Wedding Dress-up

Ansley is very into dress-up these days. It's something that sparked her interest with the very first Disney princess movie she ever saw (Beauty and the Beast) and her imagination grows every day. She's got quite a collection of princess dresses, tutus, and costumes and it doesn't stop there. Today she discovered the joy of wrapping herself in a blanket and pretending it was a wedding dress. I can remember doing the same thing when I was a little girl and I was supposed to be taking a nap. She adorns herself with her blanket "hair," necklaces, bracelets, and plastic high heel shoes. It melts my heart to watch her waltz around the living room, especially when she asks Jeff or me if she looks pretty. Such a reminder of how important it is to every girl, young and old, to feel beautiful and treasured.

I've seen photos on Pinterest of little girls in their mothers' wedding dresses and thought that would be such a sweet picture to have when Ansley is older and preparing for her own wedding. During Heidi's morning nap I got mine out and I hope I never forget the oohs and ahhs that came from Ansley as soon as she saw it. To her it is the ultimate princess dress. She only got to wear it for a short while because my camera battery died and Heidi was to wake soon, and she threw a humongous fit when I put it away. But, my hope is that one day she and Heidi will at least give a thought to wearing it or even using parts of it in their own weddings. If not, that's okay. At least I have these photos of her wearing the most important dress I have ever worn.