One of our take aways from last year was that it’s very hard to get photos the day of. This year we thought it best to do a trial run in our costumes and scratch that photography bug so Mommy isn’t tempted to bring her camera when we go trick-or-treating. Given that Alexis took off running as soon as soon as her feet hit the sidewalk, the camera most definitely will not be in use on the 31st!

That super girl costume is an exact duplicate of one we already owned, right down to the size. The skirt ripped off the previous one and I didn’t think about replacing it until after Nicole settled on being Wonder Woman for Halloween. I’m both glad (because the photos are awesome!) and annoyed (who likes to buy the same. exact. thing. twice?!) The boots were a splurge that I felt OK with since my business is picking up. The prices were reasonable to begin with, and one pair was 50% off. Combined, the boots were a little more than the extra revenue I expect to make this month compared to last month. The boots really do help make the outfit. I’m hoping to do some more fall themed photos to really get our use out of them.

As a personal aside, I really need to learn that it’s ok spending some money some times. I love the photos of the girls in their outfits this year. Last year I bought a monster costume for Alexis that was $10 cheaper than the one I really liked. That $10 wouldn’t have mattered to use financially, but I probably would have been much happier with the photos. Hindsight.

This year we’ll be a 1.5 costume family. One of the primary motivators for the two costume idea is ease of use and function at daycare vs warm for trick-or-treating. Nicole’s wonder woman outfit is basically a dress and not a problem. In theory, Alexis’ wouldn’t be either, but it’s not fitting as well as it should. It’s both a bit long, and a bit tight. She’ll have an easier time playing in the chef hat and apron from the dress-up corner. (She actually managed to keep the chef hat on most of the day last crazy hat day.) Hopefully her chef hat will be acceptable replacement to her supergirl dress. She’s very much big sister’s shadow these days, and I could see her insisting on wearing her costume if big sister get’s to.

In retrospect, my dual costume idea works a lot better in years where the school’s Halloween party is not on Halloween, or when there’s a large gap between the end of the school day and trick or treating. The kids’ daycare is having their party Monday until 5:30. We’re going to try and get the kids home earlier so we can have a quick (and hopefully healthy) dinner before hitting the streets by 6pm. They’ll be hyped up on sugar from the party, and excitement at the prospect of more sugar.

Posted in Family Life | Tags: Halloween