I am often inspired by the enthusiasm that my kids have for the many moments of a day that tend to pass unnoticed to adults.  Getting dressed — at any time and in anything — is one such occasion in our house.

I think Liam started the tradition of celebrating getting dressed in something new (and by “new” I only mean something they weren’t just wearing — it could be out of the drawer or even something they had on yesterday that still has some life left in it) but it has caught on.  It started when they picked up a phrase from a book we have that is based on the second Cars movie.  The Italian car (Francesco) mimics Lightning McQueen’s catch phrase of “Ka-chow!” and changes it to be more Italian “Ciao bella!”  The boys melded both phrases together into, “Ka-ciao bella” and then asked us what it meant.  We approximated our way to the rough translation of “hello beautiful”.  They practiced it prior to our trip to Italy, and it has completely stuck.

And so, absolutely any time they get dressed  in a fresh outfit — in the morning, after a messy dinner, after a bath — they come running into the room, slide to a stop, and announce, “Ka-ciao bella!” wearing their new outfit and a magnificent grin.  I love it, and I love them.