Waverley’s hair continues to require more styling and sometimes Nate is left alone to get her ready for the day. This usually results in serious bedhead and a few haphazard clips thrown in. Bless his heart for the effort, but the girl inherited my lion’s mane of unruly thickness and needs a certain touch to maintain her beautiful locks! Then, a few months ago I read about this adorable Beer and Braids event at a salon in Denver and fell in love with the idea. The basic concept is to persuade dads with beer to receive a lesson in braiding their daughters’ hair to ensure these mini gals do not resemble Simba when stepping out of the house. My hair stylist April Johnson and I immediately began planning and thinking of how we could bring it to Anchorage because, seriously, how cute is this?! We decided to start small and time it with going back to school in mind (and the impending due date of this little babe!) for a few dads and their daughters. We gathered at my house for a long Sunday lunch of sandwiches and treats, beer for the dads, mimosas for the moms, and a lot of bribery for the mini gals in the form of lollipops.

We weren’t sure how the dads would respond to the tutorial, but it went better than I ever expected. Perhaps this is due to the over-achieving nature of all four of these men because they watched each step intently, asked very serious questions (e.g., “What is the most painless and efficient way to remove a pony tail?”), and put in a lot of effort. April made the afternoon so light and fun, which the dads definitely appreciated, and brought little goodie baskets for the girls, which they loved. Especially the lollipops. They started out with a simple pony tail then learned how to make a braided pony tail, a braided bun, and then a French braid. I was really impressed with their French braid skills after the first few tries because I know several grown women who cannot even complete one! Well done, guys!

It ended up being a fabulous way to spend the afternoon and provided a great way for dads to bond with their daughters in a different way. Nate said he feels much more comfortable getting Waverley ready for school now on those days I leave before she gets up. I also feel better knowing her hair won’t be permanently snaggled from the previous nights’ sleep.

Now, if you live in Alaska and would be interested in attending a future Beer and Braids event in Anchorage– please let me know in the comments section! April and I would love to host one at a brewery and raise funds for a pediatric charity. It was such a fun activity and completely heartwarming to see these rugged Alaskan men create tiny braids in their toddlers’ hair. It may be one of my favorite Nate + Waverley memories yet!

Remember to leave a comment below or shoot me an email (lesleigh@pearlsonastring.com) if you’d be interested in participating in a future Beer and Braids event!