Life and Halloween Costumes 2006

I am one of those late posters on Halloween.... I have thought before, how could you NOT have time for this blogging stuff.  I have recently found out how you don't have time.  It seems like the last 3 weeks and possibly the last month has gone by so rapidly and I have been so busy being busy I can't do much of anything. 
First my siblings and I were busy planning a special surprise for my parents anniversary, I stayed up many late night making new email accounts, and creating a website/blog for a company that we made up that would be sending my parents on a weekend getaway.  (All this is enough for another post I am sure.) 

Then Robert got sick, we canceled my trip to WA... then the kids got sick.  Meanwhile Emily had a project due...  as she does every month.  Then Halloween was approaching so I had to get ready for that, or more like the kids costumes ready.  Next came a trip to WA for my Nephews wedding.  I get home from that to Amber's birthday and then the week full of Halloween sewing.  The week of Halloween I didn't even get on the computer for my personal use until I think Friday, I didn't even check email and I do that several times a day.  I would get on to look up costume pictures to get ideas of how to make the girls' costumes. 

Then Halloween was over so I thought things would slow down, but then I had the whole messy house from the week of not doing anything house related...  it just goes on and on.  And now Emily has yet another project due this Friday.  Through all of life, I somehow managed to finish costumes.  The girls kept asking, "what if you don't get it done?"  I told them I would stay up all night if I needed to so that I could get them done for Friday's costume parade, which by the way, both schools were having at the same time. 

I kind of skipped out on Amber and Samantha's costumes.  I pulled some out of the costume box.  They were both giraffes.  Funny thing, as the girls and I were talking, we realized that they have all been a giraffe for Halloween at one time or another.  I guess these earned their keep.  Emily was a giraffe when she was about a year and half, Lindsey and Lauren where when they were 2 I think, and now Amber 3, and Samantha about 1 and a half are using them.  It was a little big for Samantha, but she pretty much stayed in the stroller the whole time.

Lauren wanted to be a Ninja.  I wasn't really for sure what she wanted.  She first saw a costume that was a dress and then just had a headband and a sword or something.  Then she decided she wanted pants instead.  Her costume was the easiest, but the most expensive really.  I bought her some black pants and a black hooded shirt.  We also bought the backpack weapon pack.  It came with two swords and two smaller knives. She lost one while we were trick-or-treating and found it a week later.  I bought some red material, which I started to sew so it wouldn't be all stringy and then I remembered I could also heat it or burn it and it would do the same but be less time, so I got the torch out.

Lindsey wanted to be an Egyptian last year and this year too.  Last year she changed her mind but this year she was sure she wanted to be an Egyptian.  I thought about buying the pattern for the costume but I am cheap and thought I could do okay with out it.  I didn't like the way the dress came out.  I put an elastic at the waist but did it without Lindsey so it ended up being a little too high for her.  I guess I should have taken it out but I lost my little handy tool to take it all out easier. We bought a few accesories and some embelishments and tada, she is done. 

Emily wanted to be a Gypsy, and she made a great one.  She had a costume in mind... although we didn't ever see a costume for one, she wanted a white dress.  I looked for a pattern and couldn't find one that I liked and I am cheap, so I made my own tiered skirt pattern (or equation) and then used a shirt pattern that was too small so I altered it a bit.  It all worked out good, which I was grateful for.  She now has a new shirt and skirt to wear too.  Her costume consisted of her new white skirt and shirt, then some material for the wraps on her waist and head.  We got bracelets, a necklace, rings, and earrings that she never wore (waisted $12).  Oh, and some coin trim. 

The girls had great costumes.  Lauren's leg straps kept coming down, I didn't ever notice it until we were out.  I should have pinned them I guess.  The girls looked great, and had fun this Halloween.  On Friday before Halloween the girls had their school costume parades, like I said, at the same time.  I called to see what the order was at each school and still didn't get a real straight answer.  I was dropping off Emily shortly before hers started so I stayed there.  I literally RAN with 2 in stroller to my car after I saw Emily.  My lungs where on fire from the cold air and I raced to the other school. 

I was hoping I didn't miss the twins parade but as I approached cars where leaving.  I was so bummed.  Of course when I talked to the girls telling them my problem of both of their parades at the same time, they suggested for Dad to come to one of them.  He couldn't, so then I asked for more suggestions.  All girls wanted me to be at THEIRS.  I raced into the school, strollerless, carrying both girls and find the parade over.  I did see both Lindsey and Lauren's classes in the hall and so I waved and hugged the girls as they passed.  That was as good as it was going to get.  Luckily that seemed to be enough for them. 

The girls wanted to do a funny picture.  It seems they accomplished that.  I wish I would have gotten one of little girls with the big girls too.  It seemed like we were in such a rush still on Halloween.

It was my year to take the girls trick or treating.  We over purchased our candy for this year.  I think we had about 12 knocks on the door. 

Friday we had our church party, which was a trunk or treat.  Before that we went to a car lot that was sponsoring a trunk or treat as well.  Samantha collected candy at those but not on Halloween night.  I figured she had enough.  She did go with us on Halloween in the stroller.  The girls of course refused to wear coats because it would cover their costumes.  The giraffe's were pretty warm except their hands and faces.

Amber was just hilliarious.  So honest.  She was at one house and told the person handing out candy, "I would really prefer a sucker."  I didn't hear it, but Emily told me she was getting kind of sassy, and then told me what she said.  I stayed back a bit with the stroller and Samantha while the girls all went up to the house.  Amber started out in the stroller and then after a few house when I asked her to get in the stroller she held up her foot and said, "I have shoes on, I can walk."  She walked for awhile and then decided after a few doors that it was okay to get back in the stroller as long as she could get back out again with the big girls. 

After one of the doors, Amber came bouncing back to the stroller and hit Samantha's giraffe nose a few times and said, "How ya doing little Giraffe?"  Then she got back in the stroller.  Amber seems to always have a spring in her step or is dancing or swaying as she moves.  She spent most of the night singing and dancing to the doors, at the doors, and from there to the stroller if she would get in.  She was singing made up songs about trick-or-treating and a song that went something like, "I'm gonna get candy, beacuse I really like candy...."  She cracked up me and the other girls too.

For the most part, Samantha just enjoyed being in the stroller.  She didn't seem too sad that she wasn't getting out to get candy.  Some people commented on how cute my giraffes were.  Emily was upset because people didn't always know what she was.  She was called a pirate, a princess, and a few others I forgot.  She was upset that people didn't know it right away.  I thought about the time she wanted to be a "Cowgirl Princess Bride" and knew people wouldn't really know what that was either.  The gypsy I felt was better than the Cowgirl Princess Bride, which she just ended up being just a Rodeo Princess that year.

It was kind of weird with the time change being later, so it was so light when we normally would be out trick-or-treating.  It didn't take long though, and the girls where cold after about an hour and we went home.  At one of our last houses though, we went to and they had a scary clown thing that came down from the porch ceiling when they opened the door.  I told the girls, "just FYI, I think that thing is coming down when the door opens" and pointed up to the clown.  The girls all stepped back except Amber who didn't hear me or look at me.  She got clonked by the clown.  She didn't care, and didn't know to be scared really.  The last house we went to the guy had a scary looking mask on, and Amber turned to me and said, "I don't really like him, he looks really scary."  She took candy anyway, but a little cautiously.  The big girls at all the houses kind of were cautious and stayed back from the doors, Amber wasn't afraid at all.  She went right up to them all.  A few doors Lauren was afraid they had some motion sensored scary animated statues and wouldn't go up.  She wouldn't say she was scared, she would just say, "I don't want any more candy."  If it looked okay once the girls were getting candy she would say, "okay," and run up to the door really quick to get the candy.  One more year of Halloween memories.