The days of princess obsessions seems to have passed in our family — or at least morphed. (I mean, I guess Leia is a princess, so…)
So far I’ve been able to talk the girls into doing coordinating costumes each year, but I figured that convincing my pre-tween and headstrong kindergartener to match this year was a bust. So, before October even rolled around, I had given up that dream. I pep-talked myself into being okay with it (I mean, it had to end sometime, right?) by letting go of home-making their costumes, too. (I’ve made them each year so far as well, and although it’s fun, it’s also just another To Do on the list.)
So, store-bought costumes that the girls decide on independently: The upside? Way easier on my schedule. (I’m not a great seamstress, and it takes me foreverrrr.) The downside? They changed their minds ONE MILLION TIMES. Emma Vance, as you might guess, was less fickle than Cricket, who got a new costume idea at least half a dozen times this month, including Camille (mermaid-lover from Wellie Wishers), Layla (little red-head girl from Dragons: Rescue Riders), Marinette (from Miraculous) and Patricia (gymnast turned spy from Barbie: Spy Squad). Whew. I could hardly keep up with her!
Cricket seemed to have settled on Patricia by mid-October, but then we went to Disney and the girls walked through the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge section and fell in love.
I think it was perfect timing, really. The girls are slowly growing out of the phase of “cute” and “sweet” and into the phase of “cool” and “fierce.” Their role models are going from princesses to things like spies and superheroes and leaders. And I’m totally okay with that. Even without having seen Star Wars (sidenote: How old would you guys recommend they be before watching the movie?), their hearts and imaginations were captivated instantly.
I think this moment really sealed the deal for the girls’ costume choices this year:
Emma Vance (and Cricket, who refused to fight Kylo Ren but “used The Force” to push Darth Vader back) came away from Jedi Training at Disney with a sense of pride and strength. In her mind, she had ACTUALLY defeated the bad guy. And that was enough to inspire her. She knew who Rey was from a tv show, and Cricket quickly followed in suit, asking to be “Princess Leah” (haha). The best part? We already owned both costumes! (I had purchased them on sale a few years ago, and they were hanging, ignored, in the costume closet. YAY!)
Then both girls begged for light sabers, which I happily purchased since the costumes were free. (Don’t you dare hit me up with your cos-play objections, haha! Accuracy is way less important than smiling kids, okay?) And Cricket was really focused on getting her buns right. (You can take the girl out of the princess phase, but you can’t take the royal diva out of the girl.)
So, after all my mourning about coordinating costumes, my girls ended up themed all by themselves! I guess those apples didn’t fall too far from this tree after all…or whatever Star Wars reference you might come up with. ;)
PRO TIP: Take pictures of your kids dressed up for “big” events a day or two before they happen. It’s a win-win: You get nice pictures + the chance to make sure outfits work before the actual event; your kids get to be left alone + enjoy Nice, Laid-Back Mommy day-of (you know, the mommy who doesn’t run around stressed and begging/bribing/threatening her kids to smile for “just one more picture”). I swear it’s the secret to creating a better family vibe on important days — do the work in advance so that you get your memories AND can actually enjoy the big stuff in a relaxed manner.
Since we knew that Halloween was supposed to be rainy this year, we threw on our costumes and did a few snaps before dinner a couple days in advance, and everyone was happy! (Possibly because I bribed the girls with Chick-fil-A nuggets post-shoot for a job well done, but who’s counting?) So as we go into a thunderous evening tonight, I’m not stressed about not being able to capture my girls in their cute costumes — it’s already done! We can focus on figuring out how we’re going to get candy into their hands (i.e. the reason for the season).
