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!