Halloween

My mom always made our Halloween costumes. When we were old enough, we participated in putting them together, but there was always a large sewing component completed by my mom. Even though I don't sew, that's a tradition I've wanted to maintain with my childrens' costumes. It didn't happen last year, so this was the first attempt. We'll see how many years this tradition lasts . . . in any case, you'll now understand why I'm including every angle of this costume--designed and sewed by moi--possible. Our cute chicken:

(I think she liked lying down in this costume because she was padded on all sides.)

Walking up Ti Ti's driveway for her first trick-or-treating experience. She is still talking about "knock knock"-ing on Ti Ti's door. It was exciting.

Even more exciting was finding Ally there and going next door to her second (and last) trick-or-treating house--inhabited by our wonderful neighbors Bev and Dean.

This chicken just loves Ally (whose Flamenco dress is genuinely Spanish!). She was thrilled to hold hands with her while walking down the sidewalk.

And here is Zoë's pumpkin. She drew on it and I carved around the shape of her drawing. It turned out to be the scariest one.

Some trick-or-treaters actually thought my dad was a real police officer. I think he enjoyed feeling the power that could be his if he did more handcuffing and less philosophizing about reflexive Spanish verbs . . .

Josh was a dashing zombie, of course. Zoë didn't mind his costume--in fact she was sort of fascinated by it, but she was slightly scared of all the trick-or-treaters coming to our door. Every time she'd hear a knock she'd say "Grandma?" or "Oma?" and her response to one bloodied-headed boy was to touch her own head and empathetically say "ow!" (By the way, she calls the skeleton behind Josh and the Dracula and Frankenstein monster we had in the windows "guys," which cracks me and Josh up for some reason.)