Halloween 2009

[Audrey and her pumpkin. Take a look at this face, because you might not recognize it later]

Halloween. Where minors dress up in make believe lives and go knock on their neighbors doors for candy. If children wanted to do this at any other point of the year, they would have the cops called on them.

Our story for this Halloween starts last year.

I was sitting in the car of the Outback Steakhouse. I received a photo of my step-daughter [the first born of my ex-wife]. It was awful. She was wearing a store bought costume that was too small over a regular outfit. You can tell in the photo that she was uncomfortable, embarrassed, and pissed off that she left her costume in the hands of her unwilling and unengaged father. I have a pet name for her father, Summer's Eve. His name for now on is Summer's Eve, or Summer for short. Why do you ask? Because he is a douche bag!

Moving on. I showed the photo to my wife. In the back seat of our car we had a very sleepy Audrey in her homemade hippie outfit. Jenn made a commitment to my step-daughter that she would make her costume next year.

All through the summer the Kids would check in and give their ideas to Jenn. I want to be this, I want to be that. It wasn't until late August that the Kids decided on a good witch and a bad witch. Jenn and her brain started to work. Audrey was going to be the bad witch. Black and Green were going to be her colors. Orange and White were the other colors for the Step-Daughter.

Jenn worked tirelessly since October. Finding materials as she went looking for baby things. Consulting her mother and my mother for ideas on how to make a skirt, a top, ways to make it pretty, ways to make it ugly.

It wasn't until mid September that the fabric sheers came out and construction began. Jenn fit in her sewing time between cleaning, laundry, baby feeding, and many times giving up much needed rest. There was a time where Jenn was getting frustrated with her progress when Audrey would come over and tell her how excited Katelyn was getting that Jenn was making her costume too.

The pressure that Jenn put on herself to make sure not only Audrey and Addison had a good Halloween, but that Katelyn who is just as much a part of our lives as anyone, also had a good costume.

The Thursday before Halloween, Jenn stayed up late to finish the costumes. She gave up much needed rest, again, but this time would be the last for the costumes.

They came together great, and so I made preparations to make sure both girls could be at the house on Halloween for a final fitting and last minute adjustments.

The morning of Halloween Audrey was excited. She was looking forward to Trick-or-Treat time seeing as the day before she wore her costume to school for her Halloween party and she got great reveiws, and she also had a badge of honor, having been the only child in the school to have a hand made costume.

Katelyn and Audrey played all day, but they were just counting down until Trick-or-Treat.

I ran into work for a Hail Mary pass to hit my goal at work. Too bad the Hail Mary pass was thrown to Braylon Edwards and the game was lost, but I had plenty of other things that needed to be done.

I had to get these girls ready to go.

I stopped by my Grandmother's house to get our clown make-up.

Side Story: When I was younger and more involved with my church, we had a clown troupe that went to nursing homes and schools to make people laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. I will try and find photos and post them later.

S0 having done make-up in the past, I decided that store bought throw away make-up was not good enough. I was prepared to use it, but I remembered the make-up bag my Grandma had.

So as Jenn started hair for Katelyn, I started make-up for Audrey. I am not much of a glamor make-up artist, I am more of a character make-up artist.

[Hair Curling by Jenn]

[Audrey after the first hour of make-up by Me]

Audrey was a champ. By the time I was her age I was a pro at getting make-up applied, but this was the first time she had had her face painted with the intensity I was throwing at her. She looked tired and haggard because it is tough holding still that long to get a base coat of green on, all for the bad witch effect.

Audrey was not really excited about the process. She was really happy with the result of the hard work and sometimes pain she had to endure. About 90 minutes later, Katelyn's hair and make-up were done, and so was Audrey's. They suited up for the war that is Trick-or-Treating, and their Mom and Step-Father came over to join in the trick or treating fun, along with their other sister.

[L-R: Katelyn, Audrey, Makayla]

Addison's costume was not as intense as Audrey's, but she was there mainly for support and show, than for actual Trick-or-Treating.

[Addison and Me]

[Her Halloween Sleeper]

[Enjoying an evening in costume]

So after Trick-or-Treating, Audrey, Jenn, and I got separated for the rest of the pack. So we stood at the end of the street waiting for them to meet back up. Everyone was getting pictures of Audrey and her witches stare, and they all wanted her to smile.

I sent them a reply with this photo and a caption.

[Bad Witches don't smile]

In the end, we spent more money making costumes than it would have been to just buy them. I just looked it up. These costumes would have cost us $14.95 ech had be bought them. Instead we spent over $50.00 or so making these, not counting the make-up which cost easily $30 bucks because of the high quality stage make-up we used.

Who needs to save on looking good. Not my kids!