Happy Halloween :)

Halloweeeeeen is here!!  I'm so excited!  It's my favorite time of the year...not only because Halloween is my favorite holiday but also because it's the kick-off to the holiday season...which I love all the more now that I'm a parent.  It's all the more magical when there are kids involved...maybe because I get to become a kid again...and I have a legit excuse to act like one.  I'm more excited than Chloë or the boys are to go trick-or-treating...and not just because of all the chocolate that I'll steal from their treat bags once their asleep tomorrow night...well, that IS a significant part of said excitement, but I'm also just excited for the whole act of trick-or-treating.  Like I said, it lets you be a kid again.

A few weeks ago Chloë announced that THIS year, her 3rd year of trick-or-treating EVER, and only her 2nd year of really understanding what is going on, she will be abstaining from trick-or-treating and will instead be staying at home to pass out candy.  WHAT?!?!  You are NOT my child!!  (Insert shock face).  I tried to remain calm and to access the situation (WtH are you thinking, child?!?).  After a quick interrogation I found out this was because her little friend who lives next door, no names mentioned...SHANE..., had said that he was going to be passing out candy and not trick-or-treating...  and she wanted to do what he was doing (on a side note, she also changed her Halloween costume to a Ninja Turtle after finding out that Shane was going to be one, too....so I had just spent $30 on this costume ...which she had pulled the tags off already...but assured me that she would "wear it next year" and that my purchase was not to be regretted).  Soooo, after a few quick texts to Shane's mother to see what was going on and trying to remain calm while we ironed out this "issue"..I (relievingly (is that word?)) found out that Shane was going to do BOTH trick-or-treating AND passing out candy.  He'll just be starting earlier in the evening in order to fit in both.  Phewwwww!!!  Halloween is SAVED :)

As for Owen & Elijah, they are splitting a costume.  That's a whole 'nother story.  From day one Owen has wanted to be Batman and from day one Eli has wanted to be Winnie the Pooh.  My sweet Eli :)   I started searching around for this costume a awhile back when he had mentioned it more than a few times and I knew this was "the one".... only to find out that most places only sell Winnie the Pooh costumes in baby sizes.  Not 3 1/2 year old boy sizes.  Most boys this age are into superheros/firemen/policemen.  There is NOT a big Winnie The Pooh costume market for anyone over the age of 8 months....are we surprised?  Not really.  Anyways, I did finally find one online and immediately went to order it (I am not a crafty momma, I do not make my kids' costumes, though I do realize this would be much more economical).

So, Chloë and Owen both had their store-bought costumes for days as Eli waited and waited for Pooh Bear to arrive in the mail.  Every day he'd go running outside to the mailbox or look for a box on our front stoop.  "Pooh bear??  Here yet???"  FINALLY, it arrived and I was super excited for him to get home from school to open the box, as I know how much he had been excitedly anticipating this day.  We made it a BIG deal, opened the box, pulled it out (and I was actually really impressed with the quality of the costume...for $12 (and $5 shipping) I expected a step up from two pieces of cloth sewn together with yarn)....and then we tried to put it on.  It's an over-the-head costume.  We pulled, we tugged, we strained...but we could NOT get the costume over his head.  Eli's whines turned to tears as we desperately tried to get his beloved Pooh Bear costume over his head.  When his large noggin finally popped through the collar of Pooh's shirt was up to his mouth.  Obviously, this costume was WAY too small for him.  I checked the tag and, sure enough, it said it was for 2-4 year olds.  Eli couldn't get it off fast enough.  He cried and cried as we tried pried his head back out and, moments short of having to lube him in vaseline for the extraction, his head popped out.  And that was it.  He was not longer going to be Pooh Bear.

He was now going to be Batman.

Like Owen.

(Lucky for us, Owen's Batman costume has a body suit AND an over-the-the-eyes mask, head piece and cape.  Owen does not want to wear the body suit, only the cape/eye mask/head piece...and Eli will wear the body suit, but does not want anything over his head following his Pooh Bear trauma...so there we go.  They will SPLIT the Batman costume.  I'm feeling very economical right about now!)

We later attempted to put Ella in the Pooh Bear costume 

and HER HEAD WOULDN'T FIT EITHER!!

She's 20 months old!!

So either all my kids have giant heads

 (which they do according to all their pediatrician visits)

OR this costume is not accurately sized.  

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!