Our Halloween festivities kicked off early in the month at the Adler Planetarium. Brent had packed the girls a picnic dinner, I had everyone out the door on time, but somewhere in all the emails, I did not realize the kids could go in their Halloween costumes! I felt so bad, especially since they were all prepped and ready to go. It would have been SO easy to just grab them. The girls didn't seem to mind too much either. There was a DJ, Halloween-themed experiments with dry ice, props not to mention just the museum itself.
There were a couple of people doing crazy fancy balloons with blinking lights inside and the girls really, really wanted to get theirs but the line was wicked long. We spent almost our entire time waiting in line for the face painting and the balloons, but at least they had fun.
Let's take a closer look at Brigitta:
People kept stopping Sydney to check out the intricacy of hers (complete with sticker!).
Once that stuff has been slept in, it doesn't look quite so spectacular.
It's nice to have a fresh face again.
When it was all over and we headed back to the car, the beauty of the city in the foggy night just smacked us right in the face the second we stepped outside.
I couldn't help exclaiming, "How pretty is our city?" It was late, and the girls needed to get to bed, but we just had to stop and enjoy that view for a few minutes.
Let's take a closer look at those costumes!
Brent was Chip Gaines from Fixer Upper. Before I even jumped on that band wagon, my sister Whitney said Chip reminded her a bit of Brent. When Chip grew a beard this last year and they announced it would be the final season of Fixer Upper, we knew it was the perfect time for Brent to channel his inner Chip. He grew out his hair to the point we were both going a little nuts. Right after Halloween was over, he got a nice, close haircut and probably lost a couple of pounds in doing so.
This is another costume idea from Whitney- I went as Amelia Earhart.
The makeup was the best part and I received so many compliments. That hat was nice and toasty during the Trunk or Treating outside. Ireland particularly loved this costume because Earhart landed in a field in Ireland when she crossed the Atlantic. She drank tomato juice to keep up her energy (hence the red lipstick).
Liesel wanted to go as Hermione Granger. I pulled out the same pattern I used to sew the hood for what is now Ireland's costume and got to work. I'm pretty proud of this one because I picked a lining that wasn't too maroon or too orangey-red. It's fully lined too! That sucker is definitely going to last through all the girls. I invested in a good time-turner and dug deep into my drawers for the crimper.
I also flipped for the official Universal Studios Hermione wand... in case we ever go, we have a wand at the ready! Liesel loved this costume, and I had fun putting it together for her. I really love the non-princess years of Halloween!
Ireland loved wearing that red velvet hood though, which I'm realizing is going to suffer its own amount of wear and tear. The pile is crushed here and there, especially along the bottom even though I had it steamed.
Nevertheless, she looked fantastic!
I was pregnant with Sydney when I created the skirt for this angel costume. No pattern, just an idea in my head. The tulle was much more fluffy years ago. Even so, it's holding up and Brigitta was equally excited as Ireland to have her turn in a hand-me-down costume.
Following her around the church building , I was obsessed with Brigitta in this costume. Her ringlets and, those sparkly wings, and the yards and yards of ribbon sewn into that skirt are just enchanting to me.
For the elementary school parade, I plaited Brigitta's hair into a halo exactly the way I did Ireland's two years ago.
Brigitta's hair is a different beast from Ireland's entirely. It's much finer and harder to braid so this took some doing.
Liesel reported that some 5th graders were making fun of Brigitta's hair behind her back and that made me so sad. If there's one thing that I'm extremely sensitive to, it's being embarrassed. I go to great lengths to ensure I never put my children in a position where they will have cause to feel embarrassed. Brigitta overheard our conversation and said, "Mom, it's OK! I don't care!!!"
What an angel, eh?
Sydney finally got her hands on the witch costume!
I love this song about the littlest witch because Sydney kept turning around and looking at me. So cute. She was the only witch in her class!
This was the year we FINALLY became one of the houses that gives out full-sized candy bars. I've been begging Brent to make the plunge since we get so few trick-or-treaters around here. We always end up giving them a fistful of the bite-sized ones so why not just give them the equivalent?
Brent came home from work early and took all the girls around the block. At that point, Brigitta and Sydney were pretty cold and ready to just stay home and count their candy. The oldest two were happy to hit another neighborhood. It warmed the cockles of my heart to see them flying across lawn after lawn in their cloak and hood to maximize their trick-or-treating time.
At the last minute, we were invited to a neighborhood party at the home of a friend of Brigitta's so we stopped by. The girls had an absolute blast playing with other kids while Brent and I had the chance to meet some pretty great people who live nearby.
Finally we arrived at home and the girls were able to inventory their haul. Liesel and Ireland had over 100 pieces of candy. I'll never forget how Ireland counted everything up, divided it by chocolate and non-chocolate candy, and just slid that huge chocolate pile right over to Brigitta. I'm so crazy proud of how the girls have handled the Chocolate Challenge this year. They impress me over and over!
