Kaitlin's Tea Party

Because the boys aren't that interested in tea parties, the men took the boys and the nephews to Big Al's for some bowling.  Dan posed for a quick photo on his way out the door.

 

And one with Grammie and Grandpa!



Nana too!

One of the fun things about this party was Kaitlin's excitement over it.  She loved all the details and decorations.  This was her expression when she saw the table the morning of her party.  My camera was acting up and the flash didn't go off, so the photo didn't turn out but I loved her expression.



The activities that we did at the party were all things that Kaitlin loves to do, or things she requested. 
As the girls arrived they worked on coloring pages (probably the number one way Kaitlin spends her time.  She LOVES to color).



While they were doing this we played Kaitlin's video from the first year of her life...per her request. We showed it at her first birthday.  It was actually fun to look back and remember her so small...and we hadn't yet met most of our friends who were attending the party so it was fun to share as well.



The girls then gathered around and dressed up, choosing from boas, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, crowns & hats.



SO happy!!  She had been counting the days to her party and was SO excited for her spcial day.



Cutie pie!



Sweet little girls.  :)



After the girls were dressed up, it was time for the tea party! The girls sat so nicely around the table.  I am still not really used to little "girl" parties.  The energy level is remarkably different from those of our boys!  :)



I served "tea"  (warm strawberry milk topped with whipped cream and sprinkles)....



While the other Moms helped serve treats from the dessert table.  There was no healthy food.  It was all about the sweets.




The teacups were all eclectic...My grandmother's mismatched collection....



And some of my Aunt Linda's pattern worked in.  We used her china for Kaitlin's first birthday brunch, so these pieces are making memories!



I have found if you save things "for good" or for company you never use them.

Kaitlin sipping "tea" from her great-Grandmother's tea cup...

 

 

Kitti loves marshmallows.  I see two straws in her hands and one on the table next to her.  She clearly had more than her share that day!



The chocolate covered strawberries were a hit and most of the girls' faces were covered in chocolate.  This was the "healthy" portion of the tea. :)



Kaitlin loves Gracie's big sisters and asked if Hannah could sit next to her because she taught them ballet at her last party.  She's a pretty neat "big girl."



Little Claire has always looked like an angel to me with her white curls, big blue eyes and sweet cheeks.  She has the best cheeks.



Lovely Audrey has 3 fun brothers and so a dainty tea party is a change of pace for her!  She seemed to enjoy herself.



Kennedy sipping her "tea."  Kennedy is one of our carpool kids to pre-school so she and Kaitlin get to see one another frequently.  They have had many pretend tea parties in their time together so it was special for them to share a fancy one!

 

And of course we couldn't have a party without Gracie Lu as she's known in our house. Uncle Dan took the liberty of re-naming her that and it just seems to fit.  :)  She shed her preferred sweats and simple t shirts for a fancy dress just for Kaitlin's party.  She was so cute and so proud of her outfit.  She's beautiful no matter what she wears.



I wanted a photo of the moms because these are definitely my closest friends here locally.  A really wonderful group of ladies.

And then, in case the kids hadn't eaten enough sugar...it was time for cake!



My camera wasn't working during the candles and so we ended up doing it twice. :) 

Then it was time for gifts...

 

Love this one.  Such sweet friends.  Notice Gracie is already missing teeth?

The little girls were so cute.  They were so excited about their cards, and the gifts that they were giving.  



Love Claire's fluffy dress. :)



Cheese!



Kennedy was excited about the Tangled doll she gave Kaitlin and wanted to share about it.



Grace was so cute about her gift as well ~ She gave Kaitlin a barbie and an outfit.  (Amy, if you're reading this...Kaitlin brought Barbie on a walk and ran into Fitz & Laurel.  She showed them her new doll and they remarked that it looked like Barbie needed to come to church!  I thought that was so funny). :)



Grace all smiles,  posing with her fan and card for Kaitlin.



My little lady.  Getting so big.



Every time we go to Win-Co or Walmart Kitti asks if she can have a pinata for her birthday.  While they have cuter ones at other places, we snagged this one inexpensively in the Win-Co aisle.  She was thrilled.

Truth be told, I'm not a pinata fan.  I'm not big on the kids wielding a bat while other little ones are standing anxiously by ready to pounce for candy.  I'm always worried someone is going to jump too early and get hurt (notice we opted for pulling the string).  Though the boys love hitting them with the bat.  Not to mention scenes like this always stressed me out as a child...




Though they might have missed the party,  Matthew and Andrew had a fun time destroying the pinata after the party was over.  (Matthew just asked me to record that detail).

After the party was over we took a few more photos.  Kaitlin wanted a silly one with Aunt Michelle.  She was happy to oblige.



And a sweet one too....

 

I actually think Kaitlin looks like she could belong to Michelle in this photo.

One with Nana....



And a sweet one with Grammie!



And with Mama too!



I do so love my girl.



You can definitely see her spirit in this photo.  That's my girl.  She's going to be a strong woman some day.  I can definitely see her growing up to embody the term a "Steel Magnolia"....a feminine lady on the outside but with great strength inside.

It really was a wonderful afternoon with friends and family celebrating our big 5 year old girl.