Transforming Ourselves

When I was a child, my mother made all of my costumes for Halloween each year.  In fact, not only did she make our costumes, but she and my dad also dressed up.

I watched them year after year transform themselves into sometimes magical -- and  -- sometimes frightful beings.  They won numerous costume contests -- dressed as a bumblebee, a vampire, half devil/half angel . . . there are too many costumes to list.

My mom wasn't a seamstress.  She just used her imagination and came up with creative ways to help me become whatever it was I wanted to be each year.

And so I've tried my best to carry on this wonderful tradition with Imani.  I've made her costumes most years. I apologize for the grainy texture of some of the photos. They had to be scanned in and didn't turn out so well.

She has been a ladybug,

a bunny rabbit (I drew whiskers on with eyeliner when we went out, but this picture was taken at her pre-school parade),

a firefighter,

a butterfly,

a pirate

The Cat in the Hat,

Harry Potter (she's showing her most bizarre item from trick or treating . . . a bag of instant mashed potatoes!)

Spongbob Squarepants,

and a Wild Thing (from "Where the Wild Things Are).

Imani's not the only one who's gotten some creative costumes for Halloween.  Like my parents, Jason and I tend to get in on the fun too.

Unfortunately for Jason, up until this year, I've been the one to select our costumes.

We've been Danny and Sandy from "Grease." 

Thing One and Thing Two from "A Cat in the Hat" (to go along with Imani's costume).

Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf (which unfortunately I don't have pictures of).

Cave People (probably my favorite costume so far)

Max and a Wild Thing from "Where the Wild Things Are" to go along with Imani's costume (Jason's least favorite costume).

And a crazy couple from the 70s, although technically this wasn't a Halloween costume.  It was a costume for a themed birthday party we attended, but I've included it because I love dressing up.



And this year?  Well, you'll just have to wait and see.  I will say that this is the first year Jason and I do not have costumes that "go together."  He had his heart set on being something and I had mine set on being something totally unrelated . . . so we went our separate ways for a year. 

But next year we will be back together again (we already know what we want to be) . . . and Jason decided that next year we will be SCARY!

Stay tuned for this year's fun!