Her Own Way

Dress-up is still a popular way to play at our house. I have a big, Rubbermaid box stuffed full of dress-up clothes. My mom and I raided a 75% off post-Halloween sale at Target and purchased all kinds of outfits suitable for young imaginations. I've also thrown in some of my old scarves, aprons, shoes, and gloves. It's funny the way each of my girls puts together her dress-up outfit in a certain way. Hannah is very "by the book." She put on this Cinderella costume the other day and wanted everything exactly like Cinderella. She put on a blue headband, hair tied up in a bun, and a black ribbon as a choker, and she put on her clear "jellies" for shoes. And ta-da-- a perfect Cinderella!

Hannah as Cinderella. Not sure who the baby is-- maybe she and Prince Charming have started a family.

Leah, on the other hand, does dress-up in a much different way. She makes up her own characters or a combination of characters. She just throws on whatever looks good to her at the moment. The same day that Hannah dressed up as Cinderella, Leah concocted this outfit: a white angel costume, sunglasses, tiarra, pink scarf, Hannah Montana necklace (a recent birthday party favor), Hello Kitty watch (an old Happy Meal toy), and a pink, shiny purse to go with the whole ensemble. I asked her who (or what) she was and she said, "I'm a princess angel."

Leah the Princess Angel. Perhaps she's carrying a plate of food to a person in need.

My girls are similar in many ways, but it's great to see some of their differences come out in the way they play. I'm glad they each do things their own way sometimes.

Did you used to play dress-up? What were some of your favorite dress-up things?