It was a multi-costume year for young Jacks. He had a Halloween party at school on Thursday, downtown trick or treating that evening, then his good friend BB's birthday party on Halloween night. So, of course, he had to have a separate costume for each event. Jacks really enjoys wearing hats and helmets and masks and such, as long as it's on his own terms. He doesn't ever do so well when he is dressed in a costume NOT of his own choosing. So, costume dressing was a little difficult this year. For school, he dressed as a pirate. I thought he would love this costume, but he was not the biggest fan. Also, he had to wear an entire sweat suit underneath his costume because it was so cold that day - a weird thing for Halloween in the south. It's always so tricky to choose a toddler costume, because most of them are fur from head to toe. This year, I should have just gone for the full fur suit, because planning for warm weather bit me in the butt this time!
Here is Jacks as a pirate (his mouth is full of candy as a bribe to get him to keep the hat on):
For Thursday night, he dressed as old school rapper DMC from Run DMC. It was a great idea because he already had an Adidas track suit that he is used to wearing. Add a gold Mardi Gras bead and a pork pie hat, there you go. Unfortunately, he wasn't so cool with the hat. He preferred to wear his Aubie baseball cap, which gave him more of a Beastie Boys look. Oh well. Either way, we look like crazy parents dressing our toddler like a rapper amongst the sea of dragons, bears, and tigers. Maybe we should have gone for something a little more traditional, especially when a reporter from the local paper asked for a quote about the downtown experience. I gave her one, then she asked for my name, Jacks's name, and what he was dressed as. Yes, we were published in the paper. Overall, the downtown experience was a blast. Jacks got a pumpkin painted on his face, and he was so patient and good while one of Joe's students painted it on. Then, he was so excited and grateful when she was done, and he never once tried to rub it off. By the time 7:00 rolled around, Jacks was a little wound up from too much candy, and he was trying to run full speed down College Street in the opposite direction from where we wanted him to go, which was toward the car. Several of the masks scared him a little, then he got very upset when he couldn't go shopping at J&M, his favorite store. We left the scene the way we usually leave fun events, kicking and screaming.
Here is Jacks as DMC:
Lastly, we love that BB's birthday falls so close to Halloween, which gives us something to do for Halloween night other than avoiding the crazies wandering the streets. A party at the Potter's house is always a treat. There are tons of kid friendly things to do, with a great yard to play in with no worries. Malee did a great job of providing plenty of delicious treats, and her mother made enough of her fabulous chili to feed an army (which Joe and I both showed our gratitude for by helping ourselves to two bowls each!). We had a great time, until Jacks realized that he was overtired, oversugared, and just plain done with Halloween. He told us this by having an ultimate hissy fit in the middle of the party. After all, he is only two years old. Sometimes, enough is enough. How much partying can you handle in 48 hours time? We left the party in a hurry, shoved Little Buddy in the tub to wash off the events of the past couple of days, then settled in for a relaxing weekend of rest and recuperation.
Oh yeah, and Jacks refused his other two costumes for the party, instead opting for his skunk costume from last year. It was a little snug, but he managed. Here he is in that get up (conveniently put on over his clothes from school - we were a little worn out ourselves):
Halloween is a great time, and it is still one of my favorite times of year. But, having a child can put a new perspective on things. Sometimes there is such a thing as too much candy. Costumes can be scary when it's dark out and there are people everywhere. And too many events paired with too much sugar can be a recipe for disaster. I'm sure things are only going to get harder in the future!!
Happy Halloween, friends. As for me, I'm so ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'll take turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie over candy bars and masks anytime! Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree?
Lots of love - K
Here is Jacks as a pirate (his mouth is full of candy as a bribe to get him to keep the hat on):
For Thursday night, he dressed as old school rapper DMC from Run DMC. It was a great idea because he already had an Adidas track suit that he is used to wearing. Add a gold Mardi Gras bead and a pork pie hat, there you go. Unfortunately, he wasn't so cool with the hat. He preferred to wear his Aubie baseball cap, which gave him more of a Beastie Boys look. Oh well. Either way, we look like crazy parents dressing our toddler like a rapper amongst the sea of dragons, bears, and tigers. Maybe we should have gone for something a little more traditional, especially when a reporter from the local paper asked for a quote about the downtown experience. I gave her one, then she asked for my name, Jacks's name, and what he was dressed as. Yes, we were published in the paper. Overall, the downtown experience was a blast. Jacks got a pumpkin painted on his face, and he was so patient and good while one of Joe's students painted it on. Then, he was so excited and grateful when she was done, and he never once tried to rub it off. By the time 7:00 rolled around, Jacks was a little wound up from too much candy, and he was trying to run full speed down College Street in the opposite direction from where we wanted him to go, which was toward the car. Several of the masks scared him a little, then he got very upset when he couldn't go shopping at J&M, his favorite store. We left the scene the way we usually leave fun events, kicking and screaming.Here is Jacks as DMC:
Lastly, we love that BB's birthday falls so close to Halloween, which gives us something to do for Halloween night other than avoiding the crazies wandering the streets. A party at the Potter's house is always a treat. There are tons of kid friendly things to do, with a great yard to play in with no worries. Malee did a great job of providing plenty of delicious treats, and her mother made enough of her fabulous chili to feed an army (which Joe and I both showed our gratitude for by helping ourselves to two bowls each!). We had a great time, until Jacks realized that he was overtired, oversugared, and just plain done with Halloween. He told us this by having an ultimate hissy fit in the middle of the party. After all, he is only two years old. Sometimes, enough is enough. How much partying can you handle in 48 hours time? We left the party in a hurry, shoved Little Buddy in the tub to wash off the events of the past couple of days, then settled in for a relaxing weekend of rest and recuperation.
Oh yeah, and Jacks refused his other two costumes for the party, instead opting for his skunk costume from last year. It was a little snug, but he managed. Here he is in that get up (conveniently put on over his clothes from school - we were a little worn out ourselves):
Halloween is a great time, and it is still one of my favorite times of year. But, having a child can put a new perspective on things. Sometimes there is such a thing as too much candy. Costumes can be scary when it's dark out and there are people everywhere. And too many events paired with too much sugar can be a recipe for disaster. I'm sure things are only going to get harder in the future!!
Happy Halloween, friends. As for me, I'm so ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'll take turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie over candy bars and masks anytime! Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree?
Lots of love - K
