Who needs a costume with boots this great?

I am hard at work planning Fiona's requested mermaid costume. The sparkly turquoise and lime fabrics are very fancy, and they look so shiny and slick that when she saw them placed together at the store, Fiona asked whether she might be allowed to swim in them like a real mermaid. I look forward to working WITH Mom to create the costume as opposed to watching her from afar. This should be very creative and fun-- a costume that will surely be worn in the dress-up bin every day afterward until it no longer fits.

And Nora is the right size to wear the old cowgirl costume. I think my Aunt Madonna got it at a yard sale for me when I was a tyke, and Mom got it out for me at the right time for Fiona to be able to wear it, too.

We added a cheap red felt hat and some old boots we found on eBay back when Fiona wore the costume. But Fiona didn't care for either the boots or the hat, so this time I decided to get them out early for a little more orientation before Nora's Big Night.

As it turned out, however, I had nothing to worry about. Nora took to the boots immediately. As soon as she saw them yesterday, she wanted them on-- despite the fact that she wasn't wearing any socks! It took me more than an hour to charm them off of her after that. She put them on again today along with the costume, and while I did peel the costume off before lunch, the boots remained firmly in place.

"Boots. Mine."