Halloween Costumes 2009

Last year, when I was pregnant and as sick as could be, the last thing I had energy for, was figuring out Halloween costumes for my kids.  So, when Abby found a costume she loved in a catalogue, I was more than happy to fork over my credit card number and pay through the nose for a complete geisha costume.  Yes, it was a cute costume, and yes Abby looked darling, but there was something about it that bothered me.

For me, the fun part of Halloween, has always been the creative process in figuring out a costume.  I love looking through old clothes and costume bins until inspiration strikes and a Halloween costume materializes.

So, this year, I told the kids I wasn't buying any costumes.  A couple of weeks ago, I took them to my parents' house and told them to look through their dress-ups and figure what they wanted to be for Halloween.  It turned out to be a successful venture.  Amazing costumes were discovered and pulled together, and with a little sewing expertise from my mom, all the kids looked great.

And so, I present... the Halloween costumes of 2009.

Now, let's break them down, one by one...

Abby was a gorgeous gypsy.  She looked darling decked out in bright colors.  And when I put a little blush on her cheeks and mascara on her eyelashes, she looked stunning.  (And I decided it would be the last time she wears make-up until she's 25.)

As Isaac rummaged through the costumes at my parents, he found a gray wig.  I told him he should be an old lady for Halloween - but Andrew told him he looked more like George Washington.  Well, Isaac took that idea and ran with it - and how lucky that my parents actually had this coat hanging in their costume closet!  He looked awesome.

This was Henry's second year talking about being a vampire.  Last year, I didn't have the energy.  This year my mom made him this great cape, and with his own incredibly vampire-like teeth, he was ready.

Peter was a pumpkin for the second time.  Why?  Because I love this costume and because he's two and doesn't have strong opinions about Halloween costumes.  There are two things I love about this costume;

First, I bought the pumpkin hat when Abby was about five months old.  I found it at the Gap Outlet in Leesburg, Virginia.  It cost around $10.  I remember feeling so extravagant and slightly irresponsible for spending that much money on a hat Abby would only wear for four weeks.  Well, the great thing about this hat, is that it has been worn every fall, by every one of my children since then.  Easily the best $10 I ever spent.

The outfit itself, was bought by my mom, the day after Halloween when Isaac was six months old.  She paid about $5 for it.  Since then it has been worn for two Halloweens by each of my boys.  That equals 83-cents a year for that costume.  That is easily the best $5 my mom has ever spent.

I think this may be the last year for the pumpkin costume - but it breaks my heart to finally retire it.

Lucy got to be a leopard this year.  This is the same outfit Abby wore when she was Lucy's age.  Andrew's aunt Betsy gave us the leopard print outfit when Abby was born and Andrew made the ears...

and the paws.

Andrew comparing his two girls.

(Hopefully this will never show up in People Magazine under "Who Wore It Best?")

We have had a great October.  We had a blast putting together these costumes and showing them off at the school parade, the preschool program, trunk-or-treat, the neighborhood party and, of course, trick-or-treating.

(Whew, I'm exhausted.)

Twas A Few Days Before Halloween...

and all through our house, the girls were doing girl things....

(two sisters reading American Girl books)

and the boys were just being boys?

(Is this football practice or the only way to keep our boys dry?)

Our New Crush

Our family is in LOVE - complete and utter love.  Seriously.  We can't get enough of this girl.  I lie in bed at night and think about her.  The kids can't stop talking about her and Andrew can't stop taking pictures of her.  Yep, this is love - with a heavy dose of infatuation.

(As I read that paragraph, I realize I could be describing Lucy, but this time I'm not.)

Let me introduce you to our family's sweetheart.

We are head-over-heels for Zuri, the new baby elephant at Hogle Zoo.  Last week we went to the zoo two days in a row just to see her.  (And that is saying something since before that, I'd only been to the zoo twice in the past eight years.)  Both days, our family stood and watched this baby's every move for a long, LONG time, and everything she did was darling and incredible.

We watched with complete adoration as she played in the bamboo, rolled a ball around, trotted around the pen, nursed from her mama and then laid down and fell asleep on her mama's foot.  We couldn't have been more delighted in her if we had birthed her ourselves.

At one point, Zuri and her mom snuggled close to each other and rubbed their trunks together.  As we watched an affectionate display between the baby and her mama, I leaned over to Andrew and said, "Doesn't that make you want to have another baby?"  To his credit, he didn't even justify that question with a response.

So, seeing this baby elephant maybe hasn't prompted Andrew to have another child, but it has certainly kept me awake at night trying to figure out how to arrange for our family to get a pet elephant.  I know we have a big enough yard, and we could certainly give it the love and attention it needs, I just can't figure out where one would go to get a pet elephant. (You see once I get a pointless idea or a lost cause stuck in my head, I have a hard time letting it go.)

Anyway, our whole family is in love!  If you live in the Salt Lake area and you haven't been to see Zuri yet, you really should go.  She is totally worth the trip.  Just be prepared to walk away wanting either a new baby, or a pet elephant - or both.

PS... Bless that mama's heart.  She was pregnant for 22 months and the baby weighed 251 pounds at birth.   (And I thought a 10-pounder was rough!)

Another Evening in Fall...

The day before winter hit, (man, it's cold here) we drove up the canyon by our house to see the fall leaves and it was lovely.

We drove for ten minutes and we were up the canyon that looked like this:

And when we stopped the car, we saw this:

and this

Our kids scampered around the hills looking for leaves until it started to get dark we all got cold and had to climb back in the car.

 

It was one of those nights that I felt especially grateful that we live in an area where we get to experience four seasons.  Don't you just love the colors of fall?

(And that was the extent of our fall because the next day it snowed.)

The End.