Benders and Boxes and Hobbits. . .oh my!

I spent the last couple of weeks chained to my sewing machine and have no one but my self to blame. It all started out so innocently, as it always does. Mark decided that the boys were finally old enough to watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so for several nights, all three of my boys were glued to the TV engrossed in the struggle to save Middle Earth.

Bryce didn't quite make it through all the movies, but Brandon really loved it. So, being the cool mom that I am, I suggested that the boys be hobbits for Halloween. Brandon immediately wanted to be Samwise (with whom he totally identifies as the true, if often overlooked, hero of the story) and Bryce wanted to be Frodo.

I was in the mood for a project and had a lot of fun researching costumes-- a simple cape, and some pants, and a vest. This was going to be quick, easy and cheap, how fun! But alas, as is usually the case with my sewing projects, it was none of those things. (Half-way through, I was ready to burn those cursed vests!) But, I must say, two weeks and a lot of frustration later, the costumes did turn out pretty cool! Plus the boys have discovered that the pants make good pjs and the capes are great for use as blankets (kind of like a snuggi but without the sleeves). So at least all my hard work will get more than one night's use.

Just as I was finishing the boys costumes, Natalie informed me that she wanted to be Katara from Avatar TV series. Since I had just spent weeks sewing, I was all ready to pay just about any amount of money to buy a Katara costume, only to discover that they were only available in kid sizes--go figure. So it was back to the sewing machine for me. And while the Katara outfit wasn't quite as detailed as the hobbits. I thought it still turned out pretty durn good.

But Emily wins the prize for my favorite costume this year, because, after all that sewing, she told me she wanted to be a box--and that she would make her costume herself. (She was box #2 and her friend was box #1.) The box wasn't quite a comfortable as she had imagined it to be, but it worked.

On Saturday, the costumes made their debuts at the ward Trunk-or-Treat, and judging by the amount of candy we brought home, they were all successful.

Hooray for Halloween.