A Fancy Tea Party

there were a lot of "crafts" in preparation for this party!

we glued "fancy things" on the silverware...
i made more of those tissue paper flowers like the ones that are in the girls' room...


and made "sparkly" place cards!

yesterday we all helped decorate the cookies
{rebekah was VERY sad she wasn't going to be here...}

pat and i haven't really seen each other or talked at all this week.
it's just been crazy.
so, last night we were catching up for the first time and i said,
"before you leave for work tomorrow morning i need you to help me bring the dining room table out to the front lawn."
he gave me that look.
the one that could have gone either way.
because he's so great, he said, "ok."
and helped me this morning without question.
LOVE HIM!

so...at 7:30 am when the WHOLE neighborhood is driving/walking by to take their kids to school, we are lugging our table out to the yard :-)

he left and bailey and i finished setting up.
the party started at 9:30 am and we barely finished!
it takes a LOT of work to get ready for a fancy tea party!
{i also wanted HER to be able to help a lot...which takes longer...}


they used our REAL china
the ones we got for our wedding and NEVER use
why not?!?

the favors were: A princess silly band, a lip gloss and the napkin they would use (with a tu-tu sewed onto the bottom :-))

it was the most gorgeous morning!
it was actually a little chilly...and breezy...but still perfect!


i had 2 specific prayers for bailey's party this morning:
1) that she would feel special and loved
2) that i wouldn't get a headache (i often get headaches during something like this)

both prayers were answered and i'm so thankful.

as the girls arrived, we decorated placemats with sequins and pom-poms.
there really wasn't much decorating going on.
but that was ok.
they were just so CUTE sitting there together!
and they were so quiet!
{that changed later...}


they took their placemats to the table.
and then we played "Follow the Fancy Leader"
they mostly just RAN.
then they got tired and thirsty so we did the tea party!


their conversation was HYSTERICAL.
i can't remember ANY of it right now.
but holly and i were DYING!
they were explaining and gossiping and laughing and it was just.too.much!
{see sawyer on the corner? he was standing there on a little chair. he was so quiet the whole time. just taking it all in!}




we had sunshine tea {more of the girls drank this than i thought!}

and fancy words on the table :-)

after they ate and chatted and laughed we played "Fancy Freeze Tag"
when the "tagger" tagged you, you had to freeze in a "fancy" pose
then, to get unfrozen, someone had to run up to you and say "voila!"

Grace getting "unfrozen" by Bailey


CUTENESS!!!

after that game we went back to the table and had cookies
singing "happy birthday" to her

i am not really a "girly girl"
but it sure was fun doing this for my sweet, "fancy" girl!

i tried to make them all feel so "big" by letting them pick their food off of each plate as it was passed



and lemonade :-) PINK of course!

then she opened her gifts





and some dancing as we waited for the moms to come :-)

i think she had a GREAT party and it was the sweetest group of girls!

she got on the bus a couple minutes later...that was hard for her.
she also got in trouble right before she left which didn't make it any easier.
{chose to open a bag of candy right after i told her NOT TO "because her friend told her to"}
but it was a great teaching moment and i'm glad i had the wisdom to make it into one and not just "let it go" because it's a lesson she REALLY needs to get...making wise choices even when your friends encourage you not to...AND not blaming your friends for YOUR choices!
not the way i wanted her party to end...but that's "real" life!

and then sawyer and i cleaned up!