express.

i've hardly had/found any time to write lately, but i've been craving it so maybe soon that'll happen. until then i want to share something i've been falling in love with... zoe's new phase of dressing & accessorizing herself. it is the cutest stinking thing ever! i always loved when i'd see three and four year old girls traipsing through grocery stores with costumes and crowns and mini plastic glittery heels - all wrapped up in their land of pretend.

i used to nanny for my cousin and her three kids when zoe was just a few months old. merrill, who was three at the time, would dress herself most days and i would take her to preschool twice a week. her mom would say "if she's not embarrassed, i'm not embarrassed." i loved that. i do realize that there is a time and a place for some things (like glittery mini heels) but for the most part, i want to do anything i can to encourage self expression.

three years old's get told what not to do a lot, and why they can't do it, and how they need to do it differently, and why that's what we're "supposed" to do. i love having an area where zoe is free to express herself however she feels like it. watching her put together her outfits in the morning (and throughout the day) is something i am totally cherishing right now. i know it's a phase but it's one that i'm hoping hangs around for awhile and transcends into many other awesome forms of self expression when she's older.

i snapped these the other day while she was finishing her ensemble and then as soon as she realized i was taking any pictures, she walked away. she's in a "no pictures please" phase, too. which is why i love instagram so much, i can be much more discreet without a big hunky camera in my hands.

anyway, i freaking love her.

happy monday!