That Dress Was Totally Justified!

I absolutely double heart love Hanna Andersson clothes for Kara.  They have the cutest, most well made clothes, but they don't come cheap (or even inexpensively).  They have good sales if you are willing to buy for the next year (which I do), but you still have to pay shipping.  Mom discovered that they have a store in Denver, so while they were there Mom popped into their store to see what sale items they had in the store.  With the help of the online catalog, I was able to look at the dresses that Mom described, and together we picked out a beautiful red and black plaid dress for Kara to wear for Christmas (2010).    It was a little splurge, but not too bad, since it was on sale and no shipping to pay for.  Cole's Christmas outfits get worn once or twice, and that's it, so it's not worth spending too much on his outfits.  Kara likes to dress up, so I was hoping she would wear her beautiful dress a few times.  

She loved it and wore it Christmas Day.  And the following week.  And once a week after that.  At first I was so pleased that she was wearing the dress often, and then I started hiding it or purposely not washing it so she could wear some of her other clothes!  Kara even figured out that she could layer a long sleeve shirt underneath the dress to wear it more often.  The very wintery dress, with smocking and black velvet, is still hanging in her closet and worn often enough to remind us that winter isn't quite over (in her closet at least). 

Since the dress was so loved, I did feel that it was okay to purchase next year's Christmas dress from Hanna Andersson's as well (and oh my goodness Cole has a matching sweater vest - too cute).  So if next winter comes around and Kara is seen wearing a gray knit sweater dress with embroidered flowers and matching tights over and over again, we can only assume that her taste in clothes runs on the high side, and that it's okay to keep ordering Hanna's!

A perfectly lovely Christmas dress on Christmas Day.

My Christmas dress is perfect for a casual outing to the library.

Do you know what says Happy Valentine's Day?  A Christmas dress!

How can I add a little girly touch to our trip to the fire station?  I know, I'll wear my Christmas dress!

Cole getting ready for the Pinewood Derby.  Car?  Check.  Uniform?  Check.  Signs?  Check.  Kara wearing her Christmas dress?  Check.

I was aware how often Kara wore this dress, but it wasn't until going through pictures that I noticed how often she wore if for any outing or special event (especially when we take pictures).  She does have good taste!  : )