Tess's Tidbits: Our 105th Post!!! :D

Hooray!!  It's officially our 105th post! :)  Thank you so much to all of our lovely followers and readers.  We truly appreciate you and all the wonderful, supportive comments you leave.  It really makes our day when we hear from you and know that all of our hard work is appreciated. :)

Speaking of hard work, as part of our celebration posts, Maggie is in the middle of preparing a special post for everyone.  She and I talked a lot about what we wanted to do to celebrate our accomplishment.  We had several different ideas, and then a couple of things came up that just seemed to fit into the scheme of things perfectly.  As a result, we came up with the idea of having 3 celebratory posts. 

For this, our 105th post, I'll be sharing photos and stories from my recent trip to Mama's church Ladies Retreat. :)  I didn't get a chance to share this news with the readers on this blog, but those of you who follow Mama's blog are aware that I was chosen to accompany Mama this weekend on her trip.  I had a wonderful time, and I'm so excited that I get to share my trip with you! :) 

Another thing Mama's readers will be aware of is that Emma and Charlie's sister Hayden has officially arrived! :D  Everyone is very excited about this, especially Emma and Charlie.  So, for our 106th post, Emma will be introducing Hayden and telling the story of their first meeting.

Finally, for our 107th post, Maggie will share her special surprise post with all of you.  Also, keep your eyes open, fans of Belle's Bulletins, because within one of the next two posts, we will announce when Belle gets her newest post up on her page.  We know you've all been waiting for a long time to see what happens! :)

I had such a wonderful time at Ladies Retreat.  I was honored that Mama decided to take me out of all of the dolls. :)  What was even more exciting was that Grandmama and Mimi went, and they brought Piper and Katie with them! :D  It was great to spend a whole weekend with my cousin and my friend.

Here we are in Mimi's car, all ready to go! :)  We didn't take any other pics of our trip up, although we had fun stopping at ToysRUs (for Mama) and Starbucks (for Mimi) before we got to the hotel.

I just realized as I was doing this post that we never took a picture of the hotel itself! Here's a picture of us by our hotel room door, though.  Well, to be perfectly accurate, this is where Piper and I stayed with Mama, Mimi, and Mama's best friend.  Katie stayed in another room with Grandmama.

I really liked how the welcome mat looked like it had cobblestones on it. :)

I loved our room key, too!  Isn't it fun and old-fashioned?  Usually in hotels you end up with those keys that look like credit cards, or so Mama has told me.  I thought having a real key was much more romantic. :)

Here we are on one of the beds.  The bedspreads were very beautiful and elegant.   

The funny thing was...they really didn't match with the rest of the room! :}  The far wall was almost a mint green color, and there was a wallpaper border with mint green and pink accents.  The carpet was blue, and the curtain was striped in dark brown and gold.  The lighting was a rather random mixture of old and new pieces, too.  But I still loved the room.  I haven't traveled much, so anything is new and exciting for me! :)

Here's the other half of our room.  It was so spacious...at least to a doll like me. ;)

Here we have the bathroom.  Mama mentioned how nice it was that they had two different sinks:  one in the bathroom and one next to it.  That way, a sink was still available when one of the humans had to use the bathroom or take a shower.

We even had a refrigerator and a microwave!  And coffee...for whoever drinks it (not me or Mama!).

Piper preferred her Starbucks. ;)

Piper, Katie and I loved this little mirror behind the nightstand.  It would be the perfect place for Piper and I to get ready in the mornings. :)

This was the view from our back sliding door.  Isn't that a lovely pool?  Too bad I can't swim. :(

It was such a beautiful day!  We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.

I couldn't wait to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. :)

After we were done checking out our room, we went over to see where Katie would be staying.  It was amazing!

Here's Katie on her bed. :)

I loved the beautiful bedspread and coordinating wallpaper!

She also had a beautiful artificial floral arrangement.

Piper was more impressed with the big flat screen TV.  Our TV in our room was not nearly as impressive.

Next to Katie and Grandmama's room was this cute little kitchen, perfect for making midnight snacks! 

Then, next to the kitchen was this huge conference room.  Mama said that this was where we would hold all of the meetings. 

We had quite a surprise waiting for us in the conference room:  Grandmama had treat bags and name tags for each of us!  We hadn't really expected that, since we were kind of "tag-along" guests (no pun intended). ;)  I thought it was very nice of her to include us. :)

We all opened our goodies to see what we'd gotten. 

Each of our bags had a "Christian Emergency Kit"...

...a fruit and nut bar... 

...a pen...

...and a water bottle.  They also had a program with the retreat schedule.

Here we are modeling our name tags. :) 

After we'd gone through our treat bags and toured the place, we went outside.  There was a beautiful lawn area right next to the conference room, so of course Mama wanted to take some outdoor pictures! ;)

Katie with a giant pinecone she found (you can see Grandmama's fingers...she was holding Katie up for the picture).

In the background behind us, you can see the hotel lobby.  It's the big building behind the trees.

I just had to share this funny picture with you.  Mama wanted to get a view from the front when we were strolling through the grass, but right as she took the picture, Katie fell over.  Mama saw her fall, so she started to move towards us just as the camera clicked.  We all had a good laugh about it. :)

We all enjoyed the beauty of God's creation around us.

As we were walking through the lawn, I found this cute little batch of mushrooms, just doll-sized!  I asked Mama to take a few pictures.

One last outdoor picture.  It was really hard to keep smiling...the sun was so bright!  Soon after this, everyone else began to arrive.

We had a great afternoon and evening together.  For our evening meeting, we sang a few hymns, and then Mimi and another lady from the church shared their testimonies.  They were both nervous, but they did a great job.  Everyone was very touched by their stories.

When the meeting was over, most of the ladies stayed in the conference room to play games.  Mama was tired and a little bit nervous about her devotional in the morning, though, so she, Mimi and Mama's friend decided to go back to the hotel room.  Piper and I said goodnight to Katie and headed back with them.

We got into our pajamas quickly, so we were ready for bed before everyone else.  While the humans got ready for bed, we looked at Mimi's magazine she'd brought. 

We were really excited when we saw the great snacks that Mama's friend brought with her:  Baked Lays and Monster Trail Mix!  Mama's been really strict with her diet lately, so we haven't had food like this in a while.  We also split a string cheese to make sure we had enough protein.

Piper and I had a lot of fun visiting.  She's only been at Mimi's house for a few days, but we all miss her quiet, cheerful ways already. 

Piper's opened up a lot more since she's moved to Mimi's.  She was more talkative than I've ever seen her.  I think being where she is has really helped her come out of her shell.  We had a wonderful time talking and laughing.

The Lays were yummy...not quite as yummy as the unbaked kind, but I'll take what I can get! :)

The Monster trail mix was AMAZING!!!  How can you go wrong when you add M&Ms, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to your trail mix? :D

Here's a close up, just to make you hungry. ;)

Before long, Piper and I fell asleep.  It had been a long, full day, and we were exhausted!

The next morning, I was up early.  Mama was going to let me be a part of her devotional, so I wanted to be sure I was ready in time.  I was something called a "visual aide". 

Mama was really nervous about her devotional, so she stayed behind in the hotel while Mimi and Mama's friend went out to breakfast.  Piper and I were Mama's practice audience as she went through her presentation.  She did a great job in the hotel room, so I knew it would turn out okay during the real thing, too.  She prayed a lot, too, so I'm sure that helped considerably.

When it was time to head over for the meeting, Piper confided that she was going to stay behind.  She hadn't slept well, and a pajama day sounded nice.  I was a little bit disappointed that she wouldn't be there for my big debut, but I completely understood.

Mama's devotional went really well, just like I knew it would.  She told me later that when we pray and ask God to work through us and glorify Himself, we have nothing to worry about.  God can use us to bless others even when we mess up.  I thought that was wonderful!  It takes a lot of pressure away when you're not trying to be perfect and when you don't have to do things on your own!

I really enjoyed getting to meet all of the ladies that came to retreat.  They were very nice.  I also got to meet Mama's other aunt.  She lives close to where our retreat was held, so she came to the morning meeting to hear Mama share her devotional and sing. 

After the morning meeting, it was time for lunch.  Mama, Mimi, mama's friend, Mama's other aunt, Grandmama and I all went to "Juice and Java", a restaurant across the street from the hotel.  (Piper and Katie stayed at the hotel and ate something there).

The restaurant was really fun, although Mimi and Mama's friend had to order three times, because they were out of potatoes (their first choice) and roast beef (they had both chosen french dips after striking out on the potatoes).  The third time they ordered, they managed to order something that was available.  After that, Mama's friend didn't get the shake she'd ordered until close to the end of the meal, when she finally asked the waitress about it.  The poor waitress was very embarrassed and gave her the drink for free! 

Despite these problems, we all enjoyed ourselves.  The food was delicious and the laughter infectious.

When we were done with lunch, we all headed back to the hotel.  Mama's aunt had to leave, and Grandmama needed to take a nap (she hadn't slept well either).  I was pretty tired myself, so Mama, Mimi, and Mama's friend dropped me off at the hotel for a rest while they went to some of the local antique shops. 

Later that afternoon, they picked Piper and I up, and we all went to see "Courageous", the newest movie from Sherwood pictures (the same studio that did "Facing the Giants" and "Fireproof").  The three humans were in a really goofy mood when we first got to the theater.  It was really funny.  I've never seen that side of Mama before. 

The movie was really good, but we all cried...a lot!!!  It was a good kind of crying, though.  I hope that the movie touches many hearts for God.

There was another meeting that night, but Piper and I decided to stay in the hotel room.  We were wiped out from our big day...and from crying so much.  We settled ourselves on the bed with the remainder of the snacks from the night before and did some channel surfing. 

We also had fun looking at the cute little copper dish set that Mama had found at one of the antique stores.  She's still not sure whether this will be for us or for her daughters' dolls.  It was fun to look at, though.

I think it would be so fun to have a whole kitchen, just our size! :)

My favorite part was the cute copper tea kettle. :)

Later that night, after their meeting, Mama, Mimi, and Mama's friend came in and joined us.  We were all a little sad, knowing it was our last night already.  We made sure to enjoy it though.  It was amazing how quickly the time had gone! 

The next morning, we were once again blessed with beautiful weather.  Mama took some pics of the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees.

We had one last meeting that was very inspiring.  Before long, we were all going our separate ways.  Mama said she always feels a little bit sad at the end of Retreat, watching everyone drive away a few at a time.  She knows she'll see them again, but there's something about that special bond you form at Retreat.  I think I understand what she means.  I will cherish this trip in my memories forever.

We needed lunch before we left, so we stopped at the "Kalico Kitchen".  We got to eat with three other ladies from Retreat.  One of them was Mama's family's friend from Eureka, the one that Maggie and Rachel visited last summer. (Sorry for the involved description...it's difficult when you can't use names.) :{  I'll have to be sure to tell Maggie. 

I ordered the AMAZING broasted chicken.  It was so delicious and tender!  I couldn't finish it all, though.  They gave us so much food!  Piper ordered the Pot Roast sandwich (it really was a lot more delicious than it sounded), and Katie had the Cobb Salad.

One funny thing about the picture above (where we're standing under the sign) is the way the people are looking over at us.  I guess they'd never seen dolls get their picture taken before.  I felt a little self-consious, and I think Mama did, too.  She still got the pictures, though.  I think it helped that her best friend came with her, even though her friend isn't a big fan of dolls.  That's just the type of friend she is. :)

By the way, the mark on Piper's face is only a shadow, just in case any of you are worried. :)

After our lunch, it was time to head back home.  We got to stop and get a tour of Mama's friend's house on the way (it was lovely!), and then we went back to our hometown.  More surprises awaited us there, but we'll have to save that for next time. ;)

I hope you enjoyed hearing all about my journey.  I had such a wonderful time.  Maybe someday I'll get to go again.  For now, though, I'm just glad to be back.  I hadn't realized how much I'd missed my familiar room and all of my friends. :)

Emma should be getting her post up sometime this week, and then Maggie will do hers, so there's more fun to come.  Have a wonderful week! :D

Emma's Editorial's: Piper's Decision

Wow, I'm in complete shock.  I didn't see this coming at all...she seemed so happy with everything!  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  I suppose I should tell you what on earth I'm talking about! :}

I think it's been mentioned in previous posts how Piper has been getting to know Jo, Mimi's doll who was here to get her wig glued on again.  Piper has enjoyed getting to know all of us here, but she's never really made any super close friends...until she met Jo. 

Jo was really nervous about getting her wig glued on, and she confided as much to Piper in one of their first conversations.  Piper may not be much of a talker, but she's a great listener.  She's also very compassionate.  She made the perfect confidant for Jo, and their friendship grew steadily after that.  In the past few weeks, they've become inseparable.

We didn't know this until later, but apparently one of the other things they talked about was how much Mimi wanted an actual American Girl doll.  She loved Jo very much, but she wanted to find her a friend that was an AG doll like Piper, Charlie and me.  Jo talked a lot about Mimi and how special she was.

The wheels were beginning to turn in Piper's head (or so I assume).

The bombshell came just this morning.  Piper came into our room, more cheerful than we've seen her in a long time.  She seemed to be brimming over with confidence and determination, which is really unlike her.  Charlie and I had been going over what we needed to do before Hayden got here (figuring out where her bed would go and so on), but we turned our attention to our sister/cousin as soon as she arrived. 

"Hi, Piper!  What's up?" Charlie asked cheerfully.

For the smallest fraction of a moment, Piper hesitated, and her confidence seemed to waver.  Then, with renewed determination, she stood up straight and said, "I need to talk to you."

We both gave her our attention.  "What is it?" I asked.

Piper cleared her throat.  "I've made a...that is...I've decided to...move to Mimi's."  She threw the last few words out so quickly that we almost missed them.  Almost, but not quite. 

"Move to Mimi's?" I gasped.  "But Piper, why?  Aren't you happy here with us?"

Charlie looked at her with concern.  "If this is about Hayden, please rethink things.  You're just as special to us as Hayden is.  I'm sure we'll all be really happy together."

Piper actually laughed.  Not unkindly or anything.  It was more like now that she'd actually gotten the words out, she was full of relief. 

"This isn't about Hayden, or about anything you or Mama have done," she assured us.  "I don't feel jealous or replaced.  But I don't really feel needed here.  I feel loved, but not needed.  You girls have each other, and you're getting ready to welcome your real sister soon.  Mama has been very kind, but she has so many of us.  Mimi doesn't have any actual American Girl dolls.  Not even one.  Jo was talking about how much Mimi's been wanting an American Girl doll of her own...and...I want to be that doll.  I want to be that needed."

She paused for a moment.  That had been a lot of talking for our quiet, pensive cousin.  

We stood there looking at her glumly.

Piper smiled sympathetically at our gloomy faces.  "Please try to understand.  I'm so excited about this!  Jo and I have gotten really close.  I've never had that close of a friend before.  You girls are great, and Ruthie is a special sister, but there's something about having a special friend, too.  Jo and I have a lot in common.  And so do Mimi and I, apparently.  Did you know she likes Bollywood movies?" 

I nodded, thinking back to the movie I watched at Mimi's house when we were there for Mama's party.  It had even been a Shahid Kapoor movie, Piper's favorite.  I knew Piper would be happy there, but I felt tears slipping down my cheeks in spite of myself.

Piper reached over and wiped them away.  "I'm not going to the moon, you know," she said gently.  "It takes 20 minutes to get there if Mama drives you.  You girls can come visit me any time you like.  You can bring Hayden, too.  I can't wait to meet her."   

It was hard to stay sad when Piper was so confident and happy.  We gave each other a three-way hug. 

I knew Piper and Mimi would really hit it off.  And what she said was true...Mimi's house wasn't very far away, and we were constantly visiting there. 

I put on my bravest smile for her.  "If this is what you really want to do, then we're happy for you."

Charlie nodded.  "We'll miss you a lot, but at least we'll be able to come visit you a lot, too.  And I'm so glad you were able to make such a special friend."  Charlie was best friends with Hailey, so she understood the special bond between friends.

Piper gave us that same gentle smile.  "I'll miss both of you a lot too, but I'm sure this is what I want to do.  I'm so excited to go live at Mimi's house.  You'll have to come visit me as soon as you can."

Little did we know that while Piper was delivering her news to us, Katie had similar news to give to Tess and Hailey.  It must have been a conspiracy! :}

Tess and Hailey were sitting on Hailey's bed chatting when Katie came in, dressed in her meet outfit.  She hadn't worn that for a really long time, which naturally made Tess and Hailey curious.

It was then that Katie explained that she had been invited to live at Grandmama's house...and she had accepted the invitation.

Naturally, Tess and Hailey were stunned at this sudden announcement. 

It wasn't the most terrible parting ever, as Grandmama's house is only 5 minutes away from ours, but still...it was tough that Katie hadn't discussed it with them before this.  At least they'd just heard from Ella, so it didn't feel quite so much like a double blow. 

Tess told me later that when she asked Katie why she'd made the decision, Katie explained that she was restless.  She'd always wanted to be a traveling doll, but with her eye and leg condition, travel was out of the question for now.  Grandmama's house was somewhere new and exciting that wasn't too far away from Tess and Hailey.  Katie was looking forward to trying new things and meeting new dolls while still being close enough to visit Tess and Hailey as often as she liked.

There wasn't much more that Tess and Hailey could do besides hug their cousin and wish her well.

We've all talked about it since (Tess, Hailey, Charlie and I), and have realized that while we'll miss our cousins, it's not nearly as sad of a situation as it could be.  We can still see our cousins as much as we want to.  Really, we'll be living the way most human cousins live now.  Not many people are blessed enough to live with their cousins every day.  We also know that Piper and Katie will be really happy in their new homes. 

So even though we shed some tears, we know that it's all for the best.  Tess mentioned that she had just asked Jesus to help her trust Him, no matter what happened, so she said that He seemed to be seeing if she really meant her words.  I've noticed the Lord does have a way of doing that. 

Piper and Katie will be here for two more days, and then they'll move on to their new homes.  We'll miss them terribly, but at least we know that when we get too homesick for them, we can take a short ride in the car with Mama and go visit them. :)

Emma's Editorials: Hayden is Coming!!! :D

Oh. my. goodness.  I am so excited!  Mama just broke the news to Charlie and me that Hayden is officially on her way to our house!  Mama said that Hayden should be here sometime in the next two weeks. 

Charlie and I are so excited to finally meet her.  I know we talked about trying to email her in earlier posts, but it never really worked out, so we don't know much more about her than what Mama already told us.  I'm so eager to meet her and find out all about her!!

I know so far that she likes horses, Strawberry Shortcake, and Disney Princesses, because those are the things Mama has been gathering for her.  Mama explained that she wanted to have some things ready for Hayden so that it would feel more homey to her when she came.  She told us that it would probably take Hayden a while to adjust to her new life, just like it did for Piper.

Speaking of Piper, she's been a lot more cheerful lately.  I wonder if she's finally okay with Hayden coming.  Even when Mama broke the official news to her, Piper didn't seem upset.  It's such a relief.  Charlie and I have been having a really hard time figuring out how to act around her.  We love her so much, but we're also just as excited to meet our new sister.  It's nice to be able to express that without worrying about hurting Piper's feelings. :)

Now it's just a matter of waiting.  Charlie and I both have admitted to each other that patience is not our best virtue, but we'll try. :}  I'll be sure to keep all of you posted if we hear any news. 

Oh, and speaking of news, one funny thing is that we almost had 3 new sisters coming!!  Apparently there was a bit of a mix-up when Mama was arranging Hayden's transportation, and she almost accidentally had 3 dolls sent here!  Thankfully, she got everything sorted out, and now we're back to just one sister coming. ;) 

Alright, I've got to look over our room and see if there's anything else I can do to get ready.  Sigh...this is going to be the longest 2 weeks of my life!!! :}

 

Tess's Tidbits: An Email from Ella

I'm so happy, I hardly know what to write! Hailey and I have heard from our sister! :) 

It all began yesterday, when I was checking Mama's Gmail account (sometimes Maggie and I get fan mail there as well, so Mama has given us permission to check it when we have time).  There were only a few emails today, but one of them made me nearly jump out of my seat!  The sender was Ella, and the title was "Hi, Tess and Hailey!" 

I almost clicked on the email and read it, but then I decided that Hailey should read it with me.  Before I could change my mind, I hurried down the hallway towards our room. 

"Hailey!" I told her excitedly.  "You have to come see this!"

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"An email," I grinned.  "From Ella!"

Hailey's face lit up.  "I'm coming!" she laughed.

We both raced back to the dining room, where I'd left the laptop.  When we were both comfortably settled on the chair, I clicked on the email and read it out loud:

Dear Tess and Hailey,

Hi!  How are you doing?  I miss you soooo much!  I'm sorry I haven't written before this, but I've been really busy.  There also isn't a computer that I can get to very easily.  But I read your post a while back, and I felt bad that you were missing me so much and hoping I was okay.  So, I'm okay! :)  I've been having a great time here.  I love trying on new dresses and helping my new Mama (I call her Mama 2) sell them.  I've made lots of friends and get to meet all sorts of different people.

I still miss both of you terribly, of course, but I'm very happy other than that, so please don't worry about me. :)  I've enjoyed keeping up with you through the blog (when I get a rare chance to be on the computer). 

Good to talk to you...please write back soon! :)

Love,
Ella

I smiled as I finished reading and glanced over at Hailey.  She was wiping away happy tears. 

"I'm glad she's okay," she said quietly.  "I still miss her a lot, but it helps knowing that she's happy."

I nodded and put an arm around her.  "Should we write back?" I asked.

"Of course!" Hailey grinned.  "Let's do it right now!"

I clicked "reply" and we got started.  It took a while to get our message worded just right (personally, I would have made it a bit more formal, but I had to adjust my style to Hailey's).  Here's what we came up with:

Dear Ella,

Thank you so much for writing!  It's great to know that we don't have to worry about you.  We're glad you're enjoying yourself.  We've been missing you a lot, but hearing from you helps. 

It sounds like you're having a wonderful time there.  How exciting that you get to help your "Mama 2" sell dresses! :)  That must be so fun!  You'll have to share some of your stories with us sometime.

We hope you have a great weekend.  Write us again soon!

Love,
Tess and Hailey


Later that night, as I climbed into my bed, I felt peaceful knowing that my littlest sister was okay.  I would always miss her, but at least now I didn't have to worry about her. 

I glanced across the room at Hailey.

 

She was already fast asleep, a slight smile on her face.

Thank you, Lord, for the email from Ella, I prayed in my head.  It was just what we needed.  Help us to trust you even when we don't understand why things are happening.  Amen.

With that, I rolled over and fell asleep myself.  I couldn't help wondering what tomorrow would bring.  Little did I know that more changes were on the way.

Breaking News with Maggie: Our...101st Post

This is Maggie Wilson with a rather embarrassing announcement.  It seems that we missed our 100th post.  I mean, we didn't really "miss" it.  Our 100th post was the last one posted, where Emma (the favored one) shared her account of Mama's slumber party (sorry Emma, it was too easy!). ;)  Honestly, I have no hard feelings about not being chosen to go to Mama's party.  Not all of Mama's friends know that we're alive, so to avoid creeping some of them out, Emma had to spend most of her time standing stalk still on Mimi's kitchen counter.  Fun times.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand.  While this is extremely embarrassing to admit, Tess and I have absolutely nothing special planned.  We've been so busy with other things, and our blogging has slowed down a bit since Mama's computer problems (yes, the big desktop compy is still down), so we haven't really been thinking about it.  Tess is absolutely mortified, being the perfectionist she is.  She begged me to do this post, which is probably good, because half of the post would be Tess apologizing over and over again. ;) 

So, we've made an executive decision.  We'll do a special post for our 105th post!! :)  We're going to brainstorm on the details over the next few days so that we have something spectacular for you.  Well, maybe not really spectacular.  I don't want to get your hopes up too high. :} 

In the meantime, thank you so much to all of our wonderful followers and readers.  We've enjoyed getting to know you through this blogging adventure.  We love getting your comments and feedback, and we love seeing our page views continue to go up. :D  You've made these 101 posts an absolute blast. :)

Oh, before I forget, there's another mortified member of our blogging team.  Belle wanted me to express her apologies once again for leaving everyone hanging so badly on her Belle's Bulletins posts.  The pics for her next post are still stuck in the desktop (Papa is supposed to be working on retrieving them soon), and she can't move on with the story until the post that's waiting is published.  Not like anyone really cares, but I'm just delivering the message.

Okay, so until our special 105th post, this is Maggie Wilson, signing off. :)

Emma's Editorials: Mama's Slumber Party

For those of you who don't know, Mama had an overnight slumber party for her 30th birthday last Friday and Saturday.  Imagine my excitement when Mama told me that I was the one going with her! :)  I know that everyone was hoping to be picked.  Maggie will probably say Mama is playing favorites, but I don't mind...as long as she doesn't bother me too much about it.

As soon as I found out the news, I rushed to get packed.  I brought my pajamas, an extra change of clothes, and of course, my Shahrukh bear. :)

I couldn't wait to get to the party and meet all of Mama's friends and family!

Here's the table at Mimi's house where all of the humans ate.  Didn't Grandmama and Mimi do a great job decorating?  I love the pretty purple tablecloth!

These flowers were gorgeous, too!

It wasn't long before the guests started arriving.  I decided to set myself up on the kitchen counter, where I was close to the food and could see everything that was going on.

For dinner, Mama and her friends got to make their own personal pizzas and salads.  They sure looked yummy!  I decided to just snitch things here and there from the counter.  :)

After dinner, Grandmama and Mimi passed out everyone's "Survival Kits".  They were cute decorated bags full of little goodies.  Mama let me look through everything myself.  I loved the little picture frame, maze game and pail...they were just my size!  Mmm, and I hope that Mama shares her M&Ms and Teddy Grahams! :)

Once everyone had opened up their Survival Kits, it was time to play Bingo!  I got to watch Grandmama call out the numbers and letters.  Mama won one game, and several of her friends won, too. 

Grandmama and Mimi had wrapped up a bunch of little prizes for the winners.  Then, when the games were over, they let everyone who hadn't won yet choose a prize, too. :)

Once the Bingo was done, it was time to eat Mama's Ricotta Cheesecake.  I only had a little taste of it.  I must confess, it wasn't my favorite, but I know Grandmama and Mimi made it, so I tried to be polite.  Mama said she liked it as long as she didn't think of it as cheesecake.

After our dessert, Mama and her friends visited for a bit while two of Mama's friends went to get some videos of Mama and her friends when they were younger.  I laughed really hard when I saw the videos.  Mama and her friends were so funny when they were younger!  There was this video they'd made for history class about Rosa Parks, and Mama played a boy!  Her hair looked hilarious.  It's probably a good thing Maggie didn't see it...she would never have let Mama live it down! :}

Finally, it was time to go to bed.  I don't think Mama fell asleep until about 12:30 or 1:00...she and her friend were too busy talking to sleep. :)

The next morning, I got to have some of Mama's delicious Monkey Bread (don't worry, it's not made from real monkeys!!).  It was so delicious!  It was all gooey and cinnamony. :)  By the time I got up, most of Mama's friends were gone (most of them are moms and had to get back to their kids).  One of Mama's friends from college was still there, though, and she wanted to try a Bollywood movie.  Yay!!  I finished up the rest of my Monkey Bread while I watched.

We watched a Bollywood movie I'd never seen before:  "Jab We Met" with Shahid Kapoor (Piper would be jealous!) and Kareena Kapoor.  It was like being in a movie theater with Mimi's huge TV. :)  I liked it overall, although it had more innuendo in it than I was really comfortable with.  "Veer-Zaara" is still my very favorite. :)

After the movie, we started packing up all of our stuff and getting ready to go home.  Grandmama gave us a ride.  I hadn't realized how tired I was until I got back to my new room.  Oh, I forgot to tell you guys about that!  Charlie and I have a new room and new bunk beds!!  I'll try to do another post soon and show you some pics. :) 

I wasn't up for long before I just had to go to bed.  Slumber parties are sure tiring!!  I'm so glad Mama took me, though.  I had a great time. :)

And, of course, the most exciting news from Mama's birthday is that she told me that she'll be sending for our sister Hayden soon!  Once that "free shipping code" she keeps talking about comes, Hayden will be on her way.  I'm so excited, I feel like I might burst!!! :D  I'll be sure to keep all of you updated.  Talk to you again soon!