the girl in the brown dress

many many many many years ago... i was a little girl.

probably around the age of 3.

my favorite thing to wear, was a chocolate brown dress.

it was fluffy and poofy, i remember i loved to twirl around in it.

{there are several pictures of me in this dress and if i can dig them out, i will scan them in.}

but my favorite thing about this dress

was that it had a tiny bell, hidden in one of the layers of fluffiness.

i remember always feeling like i had a secret that no one else knew about.

when i wore the dress i would find the bell,

and hold onto it just so i wouldn't forget it was there.

i thought the bell was magic,

and i felt special.

i loved the brown dress with the hidden bell.


many many many many many many many many years later

my sister came for a visit,

and brought with her the brown dress.

it is still in fantastic condition...

but i laughed at how different my memory was

from the real thing.

it really is a cute dress,

even though it's old-fashioned

and not really my style now.



before she left,

my sister made me promise

to put miss leah in it and do a photo shoot.

so a few weeks ago, i did.



















that dress must have some magic in it

because leah twirled for the first time,

and called herself "prit-ty."

i showed her the hidden bell

and she stared at it,

and jingled it and then let go,

and lost it and couldn't find it again.

she yelled in frustration

as she searched through the layers

until i helped her

and once she found it,

she looked up and gave me this smile.






i don't know what to do with the dress now,

it's hanging in the closet.

i'm not sure that leah will ever wear it again. {unless she insists}

but i just don't think i can part with it.

it was my first memory of feeling beautiful.