Happy Birthday, Madison

Today, Madison came by and tried out out stilts - as of late, we in the office have been addicted to marching around on these stilts. We've all become quite good at it, in fact. Now it was Madison's turn. She really enjoyed it, although Daddy was technically doing all the work. Still, she had fun marching along up high like she did. Yet, this is not quite the highlight of the day - this one below just might be it:

Today was Madison's 5th birthday. Ask her how old she is, and she'll hold up her hand and blurt out, "Five!" Daddy has been at work today, so our birthday celebrations will be this weekend coming. Still, it was nice to have everyone in the office to wish her all the best. Daddy had to work today, but it was such a great moment when Madison came in and we all wished her a happy birthday. She hung out with us for just a bit, and then we all moved on with our day pretty much.

It was a day not unlike any other day, but the occasion did give us reason to pause and reflect on the previous birthdays. Can you believe it has been three years with Madison? Here are some brief memories and photos from the birthdays past:

Fourth Birthday

The fourth birthday party had us going to Monkey Joe's, where we got a room and had a day of fun with the inflatables there. It was a very fun time for everyone, even the adults. Madison was quite happy, and queen for a day! This was a fine occasion, where we rented out the place and had a lot of children show up. Madison was delighted, as you can see. It was great to have all the kids surround her and sing happy birthday. This would be the first year that she really "got" it, understanding that today was in fact her birthday. She enjoyed it so much, from opening the countless gifts to eating cake and ice cream to running around and jumping on the inflatables. One of her favorite moments was having everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to her though. Up until this point, she'd been singing it to everyone else, and she didn't quite remember the year before. This picture brings a smile to my face every time!

Madison's Third Birthday

Here she is at the old house with our "Winnie the Pooh" themed party, which was a blast. We threw "bees," which were bean bags shaped like bees, and tried to hit the honeypot. Mommy made some of the most incredible cakes she's ever done. And friends and family celebrated Madison's first birthday with us at the house. Everyone went all-out for her birthday, and for an entire day, Madison got to wear "the hat." This was a special hat we got for the occasion, and Madison never took it off. She wore the thing for a few days afterwards too, from what I remember. She's such a cutey!

Madison's Second Birthday

Happy Birthday, Madison! Our daughter turns five today. Here's a photo of her on her second birthday - it was taken in her orphanage in Cangwu, China. Mommy and Daddy had sent her a cake and a panda as an early gift - and just a few days later we would meet for the first time on "Gotcha Day." It's hard to believe that it's been three years! Though she'll be receiving plenty of birthday presents, Madison is still one of the most wonderful gifts Mommy and Daddy could ever receive.