Monday, April 4, 2011

Birthdays

Since we did a joint birthday party for the girls, we did some low-key celebrating on their actual birthdays. For both girls we started out with present opening then a trip to Krispy Kreme for the free birthday dozen (though I've finally smartened up and we eat oatmeal before we go so we don't make ourselves completely sick). Then on Claire's birthday we headed to Jump and Shout.



For dinner we had some friends over and they got to have a special picnic in the tent. Claire had requested a cherry cake, so I made her a hideous-looking Black Forest cake.



Molly's birthday started out the same as Claire's, then after preschool we went to the train park. My parents told her to choose anywhere she wanted and they would take her to lunch. Surprise surprise, she chose a Happy Meal from McDonald's. We tried to talk her into Ruth's Chris since it's right across the street from the train park, but she wasn't interested.


I usually take the kids to the dollar store to pick out presents for each other, but Molly really wanted a stomp rocket, so Claire and I went to Toys R Us and "Claire" bought Molly a stomp rocket. Molly was really excited!




It was a great day for kite-flying!




Dress Up Party

This year the girls got to have their first friend party. I thought having a dress-up party (the girls are both really in to dressing up right now) would be really cheap and easy, and I ended up being wrong on both counts!

Our house is pretty small so I had to get creative with the space (and send a lot of furniture out to the garage). In the entry I set up the dress-ups. I borrowed a rolling dress rack from my grandma to hang the dresses (all from my stash and my mom's), then I have an old suitcase I put accessories in and a trunk where their shawls went (that was their party favor).



I set up a beauty salon in the bathroom with hair fixing, glitter, and lip gloss. Unfortunately none of the girls seemed too interested; I think a small handful came in to get glitter and that was about it. And I got that chair at garage sale last year and I had no idea what I would ever do with it, but it was perfect for the beauty salon!


Princess hats for the girls to decorate.


I didn't know how modest 3 and 5 year-olds would be so I turned the landing on the stairs into a dressing room.


The living room had all the pretend-play toys: dollhouse, table for a tea party, kitchen, baby crib and high chair, and a jewelry/makeup table.



At the dining room table I set up half for decorating cookies and half for hat decorating. I know it was silly to get out all my hobnail dishes for a party with small children, but I couldn't help myself! I got the dishes from my grandma and great aunt and they never get enough use. Plus, they looked beautiful with the sprinkles in them!



No one hardly touched the snacks, but I felt like I should at least offer something to offset the sugar cookies and cupcakes.


Jessie made these awesome labels for the drinks (she also made signs for the different stations) and donated her fancy straws. And I found toppers for the cupcakes that were big diamond rings.



Grandma got to watch Penny since she's not too big into dressing up.


Out of all the costumes we own, the girls chose to wear these dance costumes that we got at a garage sale for $1. But no one kept their original dresses on for long anyway.


Party time! There was always a long line, and sometimes a fight, for the dressing room.




Claire went completely overboard with cookie decorating.








All the crazy girls!


Cupcakes and presents!





Transportation Day

Once a year Molly's preschool puts on Transportation Day, a big event where the kids check out different transportation vehicles.





They asked Chris to help this year by bringing in an ambulance.