Maddy's Top Ten

In celebration of Maddy's 10th birthday, here are the top ten things (in no particular order) that I love about my Maddy:

1-Her smile! It truly lights up my day with those 2 dimples on 1 side. :)

2-I love having a daughter that I don't have to DRAG shopping with me, like her brothers. It's so fun to have someone that is a "natural" at it, by my side. We always have fun on our little shopping excursions. (I just hope I'm not creating a spoiled monster. ;)

3-I love Maddy's free spirit. I call her our little "flower child." She follows her heart and for that reason, she always seems happy. I wish I could be more like that instead of worrying about what others think.

4-I love Maddy's art! She is always drawing pictures and decorating our house (and cars and my office, etc.) with them. Seeing them always brings a smile to my face and reminds me to treasure this time.

5-One of my favorite things about Maddy is her sweetness. She genuinely cares about others and worries about their feelings.

6- I adore Maddy's hugs! I don't know what I would do without them. There are so many days that she has noticed me having a bad day and knew exactly what I needed - a hug! She is so affectionate to both me and her Daddy. I hope that lasts forever!

7-Another sweet blessing of having a little girl is being able to watch her dance. I always wished I was a ballerina and so it makes it even better to be able to watch Maddy in Ballet and know that she loves it. She absolutely loves performing and soaks in every speck of joy from her recitals. I want to be the type of Mom that allows her children to follow their hearts, not mine. But for the time being, I think Ballet is a part of Maddy's heart, as well as mine. So I'm enjoying every minute of sharing that experience with her.

8-Maddy is so talented. She started playing the piano at age 5 and is doing so well! This is another part of Maddy that I love. Although it is much to her brothers' dismay, I love it when she practices so I can hear her creative side ringing through.

9-Another one of my favorite things about my Maddy is her talent for writing. She leaves us notes all over the house and my office and it makes my day!! There is nothing that makes my heart swell more than slipping into bed and finding a cute note from my little girl or walking into my office and finding a picture that Maddy had left there for me. Sometimes it's an actual letter and sometimes she has written a poem. The most recent was a note she left me in my bathroom drawer telling me how much she would miss me while she was on the Daddy Daughter campout over night. I was homesick for her and finding that note was all I needed to put the spark back in my day. No matter what form her "messages" are in, they always make a positive impact on our days. That little girl should be a writer some day.

10- Maddy is often the "glue" that holds our family together. I absolutely love that she looks forward to Family Home Evening each week and is often actually the motivating force for us to have it. Although we some times hear grumbles from her brothers, they always seem to enjoy it after and alot of that is brought by Maddy's special spirit and enthusiasm. Maddy is also our family prayer reminderer (is that a word?) and loves to see her Mom and Dad show affection to each other. Even in her young age, she seems to already know what matters most!

Maddy- I love you with all of my heart and am so thankful that Heavenly Father sent you to me!