Compromise

I love Halloween.  This isn't a popular stance for an Evangelical minister to take, I understand.  I don't love anything evil, but I do love the thought of dressing up and going trick-or-treating, or to carnivals and Harvest festivals at churches, or trunk-or-treating, or Halloween parties and all the creative decorating of the houses and neighborhoods.  It's just plain fun.  But I've never loved Halloween so much as I do now that I have kids.  I start dreaming of what they will be probably in the early summer.  It is fun having a boy and a girl 20 months apart because I can make them a "pair" or "couple costume".... at least for a couple years surely, right?  Well, nix that.  I got only one year for that.  When Abby was 14 months old and Andrew was 2 1/2, I was able to dress them as Mickey and Minnie (and they looked so cute, I might add.)  

I mistakenly thought I had one more year to pair them as something.

I was wrong.

They love the Charlie Brown movie we have, so I found the cutest Snoopy and Woodstock costumes.  Chapman said no.  I suggested that Andrew be a pirate and Abby his parrot.  Didn't want to.  Max and Ruby?  Pooh and Piglet?  Ketchup and Mustard?  Even the red and green Angry Birds?  Chaps said no.

Since he is only 3 1/2, I really, really wanted to make him a cute furry animal one more year.  Two years ago, he was The Cowardly Lion that was to-die-for-cute.  I fully realize that the years and years and years of Superhero and Disney Princess costumes are right around the corner and I would never get the chance to dress them as cute fuzzy/furry animals anymore.  So, I suggested Chappy be a skunk.  Nope.  A Panda Bear.  Nada.  A darling deer costume that I found... "You can be Bambi!" - (who he loves).  Wrong.  I even gave in a little and took away the "furriness" of the costume and suggested a cute soft dinosaur costume.  Sorry. 

I let him look online with me.

He thought about being an Angry Bird, and thought about being a Yellow Crayola Crayon (and then I could make Abby the Pink Crayon!!!), but then he decided against that.  He really only liked 3 costumes:  

1.)  The Grim Reaper

2.)  KISS (yes, the band)

3.)  The Dark Knight Batman (all black costume)

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?

This sensitive child is afraid of his own shadow, hates loud noises, and cries when other people cry.  After trying my best persuasion skills, I finally realized that his mind was set...the best thing I could do was to try to taper his idea.  Of course #1 and #2 were out.  But if he insisted on being a 3 year old Superhero (of which he has never even seen Batman), the least I could do is steer him away from the black Dark Knight one... I just find it a little inappropriate in light of the Aurora theatre shooting to dress up as The Dark Knight Batman months later.  Too soon.  But, there was the classic Batman costume from the 70's - the blue one with the yellow belt, that Chappy also loved.  So, there you have it.

But, since Abby is just starting to talk, I have one more year of deciding for her.  So she is a Wooly Lamb (that I love):

  

And my boy is Batman:

Won't they look cute together?  *big sigh*