The Birthday Girl!!

The long awaited day (February 20th) finally arrived and Abby could not have been more excited. My parents arrived in Maryland the day before her birthday so it was fun to be able to celebrate Abby's big day with them. Jason took the day off from work so we took the whole posse to bring her lunch at school (McDonalds...what a treat!!) When she got home from school, we opened presents and then went out to dinner at her favorite restaurant, Golden Corral (she was so excited to eat there because as she said it, "She would finally get full!" I didn't know my little darling was starving with Mom's cooking!)

She also opened up the Elsa dress that my Mom had made for her. My mom had bought the cheaper looking version of the dress and then added on to it to make it a lot fancier. The wig also added a nice touch and she was excited to wear it for her friends the next day at her birthday party.

Jason's parents and sister Jennifer arrived late Thursday night and we were excited that they could share Abby's party and baptism with us. I was thrilled when Abby chose "Frozen" as her birthday theme this year. It fit perfectly with her February birthday, especially after the harsh winter we have endured this year. It was just a really fun theme to work with and I had a blast putting all of it together.

Here were the invitations...(we also included an invitation to her baptism the next day.)

Before her guests arrived, she entertained us all with various renditions of "Let it Go."

Complete with actions...

Drama...

And the grand finale!!

As each girl arrived in "Arendelle" that evening, she was given a "VIP Pass" that would allow her access to all the games, activities, and food at the party!

 

We did our best to create our own little "Arendelle"...

Abby was thrilled with the "Frozen" landscape when she arrived home from school that day and was anxious for all of her friends to arrive. 

 

She invited 11 friends and all of them were able to come. We made snowflake bracelets, painted ice pictures with Epsom salt, drew snowmen while wearing blindfolds, threw snowballs through Olaf's mouth, played "Cold Feet" (putting on as many pairs of socks as possible in 30 seconds...this one was a huge hit), and a few other games to round out the festivities.

Here is the Olaf game (I drew this freehand and it was probably the thing I was most proud of!!)

 


We then ended the evening with opening presents during her "coronation ceremony" (my mom bought her the crown and wand to add to the "coronation" vibe)...

And then had cupcakes for everyone...

Each girl was then able to create her own goodie bag filled with treats from the candy table...

It was such a fun party and the girls all had a great time. It was also wonderful to have five extra adults around to help out with games, food, and controlling 12 little girls all evening.

It was a great way to celebrate Abby's BIG 8th Birthday!!