Halloween With Kids: The First 3 Years

When my children were born, I couldn't wait to begin experiencing the "firsts" that come with babies.  I intended to make every holiday as special as I possibly could, including Halloween.  Having been trained in the art of crafts & sewing by my Mom, I planned to make or enhance purchased costumes for my kids.  My heart longed to dress a little girl as Supergirl or WonderWoman.  As I did not have any daughters, I assumed my boys wouldn't want to look back at photos of them in a skirt and instead went with costumes meant for boys that they would love as much as I do.  

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... it's... Super Baby!  Yes, what better costume could there be for a little boy's first Halloween, but Superman?  As I am a super hero enthusiast, this was definitely perfect for my son.  However, I didn't want him to be dressed up all alone.  What fun would that be?  I pulled out that high school Supergirl costume and convinced my husband to at least put on a Superman t-shirt, with a red shirt underneath to represent the cape.  The best part of course, was actually gracing the local Sears photo studio for photos!

Once this tradition was established, I simply couldn't break it.  Every year since O came into our lives, I have continued to dress up.  I can't say that my husband enjoys donning a costume, so I have allowed him to gracefully bow out of the experience after a few years of torture fun.  He hated didn't enjoy dressing up as a kid, so he really went all out for his own kids.  However, as much as he isn't into dressing up, he does enjoy seeing me get into the spirit of this holiday.  I enjoy it so much, that I continue to make sure our pumpkins are decorated according to our costume theme.

Over the years, we've become a range of characters.  When my son became obsessed with "Buzz Lightyee," after a trip to Disney World, we went to infinity & beyond as a family of space rangers. 

Then came baby number 2, M, and the love of all things Star Wars surfaced.  The force was with us as we ventured to some of my favorite Michigan sand dunes for photos.  By far, these are my favorite Halloween photos to date!  My intent was to mimic the sands of Tattooine.  Do you think we pulled it off?

Would you like to see our Halloween photos over the past 3 years?  Are you interested to see what my costume is this year (no spoilers for those who do know please)?  Check back Friday!  Do you do things differently with your kids than what you did as a kid?  What are your traditions during this holiday?   

* I apologize if the photos are floating a little randomly towards the end of this post.  They were not fully cooperating with me.