Happy 6th Birthday

My baby girl has turned SIX. It is amazing to me how time flies

March 2, 2009 - her BIRTH day

First birthday

Second birthday

Third birthday (she'll hate me one day for this picture but it captures her "smile" of that age)

Fourth birthday

Fifth birthday at the Magic Kingdom

For her 6th birthday, Madelyn wanted to take all her friends to Chuck e Cheese. I was a little worried about keeping a gaggle of 6 year olds entertained for longer than 15 minutes at what basically is an arcade. I was fairly certain that they would blow through their allotted tokens in no time flat and then I'd either buy more (and it would get terribly expensive) or have to come up with some other activitiy to keep them all happy. We convinced her to have her friend party at a bounce house and on her actual birthday, we went as a family to Chuck E Cheese.

She had a grand time and true enough, she spent about $10 in tokens in about 25 minutes. So, I feel very justified in our decision to push her party elsewhere.

After dinner and spending tokens, we came home and Grandma and Grandpa Scooter-ride came over to bring a present. Maddy regaled us with an on-the-spot play.

The next Saturday Maddy had several friends from kindergarten, day care, and Jackson come to the bounce house for a party. It was such a fun place. Some of the girls wanted me to be the monster ... "try to get me...!" so i did some playing as well. it was really fun and surprisingly great exercise. Those tall slides you have to haul yourself up by holding loops and all the time the big, air-filled things is shifting around under you. It was very fun even for me.

got a loom so we made bracelets that night.

It was a really fun sixth birthday and I'm solidified in my feeling that a party not at my house, does not involve me making decorations, and comes at a place that provides the lunch and cake, is up the challenge of the speed of our life. I would love to put on the kind of party like Katie does with lots of preparation and research on Pinterest and cupcakes that look paint pallets made from fondant, but I've resigned myself to the fact that things go better for us when we just hire it all out.

Happy Birthday Madelyn!