27 Dresses

Once upon a time, a little girl dreamed of owning 27 dresses.  Yep, that would be my five-year-old daughter, Bunny.  She is the world’s girliest girl, or at least the girliest girl in my world.

She has always been ultra-feminine.  When Elle was playing with trucks, trains and balls, Bunny was playing with dolls, Barbies and dress up clothes.  She loves princesses, everything about princesses.  If she could, she would wear a tiara 365 days a year.

How did a five-year old come up with a goal of owning 27 dresses?  The movie 27 Dresses, of course.  It has been a hot and humid summer around here in Kansas, almost too hot to go to the pool and definitely too hot to play outside for hours.  I wouldn’t go out and play in this weather, so why would I make my kids play outside?  Rather than playing outside, the girls have turned the basement into their own clubhouse, play area and train track.  It can be 100° outside, but the basement is always a cool 67°.  But playing in the basement day after day while the temperature climbs outside can get boring.

We also have a home theater in our house.  We didn’t build it…it came with the rest of the house.  It was rather ingenious of the builders to take useless space created by angular rooflines and design a home theater.  There are no windows and the room has been soundproofed.  We put a really comfy sectional couch in it with a humongous TV.  It is the perfect place to spend a hot summer day.

I collect movies…mainly chick flicks.  I started my collection when Tom died and I have been buying them ever since.  The girls also have a lot of movies.  Between Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Valentine’s Day they have there own Disney and animated collection of movies.

But that isn’t what the girls like to watch…especially Bunny.  They like chick flicks with pretty dresses, handsome men and a good love story.  One weekend when Colby was gone we had a “movie weekend.”  The first night we watched Sandra Bullock in The Proposal…the next night, The Blind Side.  Bunny’s favorite movie?  The Proposal…because they fell in love at the end of the movie, plus there was a cute little dog.

Last week we had a movie day when it was really, really hot.  We popped popcorn as an afternoon snack and curled up with blankets and pillows.  The movie du jour was 27 Dresses.  Bunny watched entranced as Katherine Heigel opened her closet full of 27 bridesmaid dresses.  I realize that the movie wasn’t the most appropriate movie for a five-year old…but I knew most of the movie would go over her head and she would really enjoy all of the dresses, including the wedding dresses.  She loves wedding dresses.

The next day, Bunny told me she wanted 27 dresses.  Since she has always been a girly-girl, she might just be on her way to achieving her goal.  She even went into her closet and counted her dresses.  Currently she has 19 dresses.  Prior to this summer, Bunny attended a preschool that required a uniform four days a week.  She didn’t have much choice everyday and only on Friday was she allowed to express her personality in her clothes.  Now that she is starting kindergarten in 19 days…it is only fitting she has 19 dresses, but I still have to take her school clothes shopping.  Bunny has more than just dresses in her closet.  She has really cute shorts and shirts that she helped pick out, but everyday…she puts on a dress.  Everyday.

I know that when I take her school shopping, she will pick out dresses.  Preferably eight dresses!  I don’t think that is an unattainable goal.  After all, the girl has to have new clothes to start kindergarten in.  It also helps that Mommy loves dresses as much Bunny.

Elle might look exactly like me…but Bunny takes after me the most.  She is becoming very goal-oriented.  27 dresses is a good first goal for a five-year old!