Saturday, October 9, 2010

Fun, Fashion and Frugality

Last month marked our biannual trip to the consignment sale.  Rebecca loves coming with me and I really enjoy both her company and her help.  Shopping for multiple children is a challenge and this year we shopped for a few extra little girls.  :-) 

I end up buying more things at the sale when I take Rebecca - and that is probably a good and fun thing.  One example - shoes!  I'm happy with just a casual and dress pair.  I would not have come home with 6 pairs - but for a couple of dollars each for almost new shoes, I don't mind.  (One pair of boots is not in the picture below if you are counting.  They are on the little model if you scroll down farther though.)

We also bought for the boys, but they didn't need as many things this year.  (I hope I don't find mid-season that I've estimated their needs incorrectly!)  Since we pass a lot of things down, we get a lot of wear from our boy's clothes.



Eliana doesn't have many hand-me downs.  (And to be honest it is soooo much fun to shop for a little girl!)



Part of the fun of new clothes is trying them on, right?  Eliana happily obliges her big sister's desire to see how it looks.  I think they are both having a blast!





Some of her outfits look cute from the back and now she often shows us the back of each one.  LOL



And check out my new boots!





Eliana is fascinated with the camera.  It's probably no surprise given the number of photos we take.  It is cute to see her hold up the camera and make a clicking noise with her mouth when she wants to "take pictures'. 





Another area in which things were bought due to shopping with a big sister ... costumes.  "She needs more dress up clothes because we mostly have boy dress up clothes!"  It's true, though perhaps we made a dent in that.

A butterfly





A pirate.  (Only a little girl with big brothers!)



A really cute tutu and some hair accessories (hard to see in this picture).







I know I talk of Eliana often and partly it is because I want to advocate for people with Down syndrome.  It is much misunderstood.  I have to believe that is why more than 90% of pregnancies of babies with Down syndrome in our county are terminated.  That just hurts my heart.  People don't know what a joy it is to have a child with Down syndrome (Ds).  I want to spread the message.  I want  people to see the joy, laughter and delight that is a part of our life due to having a sweet girl who happens to have Ds.  I pray that perhaps people might make different choices if they knew that Ds is not an awful thing - but perhaps just a different thing than you expected which is also going to bring you joy!  I hope that a peek into our lives might just change some perceptions and hearts about what it is like to live with Down syndrome.  For our family - it is a huge blessing that is much enjoyed every day!

Blessings

Leslie

12 comments:

  1. That looks like one mighty successful consignment sale, and one mighty cute little girl!

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  2. I love that butterfly picture where Eliana is looking over her shoulder. That is so perfect. I love buying my girls clothes too. We have one more consignment sale next weekend. I need just a few more things.
    Blessings,
    Dawn

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  3. Almost every picture of Eliana shows her with a big smile on her face. She is obviously such a delight to your family and to those who know her.
    I love our local children's thrift store. It isn't as cheap as Goodwill, but the clothes are all good quality and I can get in and out very quickly -- which I appreciate, because I DO NOT enjoy clothes shopping.
    Our boys (we have 2) are the ones who seem to need the most clothing, I guess because we have fewer hand me downs from friends. Also, they destroy their clothes faster than the girls do!

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  4. OH my word! I have a feeling Rebecca has the most fun playing with her own living doll! So cute!

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  5. Having 4 boys and just one girl myself, I know what you mean when you say "It's just fun to buy clothes for girls". My boys just hand their clothes down to the next one in line, but for my daughter, it's all NEW!

    Eliana is beautiful, Leslie! I think it's cute how she is modeling those clothes - it's almost like she KNOWS she's beautiful! :)

    Now, I am wondering - do you have ANY pictures where she is unhappy? It seems like you post dozens of pictures of a smiling or laughing Eliana, but not-a-one of a screaming, crying, tantruming Eliana! :lol:

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  6. What a great collection of clothing. We never get that lucky at consignment sales. Probably because she is a big girl now needing big girls sizes.
    Blessings
    Diane

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  7. Candace - Thank you!

    Dawn - I hope you have great finds at your sale!

    Laraba - Yes the boys are hard on clothes. Hope you find what you need.

    Sheri - LOL I've often kidded her about her life-sized doll. She has so much fun with her - they both enjoy it. I think it's really sweet!

    SeventhHeaven - I don't have many of her not smiling b/c she is fussy. She does fuss though! Mostly at her siblings. LOL She does not stay angry or upset for long - and if she does it is usually a clue that she is getting sick and feeling crummy. She is a little girl with a happy heart.

    Diane - It does get harder as they get bigger! In Eliana's size though there are tons of things to choose from! I'm enjoying it while I can!

    Blessings
    Leslie

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  8. Eliana is so cute and it was so fun to meet you all in person...finally! I may need to hire you to do my shopping for me! You got some really cute stuff for the boys and girls!!! I don't typically like to shop so we could work out some type of arrangement. ha ha!!
    Have a great week!

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  9. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her so!! cutest pictures yet!! xoxo -- we buy from consignment or yard sales 80% of the time! one child doesn't ruin clothing!

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  10. Leslie, Eliana is beautiful! What a fantastic buy on those clothes..I always love a deal.

    I just found your blog today when searching for workbox ideas. I am also the mother of 6 and one of my children has Down Syndrome. She is my oldest child..she will be 18yo in February. I always love to find another mom who is walking in a part of my shoes.

    I am now a faithful follower..I love your BLOG!

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  11. Kristin - I loved meeting you too! About the shopping - I'm NOT a shopping fan. I try to limit it to just a couple of times a year. LOL I'd love to have you go with me though! Now my daughter - she LOVES to shop!

    Kayla - I'm with you on buying second hand. It's been a great thing for our family.

    Joede - So good to hear from you and I'd love to hear more! Will write you a note.

    Thanks friends for your encouraging words!

    Hugs
    Leslie

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  12. Leslie! These pictures are absolutely adorable! I love the closeup of her with her chin resting in both hands. (I think she's wearing the butterfly outfit.) She's a doll, and I'm amazed that you were able to take so many with so many different outfits. I'm sure Rebecca helped out with the fashion show. This will NEVER happen at my house! kwim? =)
    hugs, Cyndi
    (By the way, is your site on Facebook? I logged in but didn't know what to do to find you?)

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