The post that will horrify MacKenzie

C in a Peeps shirt/mermaid/Raiders get up

C

Yes I let them go to school like this (D in full giraffe look, including the shorts you can't see)

For some reason, D thinks that this is the way she is supposed to wear this giraffe headband. I can't bear to tell her otherwise.

D in a rare dress that isn't a giraffe
D in the ever-present fish shirt
Thanks for the Raiders outfits Uncle Mikie!!
Classic D
D is all ready for the senior shuffleboard tournament on the top deck

I am not sure I really ever thought about how I would dress my daughters if I had them. Now that I have them, I have to admit I look at the way my girls dress with some combination of surprise, embarrassment, and pride. Surprise because I don't know how it all really happened, embarrassment because, well, the pictures speak for themselves, and pride because I feel like somewhere along the way I am allowing them to be themselves and holding off conformity for as long as possible. Depending on the situation a different emotion wins out.

I'm guessing that if I saw my children and they weren't my children I'd think they were disasters. But since I can make a lot of things I do feel like the right thing, I'll tell you the justifications I've concocted so far. They are as follows:
-- They dress themselves--that alone makes it worth the outcome.

--They get to support their teams. I want them to be sports fans (even if they aren't my teams). See below.

--They are never self conscious about what they are wearing, and they don't judge other people's clothes either. I'm sure they will do all these things someday, but why rush it? You are only 3 once.

--They get to develop personal styles. I keep hoping this is how Gwen Stefani or Vera Wang started out. : )

--I've got 3 girls. I want to push off the princess phase as long as possible.

--I've got 3 girls. One of them usually looks kinda cute.

--I've got 3 girls. I can't afford for them to be clothes horses.

--Have you ever seen that chick from the real wives of new jersey? With the 3 girls that she dresses up like show dogs? I've never seen the show but i saw a preview once and it was enough to scare me.

Then again, maybe I'm just lazy. That or I've become too crunchy for my own good. Only time will tell.

P.S. There is one thing I know though---if it weren't for my family my girls would be naked and unhappy. Thank you to my sister for all the things she has bought them and made them...yes made them. From the peeps shirt to the skirts to the big sis shirts, you are our personal Rachel Zoe. Uncle Mikie gave them the Raiders outfits that make them fit right in at IHOP, and of course D would be naked w/o all the Cal stuff my mom and chris have bought her. And that's just to name a few things. Seriously, thank you family!!

PPS. MacKenzie raises a great point... I absolutely will FREAK if they go goth when they get older. Punky Brewster I can handle, Kelly Osbourne I cannot. And they layering thing may also be the result of living in a freaking cold city. Like today--they want to wear shorts but have to wear leggings underneath because it is so cold! They are so used to wearing long sleeve shirts and leggings, etc. that when the weather is warm they don't know what to do with themselves.