French braiding

When I was in 5th grade I taught myself how to french braid. I remember thinking about braiding in my head, and then figuring out how to add hair to each strand as the braid continued down the head. Not bad for a 5th grader who didn't have internet. :)

I then began to practice, and found that it was really fun to come up with new creations or designs. I often would braid many of my teammates' hair on the bus ride to our sporting event and loved it when one of them would come up with something new to try.

When I found out I was pregnant with Adele, knew the day would come that I would be able to braid her hair as well. She has the perfect hair to braid - slightly curly, not very fine. And of course, she's adorable.

I've never been very good at doing hair that didn't involve braids. Ponytails and pigtails are pretty much my limit - no curling irons for me!

Now that Adele is in school every day, I've had to pay more attention to how her hair is done as she walks out the door. Often she wants to leave it down or put it back in a headband, but sometimes she loves to sit and let me braid her hair. I choose braids around the fact that I have about 25 minutes to get it finished (the length of one morning tv show, the bribe I use in exchange for her sitting still for me!).

I know she won't let me braid her hair forever, so I'm taking advantage of the moments I can sit and braid my beautiful daughter's hair.

Here are some of my favorites!