Halloween Part I

David and Rachael are going to have several chances over the coming week to dress up for Halloween! I am SO glad because I am in love with their costumes.

Ryan actually chose David's costume for him. Since David still doesn't understand that he can be anything, we gave some subtle suggestions and ended up deciding that David as a COWBOY would be perfect. With A LOT of Ma's help, we used some of David's things he already had [jeans, boots, and red bandanna]; we scoured a consignment store [denim-looking shirt, cowboy belt]; purchased fabrics and cord [for Ma to make the vest and chaps]; and picked up a few necessary cowboy items [cowboy hat and spurs] from the costume store. And Big Daddy picked up the gun and holster for him.

The end result was the cutest little cowboy ever:

For Rachael, I knew I wanted to use the tutu she wore for her birthday. It's so cute, and how many times do you get to wear a tutu? So, I started looking online for ideas. Even though I am usually not a "follow the crowd" type of person, I found that fairy costumes are very popular this year and many people shared how to make your own wings. At first I thought I couldn't make the wings as well as those I saw online, so while at the costume store I purchased her some wings. That night I couldn't sleep. I was bothered by the fact that no part of my daughter's costume would be homemade. Some of my most favorite memories from childhood involve my mom [Ma] making things from scratch. She made holidays, birthday parties, and everyday activities more fun because she took the time to make those little extras. And I know Rachael won't remember this Halloween, but there is this little blog that she will have to look back on one day. I also love the accomplished feeling I get when I make something special for my kids. The next day I took the wings back. At the same consignment store, I purchased a solid pink, long sleeve shirt and some glittery pink shoes. At the fabric store the sweet saleslady helped me figure out just the right materials for making Rachael's wings. We used a ribbon I had saved from the birthday present given to Rachael from Twinkle and Bing to create a comfortable harness to hold her wings on. By using some wire clothes hangers and fabric glue, Ma and I stayed up late one night and worked together to create the most precious wings just Rachael's size.

The prettiest fairy you have ever seen:




All three Halloween babies:


Ma and Big Daddy's neighborhood celebrates Halloween on the weekend so that the older kids aren't out on a weeknight should Halloween fall during the week. So, Ricky and Cate came over too and we all went trick-or-treating, just like last year and the year before. Even though he had practiced ringing the doorbell, saying "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" with Ma, it still took David a little while to get into the fun of it all. Once he did, he loved it. One time he even said, "Thank you give dat candy me."
Rachael thought she was supposed to trade some of the candy she had in her basket with the candy she was getting. Several times she tried to give away her loot to the adults handing out the candy- so sweet.
The kids all had a great time. Of course, the evening ended with a living room full of candy as all the kids assessed their haul.









Now that they have the hang of it, David and Rachael are ready to go trick-or-treating again!