Costume Quandary

Luz has been this way for all of her life and it is at times incredible frustrating and often utterly amusing -  she is always looking for the next big thing, constantly struggling with buyer's remorse, and frequently fishing for reassurance that she has made the right choice.  It can get exhausting, especially during the holidays when our mailbox is flooded with catalogs geared at her demographic, filled with costumes and toys and enough junk to complete a thousand wish lists.  

We encountered the classic struggle again this year - the great debate about which costume to pick.  She   labored over two flimsy magazines, dog eared multiple pages, circled A-list items, made check marks next to extra-special choices and question marks near the ones obviously intended for adults and completely inappropriate for seven year olds.  She hemmed and hawed and we discussed until I couldn't take it any longer.  And then, one Sunday afternoon we met friends and the costume store and there it was - a sweet little red riding hood outfit - and it called her name.  I loved it and agreed it was the right choice, a great choice, and even splurged on a poorly made and ridiculously over-priced basket.  I even agreed to purchase a pair of red canvas Toms to complete the outfit.  She was happy and starry eyed and couldn't wait to try it on.  When we got home she got dressed and it was perfect, for a day, and then the buyer's remorse kicked in and we have had to discuss the merits of her choice and the downsides to the other options - a witch would be hot, a mad scientist would be complicated,  a princess - nah, been there, done that - but I could hear it in her voice, she couldn't be sure that her choice was right.  I reassured and supported and praised and yet it just wasn't enough.  When it came time to put the costume on for the first of many Halloween-themed celebrations, little red riding hood didn't make the cut - instead, she transformed into a pop star (incidentally, a costume we have never discussed or considered) thanks to a variety of odds and ends in her dress up bin.  I didn't say a word - just smiled and said I thought she looked great.

James is much more easy-going - Anakin Skywalker - he has not looked back once and has worn this costume at least a dozen times:

Luz and James before we left for Ghosts in the Oaks at City Park:

Ghosts in the Oaks is worth checking out.  We usually go to Boo at the Zoo but it was sold out so we decided to check out Ghosts and the kids loved it.  It is a little crazier and more crowded than Boo at the Zoo but the bonus is that all of the rides are free with admission.  There is a trick or treating area, a big craft area, and plenty of fun things to do.