Chloe's Baptism - I Like to Look for Rainbows!

How is possible that you are 8 years old already?  In the blink of an eye, my little Chloe has grown up!  I am so proud of you and the decision you've made to be baptized.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  To say you were excited to be baptized would be an understatement!

Daddy baptized you and gave you the gift of the Holy Ghost.  What a precious gift you've been given that I hope you appreciate all of your life.  The Holy Ghost has been a comfort to me.  He has guided me and directed my path in life.  I know he will do the same for you!

 And a very special day like this deserves a very special celebration.  We went with the Rainbow theme to go along with your favorite baptism song "I Like to Look for Rainbows."

We had soda in every color of the rainbow.

Rainbow tissue poms & of course rainbow cupcakes!

 And of course I can't pull off a party without grandma's help!  Don't know what I'd do without her!

 

 Such a fun celebration with friends and family!  

 And I love this sweet moment of you with Papa Dad.  I'm sure he is giving you wise counsel about something!  You two sure have a sweet relationship.  Sure proud of you, baby girl!!

Chloe Turns 8!

Chloe is turning 8, and in this house, it's quite a big deal!

 Yes, she DOES get to go on a special date with mom, dad and her best friend. She is choosing where to eat dinner, we will do a little shopping, and she can FINALLY get her ears pierced.  But something much more important is about to happen.

Something that will hopefully change the course of her life. Forever.  

 At the age of 8, Chloe is finally old enough to be accountable for the choices she makes.  And that's why it's not until the age of 8 that one can choose to be baptized.  

So we decided to head to the Gilbert temple for her little baptism shoot.  The temple won't be completed until early next year, but I love it in the background of these photos.  And I love that ALL of my children will get the chance to walk through the temple when it opens so they can see the beauty within.

When a Mormon temple is built there is a period of time where it is open to the public.  Everyone is invited to come and walk through it and learn about the work that goes on in temples.

After it is dedicated, it is a sacred place to worship for those who are able to enter.

I have been inside several temples, and there is a peace there that cannot be felt anywhere else on earth.  I feel closer to heaven, and to my Heavenly Father, inside of these temples.  And I can't wait for my family to walk through it together and experience the spirit that is felt there!

 And when you are married in the temple, you are not married just until "death do you part."  You are sealed together for time and all eternity.  So grateful that I get to be with my family FOREVER!

And baptism is the first step in being able to go to the temple one day and receive all of those blessings.

 

Kate's Night Owl Party

Growing up my mom would throw us a good old fashioned "homemade" birthday party every year.  Fun games, cute cake, and you know what?  They're some of my best childhood memories.

So I enjoy carrying on that tradition.  Except I now throw a big party every OTHER year because with 4 kids so close together, it became a little too much.  But I LOVE throwing parties.  I enjoy the planning, the pinterest perusing, and making all of the little details come together.

When I first spotted this Night Owl party here, I knew I wanted to do this for one of my girls.  I thought it would be for Chloe in October, but once Kate saw it she decided she wanted it for her party.  And I only had a few weeks to start working on it.

I will warn you ahead of time.  This party takes HOURS of prep time because of the time it takes to sew the owls.  But it is so worth it when you see how excited the girls are to receive them (and quite honestly, I enjoyed making them!). 

So let's start at the beginning.  I decided to go with a Night Owl theme.  My girls don't do sleepovers, but they LOVE having late nights with friends.  So we made up the invites (free customizabe printable found here) and told the girls to wear their pajamas!

The best part of this party is that each girl gets to adopt their own owl, and each one has a different personality.  The downside - you have to hand make each owl.  They are not difficult, just time consuming!  You can purchase the template for the owls here and see all of her cute ideas for the party here.

Once your owls are made, the party can begin!

I made up tissue poms and owls out of paper lanterns just by adding eyes, a beak and some wings.  Super quick and easy.

Here are a few fun touches that were added to the table.

 Cute wire owl purchased at Hobby Lobby.

 Who needs cake pops?  Just add donut holes to skewers and a jar of Froot Loops.  (The girls loved eating these!)

And orange juice served in 1/2 pint jars.

When the girls arrived, we kept them busy by making Froot Loop necklaces.  Had no idea how much they would enjoy this little craft.  Some didn't want to stop when it was time to eat!

This pic below summarizes Kate's personality perfectly! :)

 The menu consisted of breakfast for dinner.  We served up pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs.  And here is my most amazing mother who I couldn't have done this party without.  Helped me cook AND clean up.  Love her to pieces!!

 Another fast (and I'm talking three minutes) Pinterest find that I thought was too cute:

Fried egg and bacon strips made by melting white chocolate, adding an M&M and pretzels, and voila!  Cuteness.

So the girls ate and then the adoption of the owls began.

I hid 10 numbered stars around the room and told each girl to go and find one.  Whichever numbered star they found would be the gift they'd receive.  To minimize the chaos, we did this process one at a time, so that each girl could unwrap her owl, read about its personality and then fill out the adoption card while the other girls watched and waited for their turn. 

Here's a sample of the owl description and adoption card.  You can also purchase them through the same etsy shop.  Super easy!

It was so fun to hear the girls oooohhh and aaaahhh over each owl.  So made all the time it took to make them WORTH IT!

They hung on to their owls all night long (and I hear from some moms they still are attached to them 24-7)!

After we opened Kate's gifts...

 ...we headed up stairs to the movie room for some movie time!

Had plans for doing mani's and pedi's but we ran out of time! We sang happy birthday and ate some cupcakes before the girls left.

And like that, the party was over.  Had to send the girls home with a little thank you, so I recycled something I'd done for a Valentine's treat in years past.  Individul cereal boxes:

 When the party was over, Kate come up to me, gave me a hug and said, "Thanks mom!  Best party ever!" And that's why I love to throw a party.

 

Sure love my baby Kate!  Can't believe she is SIX already and going to be in first grade next month.  Growing up way too fast.  Love you, baby girl!