Theres NO Place Like Home...Details Part 4

I honestly have NO idea how many more posts there will be about the birthday party.  I'm trying to cover most of it and at the same time attempting to answer the questions that have already been asked.  Again, if its not your thing, please just skip past the posts.  I had a lot of empty hours in the middle of the night to fill and so I was able to put together several more sections of the party.  They are long... fun to look at( at least I think so:)...but long to read.

Lets move on to the characters.  I've had lots of question about who the kids were, where did I find them, where the costumes came from, etc.  I thought I'd concentrate this post on them.

First off...they were AMAZING!!!!  I couldn't have asked for a better group of young people.  They were all so good.  They not only did there tasks, but they posed for picture, after picture, after picture...with a smile and a happy heart. These kids were the BIGGEST blessing to Dave and I.

Where did we find them?  They are all good friends of Blake and Allison's.  All but one attend the same high school as our kids.  All 5 of the girls are actually cheerleaders.  Great personalities, great attitudes, and natural gifts of leading and serving.  Cheerleaders make good people!! Believe me, I've got one:)

Blake and Chris have actually played baseball together for years and years.  They are dedicated athletes and great guys.  I've always believed that baseball played a HUGE role in the raising of Blake and making him into the young man he is.  I think Chris' parents would say the same thing about him.  For those of you who have followed our blog since the beginning, Blake and Chris are two of the original Tarheels.  Our beloved Tarheels.  Great memories, great times.

Glenda the Good Witch

Glenda was played by Caraline.  She's beautiful and sweet and fun. She's been a huge blessing to our family and great friend to Blake and Allison.  She has a great personality for this character.  Her dress was ordered from the original Wizard of Oz series of costumes, but her crown was drawn, glittered, and stoned this summer by me and my mom.  Her wand was also created this summer as we made them for all the little girls who would be attending.

Dorothy

Dorothy Gale was played by Hayley.  Dave and I love Hayley!  She has a spunky personality and she is so much fun.  We have laughed and laughed the last two years as we have gotten to know her.  When I mentioned our party theme this year she immediately volunteered to help us.  Anything to help us with Ash.  I knew Hayley would be stunning as Dorothy.  I never envisioned her as anything else.  As you can see in the pictures...she was a natural Dorothy.  Again, the dress and shoes were ordered from the original Wizard of Oz costume series.

The Cowardly Lion

Emily was the Lion for our party.  Emily is gorgeous!  I had more people commenting about how beautiful she was that night and I couldn't help but notice she was THAT beautiful while wearing a brown jumpsuit!  If anyone could pull this costume off it was Emily.  Her smile is enough to make it work!  I LOVED the wig.  It totally made the entire costume.  The kids at the party loved the Lion and I know that was because Emily was doing such a great job as the character.

The Scarecrow

Allison Brooke was our Scarecrow.  She has the best personality to pull this off.  I am totally drawn to each and every image of her as the scarecrow.  She was AWESOME!  Of all the characters in the cast I knew instantly that Allie B. would be our Scarecrow.  Allie held her arms in that position for hours.  She was great.  Her fun, spirited personality really came through.  She was such a blessing to us at Ash's party.  Her excitement and willingness to do anything she could for Ashley Kate really blessed our hearts.  I loved the raffia she added to her hair and the fact that she went barefoot.  I couldn't imagine it being any other way than the way she made it all look.  I love you sweet girl.  

The Wicked Witch

Beautiful Brook was our Wicked Witch.  I assure you she is the total opposite of the character!  Her true character is so, so beautiful.  One of the things that draws me to Brook( other than the fact that I have known her since before she was born) is her countenance.  She is one of the few people I've ever known to have a true countenance that is a reflection of Christ in her life.  She exudes happiness.  I love that about her! So when I called to ask her to be the witch she said of course she would do it for Ash. Brook is the only one of our crew that does not live in Longview and go to school with our kids.  She came over from Arlington.  Let me tell you she was so INCREDIBLE.  The party would not have been the same without her character.  I went back and forth trying to decide if I wanted to include it in the party, and I am so glad that I did.

The Tin Man

Of course I could write a novel about Blake, but I know you guys read enough about this guy in the everyday posts of this journal.  He did such a great job.  His frame was perfect for the Tin Man.  Tall and athletic.  Strong.  I'm not so sure he was a fan of the silver make up, but he looked SO good!  I really appreciate his help for Ashley's party.  Blake was the muscle behind it all.  He spent every single day the week of her party loading trailers with props and building sets. He loves his baby sister with his whole heart!  How fitting for him to be the Tin man who only wanted a heart.  The symbolism was not lost on me.  I love this kid.

Mayor of Munchkin Land

Chris was our Mayor.  When I asked Blake to think of some kids that might be willing to play the role of a character for us he instantly thought of Chris.  I'm so glad he did!  I'm even MORE glad that Chris was willing.  He was so awesome.  His frame was perfect for the character.  We ordered his costume just like all the rest except for his mustache and shoes.  We made those the day of the party and they turned out so good. I was really, really pleased with our "mayor" and the way he managed Munchkin Land.  It wouldn't have been the same without him there.  

Let me add, just to answer a specific question, that the OZ back drop was a gift from Dave for my birthday.  We ordered it from Shindigz.  I like to build and paint all of our own props for Ash's parties, but I knew we would be pressed for time this summer with Blake's schedule.  Once the balloon columns were added I LOVED the way it turned out.  

So much of these posts are being written not only to share with those who are interested, but also to have it all recorded for our family.  Its nice for us to be able to look back and see how we did everything through the years.  Lots of memories are being made for our family as we plan, build, assemble, and host Ash's birthday parties.  I wouldn't trade the time we've invested together during this process for anything.  

Love you guys.