Katelyn turns 8: Build Your Own Pizza Party

One of the things we are loving the most about being back in our home, even though we’re living through the final weeks of construction, is our new kitchen. Not only is it more open, brighter and has great natural light, it also has so much more island space for cooking. We’ve been taking full advantage of this since the kitchen was completed I’ve been getting the kids involved in cooking dinner. Katelyn has especially taken to helping out in the kitchen, so when it came to deciding on a fun way to celebrate her 8th birthday, we agreed it would be fun to have a few friends over to cook together. To get the girls involved in the cooking process we decided to have a build your own pizza night.

With everything going on this year and how busy life has felt, we decided to keep it small and have a few friends over for dinner, birthday cake, photo booth fun and a dance party! I don’t know if you’ve been by the Target savings section, but I found all of Katelyn’s birthday party decor there, from the birthday banners to the tassels, plates and napkins! Yes it saved me some money, but it was also really, really cute and I plan to save it all to use again in the future.

Then while I was shopping around Target I came across these cute flamingo pj’s on clearance with another 15% off through Target’s Cartwheel app! I felt like I had won the lottery and picked up 5 sets, one for each of the girls! There’s nothing cuter in a photo booth that matching outfits, am I right?

The girls loved being able to build their own pizza! They had their choice of cheese, chicken, bacon, pineapple and pepperoni (thanks Hormel for all the goodies). At the last minute I had decided not to make the pizza dough, but pick it up from a local pizza place and I’m so glad it I did. They even flattened it for me! Rolling it and stretching it can be difficult and I really just wanted the girls to have fun with it and not get frustrated if they couldn’t get the dough to roll out.

Since we were making pizza, I was finally able to put my Bakerstone Box pizza oven to good use. It’s amazing!! It sits right on your grill and, once heated, it can cook a pizza in 2-4 minutes, which is perfect when you have hungry kiddos ready to eat! A couple of years ago we met the founders of Bakerstone Box through a mutual contact and they ended up using our home (before the remodel) to film their promo video, which now lives on their website. We’ve loved it ever since.

I kid you not, the mom’s were so impressed they all snagged one for their husbands for father’s day! And friends, if you’re looking to snag one for yourself you can get it same day here OR you can snag one at Target! OR you can order it from QVC and it comes a Turner and Wooden Peel. Phew!! A girls gotta have her options, right?! I promise, if you get one, you’ll use it all the time!

I mean seriously, how good does that pizza look?

As I was watching the girls dance around with one another giggling and laughing so hard they couldn’t catch their breath, I was overwhelmed but how thankful I am that she has these girls in her life. I read this article recently about making sure you know your kids and who they spend time with, even as early as kindergarten because they could be in your child’s life for many years to come. Not only do I feel blessed to know these sweet, kind-hearted girls, but I’m blessed to call their mama’s my best friends too. For the last 3 years we’ve walked through life together, enjoyed meals together, prayed over each other and even our husbands have met and we’ve done many family dinners together. I hope that as she gets older she continues to share life with these girls and that I have many more years of pictures like these documenting their growing friendships.

. Cake from Sweet and Saucy Shop .

How fun are these ice cream cupcakes my girlfriend whipped up for the mama’s and the kiddos?!

Happy happy birthday to our sweet girl! We are still adjusting to the fact that we have an 8 year old, but we are loving the beautiful, smart and sweet young lady she’s becoming. Did I mention she asked for a vacuum for her birthday? She did! And, being the giving mom I am, I’m more than happy to let her vacuum all day long.

Happy Birthday Sissy!

xo, Mom