Halloween 2007

Jim and I were talking the other day about our kids. He said, "I don't remember having so many opinions when I was a kid. I ate what my mom packed for lunch."

(Oma and Nana might have different memories than Jim and I do.)

Our kids have LOTS of opinions:

1) For breakfast every morning, Alan wants 2 Hawaiian Sweet dinner rolls...cut in the middle, slathered with butter, then "stabbed" in the top with butter and toasted in the toaster oven.

2)For lunch every day, Teresa wants a salad and is very picky about the protein options I give her...most of the times giving me instructions on the weekend on what to make so that she can have the left over chicken/steak/pork in her lunch.

3) About 6-9 months ago, our kids discovered that ice in soft drinks (which they only get at restaurants) melts, watering down the drink. When they order drinks now, they are VERY careful to order Sprite without ice...and get mad if we order and forget.

4) ...the list could go on, but Nana is impatiently waiting for Halloween pictures....

About 6 weeks ago, the kids and I were in Walmart in the craft section buying something for Girl Scouts and Alan found this pattern:


He said, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy! I want to be THIS for Halloween...and Daddy can match me!"

When I told Jim, he said "But I wanted to go as the Dad."

Tough, Dad. We plead 15...15 months, that is...if Alan wants his Dad to be a Musketeer, than by golly, we are going to work it out...

If you have been following along, you will remember that my first sewing project was for All Saint's Day last year when I made a Saint Michael's costume for Alan. Since then, I have made table runners, napkins, baby blankets and a quilt, but not a costume...and certainly not using a pattern.

BTW: let me stick in here that Teresa dressed up as Saint Teresa of Avila (her patron saint) for All Saint's Day at church on Sunday. I whipped up a black apron (with gathers and everything) and a habit (which I didn't sew at all...just hot-glued to white poster board)


Anyway, back to the Musketeers...

If you have been wondering why I haven't updated our blog lately, this is the reason. I have been cutting and sewing these costumes. I DID NOT sew pants and white shirts...though the pattern included them. Lucky for me, Teresa has a shirt from Ireland that is too small for her that has a frilly collar...just like the one in the picture. Black pants + black boats (thanks to our neighbor, Paige, who loaned us riding boots in the exact size for Alan) = Musketeers! Oh, and I found hats at Price Buster which I glued a blue of material and feather to...and stuck up one side. Through in plastic swords....and VOILA!

When I finished the costumes and Jim looked at them, he said, "Too bad we don't have a third musketeer....hey, could you make a costume for Katie???"

Teresa went as a fairy...like almost all the girls on the street. She had the costume from last year...so I just added new accessories. And Paige purchased a TON of makeup...


I went as a wicked witch. My hat kept blowing off, so there are no pictures of that. Hawaii is such a nice, sunny place...except yesterday! All the rain for the YEAR fell yesterday...and most of it at the start of trick-or-treat time. That didn't stop us from having our usual neighborhood party. We set up tables and chairs with food (and yes, Mai Tai's) under a car port and poured all the candy in to one large bucket. I handed out HUGE handfuls to all the kids who braved the weather.

Here is a picture of almost all the kids from our neighborhood.


Overall, it was a fun evening...

ALOHA!