Larkyn Dance Birthday Party

We have taken to celebrating Larkyn's birthday at the end of the school year, as her July 1st birthday is sandwiched between our church's VBS week and the 4th of July each year, and its a tough time to plan a birthday party!  It works out well, as most of her friends are youngest kids too, so a mother-daughter event works well during the school day.

 Larkyn started planning her birthday party back in March and had so much fun talking through and planning each detail!  Larkyn requested a dance birthday party this year.

I talked with her dance teacher (and my good friend) Ms. Daria, who teaches dance out of her home a few blocks from our house.  She excitedly agreed to coordinate dance games as the party's main activity as well as teach the girls a dance to one of Larkyn's favorite songs.  Ms. Daria hosted the party at her house so she could use the dance studio she has in her basement.  The party plan came together, as we decided to do a craft when the girls first arrived, then head downstairs for dance games/lesson, and then eat lunch and cake while I read some of Larkyn's favorite dance books to the group while they ate.  At the end of the party, the girls put on a dance "performance" for the parents.  It was a perfect party and "perfectly" Larkyn!  She said, "Mom, it was the best birthday party EVER!"

As the girls were arriving, they could choose ribbons to make a ribbon dancer ring and color a dance coloring sheet.  Larkyn found the directions for the ribbon craft in her highlights magazine and asked if we could make them! 

The ribbon rings also work well to decorate a dance bun as Isabelle creatively came up with!

The girls then headed downstairs for a dance lesson and then came back upstairs for lunch.  Larkyn chose peanut butter and jelly uncrustables, veggie straws, watermelon, lemonade, and unicorn "tongue tattoo" fruit roll-ups!

While the girls ate lunch, we had "dance story time" where I read several of Larkyn's favorite dance books which we together collected that week from the library.

Larkyn picked out a Shimmer and Shine cake.

Here is a video of the girls singing to her...



After cake, the girls put on a "dance show" for the parents.  It turned out so cute!  It was Daria's idea to have Larkyn pick her favorite song.  Larkyn loves the CD Girls of Grace and loves to dance to it at home.  She picked track 4, "Every Move I Make" by Out of Eden to be her favorite song on the CD, and Ms. Daria choreographed and taught the girls the dance during their dance time at the party. 

Here is a video of their "performance":



Larkyn loved making up party bags for the girls and picked out exactly what should go in them, including dance stickers, a wand, crown and rings, and an extra unicorn tattoo fruit roll-up :).  They also got to bring home a tutu, which many of them wore for their dance.

We requested no gifts at the party (which we always do), and the girls were so sweet bringing homemade cards and crafts.

When the big sibs got home from school, they wanted to make the ribbon rings too with the extra materials and Larkyn taught them how!

We are so grateful for the sweet friends God gave Larkyn, for her amazing dance teacher, and for the fun time she had celebrating her 5th birthday with them!