I know that there is a very limited time frame in which our kids will willingly participate in themed Halloween costumes for the whole family, so we’re going gung-ho while it lasts.
This year, we are all going as Star Wars characters. (Oh, yes, the force is strong in my children.)
My husband says he’s going to be Jabba the Hut. I’m planning to go as Darth Vader, although my mask has weird lenses in the eyeholes that make me feel more like “The Fly” than Darth.
Sadie wants to be the blue Amidala. At the thrift store we found a beautiful dress, a velvety robe and some great fan-shaped earrings for her. We also are working to turn a tiny wicker chair into her hair-piece. (Don’t ask.)
I made a cute little Ewok poncho-hat for Jedidiah, but he seems rather reluctant to wear it… in other words, he screams, yanks it off, throws it on the ground and runs away. I’m not sure if it’s because he thinks it’s too girly or just because he hates ponchos.
Josie is going to be Princess Leia-in-Somewhat-of-a-Disguise. She has a storm-trooperish white jumpsuit, a laser gun made of tin foil, and the perfect tall white boots. She and her grandma made a white cape which she’s been testing out around the house.
As we worked on our costumes, Josie (we thought about naming her Leia when she was born) came to me, snickering: "Mommy, I was telling Adelaide how you were gonna name me Leia when I was born, and she said, "'Oh yeah? Mommy was gonna name me Yoda.'"
Well, not exactly, but the plan is for Adelaide to be Yoda. She’s just the most Yoda-esque person in our house. She already talks funny and is super quirky. Adding some pointy ears is really not that much of a stretch.
After making the other costumes, I was somewhat crafted out. The girls and I decided to go out on the town to find some Yoda ears and Leia hairbuns.
After looking several places, we ended up at the Halloween store. I remember taking Josie there to find some Groucho Marx glasses when she was even younger than Adelaide, and she thought the whole thing was great. I should’ve also remembered that Josie does not have the same personality as Adelaide.
Before we went inside, I gave a little speech about how everything in there is just pretend, and nothing is real, and nothing can hurt you, and I’ll be with you the whole time, etc.
But as soon as we walked through the freshly manufactured fog, I could tell that Adelaide was not impressed. The further we went into the store, the less she liked it. Clowns are scary. Bats are scary. Vampires are scary. Werewolves are scary.
The Monster Mash song playing in the background did not help at all. I tried to point out some harmless Strawberry Shortcake outfits to her, but she refused to take her hands off her eyes (which was a problem since she kept running into things.)
Josie, on the other hand, was fascinated with all the creepy plastic zombie babies lined up on the fake tombstones. Sadie gazed around in digust at the wicked witch and the hacked up Dorothy lying in the bed next to her, but she was appreciative of the nice assortment of sparkly wigs and fairy wings.
Adelaide, however, was petrified. She screamed at a scary skeleton that cackled at her. When Sadie accidentally put her foot on a rug that read STEP HERE and a giant spider jumped out and landed on Adelaide’s head, she catapulted herself into my arms and declared tearfully that she’d had enough.
After all of that trouble, they only had Clone Wars costumes, which did not help us at all. Sadie and Josie felt sorry for their shaking little sister. While Josie kept her hand over Adelaide’s eyes, Sadie gave her a piggyback ride to the car and they even let her sit between them in the backseat on the way home.
After a night of letting her sleep with all the lights on, I asked Adelaide the next morning:
“So, do you still want to be Yoda?”
She said, “Yes, but, well, do you know that Halloween store? That scary Halloween store? Yeah, well, I am never going in THERE again.”
And in true Yod-a-laide fashion, she added,
“Forget it, you can.”
--from my 10/14/12 article for www.mentorpatch.com (obviously, Jed wouldn't cooperate as an Ewok, so we had to change things up a little :)
