American Girl Doll

I don't remember where or when or why Brynn started asking us about American Girl Dolls. But somehow she started getting their magazines in the mail. And as she poured over the pages she'd excitedly ask us about getting one that looked like her and all the accessories and so on. And she told us about her friends who had them and which doll they had. And we had to break the news to her that her mommy and daddy wouldn't be spending that much money on a doll. But PJ and Tyler sweetly made her a replica of a doll crib she wanted in one of those magazines for her baby doll birthday party last year. And while she continues to ask for an American Girl Doll, we continue to turn her down. But recently a good friend of hers made all her hopes and dreams come true...
One day Brynn was doing her homework when the doorbell rang. As the kids opened the door they saw a present sitting there addressed to Brynn. Random. She went outside and looked around and out popped Anya and Ally (Hartman). They rushed her and the package inside and the three girls ripped open the box to discover an "american girl doll" (from Target) for Brynn with an invitation for her and her new doll to spend an upcoming weekend with them in Chicago to have a birthday party for Anya at the American Girl Doll Store there. Wow did Brynn feel special. And this last weekend was her big getaway! The following is a blow by blow breakdown of the girls adventure:

American Girl Trip - Agenda by Brandi Hartman

Friday January 27th...

2:00 p.m. Twins dropped off, Brynn picked up …On the road watching Zookeeper

***So obviously I discussed this whole thing with Brandi beforehand. She called and asked me if I would allow Brynn to go with them if she could convince Josh that this was a great idea for Anya's birthday celebration. I told her that I thought the only way it would work would be if we swapped and she let me keep the twins that weekend and she could have Brynn. Apparently that was the selling point for Josh and we were a go! So Kate got to have two of her favorite friends to pick on for two whole days! She was in heaven ;)

4:30 Bathroom Break, Harley’s Hill movie started

5:30 Diner at Burger King, girls are anxious to get there, we are out of movies! It’s getting loud, Josh is cranky. I give the girls the Kindle to play games.

8:00 Arrive at the Hilton, Chicago. Pay $55 to park the car!

8:30 Settled in, realized the battery on the camera isn’t charge and freak out! Josh is in trouble. Go swimming Josh runs to best buy to buy a battery, $45!! later he returns.

***In planning the trip I texted Brandi and told her that she'd have to make sure and take a bunch of pictures since I wouldn't be there. She responded that she already knew that and that she'd have the pictures in my email box Saturday night so that I could get my post done promptly on Sunday. I laughed and thanked her. She told me I was scary when it came to this stuff so she'd be on top of it :) Lovely. As she was leaving with Brynn I asked her if the camera was charged and packed and in the car. She said not to worry it was. Then several hours later, right around this time (at 8:30 Friday night), I get a text from Brandi that Josh's one and only job for this trip was to make sure the camera was ready to go and he didn't do his job!!! And they didn't have a charged battery. I told her to tell Josh that he should be very afraid of me right now and she said not to worry because he was already on his way to Best Buy :)

9:45 Back in room for baths, snack, hair drying, and renting a show on the Disney channel (Shake it Up) for $3.99. This hotel is sucking the money right out of our wallets!! $10 a day for internet!, we decline.

11:00 Finally Bedtime

Saturday...

8:00 up and getting ready to go (after we hear the girls talking at 6am and separate them so they'll go back to sleep for a while)

9:00 walking to the pancake house, it’s freezing and the wind is bitter

9:30 Finally get a table, it’s delicious. They give Anya bananas with whipped cream and a candle, we sing

10:30 Back to hotel for presents and packing up

11:00 Walking to American Girl, it’s awesome, packed on Saturday. Girls are shopping, want to buy everything! They all want to get the dolls ears pierced but the sign says only for “American Girl” dolls. Ally picks a doll booster seat and dishes set like they use in the café.

12:30 Birthday Reservation at the Café, the party begins! Very cool, the girls love the doll chairs and plates. Food isn’t great but atmosphere is wonderful. Adorable cake and ice cream flower pots. The girls all get really nice party favor bags filled with a doll shirt, doll balloon thing, book and stickers. The bathroom is even blinged out with doll holders on the walls. This place is a little crazy!

1:30ish Back to shopping. Anya decides on the doll of the year 2012 “McKenna” and gets McKenna’s ears pierced. Brynn wants a skirt to match her shirt from the party favor bag and these sliver sandal shoes she saw when we first got there so we go to find it. Anya has a lot of birthday money to spend... we keep shopping.

***About this time I get another text from Brandi asking me how much shopping money Brynn has because we never decided that. I tell her to try to keep it around $20 (after verifying that the store does indeed sell things for that cheap). She says Brynn really wants to get shoes for her doll. I cringe. I tell her to try and steer Brynn towards something more practical like a movie or a book since I hardly spend that much money on my own kids shoes and Brynn will never use them and its killing me. Aren't I a great mom???!? Brandi tells me I'm no fun but that she will try. I tell her thanks for trying but ultimately let her get what she wants. I lost. Brynn came home with shinny silver shoes that she had her eye on since they walked into the store. Still haven't seen her doll wear them... Brynn gets frustrated because they don't stay on.

2:30 Josh is dying, girls are tired, I am hot, we must get Anya to decide so we can go! She gets 2 outfits for McKenna, a skirt like Brynn’s doll, and a doll hairstyling video for me to learn to style. She wanted to take the doll to the salon but I discouraged her since it was a new doll and the styles costs around $20! We check out and leave. Everyone’s happy!

3:00 ish back to the hotel to retrieve our luggage and car.

3:15 Decide to go to Willis Tower. Get there after driving in the crazy downtown, park (another $10), walk in the cold again and the elevators aren’t all working so there is a 2 hrs wait! We leave, disappointed. I hate the city.

4:00 ish On the way home

5:00 Bathroom, snack, and redbox stop. Girls pick Judy Moody and Puss in Boots. Judy Moody has a very “scary” parts they all scream

7:30 ish Dinner at Panera Yum

8:30 On the road again… Finish movie and girls are out!

10:30 Home Sweet Home, Nighty Night. We'll swap the kiddos in the morning...

***In the morning meant 7:15am because we had to leave for church at 8:30. I told Brandi she was so lucky. The twins did just what she said... they went to bed at 7pm and we didn't see or hear from them again until they got up at 7:30am. Kate went to sleep after them, woke up before them, and got up around 5am(ish) to get a new diaper and a bottle before going back to sleep. I also had to text her later on Sunday evening to tell her that we would be returning Brynn shortly seeing as the serious lack of sleep from her fun weekend had made her a crying disaster. She said they'd take her back. PJ said to tell her we'd at least be willing to trade Brynn for Macy - it needs to be noted that while Macy knows my house and has played with us on many occasions before and we've never had any problems, somehow she knew her parents left her and she weeped probably 85% of them time they were gone. Which was fine. It was just sad that she was sad. So Brandi asked if we were sure we wanted Macy and not Max. I told her that while we would gladly accept Max, we figured trading one emotional female for another emotional female seemed a little more fair. :) And Brandi had the pictures and email in my inbox by Sunday night - not bad!

I think it was a great weekend for everyone involved! Thanks Hartmans for showing Brynn the time of her life with some of her besties!!