Madeline Rose: Mad about March

Joy!

So much fun, it's hard to keep up! Springtime has been busy in Portland with lots of great events happening. Maddy has been busy at school and Steve and I have been trying to help out/volunteer when we can. I've been making "Spirit Day" posters like the Pajama Day one below. Pajama Day happened to be the same day Maddy had a "Jogathon" fundraiser for YMCA (her after school program is Y-Care) and I helped out at that event too. Maddy had chosen cozy jammies which made running tough! Luckily we had extra clothes so she changed part way through.

We also went to Kieran's 6th birthday party for Laser Tag, which was a lot of fun. Steve couldn't make it so Maddy and I represented, and it was our first time playing. We didn't do all that great but we had a good time trying! There were also lots of games to play and Maddy loved that part nearly to the point of obsession...including wanting to win a stuffed animal from one of those claw games. I told her that her chances of getting one was low, and what does she do? Wins the rather big pink bear that she REALLY wanted. Go figure!

We love our neighbors and our neighborhood (which is quite diverse), so when we found out about an event at our local community center called "Portlanders Stand With Immigrants and Refugees" off we went and invited friends to join us. Some old friends from ChildRoots (Henry, Daniel, Karina) and a friend from Vestal (Siobhan) all attended with their parents and we all had a great time! We enjoyed the music and dancing and feeling of camaraderie throughout the evening.

Also in March, Maddy was awarded an "Academic All-Star" at Vestal, continued with swimming (passed pre-otter and can move up to pre-seal!), kept up with gymnastics with Carson, stood under a rainbow, did some crafts and went to a kid's show - Red Yarn - with friends.