Halloween preview

 

I mentioned that I was out of town with work for three long days last week. So I didn't feel guilty taking Friday off work. The kids had a PA day and I was looking forward to spending it with them.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think it's a great idea to get the kids into their Halloween costumes ahead of the holiday itself. It's a dry run that lets us work out the kinks (these tights itched Mallory terribly; she'll wear some different ones on Halloween night.) It lets me take a few pictures while it's daylight and we're not rushing to get out trick-or-treating. And if Halloween night turns out to be dark, cold enough to require a coat on top of the costume, or heaven forbid, rainy - I still have my pictures. We did this Friday morning, before the rain came down.

Mallory decided to be Dorothy long ago. May this be the first in a long line of redheads that she impersonates! (Chad tried to get her to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid years ago, and she was just not interested.) I ordered her costume back in August from a seamstress in Hong Kong I found on eBay for all of $9.95. (There is something to be said for the global marketplace.) Her shoes came from Walmart, her Toto came from Liam's stuffed animal collection and the basket Toto is in came from Value Village for 99 cents.

I'd hoped Liam would choose to be the Tin Man (I wanted to make a costume from dryer venting SO bad!) or the Cowardly Lion... or even the scarecrow... but in the end, he wanted to be a superhero named Megamind. So here he is, saving Metrocity from the bad guy. This was an internet costume shop purchase... not as much fun as homemade, but adorable nonetheless. (Though I admit it could be anybody under that cape and mask, and I really wouldn't be able to tell the difference!)

I'm glad we got the pictures in last week because I hear we are in store for an arctic blast in the next few days. It may indeed be another coat-over-the-costume year. As long as the loot bags come home full, I don't think the kids will mind.