Build Together: Dream Big

"American Girl celebrates a girl's inner star-
That little whisper inside that encourages her to
Stand tall, Reach high, and DREAM BIG"

Since our Sophia was a tiny baby, her Yiayia dreamed of taking her to the American Doll Store. Both myself and my sister grew up loving our dollies...so I guess it was already in her blood. Sophia loved organizing dainty tea parties and dressing her dollies in their finest pretties from the time she was just a wee little toddler. Her very first doll (given to her by my Nouno Tommy from Chicago) was in fact an American Doll,.... Bitty Baby, and later appropriately named "Itty," by Sophia. She LOVED this baby and still does...but has also graduated to finally liking babies with hair, including Samantha, my own American Doll that Yiayia still has at her house!

When a new American Girl catalog arrives at our house in the mailbox...it is more than a momentous occasion. Sophia sits down and studies each doll and accessory from the front cover to the back..... and often tears out pages so she can add them to her wish list. So, we were more than excited when Thea suggested a girl's weekend in Chicago (she was going to be there for business) and a trip to the American Doll Store. Pappou, without hesistation, of course...quickly made arrangements for our "gooney girl's only" trip!

Between myself and yiayia...we took more pictures than I could possibly post... so I guess I'll have to pick a select "few" to illustrate the fun we had!

Not only was Pappou our personal travel agent...but he was also our chauffeur. Here he is picking up the first "gooney gal," Thea!

And here's a picture of the whole gang...had to include Pappou on this one...he was our chauffeur to the airport and all! Thanks for organizing our fun weekend, Pappou!

Not only was this our first official "girl's weekend" but it was also Sophia's FIRST airplane ride. I was worried that she might be scared...but she was quite the little traveler. I can still hear her squeal with excitement as the plane's speed increased to begin taking off..... I'm sure the entire plane can still hear her squealing! It was too cute to see how excited she was! She loved her new "pull" suitcase (pink of course) that Yiayia bought her especially for the trip. I, of course, tried to put a lot of thought into some fun goodies to accompany the bag....but I think she had already done each of the activities at least once by the time the plane took off.... Go figure! Anyway....she spent much of her time on the plane coloring and laughing with Thea, and of course showing Itty the ropes too!

Another first.... a taxi ride!!! I think Sophia did better than me... Oh my.....those cab drivers make me nervous. The city sure is fun...but I think I may be more of a country girl! :)

The surprises were just beginning. After our arrival at the hotel...Sophia received a special welcome letter...and the letter was even addressed to "Sophia AND Itty!" Along with this special note.... a certificate for a free ice cream sundae, a free viewing of the American Doll movie, "Kitt Kittredge," AND a special bed for Itty equipped with pink satin sheets and chocolate mints, of course!!

All of this traveling made us hungry. Thank goodness Thea had made reservations at a really good Italian restaurant just a short cab ride away. We dined on fabulous pizza and Miss Sophia had her fill of spaghetti and meatballs! One of our pizzas was a gorgonzola and grape pizza....I was skeptical at first...but oh my....I fell in love. So much in fact that I "tried" to recreate it when I came home....it was close, but still not as good! I guess we'll have to make another trip back just for that pizza!

Whew...what a day! Here is our little queen ready for bed. We had two adjoining rooms....and can you guess who Sophia chose for her sleep-mate??? Thea of course! Thanks Thea for making it sooo fun for her....even if it meant losing a little sleep :)

Finally....the day had come....Sophia was soooooo excited to go to the American Girl Store. The weather was cold and rainy, but luckily our hotel was just a hop, skip and jump away! Here are some pictures of Sophia getting ready to head to the American Girl.

Amazing....overwhelming...so much to see...so much to do! Words can't describe the excitement little girls and even adults feel when they walk in this store! Sophia was in heaven to say the least. She oooohhhed and ahhhhed over many dolls, many outfits and of course all of their accessories, before choosing a "just like me" doll. Long blond haired and blue eyed, of course! And almost even more exciting than the doll itself....the sparkly ice skating ensemble equipped with ice skates and a sequined dress to go along with her! Sophia even got to design a t-shirt for her new doll! So fun. Here are a few pics of her as she was admiring all of the pretty dollies.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better....it does! Next came lunch in the cafe! Boy, these people think of everything! There are even special chairs attached to the tables for the girls' dolls, and yes....the dollies have their own teacups. The food was perfect for a dainty tea party! Lots of fun mini appetizers and lunches. Sophia chose the picnic lunch which included a mini hot dog, mini hamburger, and mini bowl of mac and chesse...what girl wouldn't LOVE that? And to top it off...we were all served heart shaped cookies, cake and a mini flower pot of chocolate mousse (the flowers we got to take home, of course, along with the hair bow napkin holders!!!) Here are Sophia and Itty enjoying their lunch.

And of course, Miss Itty had her own tea cup and her own bitty cinnamon rolls!

And I just couldn't resist this picture of Sophia and her best buddy! Can you tell how much she adores her Thea?

Of course... we had to have one last picture by the American Girl Star. I love the quote....and the cute girl next to it!

Sophia couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to dress her new baby in the fun outfits she picked out for her.

Whew...all this shopping at ONE store can really wear gooney girls out! Time for a rest and a bit of the Kit Kittredge movie....a good flick, by the way!

All good things must come to an end.... My heart melted when Sophia was saying good-bye to Thea. She was so sad that Thea, who had to stay behind for her business meetings, was unable to fly home with us on Sunday. Can you see the disappointment in her eyes as we were waiting for our cab to take us to the airport?

I guess she recovered rather quickly...thank goodness for her new buddy that got to come home with her. And this new little friend's name....???? Hannah, of course!