NY Nanny Diaries: Meet Madeline!

So enough about how it happened.... Without further adue: 

Meet The Girls! 

~Madeline~ 

7 Years old 

Likes:

-Star Wars Legos

-The Color Blue

-Anything that shoots 

-Vanilla Ice Cream

-Playing Tag

-Drawing 

-Swimming 

-Football aka The Jets! (Obsessed)

-Playing with the 'boys'

-Pretending to be a Superstar

-Bagel Bites 

-Disney Channel 

-Bubble Baths

-Smoothies

-Phineas and Ferb 

-Torturing her cat 'Willow'

-Hot Dogs

-Water with Ice

-Sliced or Peeled Apples

-Dancing 

-Playing on her D.S. and Ipod Touch

-Playing 'Masseuse" and giving Kayley back massages :)

-Presents 

Dislikes: 

-Anything Pink

-Putting things away 

-Eating at the dinner table 

-Taking showers 

-When her hair gets tangled 

-Spicy Food

-'Little Kid' Things (she's an adult now) 

-Anyone who doesn't like the Jets 

-Dolls 

-When her little sister whines 

-Grocery Shopping

-Taking Naps 

-Chores

Madeline. Aka: Maddy. MadDog. Mads. Mad-el-oo. Madsy. 

When I first arrived, Maddy was a lot more shy than her sister. She was a little hesitant and afraid to talk to me. But the moment I told them I had presents for them, she came running over and that's when I realized the shyness is just an act! It's true. Even the smallest present is the way to her heart... smart girl!  Maddy is my buddy. She's old enough to have a legitimate conversation with me that doesn't revolve around Beauty and the Beast or tea parties. 

She is extremely active and more busy than any other 7 year old I know! Just in the past 6 months she has participated in: Tae Kwon Do, Lacrosse, Golf, Multiple Clubs at school and most recently: Swim team.

 This was her first year participating in the Country Club's Swim Team and it was an adventure to say the least. I took her to practice every morning and the anticipation of the first swim meet kept growing more and more, till finally it was time. I think I was more nervous than she was! 

This was Maddy's First Swim Meet! 

Right before her turn to swim, she ran over to me very nervous... almost in a panic. I told her that I would be watching the entire time and all she needed to do was pretend like it was practice and no matter what I would be proud of her! She gave me a hug (this is rare) and ran back to her position. I told her to look for me at the end of her lane before she swims. 

She got on the block. 

She looked at me. 

I gave her a thumbs up. 

She gave one back.

She took her position.

Gun Fires.

Before I knew it she was reaching for the wall and the race was over.

FIRST PLACE! 

I was so proud. 

She got up out of the pool.

I gave her a huge hug.

I told her she won.

She smiled and said "Duh", ripped off her cap and skipped away to her friends. 

So humble. ;) 

Every swim meet after that, the same routine played over and over again.

She improved her time almost every meet consistently and each time the race started with a thumbs up. 

She's quite the little fish. 

Mads Sportin the Friendship Bracelet I Made Her

Mads and her bestie "Louise" with their signs for the Swim Invitational.
Go Westchester Hill!

Here's her very first, 1st Place Ribbon :)

For the Swim Invitational, I painted this on the entire Swim Team's Backs.
They Loved It! Haha

Madeline also loves to sing and dance. Although, she'll never admit it. This video was an attempt to catch her singing to "Super Bass" in the car when she was listening to her Ipod Touch. Although you can't really hear her singing, the best part is when she catches me taping her. I don't know if she was more embarrassed that I caught her singing, or that I caught her wearing pink sparkly glasses ;) This gives you a good idea of the fun times we have together :) Whatta little sass! 

Always building something! 

Mads with her Golf Buddies! 

MadDog And "KK" 4Eva :)

Madeline is adventurous, protective, caring, athletic, curious, competitive, sassy and forever my little best friend :) 

N.Y. Nanny Diary: How it Happened Part 3

The moment I got woken up by the flight attendant proudly stating "Welcome to New York City! Please remain in your seat with seatbelts fastened, trey tables and seats in their upright position for landing", my stomach began to turn. I was nervous. 

As I stepped off the plane, a couple things were about to change... immediately.
1. Sucker is now Lollipop
2. The word "heck" is not cool.
3. Pop is now Soda
4. The F word can be used very casually in any given conversation at any given place.
5. My fit summer body by NY Pizza. (this is the only excuse to become fat. its that good.)
6. Because of Humidity- the air is now tangible.
7. Purse is now 'Pocketbook' (so weird. like, what even really is a pocketbook??)
8. Looking like you're constantly in a hurry is popular and attractive.
9. Casually having barbie shoes, princess lipgloss and legos fall out of your purse while looking for your keys on a date is normal.
10. I was about to become cooler according to the "You are cool if you can say you live in New York" book.

My parents called me the moment I landed- psychics or professional stalkers, you decide. 
I was trying to hold back tears as I waited for my luggage to arrive- not really sure if it was the complete exhaustion that had overcome me from getting no sleep the night before traveling across the country, or if it was nerves, or if it was because I witnessed a U.S. Marine come home only to his 90 year old grandmother who was waiting in her wheelchair with a sign that read "Welcome Home, Kid!" in frail handwriting.

Or maybe it was a mixture of it all. 

For whatever reason it was, I was overwhelmed with all types of emotions and talking to my parents was the last thing that was going to calm me down at this point because I really didn't want to scream out the only thing I wanted to say which was "I want to go HOME!"

So I let them know I was safe and hurried them off the line.
Well.
After my dad gave me very detailed instructions on what to say/do/avoid to not get abducted.

I had a few minutes between the time I got my luggage to the time that my boss pulled up to pick me up. During these few moments, I sat outside on a concrete, graffiti infested bench with my two overly stuffed suitcases and took a couple deep breaths of the thick, almost cotton candy like textured air that instead smelt like a homeless person drenched in a bottle of rum and moldy feet and thought....

I'm home. 

Side note; It wasn't until I turned around to find "Jay" (a 50-something year old homeless man) that I realized the air didn't actually smell like that- it was just him that did. 

I was calm, collected and ready to meet my boss.

Once I saw the X-5 BMW s.u.v. pull up with the description I was given did the butterflies come back.
A blonde, well dressed, woman jumped out of the front seat in heels and approached me with a warm smile and greeting. She immediately looked down at all my luggage and back up at me.

This was the moment I immediately regretted majority of the things I had packed.

She chuckled and we both, as a team, began the process of hailing my luggage into the trunk.

On the way to the house, she explained to me everything I needed to know.
Only problem: Once we reached the home, I couldn't recall more than, Don't feed Gwenie Peanut Butter and Don't be frightened by our huge dogs. 
Solid.

When we pulled up to the home, I got really excited.
The outside looked like a cobblestone cottage- except big.
There is a long, crooked, narrow driveway leading up a hill to the home.
The landscape in perfect condition.
Once we parked at the top of the driveway I looked up to notice two huge doberman dogs staring down at me as if to say: Enter at your own risk- no sign needed.

After walking in the door, i noticed we were on the 1st floor. My bedroom was on the 2nd floor.
And the only thing keeping me from my bedroom was a steep flight of stairs that immediately made me regret the amount of luggage I packed- For a second time. Great.

After another hail up the stairs, I heard little feet patting down the stairs in a dead sprint.
These footsteps eventually sped right into my legs and before I knew it, two little arms were wrapped around my thighs.
When I looked down, two big, green, beautiful eyes looked up at me and before I could say a single word she blurted out--
"Want to have a Tea Party with me!?"

I love tea parties.
This was fate.
And so began the summer of many tea parties.

When those little arms were wrapped around me, all I could think was:

Cheers New York..... Thanks for welcoming me to my new home!