My 8th Grader!
Maddie and Nikki
Maddie returned home from her trip the day before school started. She is excited for her theatre and French language classes. She is also on the stage crew so she is looking forward to running the sound board and missing class for assemblies!
So Maddie turned 13 in May and I have said several times that I needed to redecorate her bedroom to something more age appropriate. The girls swapped bedrooms in late spring so Maddie had the pastel striped bedroom and bunny hutch dresser. She has wanted a Paris themed bedroom and wanted purple. She left town for her trip and I started my quest to create a gorgeous, teen bedroom with little budget but cheap labor. I found bedding and a headboard at outlet stores, the vanity desk and chair at a discount retailer, and accessories at IKEA. I painted for 3 days ... covered the sky ceiling, sanded the stripes, painted the walls a lovely purple and taupe gray and repainted the dresser. New hardware went on the dresser, Ed replaced the ceiling fixture with the chandelier and I found the perfect finishing piece with the blossom pillow for the bed. The completion came so down to the wire, Ed drove to the airport to pick up Maddie while I stayed home to finish putting her bed up and getting everything in place. She was surprised and loves it. It really is a pretty room. I'm hoping it will inspire her to keep it clean. Only problem now is the other two kids are asking when I am going to re-do their bedrooms!
As some of you know, Maddie recently returned from a 10 day trip to visit her Aunt Melinda in Washington, D.C. Maddie has been saving money for 2 years to buy a plane ticket. This was her first experience flying alone and going on an adventure all by herself. Her plans for the trip were as varied as the moods are for a 13 year-old. By priority, she wanted to visit the Holocaust Museum, the Smithsonian, Carlo's Bake Shop (from the television show Cake Boss), and F.A.O. Schwartz (for the big piano).
I wanted Maddie to write the journaling for this blog post but she was tired and succinct. "It was hot, humid, and a lot of fun." As you can see, a lot of the enjoyment came with food. They cooked lobster tails and indulged in junk food. Maddie was so excited to call me the day they had french fries and pudding for lunch. She over-indulged on the bake shop goodies and called me crying when she had an upset stomach.
Maddie happened to arrive while Trent and Natalie were in D.C. for the Subway convention so she got to spend an afternoon with them. She and Keira had a fabulous time together. I love the photo of them reading the paper. Melinda let Maddie raid her closet and model in her Italian shoes. Melinda was a spectacular host and tour guide. Maddie loved the trip and it was a wonderful experience for her to see historic sites, wander through the MOMA, see the painting Starry Starry Night, take a boat ride in Central Park, text message her mom as she traveled through the Lincoln Tunnel, etc. It was a trip that I'm sure she'll never forget. Thanks Melinda!
No birthday is complete without a celebratory dinner. Olivia wanted a place with a festive birthday dessert so we stopped at Red Robin on our way home from the zoo. Our waiter did not disappoint ... Maddie told her she'd get a hot fudge sundae. Instead, Olivia was treated to the dessert of her dreams!
It's as big as her head!
She destroyed it! She did eventually realize that she couldn't eat all of it by herself so she allowed Mom and Dad to try a couple of bites. A sweet celebration for a very sweet girl. Happy birthday Livi!
Olivia turned 11 years old today. She woke up this morning to a new mountain bike ... no more borrowing Maddie's bike!
The jewelry box that she wanted! 
A bike lock to keep the new bike safe when she rides it to school.
A snow globe to add to her collection. Maddie bought this at the Smithsonian.
Liv and Marlee
Olivia also got school clothes from Grandpa and Grandma, fancy chopsticks from Aunt Melinda, and a giftcard to Target from Keira. As a special surprise, Marlee and Kaitlin stopped by tonight and gave Olivia two shirts from Aeropostale that will be darling on her. 
