I didn’t see that movie, but I feel like that’s what we have going on at our house recently. Mo-dizz is adamant about wearing a dress. . .every. . .single. . .day. Sure, it’s not totally unreasonable, but I feel like, we don’t live in 1898, so you can wear jeans and cords and *gasp* shorts, too! You don’t have to ride side-saddle anymore, either!

The dress wearing wouldn’t be such a big deal if several things were to fall into place:
1. She would actually agree to wear ALL of the dresses in her closet at some time or another. Nothing is more frustrating that trying to wipe caked on crap off of Co’s butt in one room while negotiating the merits of a turtleneck dress versus peter pan collar shirt-dress in other with a very pushy 3 year old.

2. She would be okay with leaving the Cinderella costume from Halloween in the dress-up box instead of putting it on top of the dress she is already wearing. I’m all for accessorizing, don’t get me wrong, but double dresses? And mixing Fall Forrest from Gymboree with Disney Princess Cinderealla Blue? Somebody call Stacy London!

3. She would rotate a skirt into the mix. To me, skirts and dress? Ultimate sisters, if not cousins of the non-enclosed leg family. No haps with Mo. It’s either a dress or, well, a tantrum.

Throw Christmas and two very indulgent grandmothers into the mix and you’ve got extravagant dress-up clothes I don’t even think some members of royal families are privy to. For example, back in August, a neighbor gave me a catalog for a place called Chasing Fireflies, which is a pretty upscale children’s clothing boutique. Mo-dizz flipped through it and settled her sights on a Queen of Hearts Costume. DH, in his infinite wisdom suggests that we purchase the costume for her for Christmas. Let me just throw in the fact that said costume retails for $98, with crown, scepter and neck piece sold separately, of course. Call me cheap, but I just can justify that for a 3 year old. But, I figure, if it’s for Christmas, well, one big gift and a stocking ought to be alright.

Mo talks incessantly about the Queen of Hearts Costume, telling one and all how that is what Santa Claus is going to bring her. She talked about it at school, at Sunday School, at home, at Target, all over the place, even when we picked up her Cinderella costume from and put that on her. Cinderella is her go-to gal, evidently. Queen of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, Queen of Hearts. Shortly after Thanksgiving, it dawns on me, I should probably order this thing. And of course, they don’t have it in her size. They’ve got a 10 and suggest to me to purchase that and whittle it down. Yeah, and when I’m done, I’ll finish adding the last two stars to the American Flag.

While all of these machinations are working themselves out, I’ve taken the girls to the library where Mo has happened upon a book called Lettice, about a rabbit who becomes a flower girl. My sweet, sweet Mo — she swings big. While she likes the story, she totally bypasses the flower girl rabbit and fixates on the bride (for some reason the rabbit takes dance lessons from a human instructor who is getting married). Mo now proclaims, “I am going to be a wedding lady for Christmas!” Oh boy. We ask her about the Queen of Hearts and she maintains that, yes, she is going to be that, too, but she is going to be a “wedding lady”, too!

What to do, what to do? Call in the big guns — the sewing skills of my mother and my mother-in-law (aka MIL). MIL decided to tackle the Queen of Hearts, my mother, the wedding lady dress. The sewing skills of both of these women is phenomenal. MIL made her ensemble that she wore to our wedding. My mom made many Halloween costumes for me and made that pumpkin suit for Co. MIL made the girls’ baptism dress and their Christmas dresses. My mom made them personalized rag dolls. Me? I bake, but I digress.

Suffice it to say, Christmas morning found Mo the owner of enough dresses to furnish any trousseau. Between the several school dresses from Santa, Mommy & Daddy, and even Co-dizzle, she’s set at least until kindergarten. As for the dress up dresses, well. . .see for yourself. . .

Queen of Hearts made by Grandma

click here to see the dress from Chasing Fireflies

The talent here is ridiculous, I know. That’s why I put in my order for a red dupioni silk wrap dress before word gets out and I can’t even get a friends and family discount!