American Girl Dolls

The long awaited day finally arrived.  Friday night the girls found and counted the money that they've been saving FOREVER, and Saturday we left bright and early to drive to Tysons Corner mall to the American Girl store.

We arrived right on time as they were opening the doors at 9am.  Sophie was taking notes of all she saw in her trusty notepad.

The girls had both picked out a doll online already: Saige for Sophie and Caroline for Hannah.  Of course we had to peruse both floors of the store, and there was so much to see!

The historic dolls were upstairs, which was the floor we entered on.  Caroline is a historic doll from 1812.

Saige was also upstairs; she is the doll of the year for 2013.

Also upstairs are the bookstore and the restaurant where they will serve you AND your doll.  They attach little high chairs to the table for the dolls to sit in.  Incidentally, there are also doll hangers in the stalls in the restroom; they consist of two hooks that go under the doll's arms so that she can hang out (literally) while you do your business.

Downstairs were Bitty Babies and the dolls that you can personalize to look just like you.  There's also a doll hair salon, which had a wait out the door when we arrived.  Apparently it's a popular draw!

After perusing all the options, both girls decided to stick with their original doll selections.  Sophie had a hard time deciding though.

After using their money to purchase their dolls, we walked the rest of the mall (stopping at the Lego and Disney stores, as well as Old Navy) and then grabbed lunch at California Pizza Kitchen before heading home.  The girls had fun playing with their new dolls in the backseat during the drive.

They also played and played once we got home.  Can you find the American Girl dolls amongst all the rest?

And, of course, Sophie dressed Saige and herself in the matching nightgown set she got for her birthday in July.  Here they are posing along with her Saige book.

Now that they've spent all their money, they're ready to begin saving again so that they can purchase clothing, pets, and accessories for their new dolls.  Does this seem like a scam to anyone else??