Last weekend we all ventured to Colorado to celebrate one year of Miss Madeline!  Maddy was celebrated in huge style with a big party, including 14 people who flew in from several states.  That’s one loved little girl!  But how could we not celebrate her?  Besides being the cutest little one-year-old on the planet she’s just a joyous little ray of sunshine.

Despite the craziness of the party, JP and Debs hosted us (including our two-under-two entourage) at their house.  They very thoughtfully set up a backpacking tent for Clare and put her bed in it, which she LOVED.  It contained her at night and made her feel a little more secure.  She is still talking about the “cozy tent” she slept in.  She hasn’t asked me to set one up yet in her room, but I’m waiting for it.

There was a lot of people competing for the birthday girl’s attention, so the little girl cousins didn’t get quite so much playtime together but they got along really well.  Clare was sooooooo excited to go to Colorado and see everyone and told me before we left “I will be nice to Baby Maddy.  I won’t hit her.”  I told her that was a good plan.

This blog is essentially a baby book for my kids, but sweet little Maddy did a couple of cute things I want to remember.

She has a little alligator walking toy that she loves and is really good at walking behind.  She got it stuck against a table, turned to her mom, bent her knee and patted it like you do when calling a dog.  We were just talking about what baby signs Maddy knows, but it turns out she had picked up another one.  It worked too since Debbie got up and walked over to her.

Mom and I took Sam and Maddy on a walk in their strollers on Monday afternoon.  Maddy insisted on taking one of her dog’s toys with her.  The whole walk she waved it up and down in the air like a little drum majors baton.  I kept thinking she would drop it, but though she’s 90% sweet sugar Maddy is 10% solid steel will and she didn’t put that toy down once.

This is little Samster thinking “how am I going to get a word in edgewise between Clare and Maddy?”  Honestly, he probably won’t.  He will, though, be able to overpower them with strength since he’s already bigger than Maddy.