American Girl Mystery Party

Our three older kids (who all have December/January birthdays) didn't have friend-birthday-parties for their recent birthdays because we experimented with the fabulous idea last summer of "half-birthday" parties. However, one of Carlie's Christmas presents from me was a game called an American Girl Mystery Party (Ever played "How to Host a Murder"?? This is like that, except much more sweet and innocent!). I promised her we'd host it near her birthday - to have a fun activity, but not as an actual birthday party.

"Molly's Mystery" is set in the 1940s during WW2. The friends just returned from trick-or-treating on Halloween night, their candy bags disappear, and they have to find clues to solve the mystery. It was a blast to prepare and carry out. 8 characters, 8 scripts to read/act out ... one of the characters being the housekeeper (me) and the older brother (Chandler). Carlie had so much fun picking which of her friends would play which character, sending the invitations, and figuring out costumes the girls might have worn in the '40s. Carlie was a princess, Chandler was a colonial soldier, and the other girls mainly wore patriotic clothes or a Hawaiian outfit.
Front row: Nicole, Carlie, Abby, Taylor, Emily. Back: Me the Momma, Chandler, Payton.

Of course the American Girl dolls were invited to the party too. They were so cute, they needed a photo shoot.

Acting out the party/"play" around the kitchen table ...

What's a party without dessert? Since we had this party "sort of" in honor of Carlie's birthday, she requested a cake ... a "cookie cake"! My simple creation was a big hit.