American Girl Doll Of The Year 2014

When I surprised my daughters by taking them to the opening of the American Girl Store in Orlando, I knew introducing K to the world of American Girl would likely result in a new obsession. No surprise, I was absolutely right.

Although familiar with American Girl from the catalog, friends and owning a Bitty Baby, a visit to the store to see everything in person turned her into an uber fan. 

American Girl Doll Of The Year 2014 — Isabelle Palmer

While there were a few items on K’s Christmas list this year (she has outgrown her one wish Christmas lists), everything was overshadowed by her wish for Isabelle, the 2014 Girl of the Year. She talked about Isabelle everyday leading up to Christmas, and as she fell a sleep on Christmas Eve she even told dad that she knew the shape of the box she would be looking for Christmas morning. 

Her wish came true.

Isabelle is a ballerina who has a flair for designing ballet costumes, has trouble adjusting to a new school and struggles with self-doubt in the dance studio until she finds a way to stand out and use her talent to help others. She is a great role model who happens to have the same passions as my daughter who is also a ballerina and wants to be a fashion designer.

I am not going to pretend that I am not excited too. I love American Girl Dolls for all the reasons K does and more. Beautiful dolls, pretty clothes, fun accessories and back stories that encourage my daughter’s love for reading. 

Along with Isabelle, Santa brought K all three of her books. And, of course, K couldn’t wait to read them to learn more about her new best friend. (She even used her allowance to buy Isabelle’s ebook.)

Since Christmas, K has changed Isabelle’s clothes more times than I can count. She has played school, read her stories, watched Isabelle’s movie and taken Isabelle with her every moment. And now her big plan — an American Girl birthday party this spring. 

The 2015 Girl of the Year – Grace Thomas

Now that we are officially an American Girl household, January 1 was an exciting day for an all new reason — the release of the much anticipated 2015 Girl of the Year — Grace Thomas. Available for only one year, Grace is an avid baker with an entrepreneurial spirit who is motivated to follow her dream of starting a baking business after an inspiring trip to Paris.

And without skipping a beat, K is already hinting that Isabelle might need a friend. In the mean time, she has pointed out several accessories from Grace’s line that would be “adorable” on Isabelle. 

For Goodness, Bake!

To further Grace’s message that working together is the best recipe for success, American Girl has created For Goodness, Bake!, a year-long fund-raising initiative in support of No Kid Hungry^®, the campaign to end childhood hunger in America from Share Our Strength^®. American Girl is encouraging girls to host charity bake sales in their local communities and donate proceeds to No Kid Hungry. Because 1 in 5 children struggles with hunger in the United States, American Girl is helping ensure all children get the healthy food they need every day. For every $1 a girl raises, No Kid Hungry can connect a child with ten additional meals. To kick off the initiative, American Girl has donated $50,000 to No Kid Hungry.