for Phoenix Children's Hospital. And hello.... who can say no to fondue? NOT the Nielsens!

It was extra special because it was a "Fondue Fairytale" theme which meant Madelyn got to dress up as a princess! Recently, Madelyn's cousin, Livvy, gave her one of her old dresses to play in, and well, as you can see... add a few accessories, and it was perfect for today's event!

Chris and I have long loved The Melting Pot, but we don't go very often because it's pretty pricey. But we figured it was for a good cause! And Madelyn was excited to try some new fondue treats!

She even got to pose with Princess Jasmine (who Madelyn explained to us should have been wearing a braid). But we told her that wearing her hair down was Jasmine's way of celebrating today. That seemed to work!

We had fun posing while we waited for our cheese fondue to arrive....

Princesses from the 'hood

Pinkies Up! 

After a little dancing down the rows of tables (seriously, life is one big dance for this kid; everywhere; all the time.) we were ready to start dipping!

Madelyn got her very own dessert tray! Yippee!

After lunch, we went outside where the Disney Radio festivities were taking place. The only bummer was that we were the only ones there! But don't say that to Madelyn. One kid, or one thousand kids... it's all good to her!

Chris and I couldn't stop smiling at the fun we were having! We know exactly how blessed we are, and we treasure every moment we make together!