she was pretty excited
this year.
then santa asked
madeline what she
wanted him to
bring to her…
you can see maddy’s
enthusiasm as she
tells santa,
“i want a baby dragon and a slingshot.”
santa laughed
(and looked more than a little surprised).
the photographer looked
at me and said,
“that’s pretty cool. i hear ipad or video games from most kids.”
the slingshot is wrapped
(it’s one that fires soft foam balls ’cause i’m not ready to dodge rocks or any other hard projectiles)
and now i just
need to find
a baby dragon…
78 Comments
Wow, she is looking so much older and longer and lankier lately! Very sweet.
I love that. You could get her a baby bearded dragon. They are very docile and sweet.
You are an AWESOME dad, Matt! Maddy is one lucky little girl!
I love that she wants a sling shot!
And good luck finding that baby dragon!
If you seriously want to get her a baby dragon, which is super awesome by the way, I’d suggest: http://www.mybabydragon.com/ or http://www.rainbowbeardeddragons.com/ or http://www.beardeddragoncare.net/bearded-dragons-for-sale/
They’re really pretty awesome pets and they develop their own little personalities, it’s so cute! Plus, they’re pretty easy to care for.
P.S. Madeline is probably the coolest kid. Ever.
Love her list, I have secretly wanted a baby dragon for years. My 3yo boy wants Army toilet paper.
There are some awesome realistic (for a mythological creature) dragon stuffed animals and puppets around…
Cute! I saw a commercial last night for pillow pets — they had a dragon one. Does that count?!
Adorable- and just ran across this yesterday: http://scienceblogs.com/sciencepunk/2010/02/real_life_dragon_discovered.php
You have the coolest kid. Of course she’d be wearing a purple superman sweatshirt too!
She is cooler than about 95% of adults I know.
My little boy loves dragons too! He has a Happy Napper that is a dragon, and you can stuff him inside of his “castle home”. He adores it! Have you checked out the How to Train Your Own Dragon movies? They are great too!
The beardy is a great idea! They love to be held & if the tail falls off they can grow another. Pretty sweet idea!
I’ve been reading since the beginning & Maddy is growing more beautiful daily. You are such a great father!!
That is by far the best list ever!
I want to congratulate you on winning your category on Goodreads. I was so excited for you, I kept checking until I saw the results. It was a fabulous book; you deserve it!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Brooke, Maddie, and the forthcoming dragon.
Oh my goodness! I love what she said she wanted.
Look at her sweet little smile. I love that kid! ♥
A few years ago when my son asked for a dragon, we got him a Bearded Dragon. He’s easy to take care of and really docile. Of course, you could always keep hunting…
Are you getting her a toy baby dragon or a REAL baby dragon?
that is AWESOME!!!
I love your writing and pix. I was reading about Dan Snyder and Michael the Girl (her stage name as a singer/songwriter) and the tragic loss of Michal following the birth of their twins… sounds like the family could use your help. I know you have the foundation… maybe someone has already made the connection. It’s great that you have the foundation in honor of your wife.
*smiling* she’s definitely full of imagination, that one. she looks so grown too!!
i love the family shot with Santa. i’d love to do one of those!
OH MY thats soooo cute. If she has not already seem How to train your Dragon you have to get it for her. It’s my sons favorite and I have to admit I love it almost as much as him. Also there are alot of dragon toys out there so you are in luck! Merry Christmas, Matt, Maddy & Brooke!
I’ve been reading your blog, well, forever, and then I stumbled across this article yesterday could not believe the similarties. My thoughts are with all of you fathers who struggle and survive each and every day.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan-dad-heartbreak-wife-dies-giving-birth-twins-article-1.988398
That is the best Christmas list I have ever heard! I can only hope my daughter turns out as cool as Maddy! Also I love her new obsession with batman! You can tell her he is the best of them all!
Oh, the spunky daughter of yours!
A friend of mine has a lizard type dragon. Her 9 year old son has it in his room and it’s really easy to take care of. Just need a big fish take type cage. sand, heating lamp and a big spray bottle… they have to spray the entire thing every day.
Love the photos! She’s so pretty: )
i REALLY need to find that Santa belt buckle somewhere.
sheer awesomeness!
merry christmas.
That is definitely not your typical mall Santa! Love the photos – I can’t get over how big Maddy is getting!
My nephew is more into the dinosaur thing but we are able to pull off some dragons as dinos! Here is one on Ebay that actually roars and is plush
http://www.ebay.com/itm/14-ROARING-Blue-Dragon-Legendary-Friend-Plush-Stuffed-Animal-Aurora-NEW-/160692252046?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256a012d8e#ht_2194wt_1037
I miss the Santa at The Americana. We went to see Santa at the mall yesterday and it was just not the same.
AMAZING!!!
Oh goodness. I thought she was gonna say a baby brother or sister! haha. Too cool that she asked for a sling shot and baby dragon.
The IKEA in Vancouver has these really awesome loooong stuffed dragon toys. It would probably wrap around Maddy twice, but it would be pretty awesome. Good luck!
I love her imagination, so awesome.
That has to be one of the best Santa’s I’ve seen this year, such great shots!
Good luck on your dragon hunt.
Manhattan Toy make an awesome dragon that’s big and sturdy enough to sit upon. I think their current one is called Desoto. We have the older version called Nod, and my kids love to lounge on it when they read.
You might also have a look at the classic “My Father’s Dragon” trilogy by Ruth Stiles Gannett, the main character of which is a baby dragon. Great books!
Awesome.
My 3yo wishes for a cat and fish everytime she blows on a dandelion. Well, she’s getting the fish, but unfortunately, she and I are allergic to cats. So a stuffed animal it is.
my 5 year old is getting a slingshot, too. too funny.
adorable…i’ll have to look for the sling shot with the foam balls…hopefully she doesn’t try it with rocks
you could go easy and cozy with the dragon:
http://mypillowpets.com/shop/dragon/
seriously, too cute. love how excited she is! and her christmas requests are quite awesome.
we took our 3.5 yr old son to the zoo and he REALLY wanted to see the dragons… my husband thought cool,i will take him to see the bearded dragons but nope.our son wanted to see..
zipplebacks,
gronckles,
night fury,
deadly nadder.
only the excitement of going to see the dinosaurs at the museum the next day got us through that one.
stefanie
My 4 year old loves dragons too, she is positively obsessed with Dragon Tales on Netflix and Disney’s The Reluctact Dragon. If you find a great dragon gift please share it here
What a sweetheart. My favorite part of the photos is that Maddy’s not wearing a frillyass dress and satellite bow in her hair! Love from San Jose
*Laugh*
My five-year-old son, Tristan, wants a chipmunk and a bazooka. I think they are somewhat kindred spirits.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA06N0703133&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle3&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle3-_-Baby+Toys-_-Melissa+++Doug-_-9SIA06N0703133
i agree with Heather…Maddy is cool!!! these pictures are great, but i do miss the creepy Santa ones.
I love that Maddy is not a cookie-cutter-uber- girly-pink-only kid. She looks adorable in jeans and sneakers. Her choices for costumes and presents are imaginative, fun and downright cool. The perfect little girl.
Asalamu Alaykom,
Nice Santa and girlie pics.
I like her list as well.
I think her “dragon” needs some clarification. I’d want to know if she’s thinking big or little, real or pretend, scary or cute. When you have more idea of what she’s thinking you can do your best.
Maybe a geeko would do it for her.
The coolest part, by the way, is her utter confidence that she gets what she wants. Somewhere along the way we loose that feeling. You have instilled in her a sense of safety, belief and hope which is beautiful to see.
she is truly one of a kind. her little own person. and i absolutely LOVE it. my son is a lot like that – he makes his own rules & i love seeing this little INDIVIDUAL he’s growing into – and really really enjoy seeing that Miss Maddy is just on her own path too. in a world of petes & repeats, it’s refreshing to find small children shaping up to be unique. it would seem you inspire her to really be who she wants to be & not just go with the mainstream. it’s little things like this that give you a glimpse of the totally rockin lady she’s gonna grow into.
you are doing a fantastic job with that little mini Liz =)
Today I was reading a book reviewer’s blog. She lives in New Zealand. One of the books she was reccomending was “Two Kisses for Maddie”! She said it was one of the best books she’s read this year!!!!
Are you getting a plush dragon or is Maddy getting her first reptile?
I knew you were going to get her a slingshot! You are such a good dad.
*Love it*
Maddy is DEF one of a kind
Get her a puppy and put him in a dragon suit. You guys need a puppy.
http://www.petkaboodle.com/products/items/770/Dogzilla-Dinosaur-Dragon-Halloween-Dog-Costume.htm
Or you can learn to knit and make this:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61041669/daisy-the-baby-dragon-pdf-email-toy
Learn to knit, or adopt a puppy? I say…PUPPY!
Perhaps she means, baby brother or sister. Just sayin’. Enough of that….
You have a gorgeous little girl. Liz would be so incredibly proud!
I thought you guys are Atheists…do you still celebrate Christmas?
Merry Christmas, Matt, Madeline & Brooke!
She is getting so big, I cannot believe it. You are a good dad.
i don’t believe in god, but i certainly believe in santa claus.
Such an awesome Christmas list…I love that child!
Awww come on, post the Santa picture from last year. It was a classic!
don’t flame, but lizards eat crickets and my daughter begged for a gecko and guess what?! she was scared of the damn crickets and those bastardly little things would echo all through my bathroom at night! Thankfully, the vet’s son took him. (after years of her father and I taking care of him!) oh, and crickets are very hard to catch when they get loose! little fuckers. and you need a sitter on vacations that can take care of said lizard plus food and the vitamin powder you coat the crickets in! LOL
sorry to be the kill joy…
Happy Holidays to all three of you. Much happiness for you all.
Too cute! I like the puppy (or rescue dog that’s already house broken) idea. We just got a 1 1/2 y/o Bassador (basset hound/ lab mix) 3 weeks ago, he’s so sweet. You could name yours “Baby Dragon”.
My 3 1/2 year old asked Santa for a cake. A chocolate cake, w/chocolate frosting and a snowman on top made out of ice cream. Now, how is Santa going to pull that one off???
love her superman shirt and lil converse she’s a lil tomboy for sure
http://www.thejunglestore.com/Gift-Catalog/Dragon-Gifts/14-Blue-Dragon
Here ya go…they have purple and green ones! LOL http://www.amazon.com/Penbo-Friends-Skylee-iloveRobots-13002/dp/B005T3AHBU/ref=pd_sim_t_1
I just saw the comment “I don’t believe in God, but I certainly believe in Santa Clause” I LAUGHED SO HARD!!!
I found a great baby dragon at Grandrabbits when my son started waking in the night and asking me to help him find the blue baby dragon!
Way to go on the slingshot girl!!!
Matt, I just came across this story. A husband just became a widow at the end of Nov. after his wife gave birth to their twins via C-section. He needs help with immediate expenses. If you have any connections for him, it would really help.
http://www.thetigersnest.com/thesnydertwins/
Can’t help but imagine her with a big ole bow and dress on!
what awesome things for a lil girl to ask for from santa. I think you should have reposted the santa pics from previous as well since she looks delighted in these.
Think I would rather have asked scrooge maybe I would have gotten the book.
I have asked Santa for a copy of your book which I have yet to read. Santa informed me…..He isnt going to get me a book
Oh well someday I will read it. Maybe by the next time you write another
Merry Christmas to you Brooke and Maddy. She sure is growing up so fast
I love your Santa story. What great things to ask for? It shows that she has a great imagination! I love when they ask for unusual things in this highly technical world of ours!
This year Tim asked for a jet pack and a chain saw. When I stared at him, he added, “If I had those, I could do a lotta stuff.”
No doubt.
I love interesting requests. Good luck with the baby dragon. love always, Val
wow she is getting so pretty like her mommy!!!
A slingshot, that is so freaking awesome! What a cool baby! Merry Christmas to you all!
Santa at the Americana is the best! My girl and I have gone to him every year thus far!
Merry Christmas to you, Maddy and Brooke! One of the highlights of this year was definitely meeting you in Green Bay, WI. You are such an inspiration, and sweet Maddy gets more and more beautiful each day….just like her mommy! I wish you all a very blessed Christmas and New Year! Thanks for sharing your story!
Maddy has gotten so big and beautiful! You must be so proud.
Matt
I just finished your book. It is sad yet very insightful…however….did you really have to use the four letter word as a noun, verb, adjective, complete sentence? I’m sure you have heard this before but I just had to comment on how much of it was in the book.
Thanks for the current pictures of Maddy!!!!
Best wishes to both of you!!!1
Awesome. Made me laugh. Just have to add I love the way you dress her too.