And Now...the Dress

Hair done...

The girls donned their dresses.

And settled in to wait for me to get dressed. 

Sue had been patiently waiting all morning to get some posed pictures when we were all finished dressing, so while I got ready. she took some of the girls.

I love these stairs. Used to play on them growing up -- sliding down on my belly, seeing how many I could skip by jumping over the bottom ones on the way down, trying to get Slinkies to "walk" down them (never did get those darned things to work like they did in the commercials) -- so it's pretty cool to see my gorgeous nieces on them like this.

Outside on the deck, too. Cathy found the dresses online, and made and added the brown sashes.

I think this might have been what the girls loved most about them.

And then Michelle joined...cousins!

Can't beat those smiles.

See?

Sassy!

And, make-up and hair complete (thank you, Faith!), I was finally ready to put on the dress.

                                              
Well, with some help. And a bit of an audience, as the girls were all there.

Michelle had learned to lace the bodice when I went for my final fitting.

It took some skill, I think.

Such concentration.

Cathy checked the handiwork.

And then my phone rang...and it was Bob....

....and he was having stomach troubles because he was so nervous...and then he told me he was just kidding. Not. Funny. But, whew!

Back to work.

I wanted Mom to put my necklace on, but she wouldn't let Sue take pictures of her doing that -- only from the back. My silly mom. How can she not know she's gorgeous?

So incredibly special having this time with her.

Finally, the boots.

 Gotta love the boots. And gotta love Mom's smile. (Thanks for sneaking a picture, Sue!)

 And we were ready.