Madison

If I had to choose one word to describe my oldest child it would be COMPLEX, she is a bundle of beauty, talent and chaos all rolled into one. From her birth she has been my challenge, not because she is typically naughty but because of her COMPLEXITY which is of course hard to put into words.

In the morning she's like a fire breathing dragon, angry and unhappy, but with a little love and snuggles (and not turning the lights on ) she mellows out into a sweet simple smile with tired eyes, but never turn your back on the dragon, one wrong look, word or gesture and you get burned.

She is a hoarder and stingy with the most crazy of things like the old mail I throw into the garbage that she pulls out because she might be able to create something with it ( not kidding we had to take her bed frame away because we pulled out 42 lbs of papers shoved under her bed ) but her generosity is astonishing like last night at Chuck E. Cheese using her tickets to get her little brother a better prize. Her COMPLEX mind has no need for society's rules of what is important or what she is in titled to and I love that.

Her favorite outfit is her pink Carhart overalls with matching jacket paired with her camo mud boots yet at the same time underneath it is a classy and well thought out ensemble down to matching socks and panties. You just cant be more COMPLEX than that!

Her mind works so different than mine, we sat working on a simple math word problem and despite me trying for over an hour to teach her how to break it down and answer it she didn't understand but not kidding 10 minuets with her dad and changing it to a COMPLEX algebra equation she not only answered it but used the same formula to answer the next four word problems on her own.

From a very young age she has displayed amazing creativity in her art work and her thought process, she has also shown to be quite the business gal trying to sell us her drawings and paintings from age 3 on. Her price started at about 0.10 cents and just went up from there. She is a hard worker and loves the reward of cash but almost never spends it on herself.

She can see threw people and get a good look at their intentions, I don't care how good of an actor you are Maddie can see past it, by the sound of my voice, look in my eye, or music on the radio she knows whats going on with me and calls me on it, at the same time she blocks almost everyone from seeing her. You have to really know Maddie to get down to the root of whats bothering her, it may seem simple like a fight with her sister but in the end what was a simple remark meant to only wound her for a moment breaks her heart indefinitely. "My heart hurts Mommy" and as her mom I sometimes find it hard to help heal those COMPLEX injuries.

She is loyal like I have never seen any other child, I have personally watched her be tormented by peers as she stood by another and the pride mixed with heart ache that I felt left my stomach twisted. When we talked about it later her simple response to the cruel action of those other children "It doesn't matter Mommy because she needed a friend today and I can forgive those other kids but not me if I had left her alone" A simple concept but COMPLEX to put into action.

My sweet daughter you have a unique look at life and I pray you don't loose it as you grow and this world tries to change you. I'm so excited that you will be with Mommy and Daddy as we meet Sada and Rozalene for the first time and you can see with your own little eyes the world they are leaving and the love they are joining. I love you, my little Maddie.

A quick 30 things about you.....

1. You just turned 9

2. Your playing 3rd grade basketball

3. You love Top Ramen

4. You have a passion for horses

5. You sing on the youth worship team

6. You can already drive and operate Papa's tractor

7. Your pretty grumpy in the mornings

8. You dislike chocolate

9. You want to be a doctor in Ethiopia when you grow up

10. Your favorite jeans are purple

11. You steal all the covers at night

12. Your big chore at home is laundry helper

13. Your favorite song changes ALL the time

14. You eat too much to only have a Happy Meal anymore

15. Your favorite drink is Sprite

16. You have dinner at Poppy and Granddaddy's every Monday and Tuesday night

17. You have a pet cat Sasha

18. You steal treasures from Mommy that you think I won't miss like fingernail clippers

19. You love to play games

20. When you pack a suitcase it's full of everything but clothing

21. Your favorite stuffy is Rabbi your little white rabbit

22. You use more hot water than ANYONE else in the family during bath time

23. Your mud boots are more worn out than Mommy's

24. You like to do whats right and are WAY too hard on yourself when you make a mistake

25. You are bossy and headstrong

26. You want to play guitar

27. You have an eye for photography

28. You make a funny picture grin making it hard to capture your true smile

29. You see the world a very black and white/ right or wrong with no wiggle room

30. You have an amazing heart full of love