Lily's American Girl Birthday

Lily turned seven on February 18, and we celebrated by taking a weekend trip to Dallas to visit the American Girl store.

 

I came up with the original idea, after trying to come up with fun yet affordable ideas for a birthday party in February...and that's hard! Plus, I know many can relate to this, but we already have so much stuff...so many little things and toys that soon lose their sparkle as soon as they're opened and tossed to the side.

 

Anyway, we ultimately wanted it to be Lily's choice: a local birthday party with friends or a weekend trip to the American Girl store. She's really gotten into American Girl dolls lately, so she quickly chose the latter!

 

And her birthday with her friends at school was special...I sent homemade cupcakes; she wore a birthday pin; I read books to her class and had lunch with them that day. So this was kind of a win-win!

 

Our options for "nearby" American Girl stores were limited to Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, or Nashville. We wanted to go somewhere within driving distance, and that was honestly our only prerequisite. Rob liked the idea of Dallas (I think he was secretly hoping to run in to Dak Prescott), so that's what we went with.

 

If you plan a similar out-of-town trip, check the area hotels to see if they offer an American Girl package. A few in Dallas did, and we ended up choosing the Marriott because we had a lot of points built up! The package made the trip extra sweet. As soon as we arrived, Lily was given an American Girl present from the hotel...a cute bed and bathrobe for her doll and a $25 gift card to the store! When we got to our room, milk and cookies were waiting on Lily and her doll too!

 

And now backtracking a bit...for months Lily has been flipping through her American Girl magazine, and she's had her heart set on eventually getting the doll Z Yang. Once we planned this trip, she was excited to arrive at the store and hopefully purchase the doll with some birthday money I told her she'd likely get from mom and dad, grandparents, etc. The morning we left for Dallas, Rob and I surprised her with the doll...it was a total surprise, which made it so much fun! And this way she was able to have Z on the drive over, and she was able to save her birthday money for accessories for her new doll!

 

 

 
I'd also put together some small goodie bags for the girls to open the morning of our trip. They got a few new movies for the car ride and some goodies from the Target Dollar Spot! :)
 

 

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, Lily had this package waiting on her!
 

 

We kept the food simple on our trip. Food wasn't the focus, and we honestly just grabbed dinners at places near our hotel. Still lots of fun!

 

 

 

The morning of our trip to the store, we had a few presents for Lily to open. She got money and/or gift cards from her grandparents and great-grandparents, and her great-grandparents had also given her a few accessories for Z. And they were all sweet enough to give Hadley a little bit too so she wasn't left out!

 

 

 

 

 

Ready to explore and shop!

 

 

I'd made reservations for us to have lunch at the American Girl Bistro, and I can't recommend this enough! It was inside the store, and we ate as soon as we arrived. The restaurant was adorable and filled with other little girls having special experiences. The waitresses were as sweet as could be and greeted Lily by name. Her doll had a special seat at the table, along with her own cup and saucer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poor Julie was in dire need of a new hairstyle. I booked a salon visit after lunch for a style for her, and Lily chose to get Z's ears pierced. (She originally wanted a hearing aid for Z, but we found out that a hearing aid required poking a permanent hole in the doll's neck. And if the aid was removed, the hole would be pretty visible.)

 

 

Julie looking like a new woman.

 

 

 

After a long day at the American Girl store, Lily still had some money left over that she wanted to spend. We went to the Galleria, and she spent the rest of her birthday money on Beanie Boos at Claire's. I think she got 10 of them because they were buy one/get one half off.

 

 

 

We had plans post-mall to visit The Perot Museum, but the girls wanted to return to the hotel to play with their toys. We were all pretty worn out, so Rob and I were good with that.

 

I snapped the pic below the morning we left Dallas and headed home. The sweetest sight ever.

 

 

It was a fantastic trip, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. We made some sweet memories as a family, and it's a birthday that Lily will remember forever, I believe.

 

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Hope everyone has a happy Monday.

 

 



Lily's Birthday

Lily turned 6 on Saturday, and it was such a magical, special day for all of us. Six is a big deal, right? You now have to hold up two hands when someone asks how old you are!

We've had small/low-key family parties to celebrate birthdays in the past (except for her 1st and 2nd birthdays where I thought they had to be Pinterest-perfect), but Rob and I agreed that once our girls hit kindergarten, we'd let them choose what kind of party they wanted. Lily wanted her party at Pump It Up (a local bounce house), and she wanted a Trolls theme. When I say Lily and Hadley are obsessed with that movie, I mean it. They love everything Trolls, and we're listening to the soundtrack on repeat over here.

 

I wanted the party to be fun for Lily and her friends, and I also didn't want to wear myself out making everything "perfect" for little children who are only interested in eating cake and playing with their friends!

 

We kept things really simple...I purchased disposable tablecloths, plates, and napkins from Party City. The party was in the morning, so there wasn't any need for a lot of food. Bugles, cake, and Capri Sun were served. The cake, by the way, was from Wal-Mart, and it was every bit as delicious as the cakes I used to purchase that cost an arm and a leg. And side note here: does anyone really like the way fondant tastes? And do kids really care if their cake is tiered?

 

 

Anyway, I did make some fun centerpieces for the party tables because I haven't fully given up the Pinterest-free persona yet! :) I thought they were so fun and colorful and fit the bright, rainbow Trolls theme perfectly. I spray painted some terracota pots a light purple shade and used foam sheets to make the flowers that adorn each side. I wanted them to match the flowers on Poppy's headband in the movie. Then I just hot glued those to the pots. The rainbow poms were an Etsy purchase from this shop, as were the Trolls cupcake toppers (from this shop). I added tissue paper and Starburst candy to fill the pots in.

 

 

I was on team #nopartyfavors for the longest, but when I found Trolls blind bags on sale for $1, I jumped ship. It was all downhill from there, and I ended up adding Trolls stickers and candy to each goodie bag. #sorrynotsorry

 

I found the invitations on Etsy (from this shop) and had them printed at a local Office Max (which, FYI, copyright issue...but I've learned being nice can get you almost anywhere. The sweet lady who helped me told me because I had been friendly and patient she'd print them for me!).

 

 

I also ordered a special shirt for Lily to wear at her party, and I thought it was just darling. I found it here.

 

And now, picture overload! I think you can tell by the size of her smile that she had a very happy birthday.

 

 

 

 

 
With two of her very best friends from school. She has the sweetest little friends.

 
At home opening presents. She was so excited to get another Wellie Wisher doll.
 

 

Well there you have it...Lily's 6th birthday round-up. At the end of the day as I was tucking her into bed, she said, "This was the best day ever." I'll take that. :)

 

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Hope everyone has a happy day.

 

 



Easy and Delicious Cupcake Icing

Happy Monday! We had a full weekend celebrating Lily's 6th birthday. I'm working on a recap post that I'll post tomorrow, but in the meantime I wanted to share a recipe I found for Buttercream Icing. It's just that good.

 

 

We sent cupcakes to school on Friday so Lily was able to celebrate with her class. She wanted funfetti cupcakes and white icing. Simple enough, right? I'm not a fan of jarred icing and wanted to make my own. A quick Google search later, and I stumbled upon the easiest, most delicious cupcake icing I've ever tasted. For realzzz, though. I feel like I should add a "yo" at the end of that for emphasis.

 

Anyway, this icing was easy-as-pie to whip up, and it gave the boxed cupcakes a fancier feel. The icing spread easily, and it hardened just enough overnight to make the cupcakes not too terribly messy. It was sweet and creamy and just divine. I ate the remainder with a spoon.

 

 

Easy and Delicious Cupcake Icing

{Recipe via Allrecipes.com}

 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 Tablespoons milk

3 drops food coloring (or as needed)

 

Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.

 

Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add food coloring, if using, and beat for 30 seconds or until desired color is reached. Ice immediately and enjoy!

 

 

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Life Lately

Hey guys! It's been awhile since I've posted a Life Lately, and these are some of my favorite posts to write. We've been doing really well, and I hope life is treating all of you much the same!

 

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First things first, many of you know my Dad relapsed for the second time this past summer. He's been on a newer chemotherapy regimen since then (with few side effects, thankfully!) and has already had one clean scan. We found out this past weekend that he had his second clean scan, meaning no signs of lymphoma were evident! I know many of you have been there, so I know you get it when I say it feels like we can breath again! We are truly filled with joy.

 

Dad celebrated his birthday last week, and we celebrated by meeting Lily at her school for lunch. She was so excited, and her classmates gave him the warmest welcome, complete with songs and dancing! It was so sweet.

 

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Lily's 6th birthday is coming up this month (can y'all believe it's February?!), and I'm in the throws of putting together her party. We have typically done small, family get-togethers, but now that Lily's a big kindergartener, she wanted something that included all of her new friends. So that's what she's getting! We're having a Trolls theme, and there are so many cute decoration ideas out there. The party is going to be at a local bounce gym, so that takes much of the pressure off! I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible. Do kids really care if there are fun centerpieces on the table? I don't think so. :)

 

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My sweet friends at Little Cosmetics sent the girls some pretend nail polish and pretend lipstick, and they are hooked. I've never seen fake makeup that looks so real! And the nail polish is really cool because it moves around in the bottle, but nothing comes out...like magic! The brush can be dipped in the bottle, but no liquid touches the brush, meaning nothing transfers to the skin so it's completely mess-free! Mama gets to keep her nice makeup intact, and the girls get to pretend to be big girls. Winning! P.S. This would make a really darling Valentine's Day happy!

 

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Lily's school celebrated their 100th day not too long ago, and it was such fun! I found the wig, glasses, shawl, and pin at Party City. I don't know about y'all, but I'm hopeful that I look this good at 100!

 

 And Hadley was not a fan of the wig. Ha!

 

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We also celebrated Rob's birthday at the end of January, and he had a really good day with us spoiling him as much as possible. I gave him a pair of designer jeans (yeah, yeah...I know...), but he needed them! Anyone else's hubby wear jeans that were cool in the 90s but not so much anymore? And I mean that with love! :) He actually really likes them, and the fit is great.

 

The girls love their Daddy...we are really fortunate. He is a fabulous husband and father.

 

 Rob isn't a huge sweets fan, so I didn't bake him a cake. But I'm a firm believer that you have to blow out a candle on your birthday. Individually-wrapped Hostess cupcakes for the win.

 

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We finally hung curtains in our keeping room, and I am loving the way they turned out. For those interested, they're the RITVA curtains from Ikea (I linked them below). We don't have a local store here, but Ikea does ship some items. Shipping was a little high (maybe $10?), but the low price and quality of the curtains more than made up for shipping costs. Seriously, a pair costs $34.99, and most importantly, they're long! Too long...118 inches! It's so hard to find long curtains these days that don't cost an arm and a leg.

RITVA Curtains

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I recently picked up these sneakers for Lily in both the Rose Gold and the Silver colors. They are perfect, and they're less than $14 right now! She loves slip-ons, and I love inexpensive shoes for her because she puts some wear on them!

Perforated Metallic Slip-Ons

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I've got a full day of grocery shopping, laundry, and taking a trip to Office Depot to get Lily's invitations printed. I hope everyone has a happy, happy Wednesday!