Ryan was able to take the day off on Friday (woohoo!) so we drove the scenic route through Wears Valley and headed to Dollywood!
It was so fun this time because Henley could do so much more than last time. We split up and started on the Ferris Wheel.
It was a bit terrifying for me because she didn't realize she couldn't wiggle, especially at the top. And wanting to turn around look at her Dad. Oh my! I had a good grip on her though, no worries.
This is Ryan taking a picture of me...
...taking this picture of Gavin and Ryan. Ha!
This boy loved all the rides. And because I did it one time, he thinks he must wear his roller coaster shirt to Dollywood every time. That's my boy! :)
Ryan's panorama on top of the Ferris Wheel:
From the top, we saw the 50's cars that I've always heard about but never been able to find. So we headed there right away! Henley wasn't so sure about driving. :)
We split up into separate lines and were able to drive together! That's Gavin and Ryan behind us:
We then went back over to the Country Fair and all four of us (even Henley!) rode the Shooting Star! I couldn't believe she did it! And loved it!
And her favorite of the day I'm sure was riding the elephant ride with her Daddy. Elephants are by far her favorite animal these days.
And not just any elephant. A purple one! Purple is her new favorite color. She thinks all colors are purple. If she sees a rainbow, she says, "Purple, purple, purple, purple, purple, purple!" to all the colors. Sweet girl.
Gavin loved the elephant ride, too, because he could push the button to go up and down the whole ride.
We went to the little rides thinking Henley would do it, but nope! Not even with me riding because we tried the pigs by herself first. Bawling her eyes out before the ride even started. So yes, this is me and Gavin on the bee by ourselves. I barely fit!
Of course we always spend a little bit of $$ on the arcade games, but thankfully Gavin didn't win anything this time. We don't need any other stuffed animals in our house! :) But it's such a good teaching opportunity that we don't always win! The kids loved throwing either way:
The kids were asleep within 30 seconds in the car. No exaggeration. I took this picture and sent it to our parents from the parking lot! Ryan let me shop for a little bit at the outlets while they snoozed and we took the scenic route home again. 3 hours later, we had to wake them up!! This is why we love Dollywood! :)
A couple of weeks ago, a few of us went to Circle G Ranch in Strawberry Plains (thanks to a Half Off Depot deal) and it was SO FUN.
When we went last time, we got to ride in the Safari Truck instead of drive our own vehicle. Well they are sticklers now for $10 extra per person, so we chose to all pile in my van. 4 adults in the front, and 7 kiddos in the back! It really was a lot of fun all being together. We started riding with the doors open, but quickly closed them as these guys came along!
Then we had to keep closing the windows because the animals (especially the emus and llamas) kept trying to stick their head in the car! Gavin is feeding the llama in the back here:
Kim, this picture CRACKS ME UP. I think Rev is probably saying, "All done!" Me, too, Rev!
It really is amazing how many animals there are just roaming free.
Some animals (like this Zebra) we didn't mind getting close to the car! How cool is this!? I fed a Zebra!
But other animals, like the llamas and horned cows for example, were a little terrifying up close! And the llamas seemed to be in a gang and stood in front of our car until we fed their friends. Seriously!
It was HILARIOUS. We all needed a good laugh like this!
It takes about an hour to drive through. At the end was this guy--he has 4 horns! It's called a Jacob Four Horned Sheep, so he's not a mutant like we all thought at first!
We had a picnic after we drove through, while peacocks, cats, and pigs came around begging for our food!
These boys are all boy!
We stayed for a bit and fed the extra food to the animals at the petting zoo.
The 3 Little Pigs!
Love this picture. Gavin has no fear!
It was SUCH a fun day. Braden and Kate kept saying, "I can't believe this!" Me either, guys! We were all laughing (until I cried!) the entire time. I can't wait to go back!
*Warning: I am overly detailed in most posts, but particularly in party posts so that I can give links and any helpful info if anybody randomly finds this blog and uses it to help plan a party. All I do is steal ideas off the Internet! And let's face it--I want to remember every little detail I work so hard to plan! So please forgive me for the overly detailed blogpost to follow!*
"The Wheels on the Bus" is not just a favorite, it's a bit of an obsession for this girl.
She is constantly singing it around the house, and especially when she sees a wheel or a bus when we're out and about. Here she is mid song (while driving nonetheless):
When we spent a week in Chattanooga in August, I asked the grandmothers if they knew any bus drivers that we could take pictures of Henley with some buses. We stopped at Mom's school for a few pictures with parked buses, but sadly we couldn't get inside because the drivers weren't there.
(Again, singing "Wheels on the Bus"!)
And then later that week, Gram to the rescue! Not only did she know a bus driver, but we called him and got directions to his house to go have a mini photo shoot!
I took different pictures so I can hopefully make Henley a Wheels on the Bus book of her own some day soon.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round.."
"The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish..."
"The people on the bus go up and down..."
"The driver on the bus says move on back..."
"The doors on the bus go open and shut..."
So of course with this school bus lovin' little girl, this had to be the theme for her 2nd birthday party.
Invitation:
Just like any birthday, I went crazy with the theme!
Henley loved all the buses around the house--she could hardly contain herself. She woke up the morning of her party and started counting them: "1, 2, 3!" It was so cute.
I found this super cute iron on patch on Etsy to make her a girly bus shirt. She of course picked out her rain boots to go with her outfit :)...
I think the table and food is my favorite part of any party. Notice the yellow lines down the middle of the table like a road:
These buses were driving down the road with each verse from the song:
(Wagon Wheel pasta--which is hard to find we found out!)
Babies in a blanket :)
Bugles for horns:
We found the coins at World Market, and even the chocolate is stamped like a coin! I was super impressed with how real they looked:
Drinks=liquid for the wipers on the bus:
Traffic light:
I had a few more verses labeled around the house...
"The doors on the bus..."
Quiet corner with bus books: "The Mommies on the bus go Sh, Sh, Sh!"
(This is credit to my Momma--my partner in crime with party planning!)
The kids' station was outside (as the temperature dropped the entire party). It was make your own school bus with graham crackers, yellow icing, and Oreos for wheels:
Aunt Amanda's example:
(nice lights, windows, & doors, Amanda!)
Kate's bus. Great job, Kate!
This is Henley's favorite version of the book with animals riding the bus through the jungle, so we used animal crackers based on the book:
Gavin sporting his shirt for the party. Yes, I am that kind of Mom:
I actually had a shirt for the party, too! I found this image online, cracked up, and had to have it. I printed it on an iron on thing I found at JoAnn's thanks to a tip from my friend Sharon!
Nani and Pop dressed up for the theme, too! Hmm...where might I get my craziness from!? :)
We had a coloring station and had these awesome printables for the older kiddos. The wheels actually turn with brads!
I recently got Henley and Gavin both Library cards so we could check out more books. Ha! Henley and I maxed our our cards with Wheels on the Bus books!
We were hoping for warmer weather, but it was freezing! Not many people braved the cold other than the kiddos!
Aunt Amanda is our cake baking and decorating expert. She had plans to make this cake, but called me Thursday and said she had a crazy week at work with unexpected overtime and couldn't do it. So instead, she got this yummy and gorgeous cake from Magpies! Thank you, Aunt Amanda! What a treat!
I can't get this turned right, but here's a close up of the cake topper. I got on Facebook and got pictures of all the kiddos that were coming to the party and had them riding the bus. Notice Henley the bus driver!
Gavin used to be terrified of the Birthday Song. Not this girl!
Henley loved getting sung to!
Ready to open presents and singing, "All through the town!"
We have such sweet and generous friends! This girl has so many new and fun things to play with! And they're all girly!! We have too many cars and trucks around here. :)
My friend Kim made this doll just like Henley--with blonde hair and blue eyes! And my friend Liz made her an elephant blanket that we've been snuggling up with on this frigid day!
One last minute gift we got her (for $1 on Ebay!) was a Wheels on the Bus board game! We had a family game last night and it is so fun!
Now onto the main event. OH.MY.WORD.
Ryan's Mom is a music teacher at an elementary school and does plays regularly with her students. A parent made this for one of their plays, so Julie just happened to have this in her classroom closet!!
We set up seats in rows just like a bus and had Henley the bus driver with a steering wheel I found at our latest consignment sale for $1.50!
(Side note--my Mom says when I pick a party theme, things fall down like manna from Heaven! Ha! It's so true! I mean, look at this thing!)
If you can tune out my lovely singing, this video is pretty precious of the parents (not the kids--the parents!) singing "Wheels on the Bus." Henley loved it so much! She starts bouncing half-way through:
Each kiddo got a school bus favor to take home. I must point out they are driving on a road!
I found them at Big Lots randomly (again--manna from Heaven!). They are sticker dispensers with 540 stickers inside!! I know every Momma is loving me today! :)
One unexpected thing at the party was this amazing school bus. My buddy Kim found it at a local consignment sale for $40!! It is incredible and the kids love it so much.
Here are more pictures from different angles of it so you can appreciate its awesomeness:
Train table front:
Magnetic sides:
This is Henley watching "Wheels on the Bus" while driving her bus the day we brought it home!
This girl was TIRED after such a fun day with her friends. Thanks so much for helping us celebrate this precious little girl, everyone!
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