This was the first thing I ever posted on my blog in 2003. Ashley was 7 years old.

February 14, 2003

Junie B. Jones

Today is Book Character Day at Ashley’s school. The kids are supposed to dress up like their favorite book character and then parade around the gym so that everyone can see them. Every child that participates receives a pencil and a certificate.

Ashley decided to be Junie B. Jones. Junie B. is a very popular series of books, but she is a NORMAL kid. I had hoped that she would choose a character that would stand out; like Harry Potter or Cinderella, but no, her favorite character is Junie B. Jones so I didn’t try to convince her to dress as someone she didn’t know or care about.

I picked out a red dress and a white bow for her hair and when she left this morning she looked beautiful. I put a sticker on her dress that said, “Junie B. Jones.” It looks like one of those “Hello. My name is” stickers. I felt I had to do something so that people would know that she actually dressed up as someone.

When I dropped her off at school this morning, I caught glimpses of other kids who had dressed up. One was wearing a long, black cape, another was in a Power Ranger outfit (they made stories about the Power Rangers!), and another was in a cowboy hat.

I really wish that parents had been invited because I would have loved to have gone in the gym and watched the parade. I’m sure that there will be some really cool costumes.