Wee-Ones Wednesday: American Girls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Mom and I took the girls to the American Girl store at The Grove last weekend. Lilly and Iris have been wanting these dolls ever since they saw their first catalogue, and watched their cousins play with them. I was really torn about buying the dolls because they are sooo expensive, and I couldn't understand the appeal. We decided that the girls would spend their own money on the dolls, and G.ma & G.pa and Dan & I would help with the extras. I did my research and decided if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right, so I made reservations at the café.
Words can not express how sweet the girls were the entire day. They were appreciative. They were excited. They were grateful. They did not fight once. They picked out their dolls first. We paid for them, then shopped for outfits and accessories. There is so much to see at the store... a hospital, hair salon, library, rooms for the historical dolls, and there was even a place to set your doll in the bathroom.
The luncheon was magical; our dolls sat with us and had special little pink lemonade cups. Our waiter told jokes, riddles, and asked us questions. We were served a perfect 4 course meal that was simply beautiful. We were there from 10am until 3pm, and the hours just slipped by.
At bedtime, they asked me to make their dolls pajamas, and every night and morning since, they have changed their dolls' clothes. Lilly named her doll Lillian, and Iris named hers Lucy. I truly believe this was a day they will never forget, and that's totally worth it!

Sew Crafty Saturday: Happy Bday, Daddy!

 

poor boy was pretty sick the whole day, but managed a few bites before passing out early with fever cheeks.

Dan's birthday was Wednesday, and the girls and I decided to make him an ice cream sandwich cake we saw on Pinterest. They used stacks of three, but it looked to small to me, so we stacked up four ice cream bricks. Then I covered it with cool whip. I squeezed some hot fudge into a ziploc bag, cut off the tip, and did the writing. The girls added guitars and "rockstars," of course. We all loved it and gobbled it up! Yum.

Misc. Monday: Worker Bees

Summer is in full swing over here, and along with tons of fun, the girls are learning what the word "chore" means. They have always had daily responsibilities, like brushing teeth and picking up toys, but were ready to step it up a notch. Lilly had a writing assignment on household management and up keep the day before we created our chore charts (printable here). The next day, we defined our daily expectations, and added one new task per day, such as wipe the kitchen cabinets and dust your bedroom. The chores are different for each girl. Their new chore charts are located on a tiny hallway wall that leads to their bedroom. The plan is to review the day right before going to bed. The girls will earn a dollar each at the end of the week. We also talked about the Biblical practice of tithing, and they have decided to give the first 10% of what they earn back to Jesus. "...God loves a cheerful giver." - 2 Corinthians 9:7