Are you ready for Halloween?

Many of my friends already know that I take Halloween costumes pretty seriously. And I'm not talking about those cheap costumes you buy from Wal-Mart, Target, or even the Halloween Store. I go all out and design and create my own costumes. I remember some of the costumes my mom used to make me and they always seemed to be my favorite. I will have to admit, there have only been 2 costumes that Zachary has worn that I did not make. But one of those years I made my costume instead.

Every year I take Zachary to a pumpkin patch and dress him in some cute little fall themed clothes and his costume and have a little photo session with him. This is Halloween 2007. I did not pick the costume. Zach's dad like's the "Flash". (I'm more of a Marvel fan myself) I really wanted him to be some really adorable little animals like a lion or an elephant, but this costume was a bit cheaper and was all I could really afford during this time. It's not bad, but it's definitely not my favorite costume and Zach's too young to really care about what he was that year, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I did mange to get some cute pictures though, and even though Zach is completely transfixed with the pumpkin, I really like this picture.

One of the simplest costumes I made for Zach was his "Dopey" costume in 2008. It was a simple, oversized green shirt with a big, yellow buttons sewn onto the front, a pair of blue sweatpants, a brown belt, and a "beanie" made of purple fleece. I thought Zach resembled Dopey without the costume, but with it I felt he was pretty spot on. I dressed as "Snow White" of course and I was planning on taking a picture of us in our costumes where I was kissing his little head. Unfortunately, I didn't get that picture. I really regret not taking it but I still managed to get some cute pictures of Zach. This one is my favorite picture from this year taken at the pumpkin patch.

In 2009 I really stepped up my costume game. I didn't make Zach's costume this year because I managed to find a really cute, well made costume from the Disney Store, but I couldn't find a costume for myself that I liked, so I made my own. Zach was "Woody" from the movie "Toy Story" and I was "Jessie". This costume was pretty simple as well, but I didn't have a sewing machine at this time, so I hand sewed everything myself. It was a white, long sleeved, button up shirt with yellow fabric sewn to the sleeves and around the chest area. I also added the red, thread detail that Jessie has on her shirt. The pants are regular denim pants and a sewed some cow print fabric to it to look like chaps. This was the first year we celebrated Halloween at Disneyland, and at this time it was still at Disneyland California Adventure. Zach doesn't like the scary side of Halloween, so Disney with all it's cuteness was prefect for him. Granted it was still dark, it was kid friendly as well as safe. Plus, they gave out Ghirardelli Chocolate with carmel centers (so delicious) as well as healthy snacks like apples and cranberry raisins.

Halloween 2010 was one of the hardest costumes I ever made for Zach. It was also the most expensive but I absolutely love the way it came out. Zach was completely obsessed with pirates, so he told me over and over he wants to be a pirate for Halloween. All the Halloween costumes in the store looked cheap and there was nothing that really stood out. So I made him his pirate costume. It's a long sleeve, white, button up shirt and I added some fringe on the sleeve. The vest is made from a brown cotton fabric with a bit of detailed print on it, and I added some gold detail around the edges as well as gold buttons. The pants are actually black baseball pants that I altered to fit him and added a gold button around the legs for detail. The shoes are actually covers I made of felt and a gold buckle. There is also a red cotton fabric wrapped around his waist and a black belt hanging on his shoulder to hold his sword. We also celebrated this Halloween at Disneyland as well, and this was the first year it was at Disneyland itself.

Halloween 2011 was a fun one. Zach was completely obsessed with the Disney/Pixar movie "UP" and asked me if he could be "Russell" for Halloween. I thought it was a great idea. I made him this costume and also made it for myself, my mom, my favorite little cousin, and my Aunt as well. We were all "WILDERNESS EXPLORERS". It was hard finding a yellow shirt that was the exact color I needed. (Go figure that when you need something you can never find it.) So I bought a white, short sleeved, button up shirt and dyed it the yellow I needed. Same with the hat. The brown sash is made of simple brown fabric, and all the patches are made from felt. The patch is also made from felt. Luckily I had a sewing machine this year, so making this patch was very easy. I also sewed and American flag on the right shoulder for an added detail. His shorts are simple brown shorts (that was also hard to find because shorts are hard to come by during this time of the year) and the shoes I found at Wal-Mart. Zach looked so adorable in his little costume. Majority of people who have never seen the movie thought he was a boy scout, but for the people who recognized what he was, they loved the costume.

This year for Halloween, I'm stepping up my game even more. This year we're going for a "Star Wars" theme. He's going to be "R2D2" and I am going to be "Princess Leia". Zach's costume is completely handmade, except the fact that I am using a mesh, round laundry basket for support. It's mostly made of duct tape and the top is actually a plastic pot for plants and flowers. I'm also doing something new this year by adding a bit of lighting to it for added detail. I also am making my costume as well. It's a simple white dress so it's nothing really to brag about. I am so excited for this year. I can't wait to go to Disneyland again and walk around with my little "R2D2". Zach's excited that he can wear his costume to school this year. I'm trying to convince my mom to dress as "C3PO" or "Chewbacca" but she won't do it. So I'm trying to think of other "Star Wars" themed costumes that she can dress up as so we can all match when we go trick or treating at Disneyland. I'm really hoping that Disneyland has the "Star Wars" area for pictures like they did last year. I'd think it would be so cool to take pictures in our costumes with "Storm Troopers".