The Fashion Show

Early last month Ashley started going through Allie and Avery's old clothes for spring and summer. Of course the girls started pulling out the favorites with little shouts of glee. "Oh, I remember this!" and "This one is sooooo cute! Don't you think I'm cute, Ron?" Like their mom, they aren't afraid to fish for a compliment if they think you might not be paying attention to what's going on. All, was good until Allie and Avery started to try things on only to discover that, well... they've grown and all those cute outfits don't look right with those gangly ankles stinking out from those full pair of jeans or that showing off your belly button might be hip, but on a four-year-old it's a little too JonBenet Ramsey.

The girls were crushed. Actually, devastated may be more apt as they sat there in tears, holding their teeny-tiny outfits close to their cheeks, much like I imagine a supermodel would upon coming to the realization she was too old and too large to grace the runway anymore.

Having three boys, this was, in my opinion, a little over the top. There are perfectly good reasons to cry over things, like all the Haggan Daz being gone and Katarzyna getting ousted from Top Model. Cutsie outfits with smiling flowers and Care Bears not fitting anymore doesn't count. But what do I know? For Noah, Harrison and Sawyer clothing is a matter of function over fashion. If you have pants and a shirt on then you are ready to face the day. Socks, shoes, underwear and outdoor clothing are optional unless they are threatened with bodily harm, and color, pattern and texture are irrelevant. Should something not fit, pass in down to the next kid. By the third wearing, it's toast and ready for a new assignment as a rag to clean up after three boys. From a male perspective, this is pretty efficient. But an explanation of efficiency would do little to curtail the sobs of a little girl who couldn't wear her Strawberry Shortcake sun dress.

Ashley, ever quick on her feet, distracted the girls by offering to put on a fashion show complete with music and picture taking. And the tears were gone. I set up a runway while Ashley put together outfits and fixed "make up." The girls were complete hams in front of the camera (I think there's a video too), strutting, posing and twirling. You'd have thought they really believed they were in Milan or Paris.

For a guy used to answering complex questions on the matters of Star Wars and The Justice League, I wasn't sure what little girls would like. All I could imagine was my large posterior overflowing from a chair three sizes too small, sipping imaginary tea and being offered another cup by Allie and Avery after each sip. I never imaged I'd be playing supermodel with them... and I don't mean just setting stuff up and clapping for them either. I surprised even Ashley, when I walked out with my modeling outfit and male model hair. It was fun.