Emily decided that she wanted a princess party for her 4th birthday the minute her Tinkerbell party ended last year. She has been planning and counting down the days ever since. She decided that she would wear the blue Cinderella dress for the occasion. She really wanted to invite some of her friends that were boys, so it ended up being a princess/knight party. She was so excited!
Princess Emily awaiting her royal guests.
As the queen, I ran the royal festivities. Our first game was:
Don't Let the Princess Fall Asleep
The kids had to try to keep the balloon (aka princess) in the air.
If the balloon touched the floor, the "princess" would fall asleep.
Then I read the short story of Princess and the Pea.
Then it was time to play
Are You A True Princess/Knight
I asked them if they were ready to find out if they were a "true" princess/ knight. I showed them a real frozen pea and pretended to put it under the "Princess and the Pea bed". Then they each got a turn to lay down on the bed to see if they could feel the "pea" (a large bouncy ball hidden under the pillow cover). It was fun to see the surprise on each child's face as they actually felt the pea when they laid on the bed!
After they were tested and proven to be a true princess the girls sat on the "throne" and were crowned a true princess.
The boys were asked to kneel before King Chad as they were knighted a true knight and then crowned.
Next we played
Pin the Star on the Fairy Godmother's Wand
Unfortunately, my printer ran out of ink just in time for the party. Our fairy godmother was a little hard to see, but the kids still had a great time joining in the fun. We used Emily's pink Sleeping Beauty sleeping mask for the blindfold. (The boys were good sports about it.)
Then it was time to
Save the Princess
All the knights lined up on one end of the room while the princesses stood on the other end locked in the tower. Each knight got to ride the royal steed to save the princess and bring her back safely.
Now it was time to receive their wands and swords. We played
Pass the Fairy Godmother's Wand
The princesses and knights passed the fairy godmother's wand to the tune of Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo. When the music stopped, the princesses received a wand and the knights received a sword. (The knights couldn't have been happier!)
The knights were having a great time trying out their new swords on each other, but as queen, I felt it my duty to inform them that just as I gave them their swords (and wands), I could take them away. :-) They all quickly gave me their full attention. Ha! Then everyone got a chance to
Decorate Wands and Swords
They used decorative foam stickers to personalize their wands and swords.
While we were decorating wands/swords the royal court was notified that the dragon had stolen the king's treasure. They had to follow the clues to defeat the dragon and bring back the king's treasure.
Treasure Hunt
Princess Emily got to show them the last clue and help them recover the treasure.
To show his gratitude, King Chad shared his treasure with all the knights and princesses. They each got a necklace, bracelet/ chocolate gold coin and a ring.
The Princess CakeOkay, so the princess cake wasn't the cutest cake ever, but Emily thought it was BEAUTIFUL!
(I guess that's all that matters right?)
I tried to talk her out of the idea, but she was sure she needed one.
Princess Emily getting ready to blow out the candles.
Cupcakes...yummy!
Group Picture of all the noble knights and fair princesses!
Even royalty gets silly...
Princess Emily with all her royal friends...
Sir Christian
Sir Kasey
Sir Nathan
Sir Michael
Princess Zuleika
Princess Caroline
Sir Samuel
Princess Maryn
Princess Peyton
Princess Annie
Time for presents...
A few after party shots...
Princess Annie had a great time at Princess Emily's party.
After the party she climbed up into Emily's bed and was pretending to sleep like sleeping beauty.
Below: Emily being silly while I was trying to get a full body shot of her in her beautiful dress.
Well, the party was a lot of work but I think it was a
huge success. It made all the time and effort worth it when Emily came up to me after the party beaming saying that it was the
BEST PARTY EVER!
Happy 4th birthday Princess Emily! We love you!
Our friend was nice enough to drop us off at the airport for an early morning departure. Chad decided that we have now reached a point where paying for a cart to carry luggage is essential (but he was only willing to splurge for one cart). He very skillfully arranged the luggage so that everything would fit. Ha! Good work Chad.
It was a long day of traveling but the girls really did an amazing job. Thanks for being good sports.
Hooray! We made it to Utah. 
Annie made herself right at home. She looked so content watching her DVD with her shoes and socks off. I had a hard time getting a good picture from the front seat.
The roads were great and we made good time. 
We had to travel over the country and through the woods, but we finally made it to Nana and Grandpa's house...just in time for Christmas Eve dinner. Yummy!
