Meanwhile, at home...

We put in the beginnings of dreadlocks! I've been thinking about this for awhile, and we made the leap this summer. Adah wants to keep her hair long, but hair time is no fun for her anymore because of the amount of time (and pain) it takes to detangle her hair. Dreadlocks would be a way for her to keep the length and still be able to keep her natural hair (no weaves, extensions, or chemicals to straighten it). It's a permanent hairstyle, more-or-less, so I wanted to be sure she wanted them and we were ready to make the commitment. I did a lot of research, talked to friends who had dreadlocks or whose kids had dreadlocks, and looked into ways to start dreadlocks. Daniel was concerned when I first mentioned dreadlocks, probably because he pictured Rastafarian dreadlocks that hadn't been washed in years and years. :) There are so many recommendations out there, but starting with tiny braids seemed to be the most durable for kids. It took MANY hours to get the parts right and get the braids in, but it looks adorable so far. She likes that she can pull it back into a bun, a ponytail, or have Cora style it in two French braids in the back. It will take about 6 months to a year for her hair to "loc" up around the existing braids, and after that it will be a pretty low-maintenance hairstyle for her

After we got Adah's hair done, we had a wedding in the house. Adah was a beautiful bride in a dress of her own design. :) I remember doing this as a kid with sheets and curtains. I love to see how creative Adah gets with fashion. She designs wonderful paper doll clothes - usually with some sparkle added. She is REALLY looking forward to going to my sister's wedding at the end of the week because she has a sparkly headband ("sort of like a tiara, Mommy") that complements her dress. :)