In the Forest of Endor

Nathan doesn't really like dressing up or otherwise calling attention to himself, so he usually leaves things like planning Halloween to me. On Thursday afternoon it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know what we were wearing to our church Halloween Party that night, so he called me to find out.

Me: You'll see when you get home. You'll like it.
Him: Uh . . .
Me: Who knows you better than anyone else?
Him: You do.
Me: So trust me!
Him: Uh . . .

When he got home I surprised him with our very own little Ewok!


He reprised his role as Han Solo,

And I, of course, was Princess Leia. (Doesn't every girl want to be a princess?)

Since it was Star Wars he was waaaaaay okay with our costumes, but more than that, he was very impressed with the Ewok costume--he had no idea I was making it. I was immediately voted the Most Awesomest Wife in the Galaxy. I was secretly pleased that he was so excited about Annalee's costume because it took a lot of brain power and creativity. Just Google "Ewok Costume" and you'll see the sad-yet-noble attempts loving mothers have made throughout the years. I really wanted to avoid the Winnie-the-Pooh-meets-Salon-Floor-Clippings look. It all started with a $10 (30% off!) infant dog costume from Target.
This was a bunting-type costume, which means that it doesn't have legs, it just zips up like a mini sleeping bag. As I mentioned above, it was for an infant--the only size they carried--so the bunting bottom hit her in the knees. The first and MOST IMPORTANT thing I did was remove the offensive plush dog bone that was sewn to the stomach. (What? Why? Who knows?) Tavi quickly reduced it to fluffy shreds.

Then,I folded the long dog ears down and sewed them in place, and removed the stuffed feet.

Next, I cut out fat little leg holes (yes, Mike, she does need all of the room) and then sewed around the openings to keep the lining and fur together. I sewed on two snaps so that the costume would be diaper-change friendly.

After that, I sorted through my hope chest full of fabric (I "hope" I'll find a use for it all some day) and found some nifty brown flannel to make the head cover out of. I added a plastic bead necklace that I actually used to wear . . . um, well, they used to be cool when I was in college, and on Endor they're still the rage!

Finally, I had to figure out what to do about the feet. The material was pretty cheap, so I knew I needed to reinforce it somehow. And how would I attach them to the baby? The thought of doing anything with such a small piece of elastic gave me heartburn. I eventually settled on sewing a folded strip of cream fabric around the ankles and threaded some more through as a tie.

I was so thrilled at how well the costume turned out that I developed an Ewok Obsession. It was kind of like "If the Borg were in Star Wars they would be Ewoks. Ay-chawawa! You will be assimilated!" First, I turned on Annalee's stuffed bear.

Next, I thought, "I'll make a costume for Tavi! Then we'll all match! I'm brilliant!" This is what Tavi thought of my brilliant plan.

Laugh it up, Fuzz Ball. Six minutes later I finally got him to hold still long enough for a good picture. (Note the grip of death on his neck.)

Six seconds later the hood came off again, so Tavi won that arguement.

We went to the party and had a great time, even though we had to go late because of what time Nathan got off of work. We enjoyed some soup and rolls, and then went Trunk-or-Treating. (All of the candy was for her, we promise. We'll just save it for her for when she's two years old.) Annalee was a great sport about her costume. She only fussed when we were putting it on her, but she wore it the whole night without complaint!

How was your Halloween?