The Suit-dress Incident

Today we were shopping for Tyler. He needed some new clothes for his new job and Bailey and I were happy to be with him since we don't all get to hang out together often.

I love to shop for clothes for Bailey and I was thinking about when it would become not so fun. When will she start wanting to pick them out herself and when will I not like what she chooses? I'm not sure when it happened for me, but I can think of one time in particular, that just may have been the first.

When April and I were 8 years old we were baptized in the LDS church. Prior to that event we were shopping for dresses. This was kind of rare, usually my mom made our dresses. I know we usually got a new home-made dress on Easter most years anyway. My mom made my prom dress in high school and many of my Christmas dresses. She helped me sew my own wedding dress because I wanted a particular design that couldn't be bought.

So when we were 8 we were at Kmart and there were some lacy/ruffly dresses and then there was what I"ll call a suit-dress. I wanted the suit dress and my mom wanted me to have the lacy/ruffly kind. April was going for one of the ruffly kinds as well. I think I cried. I know I kept insisting that I liked the one much better. I know my mom would remember it as one of my most stubborn moments of childhood.

At the end of the shopping trip, I don't think we got the dresses, my mom said she would get them later or something? All I know is that I didn't yet know what decision she had come to regarding which one would be mine. April was settled with the pink ruffly/lacy dress, and there was a similar purple one that I think my mom wanted for me. I remember that I didn't find out until later that she had decided to go ahead and buy me the suit-dress I wanted. I'm sure I was happy, I remember that dress well. I remember the rule that I had to wear the jacket with it because the dress top was sleeveless. I know sometimes I took the jacket off, but I don't remember how often or if it was a big deal if I was caught.

Here is our family photo at April and I's baptism on 1987. I am wearing the suit dress I stubbornly desired. April isn't wearing the ruffly pink one in this picture, but that is the one she got.

These days I might be more inclined to go with the ruffly pink dress myself, I love to feel girly and being a mother brings it out more. Apologies to anyone in my family who may not appreciate having this particular photo of them posted, I am using it for demonstrative purposes only :)