Dressing up

I finally bought the kids their Halloween costumes. I say "finally" because apparently I'm about a month late. The ladybug costume I wanted to get for Sage was, the saleswoman told me, sold out both in the stores and on-line the first week. That would've been sometime in August! Bad Mommy for not planning two months in advance.

They are now completely obsessed with them. They want to wear them every waking moment. It is making me absolutely nuts. Because, eerily, Sawyer's personality changes. He doesn't start walking around brandishing a knife or anything, but he has this seemingly insatiable desire to tackle Sage. Or lean on her. Or push her. Luckily, she's no shrinking flamingo. She shoves him right back. But I'm about to go buy myself a referee costume. They're wearing me out! And there's still over a month to go.

Sage also saw an old bumblebee costume hanging in Sawyer's closet this morning. I bought it for $3.99 on eBay for him to wear for his first Halloween. But David decided it was too girly and I had to run out last-minute and buy a manly race car driver outfit for my macho 10 month-old.

Anyway, Sage saw the bee, starting shouting, appropriately, "BEEEE! MEEEEE!" and so I got it down and she's worn it twice already today (except for when she spilled water on it during lunch and said "No bee" and started pulling it off).

Sawyer's spider costume emboldens him to attempt gravity-defying feats, like climbing up the outside of our staircase on his "web." Luckily, he's really not a climber, so he has no problem obeying the "Don't you go one step higher!" order issued by his freaked-out mom.


Last year, the kids wore their costumes for a total of about three hours. This year, they surpassed that the first day. I have to say I'm proud of myself for allowing them to not only wear them, but to roll around on my dog-hair embedded rugs, to visit the neighbors, to even eat meals in them (with a towel wrapped protectively around their puffed out striped and be-webbed bellies).

There is a part of me that wanted to shout, "BUT WAIT! THOSE ARE FOR HALLOWEEN!" I stifled it. Maybe it's the sight of Sage's flamingo tail waddling as she walks. Or Sawyer coming up with all kinds of Spider Boy adventures (he's a friendly spider, by the way, not a scary one). I have, however, made them promise they will not grow even half an inch before the Big Day: Sawyer already has the makings of a royal wedgie in his costume.

Even if the spider loses a leg or the flamingo gets milk stains on it, it will not spoil the excitement of Halloween for them. Joy is something my kids have in abundance.