Hannah's Sleep "Under" Party

Sometime last year I read online (I wish I remembered where) about sleep "under" parties, and started laying the groundwork for Hannah to have one for her seventh birthday. After trekking around the mall last year and losing a guest's coat (which was ultimately found days later), I really wanted something simpler this year, and, well, more contained. :) I was picturing about six girls in their PJs and lots of giggling. I got 13 girls and way more chaos, but the kids had a fantastic time.

Hannah spent a lot of time running through all the details of what she wanted with me, and I think she appreciated how much involvement she had in the planning. The girls arrived in their pajamas at 5:30 pm on a Saturday night. They were allowed to bring sleeping bags and pillows, and we had quite a plethora of Pillow Pets. We served pizza, fruit and veggies, plus popcorn in theater-type containers:



For about the first hour, the girls were so quiet, eating dinner and watching one of Hannah's favorite movies, "Annie." But as the best songs came and went and the plot dragged a bit, the girls got distracted. And started pillow fighting and tickling. Poor Max got pretty overwhelmed - he was worried everyone was hurting his sister. He obviously couldn't see the expression on her face:



The girls decorated cupcakes and helped her open her presents, before we all sang happy birthday and the party came to its truly dramatic end. Right at 8 o'clock, as the parents helped their daughters find their boots, coats and party paraphernalia, a fire truck came racing down our narrow street and parked right outside my house. It turned out our neighbor had locked herself out of her house and called for help, but instead it looked like our house full of party guests was on fire. *sigh* At least everything was just fine.

The girls had an absolute ball, and really enjoyed the time hanging out together. Hannah can't wait to do it again.



(And posting this one because it's too cute not to share:)