For the first time, we did a family costume! It was so incredibly fun to have a family project. The boys and I had read The Wizard of Oz as a part of our morning chapter book couch time (it was…unexpectedly dark and scary. And so different from the movie!) Then we watched the movie. They became obsessed with all the songs and wanted to rewatch the song and dance numbers over and over.
We had discussed doing a family costume and they were firm: we would be the Wizard of Oz! Mike would be the Scarecrow, despite his PhD-quality brains. Gabe the Tinman, despite his huge heart. Theo the Cowardly, despite being more courageous than any of us. The irony. 🙂
It was a giant family project that took a month and was really fun.
To be totally honest, I think expecting to have a new baby last Halloween (Clare was due September 2nd) and then again this Halloween made me want to kind of go all in. I just…wanted to have FUN instead of thinking about who we were missing and how we didn’t seem like a complete family. So, family project ahoy!
Our Costumes
Dorothy (I sewed instead of glued mine): T-shirt, basket, and shoes from the thrift store, fabric, elastic, glitter, and Modge Podge from Jo-Anns.
Scarecrow: Pants and shirt thrifted, raffia and felt (for hat) from Jo-Anns.
Tinman (we spray painted cereal boxes instead of getting dryer ducts to save a little money and weight): Spray paint and funnel from Target. Cardboard, cereal boxes from the recycling bin. Old shoes spray painted.
Cowardly Lion: Once Upon a Child! I figured a lion is a super common kid costume and easy to find and I was right. $8 for two costumes (the body came without a head, and the head came on a costume for a 12 month old, ha) Face paint was my eyeliner.
The most fun was how delighted everyone was. It was like being a super popular person – walking down the street and having everyone gasp, “Oh! Look at them! It’s the scarecrow! And the tinman! And Dorothy! And the LION!!!” Even the homeless folks downtown were stopping us to tell us they loved our costumes. They aren’t even amazing costumes! They are hot glued and my dress looks like an apron and is the wrong fabric!
But it was fun to feel so celebrated for a night. I think the ubiquity of the Wizard of Oz is what made it fun – 2 year olds and 80 year olds alike knew who we were and would get excited when they saw us. A few little girls waved and yelped “Hi, Dorothy!!” And again, I didn’t even look that much like her! I can’t imagine how it feels to be a princess at Disneyworld. 🙂
Past Halloweens
I can’t seem to find 2011 or 2013, or their real costumes from 2014. I want to print them all out and put them out in frames every Halloween! I think that would be fun to look at and remember.
