Halloween 2014: R.I.P. Sack Costumes

No surprise here, but I jinxed myself last year when I declared that sack costumes were the way to go. LG decided on her costume shortly after Halloween 2013, and it's been full speed ahead every since. She even picked out her brother's costume. Though the sacks may have disappeared, I'm pleased that she thinks coordinated costumes are de rigueur.

Having said that, it's practically a done deal that she'll want to do her own thing next year. It's only fair, I suppose, since G2 will start having costume opinions of his own by that time. (And it's not like we should continue to encourage the notion of sibling-as-accessory.)

Anyway. I know why you're really here. Sloppy Photoshop time!

We'd Like to Thank You, Adobe Creative Suite

The sun might come out tomorrow, but her smile won't if you're asking for it.

Spoiler: The dog steals the show.

You may accuse me of going over the top. You would not be wrong. Also, you haven't seen anything yet.

BOOM.

LG has been enamored of Annie for a while now. More than anything, she likes "It's the Hard-Knock Life," largely because it's sung by a group of little girls. So, some time ago, she told us she wanted to be an orphan for Halloween. Then she asked what an orphan is. Some mild psychological trauma ensued, followed by her supposition that the Hard-Knock Life Kids (as she calls them) seemed to have a pretty good time. Honestly, I think she doesn't give the orphan angle much thought. She sees little kids singing and dancing, and since that's basically how she lives life day-to-day, her decision to be Annie was made up pretty quickly. And then a minute or so later, she decided G2 needed to be Sandy the Dog.

Something Was Missing (it's my beard)

Once G2 was in on the game, it wasn't long before LG realized that Daddy Warbucks and I share the same haircut. And as it happens, I have an old tuxedo in my closet. Although LG mentioned numerous times that I should dress up; it still surprised the heck out of her a few days ago when she awoke to find that "Daddy growed his beard right off his face!" She, at least, was nonplussed. G2, on the other hand, wouldn't look at me for the better part of that day, and spent the ride to daycare that morning relatively quiet, shattering the silence with periodic shouts of "NO BEARD!"

You're Never Fully Dressed (until your mother is also wearing a costume)

Once I walked out of the bathroom with a completely shorn face, Hollie realized she wasn't going to get away without a costume, either. A quick trip to the thrift store, and BAM!

...until it shines like the top of the Chrysler building!

Easy Street (is where all the candy is)

While both kids technically went Trick-or-Treating last year, G2 stayed in the wagon pretty much the whole time (being 7 months old, he wasn't exactly mobile). This year, he figured things out very quickly.

Yo, sis! I think dis house is givin' out full-size candy bars.

With a little prompting, he even got the lingo down.

We weren't sure how it was going to go, especially since earlier in the day the costume parade at his school ended in a cascade meltdown of every child in his class. Admittedly when you march the kids out like a chain gang, I don't know what other result you could expect.

"Whaddya in for, Mick?"
"Me and Yoda knocked over a Piggly Wiggly in Yazoo."

The fact that he even let us put him back in the costume after that was nothing short of a miracle.

In case you've though to yourself, "There's something off about that dog costume," rest assured you are not crazy.
It's a monkey costume onto which I stitched long ears.

I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here (because of all the candy)
All in all, it was a very successful Halloween. But you don't have to take my word for it.