Operation:NoMoHo - Find #1

One of the more awesome aspects of Operation:NoMoHo was clearly unearthing treasures that we had long since forgotten. I brought a few of them home in my carry-on because I had promised the girls (especially the Bee-girl who was sobbing at the thought of my leaving for a week) that I would bring them back some of these treasures. Some of the treasures will wait until Christmas (or a birthday) rolls around; some clearly had to be paid out now.

One of the gifts that just needed to be handed out now was one of Auntie Kim’s old dresses. My mom made her this dress because the prints were girly and prim and proper and almost what Kim would have called (at the time) Victorian. Kim was allllll about that girly crap when she was younger. And so my mom made her this dress for Christmas. When we found it, Kim was happy with keeping a picture of it before we donated it. I, however, took one look at it and knew I had to keep it for the girls.

You might have heard that my girls – Gracie, in particular – are a wee-bit obsessed with Dr. Quinn? And I might have mentioned that they will play-act Dr. Quinn and prairie days and living on the frontier and all that. Gracie dresses up in her Laura Ingalls costume that I made her for Halloween two years ago. Bee is left scrounging in the dress-up box and feels rather left out. Kim’s dress was my great equalizer. Bee would not only get a treasure, but she would also have a dress that looked like it could fit the proper time-period…to a five-year-old, at least.

I think she’s a little thrilled:

Yes, all is well now. Or, I should say, all was well once Bee got over the tantrum she pitched because I wouldn’t let her wear it to school. Now we will see how quickly I can make her a bonnet and apron – hopefully before this frontier stage fades!

Tags: children, dress-up, imagination, nostalgia, pretend play