Maddie Girl

Maddie is going to be 6 in a month and I can't believe it! Time goes so quickly. She is turning into this wonderful little girl. She is so caring and so sensitive. Maddie loves Becca to death and does so much for her. It is fun to see her be such a great big sister. She is very inquisitive and asks questions that bring me to a loss of words. She asks things that I've never stopped to think about. I think the older Maddie gets, the more I'm going to have to study to keep up with her.

From the time Maddie was a baby, she has loved books. I have pictures of her crawling around with a book tucked under her arm. She had to have a book with her at all times. Most kids needs a stuffed animal or a blankie to sleep with... not Maddie. She HAD to have a book in bed with her in order to fall asleep. And from the time she was 9 months old, she knew which way a book was to go. Russ and I watched in amazement time and time again when she would pick up a book and flip it around the right way.

That love of books has not ended. One of Maddie's goals in Pre-K last year was to learn how to read. Her Pre-K teacher was so great and really worked with her. By the end of the year, she was reading. She read all summer long. And going into Kindergarten she was reading far beyond what a Kindergarten kid does. She reads very fluently and quickly got out of "kindergarten" books. So at Christmas, her teacher asked me if she could start going to the gifted and talented program. Well, yeah! So Maddie goes every Tuesday for an hour and also sees a reading teacher to read with once a week. At conferences a few weeks back, they told us she was reading on a 4th grade level. Wow! I knew she was over 1st grade, but 4th grade? She is reading chapter books and actually comprehends everything she reads too. She just amazes me.

So I know this was a braggy post. Sorry about that. I'm just so proud of Maddie and who she is. I'm so proud that she is my daughter and I love her to death!
Maddie's 5th birthday was a tea party.Maddie with straight hair.

Maddie was a bubble bath for Halloween this year.Last year, she was the Statue of Liberty. She decided this after her Daddy had gone to NYC on a business trip.

Russ took this picture in Iowa. I love it!