My rolly-polly blonde baby is growing up into a beautiful little lady. I can't believe she's already 9. It seems like yesterday I was reaching for her soft, pink body in the middle of the night so I could cuddle and nurse her. The newborn stage with my first two kids was a bit stressful as I learned the ropes of motherhood, but I allowed myself to feel calm and enjoy each stage with my third kid.
I let Lindsey stay home from school on her birthday so we could spend the whole day together. She wanted a new American Girl doll more than any other present, so I took her to the actual AG store on the Kansas side. It was the first time we've visited the store because usually I've ordered the items online (or bought the knock-off versions at Target)! What a fun place! Besides the fact that the doll outfits cost more than I spend on my own clothes, it was a perfect girl paradise.
After squealing and running around the store for a while, a nice employee took her time figuring out exactly what kind of doll Lindsey was wanting. After gathering some ideas, she laid them out next to each other and talked about the advantages of each one. She was very patient and sweet with my birthday girl.
And the final decision was made - Saige, the doll of the year!
After a yummy lunch together, we did some shopping before heading back home. Lindsey opened the rest of her gifts (an alarm clock from Brevan, a journal and pen from Brynlie, a Barbie movie from Logan, an American Girl magazine subscription from Grandma and Grandpa Springer, and a doll bunkbed from Grandma and Grandpa Ellefsen) and then we all headed out to dinner at her restaurant of choice: Chinese. As she was skipping with excitement into the restaurant, she eagerly asked, "Do you think the waiters will speak Spanish to me?" We all busted up laughing and had to explain that Chinese people speak Chinese.
A few days after her actual birthday, I threw a birthday party for her. I literally planned this party in about 2 days. The invitations went out just a few days before the party and I planned it all the next day. It was a pretty busy couple days, but the party was a hit! Lindsey told me all the important events I needed to include to have a successful party, so I worked a pinata, dance party, red-carpet fashion show and movie into the evening. Most of the girls came home from school with Lindsey, so they arrived at 3:45 and were picked up at 10 pm. I had a few moms ask why we do "late-overs" instead of "sleep-overs," so I tried to explain in a non-self-righteous way. I used to feel a bit silly telling parents that their children are always welcome to sleep at MY house, but my children are not allowed to sleep at THEIR houses. It's not that I don't trust other people, but . . . well, I don't completely trust other people. I can control the environment at my house, but I've heard far too many stories about inappropriate activities that happen during seemingly innocent slumber parties. After a couple years of trying to explain this to other parents, I decided to pretty much put the kabosh on all sleepovers.
Brynlie and Madelyn were a huge help for me, because they entertained the girls for the majority of the evening. All the girls were told to bring an American Girl (or similar) doll. We got out all the doll clothes and let the girls play dress-up with their dolls for quite a while.
I decorated the kitchen table with a setting for each girl, plus a setting for each of their dolls. The tiny doll plates, cups and placemats were completely unnecessary, but super adorable. I couldn't resist!
I set up the dining room with card-making crafts. I bought several kinds of American Girl stickers, cut-outs and cards for the girls to decorate.
I set up Lindsey's bedroom by laying out her doll items, which got me wondering if I've ever taken pictures of the painting I did in Lindsey's room last year?? I painted most of the walls a pale pink, then painted these stripes on the long wall. I also painted the dresser and nightstand that I used as a child. I researched how to spray-paint wood furniture, and spent a couple days finishing this project last summer. I still haven't gotten around to painting the bed rails or hanging up curtains yet. It's been on my to-do list for far too long! I also installed new hardware on the furniture to give the room a more modern look. The wall stripes are OCD perfect because that's just how I roll when I do a paint project.
Bryn and Madelyn put on some dance music and had the girls line up to show off their best moves. These pictures don't show how hilarious these girls were being. I captured most of it on video.
The red-carpet fashion show after the girls got their dolls dressed up.
Brynlie and Madelyn were the workers at the "Concession Stand" we set up in the basement. We gave each girl $12 of Monopoly money and let them make their own food choices by "paying" for each item. They could buy pizza, soda, nachos, popcorn or a variety of movie-sized candies.
.JPG)
.JPG)
The girls all huddled together to watch an American Girl movie while devouring large amounts of junk food. Somehow during the evening, about 20 Junior Mints were ground into the carpet. It wasn't a big deal to me because I figure a fun party is worth a little chaotic mess, but I was surprised at the reaction of the other moms. It got me wondering if maybe I'm a little too lenient sometimes. I would rather be lenient and have my kid's friends want to come over than be a stickler for rules.
After the movie, I did a craft with the girls where we cut out doll headbands from bright-colored t-shirts and decorated them with fabric paint. They were supposed to look like this when they were finished:
Just so you know, they didn't. Don't start an art project with a bunch of sugar-rushed girls after your bedtime. I finished every headband when the girls got impatient, and there is now paint all over my dining room table that won't come off. Haha! Good lesson for me (that I probably won't follow): don't plan so many activities for a party. Just let them play.
It was so fun to see my Lindsey enjoy the evening with all her best friends. She only had about a 20-minute period where she came upstairs and cried over something silly. I told her when we were planning the party (just like I tell all my kids) that birthday parties are usually kind of stressful for the birthday child because they get overwhelmed. My kids have rarely made it through their own parties without tears. I was glad she calmed down quickly and re-joined her friends.
When Hailey was leaving, she turned to me and said, "that was definitely the BEST party EVER!" Thanks for the props, girl. I had a blast putting on the party. The cleaning up not so much . . .
No comments:
Post a Comment