A Halloween to Remember

Sorry (Mom) that this Halloween post is so late. The picture we took of Camille on Halloween was rushed and didn't turn out very well (you all know how that goes...), so I planned on getting her all dressed up again and retaking it (no... that didn't happen either!). That's my excuse, but the real reason I'm late is that I've been a bit emotional over the whole thing. The story goes like this...

Like many other girls her age, Camille is crazy about all things American Girl. It all started a few years back when friends her age started getting them. Then she watched a few of the movies (good, wholesome films for little girls, if you haven't seen them), and she was hooked.

"Do you think I could have one?" she asked. Well, I'm not one for handing out $80 dolls, so I made her a proposition. "I think that if you read all the books (8 dolls x 6 books each = 48 books) and decide which doll you love most, maybe Santa would be willing to bring you one."


Well, to make an already long story short, a few years back Santa brought this...

Felicity is the Revolutionary War doll and Camille absolutely loves her. Ever since then, every Halloween costume has revolved around American Girl. The first year was easy. She decided to be the pioneer girl and so we easily threw this little costume together...

Last year she wanted to look just like her Bitty Baby who happened to have a doggy costume. Luckily there are a few doggy patterns around, and grandma was able to make her this...

This year she came to me and said, "Mom, I want to BE Felicity!" Those of you who know what Felicity's clothes look like will understand why I had to say, "Honey, I'm not sure that's going to work."

Her reply, "Can I ask Grandma?"

And to make a REALLY long story short, without any kind of pattern at all, Grandma came up with this magical outfit...

Pretty amazing, huh? (Trust me, it looks even better in person!) Now you can see why I've been a bit touched by the whole experience. I'm beyond grateful that my little girl trusts so deeply in her grandmother's love that she feels confident enough to ask her to make her biggest dreams come true. And I'm even more grateful that this grandmother loves this little girl so unconditionally that she willingly creates the magic of those dreams. I am one lucky mama and one very fortunate daughter.

Thanks, Mom. I love you...