Grace's Hello Kitty Birthday Party

It has taken ALL MY WILL POWER not to forego my daily tasks of dressing, feeding and all around care taking of myself and the girls in order to get this blog post together...but rest assured...they are fine! 

It has taken days to pull it all together, getting on the computer doesn't happen as frequently this time of year, but without further ado...

Grace's 3rd Birthday Party - Hello Kitty Style!

Months ago - the day after Charlotte's first birthday party in fact - I kicked around a few ideas with Grace as to what she wanted for her birthday party. Knowing that the month of December was already going to be chaotic, I chose, pushed, encouraged a Hello Kitty theme.

Now I know character theme birthdays are out these days and a lot of moms I know are anti anything commercial (i.e. Barbie, Dora, Elmo) but come on people! Kids only get to grow up once! And I don't think a Barbie or watching Elmo here and there is going to hurt anyone. Moderation people! Plus, I figured a Hello Kitty themed birthday party would be easy, and selfishly, in the middle of the holidays, an-easy-to-pull-off-party was just what this Mommy needed!

So the Hello Kitty party theme was chosen!

I LOVE cards, stationary, thank you notes... paper products in general...probably the main reason I send out a million cards to friends and family each year. 

(In my next life, I want to own, operate, *make??* or just be involved somehow with beautiful paper products. I haven't quite figured out how this will come to fruition but that's what dreams are made of right?)

All good parties start with an invitation...

When I came across this invite, it solidified not only the date of the event but the color scheme. 

Pink (of course) and red with polka dots thrown in for good measure! What's not to love?

Next came the party decor....

The Dessert Table

We had all kinds of Hello Kitty goodies...

Cake Pops

Sugar Cookies

Jelly Beans and M&Ms and rock candy

Taffy and mini candy bars wrapped in custom Happy-3rd-Birthday-Grace-Hello-Kitty-wrappers. (Don't think I got a picture of those.)

The Happy Birthday sign was a printable that I assembled but the name banner was made by yours truly!

I turned some cupcake toppers into garland...

and no party is complete without magic wands!

We had both red and pink wands...

with a little Hello Kitty bling for good measure!

Speaking of sweets, let's talk cake!

Isn't she cute?! The cake was made locally and it was perfect!

Not to mention delicious! I think it's the best cake I've ever eaten - HANDS DOWN!

Who knew this gem of a bakery was within an hour of my house?! No more hauling cakes in from Seattle. (I know Auntie M will be relieved to hear that last bit of information!)

The table setting....

The bow on the Hello Kitty placemat is removable and was a little party gift. Keep your eyes open for the girls wearing their bows in later pictures. Darling!

Before our guests arrived, Grace thought it was really funny to tell people she was turning 2...

even though she is full aware that she is actually turning three.

Clearly, she is not excited about the "aging" process.

Grace's special party outfit...

It isn't a party without a tutu!!

(Hmm...have I said that before?! hehe)

Once our guests arrived and the over 21 crowd had a drink in hand...

it was time to get into the Hello Kitty spirit.

We started off with Hello Kitty tattoos!

My mom and I got in on the action...I don't think I have any pictures of us but I do have pictures of Charlotte getting tatoo'd.

Even though I applied Charlotte's tattoo, 

as opposed to some stranger

she was not into it...

AT ALL!

Luckily, we had lots of candy on hand and that seemed to take the edge off!

Now that everyone was in the spirit and all "warmed up" with their drinks, it was time to play games!

We played Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty - not super original - but the kids were captivated as I explained how to play. (They'd never heard of Pin the Tail on the Donkey before!)

And then...

*DING DONG*

someone was at the door...

Who is it you guys???

Look at Grace and Charlotte scoping out who is at the door...

A picture couldn't capture the magic but the second Grace got a glimpse of our visitor at the door she raced across the house and threw herself into the arms of 

Hello Kitty!!!!! 

Can you see Grace's little red tutu under Hello Kitty's head in the picture below?

Grace didn't hesitate. She wasn't scared. She was thrilled. Mesmerized. You've heard that saying, "she lit up" before, right? Well folks, I can't convey strongly enough just that. Grace LITERALLY lit up when she saw Hello Kitty! A reaction I was NOT expecting!

Honestly, I thought she would cry and be horrified...and if that had been the case it would have been just as wonderful and memorable (to me!) Not to mention hysterical!

But I'm telling you she was IN LOVE with Hello Kitty!

Hello Kitty finally was able to make her way into the house...

albeit slowly because Grace was just taken! 

There were lots of hugs...

and dancing.

Once the excitement surrounding Hello Kitty kind of died down, we played Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty.

Hello Kitty was careful to give Charlotte some special attention because we all know that siblings of the birthday girl need a little extra love.

Charlotte was thrilled!

Grace couldn't get enough of Hello Kitty!

I wish I had the words to convey what this felt like to witness..but the simplest and most accurate word I can think of is "magical!"

As parents, this is what we strive to provide for our children...magical, memorable moments.

Thanks to Hello Kitty (and Auntie M) mission accomplished!

You know, I hear a lot, oh it's just her 3rd birthday - she won't remember all this!

And it's true.

She probably won't. But you know who will?

Me. 

Her dad.

Her grandparents.

Her Auntie M and Uncle Johhnyroo.

It was just as magical for us - maybe even more so - to watch and witness the innocent delight of a three year old on HER special day.

Like I said, we only get to be a kid once. 

Eventually, Hello Kitty had to move on to the next party and Grace had to say goodbye. 

Grace tried to watch from the window as Hello Kitty left but we explained that Hello Kitty has magic, kind of like Elfie, our Elf on the Shelf, and that we couldn't watch her leave.

Luckily, dinner was ready and the pizza distracted her from Hello Kitty's exit. 

See the bows in their hair?

The answer to your question is yes. 

I'm wearing a Hello Kitty shirt!

Mmmm....pizza!

Charlotte is ready for cake!

Unfortunately, our fun had to come to an end. 

Our guests rounded up their bows, wands and goody bags brimming with Hello Kitty swag...naturally!

Thank you to all those who helped make Grace's special day just that!

Auntie M - There are no words...thank you!

Uncle Johnnyroo - Thanks for capturing our priceless memories.

Grandma and Grandpa - Thanks for moving mountains in order to attend.

And to all our other family, thank you for joining us in Grace's 3rd birthday celebration. It means so much to us!

*Stay tuned for the birthday party back story and information on vendors...