Still a princess

One year ago, this was my little girl.

(Don't you love how she thinks she's getting away with eating a piece of candy corn in secret?)

One year later, same girl, same dress.  

How is that even possible?!

That the dress still fits seems to be some sort of miracle.  The only noticeable difference is the length (which you can't tell in this photograph because she's absorbed by "fixing" the rings that Madeline had played with) and the smears of everyday life that have been absorbed into the satin.  The dress gets far more use than I ever imagined it would when I made it.  (I sort of figured it would be good for a Halloween for Kathleen and then maybe for Madeline at some point.  I don't think it's going to last that long.)  Kathleen calls it her "dancing dress" and wears it at least three times a week.  Usually she does dance in her "dancing dress," but she has also been known to color, eat, and play in it.  For a while we had a rule that we'd only wear it at home, but recently she has worn her royal attire on trips to the commissary and to get Daddy from school.

I wonder whether this year's costume will have the same staying power...