Barbie Birthday Bash

How will she be 5 tomorrow? How is it that the little baby girl that we brought home from the hospital in a cozy pink and white striped onesie, so tiny and helpless, will be a whole-hand? Like it or not {that’s me talking myself off a cliff, haha}, it’s happening…her birthday is tomorrow and little Miss Mia will be 5 years old!

For those of you who are watching Mia grow up on my social media through pictures and videos, you see a spirited young girl filled with joy and laughter. She always has a string of poses ready for an impromptu photo shoot, is armed with a sassy line in her squeaky voice that’ll bring a smile to your face instantly, and has the most loving and gentle heart. For those of you who knew Mia during her first year of life, however, you probably would have never expected her to morph into this bundle of happiness. In fact, if you were to ask me to describe Mia as a baby, the word “happy” wouldn’t even cross my mind. Three words that would come to the forefront would be DETERMINED, INDEPENDENT, and LOUD. For a baby, those character traits can equate to frustration on the end of the parents, as it did for us. But, 5 years later, I see that these three words embody everything that I absolutely love about Mia and I’m certain they will continue to serve her well as she travels through life.

DETERMINED – Mia is one willful little lady. She doesn’t give in and she certainly doesn’t give up. The world needs more of this from girls. I’m sometimes tempted to squash this determination with a hurried “Just because Mia” or “Because I said so,” but I’m learning to fuel her fire within rather than extinguish that flame.

INDEPENDENT – Well, the independent stage is always a challenging one, as most parents are aware. We survived and I think Mia came out stronger on the other end…I’m not so sure I can say the same for Greg and I. I wanted to rip my hair out when she didn’t want anyone to feed her with a utensil; I was ready to scream on the top of my lungs when it took us twice as long to get out of the house because she wanted to put her shoes on herself. Now? Mia is still an independent gal and she’s not only taking care of herself, she’s taking care of us! She will set the table, feed the dogs, put her brothers clothes in the hamper for him, help me clean the windows, and lines up everyone’s shoes at the front door…all with that extra Mia flare that we love!

LOUD – When I say “loud,” I mean LOUD!! Her babbles were loud, her laughs were loud, she would talk the entire car ride, no matter the length…and not much has changed. Everything about Mia has the volume turned up. From her energetic personality to her expressive faces, she demands that we listen, even without saying a word…although we know that Mia doesn’t last very long without saying a word!

So this year, her birthday looks a little different. We are still slowly creeping out of quarantine and a birthday party with all of her friends wasn’t in the cards. But, we made the best of a less than desirable situation and threw a Barbie Birthday Bash that we will remember for years to come!

Mia has been watching “Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse” on Netflix and we thought it would be super cute for her to dress up with her friends and put on a Barbie fashion show. In our perfect world, we would have stations set up where the girls could get their nails done, put on glitter tattoos, have their hair styled, and pick out their own accessories. In today’s world, however, we had to make some adjustments.

Mia had 4 friends come to party on our front lawn this weekend. The invitations stated how we would be encouraging social distancing and what guidelines we would try to follow to ensure everyone’s safety. Each girl had their own table, separated from the next by more than 6 feet. All of their “supplies” were already set on the table so that nobody would be putting their hands on the same items. I asked siblings to remain at home, didn’t put out our normal food/drink spread, and the party was short and sweet. The girls spent the first part of the party diving into their box of accessories – diamond rings, lip gloss, necklaces, colored hair extensions, bracelets, and star sunglasses. The also had tutus and boas at their table to complete their fashionista looks. They each took a turn in the Barbie box posing and taking pictures before the red carpet was rolled out and the fashion show began. These little ladies strutted their stuff on the runway, soaked in all of the hooting and hollering of the parents, and then geared up for a few rounds of freeze dance. We wrapped up the party by singing “Happy Birthday” to Mia, handing out individually boxed, bakery-purchased cupcakes to the guests, and giving each friend an air-hug goodbye.

Was this what we envisioned for Mia’s 5th birthday? Actually, YES!! It was a day filled with giggles, excitement, and all things pink…what more could a 5-year-old dream of?

If you’re planning on throwing a Barbie Birthday Bash for your little babe, here are some links for party supplies:

Matching Mommy & Me Barbie t-shirts

Most of the accessories came from Oriental Trading

The biggest hit were these colored hair extensions

Balloon stand for centerpieces – perfect for when you don’t have access to helium

Barbie Box was a DIY special with a grand wardrobe box from Uhaul and a quart of “Hot Lips” Benjamin Moore paint. If you’re looking to purchase one pre-made, here is a link.