Abby decided LONG ago that she wanted to host a slumber party for her 7th birthday.Dennis and I said, "No way! Are you nuts?"
She said, "Pleeeeaasse!?!"
We said, "They can't sleep over, but we'll play games, etc. and they can stay until 8:00 p.m."
She said, "Can they stay until 10:00?"
We said, "9:00 p.m. and that's our final offer!"
Then, of course, we caved and made it 9:30!
But we never caved on the sleepOVER part ... and thank goodness! Six 7-year olds at our house for four hours this past Saturday was plenty crazy ... but also plenty of fun!
I'm getting ahead of myself though. Back several months ago, Abby and I jumped online to research slumber party games, and we found all kinds of fun stuff. We also discovered an adorable sleepover cake. On Saturday morning, Abby and I set to work on our masterpiece ... and according to Dennis, we spent WAY too much time on it. But, boy did we have fun!
Each girl on the cake represented one of Abby's party guests. They were delighted to see themselves in cake form that night, and because we ate so much other junkfood, we were able to serve them a small portion of their "feet" and send most of their slice home. They also got to take home a butterfly net that we used for our "catching Zs" game. Earlier in the day, Grandan and Abby hid seven letter Zs (thanks Auntie Jenn for diecutting those for us!) around the front yard so the girls could search for them that evening. 
They looked so cute running around the yard in their PJs!
Grandan actually made Abby go inside while he hid her Zs. And he left me a "key" so I could guide her to them if she got frustrated. Grandan is a VERY good hider! 
Inside, we fashioned the dining room table to look like a bed (another idea stolen from the internet!). 
And we had lots of party snacks for the girls to munch on. Here's a cute shot of the group once all of the guests arrived. From left to right are: Mary Leah Yearty, Abby, Anabelle Peoples, Kyndall Macey Dickinson, Emily Fogleman, and Nya Roney.
After "Catching Zs," we moved inside to cool off, and played "Spin the Bottle." With bottles of nail polish! Everyone had to paint two nails (opposite hands) the color that landed on them. Let me tell you - I picked out an array of heinous colors (orange, hot pink, green, etc.) which they LOVED!
Then, we did "makeUNDERs!" Using a little makeup tip book, they plopped down in a circle and sketched out the "look" they were hoping for. But, my resources were limited, so I basically gave them bright lips, bright cheeks and lots of eyeshadow! We played a game with gummie bears (had to wait to eat them until you picked two of the same ... and you were selecting them with your eyes closed!). Anabelle and Nya both had VERY full mouths, so we cut the game short! 
Then we kicked on the music, played freeze dance and made costumes out of aluminum foil. This was the hit of the evening! First we dressed the birthday girl...
And we had lots of party snacks for the girls to munch on. Here's a cute shot of the group once all of the guests arrived. From left to right are: Mary Leah Yearty, Abby, Anabelle Peoples, Kyndall Macey Dickinson, Emily Fogleman, and Nya Roney. After "Catching Zs," we moved inside to cool off, and played "Spin the Bottle." With bottles of nail polish! Everyone had to paint two nails (opposite hands) the color that landed on them. Let me tell you - I picked out an array of heinous colors (orange, hot pink, green, etc.) which they LOVED!Then, we did "makeUNDERs!" Using a little makeup tip book, they plopped down in a circle and sketched out the "look" they were hoping for. But, my resources were limited, so I basically gave them bright lips, bright cheeks and lots of eyeshadow! We played a game with gummie bears (had to wait to eat them until you picked two of the same ... and you were selecting them with your eyes closed!). Anabelle and Nya both had VERY full mouths, so we cut the game short! Then we kicked on the music, played freeze dance and made costumes out of aluminum foil. This was the hit of the evening! First we dressed the birthday girl...
...then decorated everyone else with a few customized accessories! 
Before they settled down for a movie (well, SORT of settled down!) the girls used some of their foil creations (Nya made a microphone ... and I truly don't know what Mary Leah is sporting) to help sing "Happy Birthday" to Abby! 
We drove everyone home a bit later, wishing them "Happy Summer" with some cute flip flops... 
It truly was a fun party ... Dennis and I both said so. While we love big shindigs with family, friends and long-time playmates, this time around, we were able to get to know the smaller group of cute friends Abby made in class and at after-school activities this year. But ... that said ... we were quite glad to send those cute friends home at the end of the evening! A faux sleepover is the way to go!
It truly was a fun party ... Dennis and I both said so. While we love big shindigs with family, friends and long-time playmates, this time around, we were able to get to know the smaller group of cute friends Abby made in class and at after-school activities this year. But ... that said ... we were quite glad to send those cute friends home at the end of the evening! A faux sleepover is the way to go!
4 comments:
Yes, it's true - it was a fun party. But we're never having six 7-year-olds sleep over. Four hours was enough!
Also - if you look closely at the background of the cake making photos, you'll see the real reason Mandy had so much fun! (Hint: dark green bottle next to lamp.)
Great job Ms. Party Planner! It was awesome as always!
Also, I agree it was fun getting to know Abby's friends. In the past, party guests were always just "little girls." This time, I felt Abby's guests were real people, with actual distinct personalities. Our little girl is growing up!
This all looks like so much fun! I could see the wheels turning in Anna's mind as we read your blog. Any chance the party planners could fly to Colorado for the next Schnittker 7-year-old birthday party? We love the cake! Yes, these kids are growing up. I used to think that they were growing too fast, but each new stage seems to be as fun as the last.
Happy Birthday Abby! (We have a gift still to send, hopefully we can get it in the mail in the next day or two) Can't wait to see you all in August.
Love
The Colorado Schnittkers
I would have pushed for the sleepOVER Abby!...I acutally would have pushed so hard that I would have gotten NO party and grounded. So, good negotiating!
Post a Comment