Yes, I went to my first official tea party last weekend.

I remember like it was yesterday tearing up at lunch with Craig.  We had just come from the doctor's office and we found out we were having a girl.  Growing up with two brothers plus Kathy's three boys and then adding another brother to the list when I got married, had not given me a ton of experience with girls.

I was happy, don't get me wrong.  But the tears were from a slight fear of not knowing what to do with a daughter.  "I don't want to go to tea parties," I whined to Craig.  To which he replied "just because we're having a girl does not mean you have to go to tea parties. It will be fine."  So I continued with the thinking I am not getting her pink and I won't encourage the princess-loving, dress-wearing, tea-party going activities.  Girls look beautiful in greens and blues.  I didn't register for anything pink and so we had lots of gender neutral clothes. 

In fact, she was called a boy more times than I can count.  Didn't really bother me.  OK, annoyed me a bit.  But on the rare occasion I did have her in pink, people would call her a boy anyway, so I don't blame the clothes for that.

Fast forward 6 years later and I have a girlie girl on my hand. 

Not diva-like though.  She doesn't stamp her feet and demand to wear certain things or anything. In fact, I lay out her clothes every night before school and she goes with the flow.  (Love that about her!) 

I have to admit that I perpetuate it a bit.  When I was exposed to the wide world of insanely cute girl clothes, I was hooked and all too quickly wooed to the dark side (or should I say the side with the pink ruffles and baby dolls and butterflies).  And she does have many dresses in her closet and more shoes than an almost 6 year old should have. But that's okay.

So at long last, I went to my first official princess tea party over the weekend.  And to see the smile on Camryn's face from the moment we walked in and she saw the dress she got to model that day to the very end when Cinderella was teaching her a proper curtsy, I have to say I didn't give tea parties their proper due.  I enjoyed it (and the pink princess lemonade). 

Camryn's art project at the tea party.  The dress is actually her hands upside down.  And she picked out the blue/red/green/pink combo. LOL!

One of the highlights of the day for her.  She gave her a picture that she colored and got a chance later to ask her all kinds of questions.  She told me later that she asked Cinderella about her stepsisters and stepmother. Camryn told her that she didn't like them very much and Cinderella said "they can be mean."

Eating the crown-shaped icing from her cupcake.

Camryn got to model one of the dresses from a local designer's spring line.  And yes, we later bought it. :)

Love this girl.  She has such a good heart.  So sweet. 

We shared a table with a couple of my friends and their sassy daughters.