Saige's Movie Premiere

One of my favorite memories of this summer was going to see Saige's movie premiere at the American Girl Place.

My mom, 3 nieces (above the oldest one is in Saige's balloon with Kit), and even my nephew went and we had a blast!

 

Kit and Kaya were working on a scavenger hunt when they got to meet Saige!

"Wow you are like a famous movie star Saige!" said Kit and Kaya while they munched on cupcakes.

 

 

 

American Girl did so many fun activities and had tons of free give aways!!

My favorite was face painting!!

Here is my nephew getting his face painted.

 

...And my oldest niece again...

 

 

...And my youngest. She opted for an arm painting :)

 

 

Everybody got some variation of stars and ribbons to match Saige's theme.

 

 

 

Another cool thing they did was a book reading and drawing lesson. We all got free sketchbooks to practice drawing in while we listened to Saige's book.

 

 

Kit, Anna, and Kaya are big Saige fans and loved listening to the story.

 

There were many other booths to stop at including a hot air balloon craft and photo booth!

After we had done it all we headed down to the venue for the movie right in the middle of the mall!

There was a giant inflatable screen and huge balloon arches over the seating area. 

 

 

Inside the movie venue there were tables and tables of free food!

Yumm! Chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, cookies, ice cream, popcorn... man I'm getting hungry just recalling all the good food we had!

 

 

Once our bellies were full we took time to scope out all the freebies we had in our goody bags.

Kaya's favorite freebie was the Saige t-shirt (Kaya is one of Saige's number one fans!)

 

 

 

We had a great spot to sit laid out right away! With fold out chairs, cushy blankets and PillowPets we were super comfy-cozy and could see the screen perfectly (although is was bright in the mall which unfortunately made the screen dull and hard to see).

Finally after all the people (by the way there were hundreds of people!) had situated themselves in the seating area it was SHOWTIME!!

 

 

 

The show was great... we cried, we laughed, we ate lots of popcorn, and mostly we had fun being together!

 

 

Rosie and Charlie had a hard time staying awake for the whole movie since there are so little.

Anna, being the sweetheart she is, let them fall asleep in her comforting arms.

 

 

My favorite part of the movie was when Saige was painting. I loved how she turned a mistake into a "happy accident".

It's hard to see below, but I snapped a shot of the scene were she is painting her horse.

It is for certain; American Girl really knows how to put together a fabulous movie event! They totally made us all feel so special! It was an unforgettable night with my family, and one of the best parts of my Summer!!

 

 

"Hey who ate all the popcorn?"

Have you seen Saige's movie yet?

What do you think of it?

BFF Adventures: Labor Day

Because Labor Day sadly marks the end of Summer the BFFs wanted to spend every minute out of doors soaking up as much fun in the sun as possible!

Looking lovely in their light flowy summer dresses, Felicity and Caroline lazily sipped lemonade on the patio in the shade and waited for the rest of the girls to return from the public pool.

 

 

 

Molly, Emily, Anna, and DeeDee wanted to make sure they spent as much time possible swimming at the public pool on its last day being open until next Summer.

They came home tan, tired, and hungry!

 

 

Lucky for them Felicity and Caroline had food grilled and ready for supper.

"Wow! Thanks so much for cooking!" Said Emily.

"Yeah, you girls are the best!" Said Molly.

The girls were very excited to fix a plate and enjoy their meal on this beautiful late summer evening.

 

 

 

 

"Who wants a bag of chips?" 

 

 

"I've got hot dogs and hamburgers!"

 

 

 "This is so fun! I love Summer!"

 

"Me too! I don't want it to be over yet!" 

 

 

 

The girls played outside until dark then finally came in. As they were getting ready for bed they talked about their favorite parts of their Summer. 

What was your favorite part of your Summer?

We had a lot of fun this Summer, although I haven't had a computer to update my blog so I have a bunch of photos from our fun summer that I will be posting as soon as I can :)

Welcome Kaya!

Mom and I went shopping over the weekend and on a whim I decided I needed a new AG friend. When we got back to Mom's house DeeDee, Caroline, Emily, and Felicity (who was visiting) were all chatting and sitting by while Emily painted.

 

 

They looked up when they heard me walk in the room and noticed I wasn't alone. In my arms was Kaya! They jumped up and with reserved excitement approached Kaya who seemed a little shy and nervous. 

"Hello," said Caroline, "My name is Caroline and this is DeeDee, Emily, and Felicity." she said pointing to each girl. Kaya looked up at me searching for affirmation. I smiled and nodded. She turned and replied,

 

 

"I am Kaya. I am Nez Perce." 

It was clear to see Kaya was very different from the other girls. There was a definite cultural difference and a language barrier; she was still learning English. But the smile on Kaya's face told me she was going to be fine.

 

 

I explained the situation more explicitly and suggested the girls show Kaya their room and offer our new friend a drink so that they could relax and get acquainted with one another.

They talked for quite a while. I was impressed with how they creatively communicated and taught each other about their cultures and costumes.They quickly established a bond and in no time Kaya, in spite of her differences, was a part of our family.

 

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Later I took Kaya outside to do a photo shoot.  

I am so in love with Kaya's sweet face. I love that little smile and I think it is so neat that she is the only AG doll that does not show her teeth because of the believes of the Nez Perce tribe.

 

 

She is so unique and so rich in culture and obviously as American as you can get!

 

 

I read her books last year and LOVED them! I loved how Kaya blossomed and grew throughout her stories. If you haven't read them you need to! 

 

 

The day Mom and I went shopping I hadn't planned on buying anything and surely not a doll! However, I had been getting the urge to get a new doll and just recently something has been drawing me to Kaya. When I saw her in the store the pull grew stronger. I wandered the store thinking it over until finally I knew I couldn't leave happy without her.

 

 

Since then I have become more and more of a Kaya fan and I'm going to re-read all of her books (which I also bought lol).

She is my little buddy now. :)

 

 

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When we got back to my apartment that night Felicity helped me to introduce her to the rest of my girls. And just like with my mom's girl she blended right into our little family with ease. Kirsten has offered to help Kaya with her English, since English was not her first language either she was very eager to be an understanding tutor for Kaya.

Although Kaya will be spending a lot of time at my apartment I brought her home with the intention of making her my classroom doll (in case you don't already know I teach elementary art). She will get to come to work with me and keep me company everyday. I've been wanting a classroom doll for a long time and I think Kaya will be perfect for this roll! I've also decided that Kaya will be a time traveler like Felicity so some days she might show up wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes or maybe a frilly dress like Samantha... who knows! Oh I'm so excited to have my little Kaya!

Fancy Hair

We were getting ready for our Spring/ birthday photo shoot last night. I was so in love with my three original girls' outfits and hairdos that I had to share some photos of just them. First of all I love that each of them is wearing pale pink dresses with white pinafores! Aren't they to die for!!!!!!! They look so sweet and feminine. I spent quite a bit of time on their hair creating fancy braids so here is a closer look...

First is sweet Kirsten.

On Kirsten I did two small inverted french braids starting on either side of her part. When french braiding I only picked up and added on the hairline side. I followed along her hairline and stopped picking up more hair just below her ears then did a simple braid with the remaining hair. I then wrapped the braids to the opposite sides, tucked the ends in, and pinned them in place (kind of like Marie Grace's hair but with french braids). It ended up making a perfect circle for her daisy garland to fit around! :)

Next, we have darling Addy. 

Addy is sporting a similar styled braid but it continued to the back of her head and sits higher on her head than Kirsten's braids. Once the french braiding got to the back of her head I finished them by doing simple braids and wrapped them to the opposite sides as with Kirsten's. Then a topped it off with a big pink bow which was fastened with a bobby pin.

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While we are talking about Addy's hair I'd love to get feedback from you about something. I have done A LOT of playing with Addy's hair over the last ummm almost 20 years (that's scary to think about!) and she has lost a lot of hair over the years. She has some pretty bad bald spots making me consider re-wigging her. She is a pre-Mattel and I worry that re-wigging may devalue her. Not to mention a few bald spots makes her more "real" like the Velveteen Rabbit so I get sad thinking of her not being 100% original. Then again a fresh head of hair sure would be fun AND nice to play with. What are your thoughts? Have you done this? Is it worth it? Does it take away from her value? Pretty please leave me a comment on this topic :)

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 Lastly, we have the lovely Samantha.

With Samantha's hair I used two small sections on either side of her head and fishtail braided them by adding  little pieces of the sections at a time (like french braiding). I let the sections come together low at the nape of her neck then continued fishtail braiding without adding more hair and tied it off with an elastic hair tie. I set her rosette garland high on her bangs then tucked the ribbon under the initial braid and crisscross wrapped it over the rest of the braid and finally tied it in a bow over the hair tie.

I had so much fun playing beauty shop with them! I hope you have been inspired by our fancy hair. Thank you for viewing and please don't forget to share your feedback below about my re-wigging dilemma! 

P.S. I don't want you to think I have forgotten my girls' birthdays! We have a very exciting birthday party planned!!!! The preparations are still in the works (these outfits are part of the preparations). Look forward to seeing an awesome birthday party post in the near future!!!!

BFF Adventures: Nurse Molly

Oh dear everybody at Grammy's house as come down with a bad case of strep throat!

The girls feel terrible and have to stay in bed. It's a pitiful and gloomy place! 

"Have no fear Nurse Molly is here!"

Molly dreams of being a nurse when she grows up. She is a very good caretaker. She came to visit her poor sick friends and cheer them up. "I'm so sorry you all are under the weather. I've brought some fresh flowers and a bag of goodies!"

"Molly, I'm so happy to see you" Emily whispered, "and those flowers smell beautiful!"

"Molly you are such a good friend," said Caroline in a raspy voice. "What did you bring in your bag?" 

"I brought things that are sure to make you feel better! First here are some magazines." 

"Thank you! This will be fun to look at while we are resting!" 

The girls flipped through there magazines quietly. Talking hurt their throat too much.

DeeDee slowly spoke up "My head aches too much to wear my glasses so I can't read right now." 

Poor DeeDee. "I'm so sorry DeeDee. Well perhaps this will make you feel better. Felicity couldn't come visit because she is working on a big book report but she wanted me to bring her favorite book to read to you guys." 

Molly read the sweet book in a soft gentle voice and showed each picture (just as a teacher would) while the girls laid peacefully in their cozy beds.

"I also brought a puzzle if you guys feel like you have the energy to sit up to do it."

"Goody, I love puzzles." Emily said in a very pitiful but excited voice. 

As they were finishing the puzzle Molly brewed some herbal tea and sweetened each cup with honey to soothe the girls' raw throats.

Then she tucked the sickly girls into bed and gave them their medicine.

"Alright girls I should go now. Promise me you will keep resting, drink plenty of water, and take your medicine so you will feel better fast and then we can play together soon!" 

"Yes Nurse Molly we promise," said the girls as they drifted off to sleep.

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In no time the girls were feeling all better!

The next time Molly visited they were back to their giggling, silly, and fun selves!

"MOLLY!" They cheered when she walked in. "We owe you a big thanks for taking such good care of us!" The girls were sitting on Caroline's bed and grabbed Molly to pulled her on top of them and give her a big snugly hug. :)

Now that they were feeling well things were back to normal. They had a fun time laughing and playing together.

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 Molly imagined how the girls were feeling when they were sick -- uncomfortable, tired, sad, even lonely. Imagining how someone else feels is called empathy and it's an important thing to do when your friend needs you. Having empathy for a friend helps you to care for them because you will better understand what you can do to help them.  Molly bravely took a risk by going to the BFFs house when they were contagious and she selflessly chose to spend her time with her friends even though they were not very fun at the time but she didn't mind because she knew her friends needed her!

Being a good friend doesn't just mean your fun. You also need to remember to help your friends when they are in need. Taking care of each other and being there for each other in good times or bad-- that's what true friendship is all about!