Happy 5th Birthday Lexie!!!

October marked my first born's 5th birthday!  It's crazy because it forces the realization on me that time certainly does fly.  For weeks and weeks Lexie counted down the days of both her actual birthday and the party.

In our family on your birthday you have the option of eating out for dinner at a restaurant of your choice or Mommy can cook whatever you request.  This year Lexie chose for us to go to Chuck E. Cheese's.

 

Her birthday party was held the next weekend and for those of you who know me, you know I LOVE to plan parties.  I have the best time coming up with a theme and incorporating the theme into all aspects of the party.  Originally I thought we would go with an Under the Sea party, especially since the re-release of The Little Mermaid was only days before her birthday.  However, Lexie was begging to have a sleepover.  Honestly she has been asking for, making plans and extending invitations to this supposed sleepover for months!  Trey and I thought she and her friends were really too young to do a big sleepover so instead we opted to make the party a pretend one.

I told my sister our idea and she set off to make the most adorable invitations.  The outside was made to look like Hello Kitty was laying in a sleeping bag and then you pulled out the inner card for the party details.

With the invitations mailed out I scoured Pinterest and the internet hoping to be inspired for decorations.  Here is what I came up with:  

I took two tables and turned them long ways then covered them with an old quilt, added some pillows, a stuffed animal and the finished product was a bed to display party food!  I made small tissue poms and then arranged them to look like a #5 which I taped above the table/bed.  The finishing touch was a banner I made, (yes I'm pretty proud because I made the pennants, painted the letters using freezer paper as a template and then sewed them together with binding) which read "Sweet Dreams."

Aunt Krystal made a "Happy Birthday" banner that we hung over the favor table, which included candy and small bags of milk and cereal for breakfast the next morning.

Krystal also made the favor tags which were designed as little pillows and read "Thanks for sleeping over at my party."

Our party menu included the traditional sleepover food of pizza and salad (for the adults) as well as soda and juice boxes for the kids (creatively wrapped in duct tape - Mimi's idea).

The dessert bed/table included cupcakes with toppers I ordered from ETSY shop Cake Candy (who by the way is super wonderful to work with.  I sent her a digital image of the invitation and she custom created the toppers to match the invitation).

We also had chocolate chip cookies, rice krispies and popcorn because it's not really a sleepover unless you have plenty of junk food!

When you're expecting a bunch of preschooler's as guests you want to make sure there are plenty of activities to keep them busy!  Since it was still early when the guests arrived we started the party outside where the kids could play on the playground, paint personalized pillowcases, make fruit-loop necklaces, or design their very own "stars in a jar," which is nothing more than glow in the dark paint.

 

After playtime we settled down for dinner, cake and presents!  

Trey and I surprised Lexie with her very own set of skis (in her favorite color - pink and purple sparkly) and ski boots.  This will be her 3rd season skiing and she absolutely loves going.

Then all the kids headed to the upstairs playroom with their pillows and stuffed animal friends so they could watch a movie and pretend to sleepover.

  Although, I'm not sure how much movie watching actually happened...

That body in the white shirt with all the girls piled on top...that's Uncle Bryan!  What a good sport!!!

As a special surprise Lexie got to have her friend Emory stay the night for her first official "real" sleepover.  Those girls had the best time….they took a bubble bath in the big tub, pretended to ski in the living room, ate more popcorn and candy while they watched Cinderella!  I think all in all she had a fantastic birthday, and the sleep over thing was such a hit as soon as we meet Emory's parents she was already planning the next one!  Lexie is ALWAYS up for a fun time!!!  

Thank you to everyone who helped make her 5th birthday such a special one.