Rachel's Birthday Part II

I decided to let Rachel have a birthday party this year since I've never had the energy to do a proper one before this. (It also helped that Thanksgiving did not fall in the same week this year!)

We started with a craft -- creatures made out of pinecones:

The girls had so much fun and I was very impressed with their creativity. Isn't this penguin adorable!

We had mice, penguins, birds, peacocks, ballerinas, and butterflies.

Oh, the girls were told to come in dress-up clothes.

Here they are, having fun:

I loved this butterfly --sort of a winter wonderland fairy:

Next the girls had a tea party. I bought the cake for a very good price at Trader Joe's and was very impressed with it. After baking cakes two days in a row, I refused to make another. :)

I had so much fun watching the girls enjoy themselves:

And some of us couldn't resist the pull of the craft table once the girls were finished:

With sugar coursing through veins, Rachel jumped up to get an hilarious Thanksgiving book to read to the girls at rapid pace -- I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie :

Then there were lots of fun presents to open:

The last hour was playtime and the children had a blast playing with Rachel's new dolls or pretending to be kings and queens. I think the party was a success. :)