This night was truly magical...
The girls read and dreamed over this blog post over at one of my absolutely favorite moms I only know, through the magic of the world-wide web, at Enjoying the Small Things! She has two beautiful daughters, with a little guy on the way! We love reading about Lainey and Nella! (She has an amazing fundraiser going on right now too, to raise awareness of children with Down Syndrome, so head over there and donate!)
The dream of having their own North Pole party started weeks before the event!
They carefully looked over all of Kelle's details, thought of a few of their own, picked out the invites, and made lots and lots of lists.
Ellie was the queen planner. She was the main list maker. She was this responsible little eight year old with a holiday dream and never-ending energy.
Everyday after school, she would look at the list, and tell me what the next step was.
Absolutely inspiring...love this girl!
It's fun to note that the "call Starbucks" wasn't for a delivery of carmel apple cider to help us on late nights. She thought of the idea of seeing if they recycle the little latte bottles to see if we could get them there.
So smart!
By the way, Starbucks does not have those bottles, but Costco does, so we poured out the designer coffee for the moms, and used the bottles for milk and juice.
There were things "to do" and "to buy."
Every day we conquered little by little. It was so sweet to see it start to come together. They were so excited!
Above is the scavenger list...yes, written by Ellie, but hidden by Easton!
Madie even got in on the prep work! Darling posters to show the girls where to park their shoes, place their gifts, and make their reindeer food!
The tables were set, and we were ready to celebrate! Aunt Julie came early to help us finish it off just in time for the doorbell to start ringing!
They began to arrive with smiles filled with the excitement of it all. They quickly chose either a Santa hat or an elf hat and the party started!
The goodies were ready! Cookies in all different shapes and sizes covered the counters, with milk and juice to wash the sweetness down!
Brooke had a permanent smile on her face all night!
Surrounded by friends from school, church, and sports it was pure bliss. Who gets to invite every friend who has ever been nice to her and loved her and have them all in one place celebrating the magic of the season?
Brooke, Ellie and Annie...that's who!
The front was donned with a landing pad of paper for the reindeer and the guests, a sign to remind of the magical place they were visiting, and a little Santa helper showing the way.
It was so incredibly warm that Tymber greeted them barefoot and happy!
I LOVE THESE PICTURES!
Look at these absolutely beautiful girls!
These girls come from incredible families who teach them how to be kind, tell them that they are beautiful inside and out, and the result are gorgeous, happy girls!
Hi Hannah!
This picture captures how Ellie felt...she was on cloud 9! She had a hard time not spoiling scavenger hunt secrets and not getting carried away in all the excitement, but who could blame her?
She had been planning this for weeks.
She had worked hard.
She had made the lists.
She had dreamed the dream, night after night.
And tonight was it!
Everything she had ever imagined was coming true!
This was the Ellie's group! They got to do their gift exchange first!
Kenna and Abby's eyes smiled as they showed what they got!
Sammie and Quinn with their toothless grins!
Ellie and Abby smiling away!
Look at the cute dimples on these two cuties! Emma & Audrey
Kennedy and Danielle sporting their blue eyes with excitement!
Lindsay with her beautiful smile too!
The night could not have been possible without a few teenage helpers! Thank you Madie, Becca and Andrew for helping with the gift exchange!
Look at that little Medina beauty!
The girls had a great time viewing the "Wall of Love" I am going to start calling it! Friends and family from all over the country sending their smiles our way. We are SO blessed to have been touched in some way from each of these families!
"Brooke's Group" eating in the kitchen! These girls were SO sweet! When they finished getting snacks they ended up pairing with the younger girls and helping them make their reindeer food.
It was truly sweet to watch this happen!
I was the one who didn't think about recruiting help from some of the moms, but these girls just went into action helping.
Abby and Kate showing off their treasures!
Hannah was smiling and Ginny was not! Bless little Ginny's heart, she was a little sad, but the tears stopped the moment Madie invited her to sit on her lap and help with the gift exchanges.
Amanda and Emerson could be sisters with their matching hair donned with red ribbon, light eyes, and Christmas nightgowns!
Reindeer food bar was quite a scene by the end of the night.
I am pretty sure one just used oatmeal and lots and lots of glitter. (Poor reindeer)
While another little girl made hers almost completely out of cocoa. (For the chocolate lover of the bunch...I suspect...CUPID)
"Ellie's Group" at the gift exchange!
Annie showing off her reindeer food!
Brooke smiling with the Sprinkle girls, who I should have affectionately called the "Twinkles" tonight for the twinkle in their eyes!
Proof of a successful treat station!
Abby and Emma
Camille and Avery
Bria and Brooke who have loved each other since they were 2~!
Emma, Lindsay, and Sammie showing their friendship!
Brooke and her new friend, Nia!
Claire, Nia and Brooke
Annie and Mary
The girls loved that their cousins, Quinn and Kenna were there too!
Abby, Abby, (Abby squared) and Camille
Danielle and Sammie know each other from school, so it was a sweet surprise to share the night together!
Amanda and Annie are friends through their siblings, Megan and A.J., who are dating! Fun~!
Annie and Hannah are friends through and through!
Look at these beautiful sisters!
Kenna reading a book! Smart little cookie!
Brooke smiling with her friends, Nia and Bria!
I walked outside to say goodbye to a few girls, and this was the scene that I looked back on...An inviting door with a house still full of happy girls and such a feeling of love.
I felt this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all these wonderful examples of sweetness in my little girls' lives. The friends they see every Sunday, the friends they have at school, and the opportunity to find lasting friendships whether on the softball field or a local park.
I loved it.
Every second I stood there, my love grew.
Andrew and Annie! Seriously, one of the sweetest teenage boys I have EVER met!
After the friends of Annie and Ellie were sent on their way, these two were tired. I am talking very tired.
We put on The Grinch Stole Christmas, and let the evening end with a classic.
Brooke's cute group started to braid each others' hair, and Ellie got in on the action.
I am pretty sure Brooke's group, who mostly had phones, told moms to let them stay a little longer.
Christmas magic doesn't just work on the little ones, 11 year olds can feel it too.
The night may have ended with a sink full of dishes, counters littered with crumbs of goodies eaten, and the Grinch's heart growing two sizes, but I think it was me who grew the most.
I learned that when my girls put their minds to something, they actually know how to accomplish it with very little guidance.
I learned that friendship is more than just what you see when you are standing in the hall next to each other either at school or outside the Primary room.
It is the smiles that you exchange, the hair that you play with, the experiences that you share.
Tonight, was one of those moments frozen in time for me.
A moment where I realized that I am the one of the luckiest moms on earth.
I have girls.
Lots of them, and they are amazing!
They bless my life, and make me a better person.
Thank you for sharing your girls with us on this absolutely magical night!
1 comment:
I get on facebook so rarely that I just saw the link to this post. What a beautiful night! Thank you so much for inviting my girls to share in it. I thought it was such a cute thing to do at the time but I have even more appreciation for it now that I've seen all of the work that went into it. What an awesome family!
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