BeForever Launch

I am sorry this has taken me a week to get this put together!  The girls are back in school this week, which has been a transition for me.  In June we welcomed Lucas to our family and I am home with the new baby for the year.  Looking forward to having the time to reorganize our doll space and dedicate to playing with my girls and their dolls!

When the summer began with our new addition, it put the breaks on traveling.  The Wilmot sale took place the first week of June and there was no way I could go, so sad to have missed it!  I really was hoping to complete Saige's collection at the sale.  Her balloon and art set were the pieces I couldn't justify buying at full price and hoping I might be able to pick up at the sale~ well THEY were at the sale, but I was not.  I didn't miss out on all the AG fun, I drug my husband (with less than a happy face) with us to the MCM sale in July.  So, Lucas's first camping trip was in a parking lot, waiting in line to get AG dolls!  Baby couldn't come in though, so hubby was there to help while the girls and I shopped.  Not that we were in need of any dolls in particular, but my girls had saved up their birthday money and would have been so disappointed if we didn't go.  Now we have so many dolls they will soon be getting their own room (more to come on THAT later!)

Fast forward to August, my wonderful personal shopper Kathy from the American Girl Store in Minneapolis invited us to the 'private' pre-shopping event last Thursday as they launched the BeForever Line. It sounded like so much fun and I really wanted to go. You might remember that the two dolls that began my love of American Girl were Kirsten and Samantha, and I have loved the historical dolls ever sense. It turned out that it was not so easy to find another AG obsessed friend to come along! My daughter did bring a friend, so it was just myself and the 4 children. I had accumulated enough points on my credit card to book a room (We stayed at the econolodge- I wouldn't recommend it)  I called Kathy right away to get on the list for the mornings event and called the café to make reservations for lunch.  I couldn't drive all that way and not enjoy lunch with the dolls!

Because the EVENT was at 9AM, and I live 4 1/2 hours away, we drove over on Wednesday and decided to look around.  I wanted to have one last look at some of the things that were 'going away'.
PRE-BEFOREVER

 

Lily and Baby, Julia and Saige and Gracie with Avery and Chelsea

 These limited edition sets look so fun! (don't love the prices though!)

 We put our names in for the vacation give-a-way....

 Gracie was excited to see Carolines Skiff in person...before it was retired.

 I would LOVE this car...if only I had gotten to go to the sale this summer!  SO BUMMED!

 Bitty and Nicki joined the baby display!

A little note on the very empty Marie~Grace display said they would soon be saying farewell..

Some of the display cases were already set up and covered with this sign.

 Glad we came a day ahead,  it was empty, and we snapped some pics with Isabelle...who seems oddly small in this cut out.  The older girls in the picture are 10!!!!  Target audience for AG....or not?????  Isabelle is the size of my 7 year old!

  We sat down to dinner at the Rainforest Café and talked about what we might get tomorrow!

 

 Bringing the dolls along was so so fun!

The event was a  fun experience and brought the focus to the revamped BeForever line. I really didn't know what to expect. We arrived at the Mall just before 9 and there were already moms with their girls holding dolls milling around the entrance. We decided there was no reason to be the first through the door, and took a few minutes to oooh and aaaaah at what could be seen through the windows...a glimps of a giant plastic egg, Caroline's fancy new dress as she stood next to (Marie~Grace's???) Banquet table, and Samantha's sweet smile sparkling in one case after another.  From afar, I caught a glimps of her Ice Cream Stand and wasn't sure if that was just a display piece or something for sale.  It was for sale! Somewhere I had read that people were speculating that the 2015 GOY doll would have an ice cream stand, I don't think that will be the case.  I hope that whatever they make isn't so similar that people pass up this adorable set!  I was also surprised that Julie's car was still there, I thought it was going away.

After taking it all in, the girls giddy with excitement, posed for a few pictures. Julia with Saige, Gracie with Sophie, and Lily with Nicki!

 

 

 

 

 

As the line began moving we became excited, and tried taking a peek to see what the goodies would be!

 

 

 I LOVED this display that greeted you as you walked in the main doors.  It was a circular 'stage' with the historicals under the spotlight of the pink and red BeForever....sorry I didn't get a better shot.  It was already getting a little crowded!

 Gracie went right over to the first SAMANTHA display and you can see, she picked out one to bring home to become her first BeForever Friend ~ her BFF!

 Oh these dresses were so pretty.  But summer is nearly over and this is sleeveless!  I may pick up Josefina's dress for Christmas, Gracie was smitten with that one.

 Besides the cardboard  'treasure box' or 'trunk' that they gave the girls as they walked in the door, there were free breakfast treats in the café.  We sat at the counter as the tables were full, and enjoyed mini blueberry muffins, dainty cinnamon rolls, yogurt and fruit, juice and coffee and our dolls took a seat with us.  What a delight! They had a buffet set up in the center of the café, and it was serve your self style, but so fun!

 

 I didn't realize it at the time. but I think this may have been the free craft????  The gal in the apron asked the girls to write their name on a flower and become part of the BeForever story. (I would like to have some of those cute stickers for our doll room!)

I think these girls will FOREVER remember this day, when they were introduced to American Girls BeForever line!

 Trying on Julie's  clothes.  Sad to see the BeForever line stops at size 16, I bought Gracie Saige's PJ's in the XL, and it said 18-20...why the limited range.  Although my daughters currently will fit the BeForever line of clothes, her 10 year old friend would not.

 Upstairs the new pets were so tempting! The little outfits and pet beds are VERY cute, and may make their way under our Christmas tree even though they didn't make it home with us on this trip/

 

Lunch at the café is always an enjoyable time!  I guess I didn't pay close enough attention to my photo...I cut out our newest doll friends that joined us that day! Gracie's Samantha and Lily's Isabelle!

 

We were so enchanted with the BeForever line! We used the coupon for a free book and each of the girls picked out a new BeForever book, with Lily being the only one to get a Journey book.

 Thanks to Jen for sharing her paper coupon for $10 off, and I had a paper coupon as well from the Isabelle movie so each of my girls had one to use. My girls were spending their own money to buy their new dolls  and checked out separately and each was able to use both the 10$ off and the free book coupon. To our surprise, when we checked out Gracie received a girl size BF t-shirt to be sent in the mail because she was buying a BeForever doll!  Looking forward to it's arrival!  There was also a scavenger hunt and a drawing for a free doll (only for the 9-10 am preferred customer event) We didn't win :(

 If you have never spent the day at an American Girl store, you really should!  I am glad we don't live close enough to go every month, so it really is a special time of making memories when we can go!  American girl is about enjoying this time in my girls life when it is OK to have tea with your doll and to stay a little girl just a little longer.  My 10 year old, with a twinkle in her eye, pointed out the teen-aged girls who were shopping with their friends AND their dolls!  I am sure she was starting to worry that some day she might outgrow American Girl and it is reassuring for her to see that it is still far off.  I am yet to tell her that she will never outgrow American Girl, that she might put them away someday, but it will only be fore a little while.  Because I will carefully store them away and will wait for the day when she has a little girl of her own  and then she can play with dolls again!

 

As American Girls change with time, so must American Girl.  I will always remember my beloved Kirsten and pouring over the Pleasant Company catalogues when they came in the mail.  But times have changed, and now my girls surf the web and shop online at American Girl.  They go to MOA and Chicago for an experience with their dolls that I never had.  Although the historical dolls are no more... they have become and will BeForever.

Amanda, Gracie and Lily