Costume Party

I am finally posting about the girls' birthday party. We had a great time. Emma was very excited about her costume. Allison's didn't last long. As for the hostess, I wouldn't wear another Halloween wig for two hours again to save my life. Ahh... the sacrifices we moms make...

We couldn't have asked for better weather at the end of October. The sun was out and it was nice enough not to wear jackets. God was surely smiling down on us this year.

Meridith came down for the party with Mallory and Trent. Mallory was an adorable fairy and Trent was the cuddliest lion ever. This picture also has proof that Allison's costume didn't last even until the party started.

One of the activities I planned was to give each of the kids a tattoo. I bought the boys and girls tattoo kits from Stampin' Up. It was a big hit. Cherries, butterflies, and princess crowns were universally requested. These kits will pay for themselves when I figure out a way to use them as rewards at home. They are in hiding at this point because I would never hear the end of "Can I have a tattoo, pulease???" if they saw them.

The game the older kids played required them to carry a marshmellow on a tongue depressor (courtesy of my doctor's office - thank goodness I got strep earlier in the week). In theory, the child who carried his/her marshmellow the farthest would win. I discovered that this game was a bit advanced for four year olds, but that ended up being the fun, anyway. Every time we counted to three for the kids to begin, someone's marshmellow would drop off before we got to three. The kids ended up giggling too much to care who won. I think Pocahontas won. That's the person who took home the prize. The most wonderful costume at the party belonged to Dorothy. Her mother not only French braided Katie's hair (which impresses me in and of itself), but she sewed the dress as well.

This was the first year that Emma blew out her candles without help from Mom or Dad. Go Emma!

Allison still needed a little help. When she would blow, she curled her bottom lip up so that the air tossled her bang (can't quite call them bangs yet). Mommy helped out. Luckily for me, the pink hair didn't go up in a blaze of glory while I was at it.

Present time really belonged to Emma. Once Allison opened the Dora backpack from Grandma and Grandpa, she had no interest in anything else. Lexie (Emma's red-headed best friend) and Gracie (more anxious to see what was inside then Emma) were right by her side the entire time.

The party was a great success. The food was delicious and I've met some new moms that I would love to get to know better. It was a great day!

After the excitement, we opened Emma's new Raffi DVD (an instant classic in our house) and watched that while Emma went over and over her gifts. If you've never seen a queen, you need to see Emma at a time like that. Emma, you were such a delight to behold. Happy fourth birthday, my beautiful Em&Em.

It wasn't long after we put on the DVD that Allison laid down on her Dora (siamese twin) backpack like it was a pillow. The next thing we knew, she was down for the count. Allison is not one to fall asleep randomly like that, but being the birthday girl sure tuckered her out. Happy second birthday, my sweet Baby Doll!