Arts and Crafts to start the party off. Check out her major LA bling on her finger.
The centerpieces were adorable. Everything was well thought out!
Getting our nails done!
Every girl was given a tea cup to decorate and 3 adorable cookies. The largest one is missing from the shot as the plate didn't hit the table before Marie grabbed it.
Raffle Prize!
Well done.
She knew she was going to a "Princess Tea Party." She didn't know that, upon arrival, the door would be opened by (*gasp*) teenage boys in tuxes, who would greet her, take her coat and start the party off right. She didn't know that (*gasp*) the Cherry Queen would be there and she got to have her photo taken with her sitting on a mini-throne. Oh my...after all the fun of getting ready, doing hair, getting all fancied up, after waking up at 6am in excitement and singing spontaneously, "Zippidy doo dah! Zippidy yay! My oh my what a WONDERFUL day" we finally made it to the Princess Tea Party held by the cast of "Beauty and the Beast" at St. Francis High School.
What an event. The cafeteria was packed and the did an amazing job making it very special for each little princess. The high schoolers were amazing. The girls were given tours of the set. The characters were dressed up in costume and acting just perfect in their roles. The supporting crew entertained the girls by doing their nails or helping with arts and crafts. Plus, the coffee smelled and tasted great so Momma made it too!
Marie was lucky enough to even win a raffle prize. Boy, I was worried and did a lot of talking to her beforehand about how there were about one hundred girls and 15 raffle prizes; the odds were not good. Yet, 4 of the 5 girls at our table won a prize! That poor little 5th girl; her Momma was trying to make it into a life lesson but it was a bit much! Marie was coaxed into sharing some of hers with the luckless soul. We now only have 1200 princess stickers in the house; how will we get by? (OH... NOT JOKING, THANK YOU UNCLE JEFF) Anyways, she was thrilled to have won princess pj's and slippers, yet another wand, sunglasses, t-shirt and more stickers. Oh my oh my oh my. Could not believe her luck!
Then, we sipped our tea and enjoyed our cookies as the cast sang a selection from the musical. Marie has not stopped asking about Gaston, the mean guy who tries to woo Belle. I have had to explain to her repeatedly that Gaston is NOT good, that he wasn't considerate of Belle and her interests and family...and it is lost on her. sigh. Maybe after she sees the entire musical she will get it; must do some mental prep before then.
A lovely day! A lovely memory! Is it true that she won't be 5 forever???
(such a good monster-mommy)
Best use of clean sheets ever! Off to get some coffee!!!
Marie and Ty have been playing a TON together. It is very sweet. There is a ton of running and crashing, fights that are quickly over, laughing and yelling and goofing around. Ty basically wants to say, do and imitate everything Marie does. Marie, being the oldest, has no qualms ordering Ty around. Ty is loud and playful and creative, Marie is louder and willing to try anything and quick to help him out. One of their favorites is sitting in the play baby stroller and pushing each other around the house at an alarming rate of speed. 
Marie warming up. She wanted to ski with Ty but also knew that she was heading over to the chairlift.
Did it!!! Now, on to the hill. 
At first, my two little ones were not too sure about the Big Guy. But I think there was safety in numbers because when they could approach him as part of a group, they were great. Marie even decided she wanted to be his helper. That is huge for her. She is starting to be a lot more comfortable and confident in new situations and that is just awesome to see!
We then walked a few blocks down to the enormous Christmas tree that sits at the center of our downtown. A certain Christmas celebrity meets the Mayor and flips the switch to turn on the tree for the season and well, we to to be right *there* as he walked by and greeted Marie personally! She was quite stunned! We also ran into her classmate and his mother and their 8 mo old. Daddy was trying to catch up to them and couldn't get through the crowds. We were thrilled to be her extra set of hands; isn't it amazing how that works out? Marie was just tickled to have a buddy to spend this occasion with and we could assist and lift him up as needed so he could see. You can see she was just thrilled with it all...
Ty, of course, loves anything new that he can do with his family and his beloved "Dee Dee." Since she was happy and having fun, he thought it was magnificent!!!!
According to Marie, she is NOT Five today; she is "turning five." Not sure what this means but I believe it will serve her well in her forties! This is her early descent.
She quickly started to soak up and appreciate the attention. Her special birthday breakfast of sausage with a candle and a waffle topped with strawberries and whipped cream slipped on down. Her Baptismal Candle is lit in front of her presents. Thank YOU to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Abby for adding to her gifts!
At school they do a special Birthday Celebration. The parents read about each year of the child's life and the child takes a globe and circles the "sun" to represent the passing of the year. "The Earth goes round the Sun; the Earth goes around the Sun. It takes 12 months to go around and now Marie is...(one)." So she orbited the sun 5 times to represent her age. Needless to say, a certain Momma was c-h-o-k-e-d up at this. 
