This Halloween

was a little different than years past. Between me working and coping with a very, very sick 13 year old, time was thin to think about costumes. I usually really enjoy taking the kids to Savers or D.I. to search for all the right components to make the perfect costume. The week of Halloween I was really worried about finding time to make everyone happy. My kids are wonderfully flexible and because of that we made it through. Here's how it all turned out....

Carly considered a pirate costume first which would have been adorable on her.. .maybe next year. Next, she and her friend decided they would be Spring and Fall. Then that fell through. At the last minute she dug out her Nifty Fifties costume from her 8th grade play and came upstairs for school Friday proclaiming "I found all the pieces and they still fit!". She was beautiful.

Jacob initially wanted to be a Knight. He had very specific ideas of how he wanted his armor. It was based on a book from the library that we had seen this summer. There were directions on how to create a helmet, leg armor, arm shields and a breastplate from cardboard. It really was cool. It looked very time consuming. He gets so excited and believes it can happen so much he always sucks me in. By the time I got to the library, it was checked out. I did find a book with some different ideas that didn't look too difficult so I checked that out but as the Halloween time drew ever closer, I despaired of ever finding the time to construct the costume. A friend at work mentioned that her son had considered dressing up as Will from Jacob's favorite book series "The Ranger's Apprentice". I got very excited about that as it seemed easier and less time-consuming than his Knight plans. I asked him and he got very excited. We went that day to the fabric store and found a great mottled green fabric that my friend Donna helped sew into a cloak. I took the leftover fabric and sewed a simple tunic. We found the perfect green colored pants and shirt at Savers to wear underneath and we made a cardboard oakleaf necklace by tracing a cookie cutter I already owned onto some cardboard and coloring it with a silver sharpie. The emblem of the Ranger is the oakleaf. I don't know why I let him talk me into buying the bow and arrow set as he can't take weapons to school or the ward party but I did... He's a good beggar... he always gets me.

Samantha was the easiest of all. She wanted to be a cheerleader. We dug out my old uniforms and found one that fit, albeit loosely, and she found a white shirt and black tights already in her closet. All I had to do was pick up pompoms at the dollar store and go buy black and gold hair ribbons and she was all finished. Thank you Samantha for making it easy!!

I tried to take the "shock and awe", when people found out that her cheerleading uniform had once fit on my body, in stride.

Mason originally wanted to be a spider. In the midst of wondering just how I was going to make all those legs I stopped at Kmart for cough drops and found all their costumes half price. I found a Knight costume for $8 that would fit Mason. I called home and asked if he'd like that and he got very excited and I was so happy to have gotten off so easy.

Halloween night he got all ready to go but I wasn't quite ready yet. I was trying to get soup on the stove so it could simmer while we were gone and be hot & ready when we got home all full of candy and chilled to the bone. I asked him to peel the carrots for me. He announced "I will mom because that is what Knights Do!!!!"

What chivalry! He really took the Knight persona to heart, much to my benefit.

Rachel was just not feeling well enough to consider a costume. She was out of school all week but felt better Saturday. She walked around with us when we went trick or treating but didn't dress up. She felt like Halloween was ruined for her. It was one of the last holidays on her list that she hasn't been sick for and even though she felt better on the actual Halloween day, she was not able to enjoy any part of the season leading up to it, which is most of the fun. She laid on the couch while we carved pumpkins. She didn't get to create a costume. She missed the ward party, Friday night, etc. It was very disappointing for her.

The morning after candy sort and trade.

Watch out kids. Jake is a little too good at wheeling and dealing!