summer clothes and sandboxes

We were blessed, as so many are, with many hand-me-downs for Claire.  So many that I think I've only purchased a few things for her myself this last 14 1/2 months, and those surely were more out of want than need.

Yesterday I pulled out the bin of summery clothes and was quite excited to see that yes, I think they will all end up fitting her just right.  Sometimes, of course, the seasons of all those hand-me-downs don't match up just right, but we definitely lucked out with this summer stash.

Last summer she was still just a wee little babe and dresses just didn't make much sense since she was still floor bound and all they seemed to do was complicate things.  But this year?  Oh, I think I'll quite enjoy donning my lass with all of these flowery twirly dresses...... now I'm starting to understand what all my mama-of-boys friends meant when they said how much more fun it was to dress girls.  Not that a little man can't go all out or anything, it's just easier with the ladies~

I also put together a little sandbox for her by filling a ceramic wash basin with sand.  It started out as water play, but then she decided to sit in it so we had to take off her soaking clothes and shoes and that's when I decided maybe sand was the way to go since it's not really that warm yet.  She squatted beside the basin and played with the stones and cups in the sand for about a minute before deciding to sit in that as well.  She seemed to have quite a blast regardless of the lack of wiggle room.

Yes, I know, the bangs really truly are getting ridiculous.... I am going to get some hair clips for her soon and hopefully she'll be more into those than the headbands she enjoys flinging across the room.  I. just. can't. cut. it.  Not yet.