Dress Up

Watching Shae make believe is probably my favorite part of observing Shae's development.  Often, she's regurgitating conversations she's had in a day, and projecting it onto Barbie.  Sometimes, she's just making it up as she goes along.  I've seen her use play as an opportunity to "be the boss" of someone, in a  way she's not in her everyday life dealing with so many adults.

No matter what she's doing, she does it with earnest.  Make believe is very serious work.

Today, Shae and her friend Jacob spent some time make believing and playing dress up in her room.  When they came out for the big reveal, they moved slowly, held hands, and had shy smiles on their faces.  You could tell, they felt good about their choices.

And because make believe is so serious, when I asked them to say cheese, so that I could take a picture of the "bride and groom", all laughter left their faces and their faces reflected just how serious they were.

I fell MADLY in love with this photo.  And deeper in love with my kid and her childhood.