Madeline's 8th Birthday

Madeline turned 8 on the 15th of January. Going with our low-key birthday theme, we just had a small get-together with a few friends. They met together for about an hour to have some pizza, some cake, and a lot of giggles.

Maddy and Eva supplied the decorations. As you can see, it was a "snail" themed party. Frogs and worms were also thrown in for good measure. Madeline wanted a snail cake. I was devoid of cake inspiration until my friend suggested I utilize her igloo cake pan...which was genius. I added a cupcake to the igloo entrance for the head, and a snail was born. The girls helped to frost most of it. You can tell it was made with loads of love.

Time for the wishes and the candle extinguishing. Can you believe she is 8? I panicked when I realized that she is half-way to 16.
While we dined on cake, Marc took some time to tell her friends about Madeline's birth story.

After cake, our friends soon left, and we were off to the subway. This was the moment Madeline was waiting for. We gave her an envelope earlier in the day that she was instructed not to open until we were on the subway as a family. The envelope contained a clue as to what birthday activity our family would be headed off to. So, when we finally boarded the subway, she eagerly opened the letter and found...............circus tickets!

It was a first-time circus experience for the children.

Eva and Madeline enjoyed all of the nutritious refreshments. Owen didn't want anything to do with the big ball of sugary fuzz.

Here are a few circus pictures. Eva's favorite was the man who rode two horses at once (by standing on them!). Madeline loved the acrobats. Owen loved the human hamster wheel show.

Happy birthday Madeline! We love you!

Do-It-Yourself

This past week I was in the middle of placing a FreshDirect order when the girls stormed into my room.

"What are we going to eat for dinner?!!"

I am not to be disturbed during my online grocery shopping experience. I am focused, going through my weekly quasi-menu in my mind, trying to evaluate just how much over-priced food we will need delivered.

It was 5:30 p.m, and dinner preparation had yet to begin. The natives were restless and hungry. I scanned my computer files for something quick and easy.

I pressed print, and handed over a fresh copy of a new buttermilk waffle recipe to my 8-year-old. Yes, I must confess, we eat breakfast for dinner; especially on nights when I know Marc will be MIA.

Lately, I have been turning over my dinner recipes to the girls for some prep-time help. They search through the cupboards for all of the ingredients needed, so when I finally make it into the kitchen everything is on the counter ready to be measured. Madeline has even started helping me wash and chop some items, which I absolutely love.

After I handed over the recipe, the girls scurried off to the kitchen to begin their nightly hunt for ingredients.

I took a little longer on my grocery order than I should have, and then ended up answering a few emails. Before I knew it, 20 minutes had passed, and the kitchen had fallen silent. I realized that I needed to investigate.

"Girls, are you finished getting out all the ingredients for me?"

"SURPRISE!!!" came their reply as I rounded the corner and entered the kitchen.

I found Eva and Madeline perched on the counter top, hovering over a bowl filled with their very own creation.

"Mom! Mom! We made it ourselves!! We got all of the ingredients out, then we put all of the stuff together, and made this all by ourselves!!!"

-"Oh, WOW....really?" I was excited and worried all at once.

I looked around me. Baking soda, baking powder, egg shells, buttermilk, flour, salt, butter wrappers, and measuring spoons/cups littered the counter top. It seemed that all of the essential ingredients had indeed made it into the mixing bowl.

-"Did you follow the instructions?"

"What?!"

-"The part that tells you how to put the ingredients in the bowl."

"Ummmm...." Ok, I had my answer.

Oh well, no time to criticize the cooks, we needed to celebrate this initiative!!

So we fried some bacon, whipped some cream, warmed some syrup, heated the waffle iron, lit some candles, and hoped for the best.

The waffles were absolutely delicious. Not a shell in the batch. This may be our new Sunday dinner. I can take a nap while the girls concoct their signature waffles :). Did I mention how awesome it is to have a 6 and 8-year-old in the house? May they never grow up.