Halloween through the years...

I started to look back at some old pictures and as the discussion of our Halloween costumes is a hot topic around our house these days I took a little walk down memory lane. Of course what I need to do is print these and put them in a scrapbook...but here is a start. I don't have all of the years here, the first few years we did not have a digital camera and I need to go digging through some boxes to find the pics and scan them. So for the ones I have on hand, here goes:

2001

As you can see, Zoey was a SCARY WIZARD. My good friend Haven has a daughter about a year older than Zoey, and she is infinitely more creative with costumes than I. So for a few years I borrowed her daughter's "last year's" costume and away we went. Zoey is such a total Harry Potter fanatic that maybe this was responsible? Hmmm...

2002
I was 2 weeks away from delivering Avery,and I honestly don't remember what Zoey was...I have to look through the picture archives. I think Rob just walked her around our complex...it's all very fuzzy.

2003

Another beautiful "hand-me-down" costume from Haven...Zoey was a blond Snow White. Avery was a SCARY BUMBLEBEE complete with a "stinger" on her bottom. We went Trick-or-Treating at Mike and Annette's, and this started a tradition we have done every year since.

2004

This year we went very last minute and very "what we had on hand". Both of the girls were kind of a princess/fairy princess. We had some dress-up clothes (Zoey is wearing a Cinderella dress) combined with sparkly shoes, fairy crowns and wands and voila! I put a little lipgloss on the girls and with their rosy cheeks I think I have never seen a more beautiful sight. I'm expecting to see this when my life is flashing before my eyes.

2005

Not only were these costumes so meant to be, this has to be one of my favorite pictures of all time. We were in Target a few weeks before Halloween and these two costumes were hanging side by side. The angel costume was the right size for Zoey. The devil costume was the right size for Avery. They were both on sale. It was MEANT TO BE. Avery was at the time, very "spirited", "strong-willed", and all of the other words people use to describe a 2 year old child that is making her parents crazy. The day we brought them home they were so excited to put them on to show to Daddy when he got home from work, so they put them on and since they had done so I asked for a quick picture. Zoey's angelic smile and Avery's snarl were just too perfect, and so right on. Probably my favorite costumes of all time, and the angel costume had a new life for Avery years later.

2006

As you can see we don't deviate from the whole princess theme too much this year. The Barbie movies were the hot time around our house around this time, and everything Barbie was cool. So both of these costumes were dress up clothes from the latest addition to the Barbie movie family and we just added the pink boas and the crowns. We had such a fun year at Mike and Annette's this year, Annette dressed as a witch from head to toe and their house was decorated beautifully. This was the last year I could suggest a costume and they were okay with it, after this we have very serious ideas about what we wanted to be...and why.

2007

The Year of the Wig

This year both girls had very definite ideas about what they wanted to be. Zoey wanted to be Hannah Montana, which of course meant a big blonde wig (after all, doesn't Hannah wear a wig?) We bought a Bedazzler and ''bedazzled" her white jeans jacket and complete with a cool microphone she was Hannah. Avery wanted to be Ariel from the Disney movies and of course that required a bright red Ariel wig. Combined with her Ariel costume she had gotten the year before for Christmas we had a cool costume going on. I, however, had no idea what a pain in the rear the wigs would be! They would not stay on, they were itchy, scratchy, and just plain icky! I vowed that night that we would never do another costume that required a wig.

For any of us. I don't know...Rob looks like an aging Rocker...

2008

This year was a repeat of angel meets devil...but wait...our devil is...a LAWYER! Zoey was determined to dress as her future desired career, a lawyer. Avery was in Kindergarten, and at St. Paul's they do not celebrate Halloween, but instead dress as a Bible character on Halloween and have a fun parade. So Avery revived Zoey's angel costume from a few years back, and Zoey and I went to the GoodWill and got a dark suit...went to WalMart and got a shirt and tie, and went to Claire's for some fake glasses. Her Trick-or-Treat bucket was a laptop case donated by Auntie Lo...and there you have it...a Lawyer! Personalities are coming out, and I can't tell you how much fun it is for me to watch as a Mom. Just wait until you see what we have on tap for 2009...