Tirck or Treat

 I was both excited and relieved to finally have Halloween arrive. While I didn't really have to do much for our costumes I could have worked on them forever, perfecting along the way. We had wanted to try and be a bit more frugal this year when it came to costumes. Last year we totally went all out so this year I wanted to see how thrifty I could be. I love a challenge. 

 Duke's was the cutest little Chewbacca ever! He had a 100% original costume. It was so fun to create. All we did was lay Duke out and draw a star fish around him. I encased all of the seams so they wouldn't scratch him. The little guy grew however and we ended up having to rip open the arms and legs so he'd fit.

 For the bandoleer we used material that Jakob had left over from his costume last year. I painted some of it silver and TADA! It was perfect! The fabric cost me $8 with a coupon and everything else Mom and I had on hand. Loved it!

 For my costume Mom found a XL temple dress at D.I. for $12. She picked off the lace and removed the cuffs for me. I then painted some more of that fabric Jakob had from last year and made my belt. It was perfect. I was also fortunate enough to find white boots for $5, putting my total cost at $18. Woot Woot!

 Ethnie was an Ewok. One very sad Ewok (she missed her second nap). I was just thankful we got her IN her costume. She wanted nothing to do with the hat. (She's not a fan of cranial accessories.) But good golly she was cute!

 I bought the teddy bear costume and Mom had the brown fabric on hand. I also made her a spear from Mom's tree and left over strings and things putting E's costume at $20. She was just darling.

 

Jakob was Han Solo.  He has been growing his hair out since April to fill this roll. Jakob had a little girl run up to him while they were trick-or-treating and she said "I know exactly who you are!" Jakob smiled and asked who. She replied with "Jack Sparrow." I had to laugh since he looked NOTHING like Captain Jack. We felt a little old and could feel the generation gap. Most of the children had no clue who we were. Too funny. 

 Jakob blew the budget on his costume purchasing the vest, shirt and boots. I got the pants for $5 and stitched the stripes down the side. I also made the holster from scratch. It was a mental work out but I was very pleased with the final outcome. 

Daddy and his little Ewok.

Gramma & Grampa broke away from their traditional costumes and went as a Doctor and a Nurse. Mom wore Gramma Palmers nursing cape, dress and cap. It was very neat to imagine Gramma all dressed up ready for work once upon a time. Dad looked mighty official with his rubber gloves and hot water bottle. They were adorable.

This is Roseanne, Mom and Dad's next door neighbor. I love her to pieces. She is so wonderful with the kids and she makes me laugh. I was so glad that she came over to enjoy Halloween with us.

Since Ethnie missed her nap she wasn't very excited about going to strangers houses. Jakob took her to one house and she got her treat. After that she just stayed by the fire and played with Grampa. She did however discover where the chocolate was that we were handing out. At first she would ask Grampa to open them for her and he'd give her a bite and eat the rest. It wasn't long before she figured out how to open them herself. It was pretty funny to see this little bear sneak up and swipe a handful of chocolate.

Gramma looking like a nurse cradling a tired Duke.

After loading up on a crazy amount of chocolate Ethnie was full of energy running up and down the entry way shouting "BYYYE" and closing the front door. I was glad she was having so much fun. She was so tired by the end of it all that she fell asleep in the car on the way home.

It was a fun and happy Halloween! We had such a wonderful time with Mom, Dad and Roseanne. Trick or Treat!