Last year, as we made plans for a relatively easy and kind of bland birthday party for #9, we discussed making #10 a bigger deal and actually celebrating it before Christmas this year, vs. in January after the school break. (Her birthday is December 29th, so a "friend" birthday never happens at the time of her actual birthday).
We looked into doing a Christmas Light Limo Tour last year, and decided to go ahead and make it happen this year for her. It was booked well in advance with the guest list carefully negotiated to balance family, friends outside of school, and friends within school. It was also made clear that this would not be an annual experience...a little bit pricier than what we'd want to budget for a normal birthday party!
The plan was to have the girls arrive at 7pm, put together some goodie bags, partake in the pumpkin birthday cupcakes which Mikayla insists upon each birthday, and open presents. By 7:30, the girls had checked off all of the to-do's and we were ready to go!
The limousine arrived promptly at 7:30, and John was ready to capture the action as the girls saw it and entered in to the vastness of its interior.
The four of us "adults" took the bench seat in the back. I'm not sure, but we might have had more fun than the kids! Although, as you'll see in the pictures, they definitely made the most of their limo experience. They cracked open the Sparkling Apple Cider, watched "The Santa Claus 3", and sang holiday songs (along with a few Justin Bieber) at the top of their lungs!
We knew this house would be on the tour. It is Gerald and Suzie Vicker's house....and my dad happened to build it. He also built some of the frames that the lights were attached to that makes the scene so dazzling.... The fogginess of the evening made the effect even more spectacular.
Towards the end, the chauffeur, Dave, became the biggest attraction so the girls were all fighting for space to chat with him.... =)
What a SPECIAL night!!!!!!! In fact the whole day for me was the first of the season where I felt relaxed and at a pace where I could soak the season in. Goodness, I needed the "catch up" time - and to be honest, the "alone time" to kind of refill my reservoirs. I'm guessing I will look back on this holiday season and mark December 16th as one of my favorites! (And, I'm guessing, Mikayla will look back on birthday celebrations and consider this as one of her favorites too!)
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