Halloween: The Past 3 Years

The past 3 Halloweens have proven to me that my boys are growing up.  My homemade costumes and upgrades have taken a backseat to the store bought kind, because this Mom can't create a detailed Transformer from scratch.  We've had a repeat of a couple of costumes and created a few new ones. Regardless, we have still become the characters that we most love.

Yeee Haaa!  Can't you just hear Jessie the Yodelin' Cowgirl now?  Toy Story is a much loved movie in our home.  It inspired our costumes and brought the return of Buzz Lightyear in 2006.  I created M's costume, as well as my own, with the exception of the Woody hat & holster.  My husband, C, wore a light blue shirt with the name ANDY (just as you see it on Woody's boot) written in fabric paint across the front.  Being a part of the Toy Story gang for Halloween was a lot more fun than being at Sid's house!  Of course the dynamic duo fit our boys to a T.  Buzz & Woody, best buddies!

In 2007 M's love of cars was evident.  To be specific, he finds a white VW bug with red & blue stripes and a giant black number 53 surrounded by a big circle to be his favorite car.  That's what brought me to create a "race suit" and Herbie the Love Bug costume for my youngest son.  His brother only wanted to be a Transformer.  Actually, he preferred Bumblebee, but the only robot in disguise available was Optimus Prime.  Without a theme to tie these 2 characters together, I decided to split our family down the middle.  C became Sam Witwicky from Transformers when he wore the infamous "The Strokes" t-shirt from the movie.  My Herbie never had a more loving mechanic when I took on the role of M's pit crew with a race team style shirt, pants, & Herbie hoodie.

Last year, we carved a pumpkin for the first time and discovered Transformers Animated.  O was so excited to find that a very smart someone had created a costume of the fantastic Bumblebee.  You couldn't talk him out of becoming his favorite Transformer if you tried.  M however, decided it was his turn to take on the roll of Anakin.  Of course, we prefer the heroic version of Anakin Skywalker, when he had not yet gone to the dark side.  My husband officially hung up his lightsaber this year, but I jumped at the chance to become Padme again.  Changes had to be made to my previous costume, as I had been not quite 5 months post-baby belly when I last wore it.  I  even upgraded the arm bands and purchased a new pair of boots for the occasion.

This year, my boys have decided to recycle an old costume and purchase a new store bought one.  Can you guess what those 2 might be?  Well, they fit into the same theme and sport logos that basically say "I'm with the good guys."  Did you guess Transformers?  If so, you would be correct.  Someone in the world of Autobots & Decepticons finally got wise and created that strongly desired movie Bumblebee costume.  O will finally be able to transform into that spunky yellow Camaro that he loves so much.  M decided that it would be nice to be the big boss this year and is taking on the Optimus Prime costume that his brother wore 2 years ago.  One thing is for sure, my 2 boys are more than meets the eye.

With my boys becoming Transformers, I decided that I didn't want to join in on their theme.  Who really wants to be Sam's crazy mom, become the bad girl Decepticon, or see a short girl try to dress as Mikaela?  Not me, that's for sure.  Instead, I debated on what character I would like to become in 2009.  After discussing it with my boys, I determined it was time to embrace a huge part of who I am.  With help from my fabulously magical Mom, not too mention a whole lot of pixie dust, I am able to become....

That's right, I embraced my inner pixie and became Tinkerbell!  Whether I'm dressed in her new "Lost Treasure" fashions or wearing the typical Tink green "leaf" dress, I'm happy to report that I feel completely Tinkified!  I'll see you in Pixie Hollow!

Have a safe, healthy, & fun Halloween!

Meet Me On Monday: Halloween Past

Meet Me On Monday:

This Monday, and random Mondays here after, my blog will reveal something about me.

All Meet Me On Monday blogs will be clearly labeled.

 

Warning:

Three parts Halloween,

All fun equally,

In which I will be seen,

But who will I be?

 

As I've mentioned before, my father was not keen on Halloween.  However, I was allowed to partake in the school classroom costume parties, and even dress up with my older brother before I was in school.  My memories, and photos, from these days and moments are few, but the ones I do have make me smile.

 

My Mom is a sewing queen.  When I was a child, she used her talents to create some of my costumes and these are the ones that I remember the most.  Before I started school, my brother & I loved to clown around.  With a little face paint and some fabric, my Mom created 2 very innocent and non scary clowns.  I remember the elastic that held the sleeves in place around my wrist, the feel of the fabric around my hand, and feeling extremely special because my Mom created it.

The friendliest lion and silly white bunny came to town around the time of my Kindergarten year.  These were 2 more of my Mom's creative masterpieces.  My bunny ears were attached to a removable hood, and would later be paired with a bumblebee costume by one of my younger siblings.  At the end of the sleeves were mitten like pockets that could be pulled over the hand.  This was one of the few times that I remember ever being allowed to "trick-or-treat."  My Mom drove us over to visit a relative, who was expecting us, and we enjoyed a sweet treat and a nice visit.  With a carrot in hand, I was one hoppy bunny, I mean happy girl.

By first grade, I was asking for a Miss Piggy costume.  Try as she may, my Mom was unable to find one of the well sought after plastic masked costumes.  She tried up till the day of my class party, but when it was time for the "parade," I wore a costume that resembled a plastic Kewpie doll.  Beyond that, I can't really remember any of the cheap plastic costumes that everyone sported in the 1980's.

 Break out the Ricky Nelson, Frankie Avalon, Elvis Presley, & Chuck Berry music, put on your saddle shoes (blue suede if you dare), and do the bop, the swing, & the twist!  In 3rd grade I sported one of my favorite costumes. I was addicted to my Mom's "oldies" tunes, so it only made sense that I became a 1950's sock hopper.  For a girl who spent time dreaming about living in the 50's, this costume helped me experience a tiny bit of it in the 1980's. 

 

The rest of my school day costumes are forgotten.  I honestly couldn't begin to tell you what other characters I became over the years.  Okay, not entirely true, I did have a costume made for me while I was a senior in high school.  I just never wore it in public, until much much later. 

Today, my kids and I fully enjoy the chance to dress up and become someone, or something else, but you'll have to wait until Wednesday to catch a glimpse at that.

What do you remember from your childhood Halloweens?  A favorite costume?  Trick or treating?