Happy Birthday Madeline (and Mom)

Happy 4th Birthday Madeline! I can't believe how quickly you are growing up!! Also, Happy Birthday Mom. I know it was comforting for you (before she came home) to know that you and Maddie shared the same birthday. I just wish you had a chance to meet your beautiful granddaughter! I miss you and wish that we could've celebrated this day together.

Today, after waking up at the Great Wolf Lodge, David, Madeline and I got a quick bite to eat for breakfast. Next we quickly headed back to the water park for more water fun. We headed back to the water slides and wave pool. When it was time to leave, Madeline actually cried because she wanted to stay at the "sparkly hotel". The thing that got me to distract her from a potential melt down was talking about all her birthday presents that were waiting for her at home.

Before heading home,we spent a little bit of time in Niagara Falls, Canada. We stopped for a quick lunch at a McDonald's and Madeline was pleased that this particular McDonald's had a Playhouse. Mama and Papa were pleased because that meant we were able to sit and relax a little while Madeline played. After lunch we did a little bit of shopping at an outlet mall and then headed over to the touristy section (Clifton Hill). This photo of David and Madeline has a story behind it. You could see that Clifton Hill was dead. Not only is it the off season but it is mid-week. This is nothing unusual as David and I would often visit the Falls off-season because we live so close. The nice thing about that is there is never a problem finding parking. Like any other time, we zipped right into a parking spot. Today, however, as David was trying to pay at the meter, he was approached and told that we couldn't park there (see cones in photo....that is where we were going to park. The cones weren't there at the time) Directly across the street from the cones they were filming something. Come to find out, they were filming a movie. We couldn't park there because when they began filming their scene, there was no car in that spot. When they started shooting retakes, for continuity purposes, our car couldn't mysteriously appear in a scene. The cones weren't there when we tried to park because I guess they were trying to film the scene then so they moved the cones.....oooooppppps! I guess they can throw that take in the garbage.

After messing up a scene from a movie, we stopped to ride the huge ferris wheel there. (The photo of the Falls was the view from the Wheel)



We headed back home and Madeline actually dozed off a little bit in the car. If you know us, you know that Madeline hardly *ever* sleeps in the car, so you know how tired she actually was! When we got home we extended nap time a little longer before continuing with our day's activities. The first thing we did, before it got too dark, was to take a picture of Madeline in front of the Russian flag. We do this every year on her birthday.
Next, the three of us headed into the hot tub for a little while. Although David and I are in the hot tub a couple of times a week, I can count on one hand the number of times that Madeline has been in the hot tub...so this was a real treat for her. (In the hot tub photo, David tried to catch a picture of Madeline and me dancing in the water to the music on the radio)

After the hot tub we had a dinner packed with Madeline favorites - hot dogs, mac & cheese and watermelon. Of course dessert was birthday cake while the "icing on the cake" was opening birthday presents. Since it was getting late, Madeline only had about a half hour to play with her new toys before bedtime (she has school tomorrow). Madeline's big concern was that she didn't want me to clean up her toys after she went to bed. She wanted them left as is for the next day. After the activities of the past two days, that certainly won't be a problem....I'm good and tired. (I'm actually sore from carrying the water slide rafts and climbing up 5 stories of stairs each time we rode a water slide)But I would say that the birthday activities were a success. David, Madeline and I all had a great time. Below are more photos.....

Sleeping Beauty costume from Mama and Papa with jewelry accessories from Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Go-Go Dan. (Don't look at those ugly drapes in the background...our house's previous owners left them and I haven't changed them out yet)














Flapper outfit from Aunt Margaret, Uncle Mark, Chris & Kate



















Maddie posing by all the stuff that came in a "Make-believe basket" from Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Go-Go Dan