My American Girls.

We had quick trip to GA to celebrate Layla's double digit birthday!

Here's why it was awesome and how/why we did it on a strict budget in the middle of an adoption...

The why is easy. Layla turned 10 and birthdays should be celebrated!
Ya'll know we love to do our birthday parties and "we" like to put as much thought & detail and as little dollars into them as we can. Since it was a big birthday, we thought maybe she should do something extra special. She spent several months thinking about it before deciding on a trip to Atlanta for American Girl. American Girl isn't usually even on our radar, though they have both been gifted dolls for Christmas pasts. Just made it that much more fun to discover their options!

While it's true that a lot of the AG items can be pricey, I was determined to find a way to make her feel special and celebrated without breaking the bank.

Luckily, all three of us just had birthdays within two months of each other... which meant we all had birthday money. I had put mine away to cover hotel and food.  {Side note: We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Alpharetta for $57/night (1 night). This was the second time in 4 months that I have traveled alone with my children and stayed in one of their hotels. BOTH were very nice, very clean, with exceptional staff. I made sure to send a letter saying as much, and if you need somewhere to stay- they get my vote.}  

Knowing that their birthday money would only stretch so far, I wanted to add some inexpensive options throughout the weekend to make the feeling last! Brynnie loved helping plan surprises for her big sister!
Fancy, girly fingernails to start, teeny-tiny scrapbooks for their "dolls" to document their weekend adventure, and doll sized party plates, placemats, and cups.

{Side note #2- note the space. We also bought a new-to-us vehicle last week. After being stranded in various places several times in the last few weeks, we are grateful to have something reliable- even if the timing is not great. Also, it's a minivan. And also, the same day the doc said I needed glasses to drive and glasses at night. Next up: diabetic socks.}

We arrived just minutes before our reservations at the American Girl Bistro!
Neither Layla nor Kaya bothered to brush their hair, but that's okay- it's their big weekend.

Our meal was $15 per person and WORTH EVERY PENNY.
The dolls each had their own seat (and if you don't have a doll, you can borrow one of theirs), their own cup & saucer, cloth napkins with hairbows you get to keep. Everyone gets an appetizer, entree, and drink with details like flower-shaped fruit and star-shaped cheese, and even more keepsakes. The food was good and the service impeccable. They made my girl feel like a star a 'la Disney princess style. Look at these classy little ladies!

And then look at them being themselves.

Love real smiles.


Time to shop!
They browsed every item, before carefully making selections! They did a great job of choosing things they couldn't get anywhere else and even had money to spare (which was promptly spent at the Disney store and Lego store).

We spent the next three hours just playing in our hotel room! No TV, no phones, no iPad... just playing like little girls do.

We opted to just grab a snack at the hotel for dinner since we had such a big lunch. This is where things briefly went terribly wrong. The long day caught up with the little one and she'd had enough. Let's just say, she was not herself. I blew my food budget and paid $6.50 for a Blue Moon, before getting her back to the room in the bath to regulate. And then we all finished the evening calm, cool, and collected :)

I thought we would start back and stop in Chattanooga for a little more fun the next day, but LP picked Cheesecake Factory (just like her mama!). We had a nice brunch before heading home!

With no invitations, no decorations, no food, no party... we actually ended up spending less than we would have for a birthday party. But I don't care.  I so enjoy these two girls and every second that we get to spend together. I know I gotta do the parenting thing right now, but someday it will be acceptable to call them my best friends. Looking forward to it.