Happy Birthday Maddie!

Five years ago, I was in labor while Josh's whole family was singing happy birthday to him and he blew out the candles - in my labor & delivery room at the hospital! Josh just kept saying to keep her in there until after midnight so they wouldn't share their birthday. Well, at 1:36 am Madeline London Harris was born. We called her Miracle Maddie because of all the medical issues we went through to get her here healthy and alive, and I still feel like she is an absolute miracle.

My sister-in-law, Candace, was kind enough to bring cupcakes to Maddie's preschool class for her birthday party since I am stuck in bed. Here she is eating her cupcake with her cousin, Cole, in her classroom.

Then that night she had nine little friends go to the Color Me Mine studio where they picked out what they wanted to paint....

Then we all walked across the parking lot to the Little Pastry Chef Bakery where they made their own pizza....

And decorated their own cakes....

And then Maddie got to blow out her candle and make a wish. (Something about wanting wings like a fairy so she could fly.) And when we got home she opened her present from mom and dad - her own sewing machine!! (For anyone who thinks she is too young, you obviously don't know Maddie very well!) And then, we totally got shown up by Grandpa Rick's birthday present - pet frogs! Only a grandpa can give a present like live pets and get away with it!!!

(I didn't include pictures of any of the kids from the party because a friend of mine who has a private blog said it wasn't appropriate to put other kids' pictures on a non-private blog. I totally respect that, but what do other parents think?)