Science Fair and a Birthday Party

Julia's school held its annual science fair this weekend, and the girls had a blast examining reptiles, creating chemical reactions, tracing seashells, constructing bags of pretend blood, and much more.  The best part of all was that the girls got to take home bags of all the projects and goodies they accumulated, including a rainbow colored Slinky.  Julia spent a bunch of time on the stairwell by her bedroom watching her Slinky inch its way down the steps, while Madeleine quickly turned her Slinky into this disaster:

Apparently, it was my job to fix the mangled mass that was formerly a Slinky.  I had the distinct pleasure of being woken up this morning by a Slinky dangling in my face.


MADELEINE: Uh, Mama, you really should be working on this.
ME: Mmm...I think Daddy would be better at fixing it.  Why don't you go downstairs and ask him.
MADELEINE: Uh, he doesn't want to.  (brightly) We had a little CHAT!
ETHAN: (bursting into the bedroom) Madeleine, what are you doing?  Stop bothering Mom.  Get back downstairs.


At any rate, the Slinky seems to be irreparably warped, so for the time being, the girls might be stuck sharing just the one.

Luckily, Madeleine had other things to get her mind off the broken Slinky today.  A friend from preschool had her birthday party this afternoon, so Madeleine spent much of the morning asking if it was time to go to the party yet.  But pleasy please please can we go now?  But I reeeeeeally want to go now.  But how much MORE minutes until we go?  Mom?  Is it time NOW?

Madeleine had designed a hand-made card for her friend, and even though I oversaw her artwork on it, I couldn't prevent it from turning into a total Madeleine masterpiece.  What started out as a simple picture of Madeleine and her friend Abby quickly became subject to Madeleine's creative whims.  Before I knew it, she was talking both the people on the card, shouting things like, "Oh no!  Quickly!  The clouds are coming!  It's RAINING!  Quick, we better get inside!"

Therefore, Abby gets to receive a birthday card that looks like this:

MADELEINE: Mom?  So...they had to go back inside, because they were SOBBING WET.

Happy Birthday, Abby!

Twelve 'o clock finally rolled around, and Madeleine was desperate to get out the door and head over to the shin dig.  As we pulled into the parking lot of the kids' gym that was housing the party, Madeleine called urgently, "Uh, Mama, can you take Abby's present for me, because I'm going to go RUNNING right over!"

And she really did go running right over.  I didn't even get to say good-bye to her because by the time I had hung her coat and provided my child's name and emergency contact, Madeleine was up inside a tube tunnel in the big climbing structure.  Furthermore, I don't think she was even aware that I actually left, seeing as she asked me, when I picked her up an hour and a half later, "So Mom.  Did you see me sliding down the slide SUPER, SUPER fast??"

It seems Madeleine had a blast at the party, despite the fact that there were some kids there she didn't know.

MADELEINE: So.  Mom.  I saw LOTS of NEW FRIENDS!  Because...I was looking around and I was like, "Who the HECK are all these new kids and friends??"

She got to see lots of new friends AND slide super fast on the slide?  Really, does life get any better than that!?