Aloha and Happy Birthday Allison!

Who knew it would be so hard to find a 2 hour chunk of time for Allison's 7th Birthday? Although Friday is her actual birthday, there were too many schedule conflicts to make it happen. Their early release from school today was the perfect time to get her girlfriends together for a tropical afternoon. They started by making these cute lei necklaces out of yarn, pieces of straws and cardstock flowers (thank you Chessa for letting me borrow the Cricut!).

Grace, Karis, Olivia and Allison

Reanna, Abby, Marley and Lorien

Posing with their fun new necklaces

Then it was time for snacks and smoothies. Matt made the smoothies and topped them high with whipped cream and a cherry on top.

Allison isn't a big fan of store bought cakes, so she specifically requested Funfetti cupcakes. With 7 candles lit, we sang "Happy Birthday" to her and added cupcakes to our snacks.

We played a few rounds of Hot Potato with a beach ball (wow, these girls are competitive!) and cheered on all of the winners. Allison wanted the game to end after round 1 because she was ready to open presents.

Present time-look at all of the posers!

Allison loved all of her gifts. She couldn't wait to open this toddler doll from Karis.
She is so happy to have such thoughtful friends.

Taylor invited her friend, Lauren, to join in the fun. They helped us with the party and also played along.

The girls worked hard on these cute beach scenes. They were all so creative.

Goodie bags filled with tropical Skittles, gum, fruit punch, a lei, tattoos and a beach ball.

We actually had a beautiful day, perfect for swimming, but that is always so hard to predict. It would have added the final touch on Allison's tropical party, but everyone had a great time anyway. Maybe we will try that next year. Happy "early" Birthday Allison. We love you and can't wait to celebrate again on Friday!