Diary of a Mighty Mom: Ear Piercing, Tea Parties, & Girlieness

For many many months, our little girl has been planning her "when I'm five & I'm a big girl" day. She decided, all on her own, that she wanted to have her ears pierced, & we were pretty excited with her! Matt & I planned on that day when we were pregnant with her, & didn't know for sure when that day would come. But as soon as she said it, we went with it! There's not a lot of shopping malls around rural Vermont, so we had to make a day of it. So we threw in some extra girl time & got our nails done too! ;) We were going to get her first hair cut too, but our hairdresser couldn't make it work for Saturday, & that was enough cue for me to chicken out. lol So that one will wait for... I don't know how long. Oh well! ;)

So we took an hour & a half drive to the mall & Natalie started out very excited. But on the way she got more & more anxious.... Ruh roh. "Will it hurt, Mommy?" "Do they use needles?" "What will it feel like?" "Mommy I'm scared!" Oy! The boys tried to help & tried to tell her about the "little guns" they use & I put a stop to that one RIGHT away! Not helping! lol So once we got her to Claire's she was sufficiently freaked out.

Yes, we laugh as our children have tantrums. I've told you. We're awesome parents! ;)

Marking her ears. "Woman, what ARE you doing to me!?!"

She literally did not even so much as *flinch* from this position. (I know, because Matt left his finger on the button for the camera & captured every nanosecond. lol) She didn't feel a thing! And she refuses to admit it! Ha ha!

Kisses from Mommy & a lollipop & everything is right with the world again.

And now she has joined the ranks of millions of women who have beautifully adorned earlobes. Way to go princess! :)

Afterward, we made one more stop in the mall, & we both got our nails done together. Not an expense I spend on myself very often at all, but worth it to have a little girl time with my sweetie pie!

She picked purple, naturally.

This girl was very patient with her! So sweet. :)

We went back & forth on whether or not to have a party for her. This was her first year in school, so really up until a few weeks ago she didn't have friends her own age to speak of. But she's never really had a birthday party before (we had family over in Kansas for her first birthday, but that's all she's ever had). And her little class of seven kids are just SO darn cute. We thought it would be fun to have them over. Besides, five is a BIG deal! :) I remember thinking how grown up I was when I turned five. So we decided to go for it & have a little tea party!

Now let me warn you, with weapons such as Etsy & Pinterest now at our fingertips, there is no longer any such thing as a "little" tea party!! lol I had SO much fun planning this thing I can't even tell you.
First, we stopped at our local thrift shop & picked up a tea set & dishes for a whopping $4. (and yes, Mackelmore played in my head the *entire* time). I went to a couple of dollar stores too & went to town with decorations & favors. When it was all said & done, including party favors from Oriental Trading Co, I probably only spent about $60 on the whole party. But it will certainly be a party she & her friends will remember for a while I'm sure! :)