Madeleine turns Five

Madeleine turned five on Aug. 26. I can't believe that she is such a big girl now. She has really grown up a lot lately. Gone are the days of toddler/preschool whining (she still whines but nothing like she used to). Now she is old enough to express her frustration with words (and boy is she good at that ;-). The biggest thing Madeleine is into right now is learning. She is constantly wanting to practice writing. I can already tell that she will soon start doing some early reading. She is also very into arts and crafts. Not a day goes by without us making something. She particularly likes to paint and make beaded necklaces. I need to take some pictures of the things she draws because she is getting pretty darn good (people with clothes, rose bushes, etc.) She is about as good of an artist as I am (I pretty much can only draw stick figures!) and once she can draw straighter lines she will surpass me!

On her birthday we had a party at home with just our family. Together with my grandma, we bought her a LeapFrog hand held video game system. She loves it. And I love it because it is educational and fun. All the games teach math or reading skills and are actually lots of fun (I just remember the learning games from when I was a kid and they were kind of lame--things have really improved with time!). The best part about it is all the games have several levels. The easiest level is easy enough for Miriam and the harder levels are challenging enough for Madeleine. It is perfect for when they need a little quiet time or to take along and keep them entertained at the doctor's office or grocery store. I just wish that I had gotten them one sooner!

This week we had a HUGE party with her school friends. I had a friend of mine take pictures so I will have to tell you about that party once I get the pictures from her.