Laura Vegas

i finally got around to editing the few pictures i had from alyssa's 12th birthday party … the party she had about 6 weeks ago. that's not bad actually. it took me a full year to edit the photos from her 10th birthday party. lol! and these pictures took some work … if only you had seen what i started with. let's just say … i cannot do indoor photos at night. cannot!

 

the birthday girl! doesn't she look so happy! that is a genuine, happy smile … love it! she decided she wanted a sleepover party with some of her closest friends. she had some friends from school, some from church, and some from soccer. a few couldn't make it. but we ended up with 7 that could … and it was a great mix of girls. 

 

they spend most of the night playing rock band, and having dance-offs. we cleared out the little kids table in the playroom … which gave them tons of floor space to dance and sing. they split into teams … and practiced their songs over and over and over. i was upstairs during most of this part … and it was really bugging me to hear the SAME song over and over and over. lol! i had that song in my head for days after. and a quick disclaimer … i hate that plaid couch. no offense if you have that same couch. lol! it's actually very comfortable … i'm just not big on the plaid anymore. but it fits in the playroom … so it stays for now.

 

yeah … it was a crazy night with these girls! can you tell they were a fun and noisy bunch?!?! lol!

 

after dinner of pizza and chips … alyssa opened her presents. some giftcards, a purse and handmade scarf, makeup, backpack and jewelry, blanket, clothes, and more.

 

and i was good about taking a picture of alyssa with each girl … even though a few of them didn't want to stop what they were doing. lol! i'm not positive about posting a few since i don't know them as well … but these i'm sure are fine.

 

alyssa and natalie … bestest of soccer buds. they were on the same team this year … and are so cute together. such a sweet girl … and i love that she doesn't seem in a rush to grow up. they're a good match.

 

alyssa and liz … bestest school friends. they have been best friends for years and years and have so much fun together. although liz is a little giggley … she gets going and you can't stop her. i think at one point i told her she was annoying me. lol! but she knows i like her! 

 

 

alyssa and holly … and alyssa and heather. they are my good friend deneen's daughters (2 of them, she has 4). and alyssa just loves them. they are both the nicest girls … and so kind and helpful. although i'm alway secretly afraid that i'm going to mix them up and call them the wrong name. i'm sure twins are used to that … but i'd feel so bad if i did. lol!

 

alyssa and sarah … the bestest of sisters. even though you can tell in alyssa's smile that she's not happy about being that close to her little sister. lol! it's just the age … she has to pretend now that certain things bug her. but we all know how much she loves her!

 

you see the rock band going on behind her? yeah, THAT was noisy! we don't actually own any gaming systems … but alyssa's dad is great about bringing his over and setting it up for them to use. a few of the girls had never played … but it didn't take long until they were addicted. and a few of the girls were way too good (LIZ!!!) … might mean they're spending a little too much time playing. lol! and how stinkin cute is her shirt?!?!

cake time. i baked her cake … and this time i made sure to make what she wanted and not what i wanted. lol! i guess last year i messed that up. lol! she wanted a white cake with white frosting. but the white cake wasn't on sale … so we got the funfetti cake mix … and everyone loved it. once again … yes, i have issues with taking pictures indoors and at night. lol!

 

i'm usually not one to let the girls stay up super late at parties. but i tried to be a little cooler this time. i let them do what they wanted until 2:00am! yes, they had music and everything blaring until 2:00 in the morning. then i made them start chilling and toning it down … setting up sleeping bags and winding down. within about half an hour … most of them were zonked out. i had a few that were still messing around and talking. so i went into "daycare mom" mode … and let them have a little talking too. i laid down the law … and made them go to sleep. i think it was about 3:30am before the last one fell asleep. and then it was my turn. only problem was i couldn't sleep. i think i was up until about 6:30am. i saw the sun rise and heard the newspaper get delivered. lol! they were all awake by a little after 9:00am … so i might have gotten about 2 hours sleep that night.

but alyssa had the best time … and that's all that matters!