Hello Kitty Pajama Party

Our sweet Sienna turned 6 on December 29th, and just like every other year, she was VERY specific about what she had in mind for her birthday party. This year, she chose a "Hello Kitty Pajama Party" theme, and although she would have LOVED to have all her little besties actually spend the night at our house, Mama chose to interpret the theme a bit more creatively ;-)

We started out with these cute invitations (I took out the address & contact info for this post), and designed the entire party around them.

After much "discussion" between the two of us, I finally gave in and decided we could have the party in our home again this year, which meant a massive overhaul of the garage just in time for the big day!

I rented the tables and chairs, and then dressed them up a bit with zebra print & hot pink tulle. I also hung crepe paper "chandeliers" from the ceiling to add a little flair to what is otherwise a plain & not so pretty garage space.

The Details

Sienna is a HIGE fan of donuts, so of course we had to incorporate a donut tower into our decor!

The beautiful (and delicious) strawberry cake

For our craft, I had the girls decorate white pillowcases with Crayola fabric markers. The girls had a blast designing their pillowcases, and they also served as part of their party favors.

The favors and gifts

The breakfast bar

The birthday girl was thrilled with how everything turned out, and even though it was a lot of work putting everything together just a few days after Christmas, seeing her sweet, smiling face made it all completely worthwhile!!

Vendor Credits:
Photography: Exposed by Faith Photography
Cake: Frosted Whimsy
Invitations: peace love & invites

Whirlwind

Wow!! I can't believe the last time I blogged was during the first week of school. Obviously, this whole "back-to-school thing" has been a bit of an adjustment for me. Between after school activities, waking up earlier, packing lunches, checking folders, homework, after school snacks, and just trying to maintain my sanity...blogging has fallen by the wayside. BUT, now that the kiddos are getting back on somewhat of a steady schedule, I am trying to create a new schedule for myself, which definitely includes keeping up with the ole' bloggity blog.

So here's a bit of a recap on what we've been up to lately:

Sienna cheered in her first football game, and we were so excited to find out she would be cheering for her cousin Kaleb's team......they had a gaggle of fans cheering them on.

She was "head cheerleader" for her first game and we were so very proud of her!!

Sweet Cousins

I also got a chance to snap a few pictures of our big girl wearing her "Kinder Rocks" t-shirt from Bodda Bling Designs.

And speaking of Kindergarten.......one of the best purchases we have made in a long time is this sweet little desk for Sienna's room. She loves sitting in her chair to do her homework, to practice writing or just to color or draw in peace (translation: away from her little brother).

So there you have it. Getting back into the swing of things little by little......much more to share very soon.

taking flight

She's been waiting for this day for weeks (months really), and she finally gets to tell everyone that she is officially a Kindergartner!! 

As for me, I'm still processing my own emotions: excitement, fear, disbelief. But one thing I am sure of, is how proud I am of my baby girl. She is brave and smart and kind and sassy and curious, and even though it is sometimes hard for me to watch her fly.....I know she is ready!

a quick little photo shoot before heading to Meet the Teacher

On the big day, she was definitely excited, but she was also very tired & had a tough time waking up at 6:30a.m.

Sweet Sienna with sleepy eyes :-)

waking up a little

the one & only shot I could get of the 2 of them

she walked right in, put away her backpack and got right to work

and this is how I left her.....before I walked out into the hall & felt the tears start to fall

We said a little prayer this morning on the way to school for her teacher and her classmates, and we asked God to keep her safe, to help her learn, to make lots of new friends and to be a good friend. I just know this is going to be a great year!!

Cheerleading

I was never a cheerleader. I tried out once in sixth grade, didn't make the cut, and devoted my life to dance from then on.

My little girl, on the other hand, has been interested in cheerleading from the time she could walk. She has owned several pair of pom-poms in her day, she can often be found walking around the house in her Dallas Cowboy or University of Texas cheer outfit stopping to "perform" in front of the mirror, and I will never forget the look of awe on her face when she saw the real Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders for the first time!

This week, she participated in her first cheer camp, and to say she enjoyed it would be a major understatement. Who knows if this is just a phase or something she will continue to be passionate about years from now? For now, she is jumping in with both feet!!

and then she was 5

Our sweet little snowflake turned 5 on December 29th, and we celebrated with a Snowflake-themed Soiree. We decorated snowflake cookies, made a snowflake craft, bounced on the bounce house (despite the yucky, rainy, cold weather) and stuffed our faces with all things aqua and red. It was a tad bit crazy getting everything together just 3 short days after Christmas, but in the end (thanks to lots and lots of help from my sweet neighbors), we were able to pull off a fun little party to celebrate a very special girl!!

at 4 going on 5

* you love Hannah Montana (and I finally just gave in)

* you are super perceptive and absolutely NOTHING gets past you

* you are going to school five days a week

* you are and always have been a total mama's girl

* you are taking dance and soccer (and want me to sign you up for gymnastics too)

* you LOVE art and making "projects"

* you are sensitive and hate it when people laugh at you (even when they aren't really laughing at you but just think what you said was cute)

* you love being outside

* you are super-duper smart

* you like to organize things just like your mama

* you fight with your little brother on a daily basis but never go to bed without hugs and kisses and telling him you love him

* you have your own ideas when it comes to fashion (just as it should be)

* you love taking pictures and playing on my iphone

* you love jewelry and makeup and dresses and skirts and tutus

* you have the best smile

* you would probably watch movies and tv all day long if I let you

* you think it's funny when I tell you to "make it a good day" on our way to school

* you love going to school and you love your teacher

* you have daddy wrapped around your little finger (and you know it)

* you love going to the book store and you always pick out a book you think Grant would like

* you like saying prayers at bedtime and you always remind me if I forget to say "that was a beautiful prayer"

* you are a special, special girl and we are so blessed to have you