Playing Dress Up

When my kids were little I used to LOVE making their costumes and getting them dressed up for Halloween.  Here are some of my favorite pics of my kiddies in dress up...

This one isn't from Halloween, but one night Dave and I went out and when we came home, this is what we found.  Everyone in tutus, including Jake!  This is the curse of having two sisters, and this is one of my favorite pics of all time!

One year we had the Wizard of Oz theme goin' on!  Jess as Dorothy, Shelby as the Wicked Witch, and Jake as the Lion! 

Here's a close up of the little witch...

And one of the lion...

I guess Dorothy was too cool for a close up that year!

Here are my girlies as a flower and bumble bee.  Jake was an infant that year and we dressed him up as a pumpkin.  He cried the whole time! 

I think I must have wanted three girls, because one day I just couldn't resist giving Jake piggy tails.  Hopefully I haven't traumatized him for all eternity.

Looking at this, there's a good chance I have.  My mom made a queen costume for Shelby one year and she wasn't around to try it on for a fitting.  Since Jake and Shel were about the same size, we used him as a mannequin.  What were we thinking?  He's even wearing the head piece!

Here it is on Shelby.  This picture is much less disturbing!

More girls in tutus! This time it's the cutest cousins, Jess and Janz!

This time they're "dressed up" to go to a play with Grandma Niecee.  Check out the leg pose.  Hilarious! 

This was Jessica's first Halloween.  She was almost a year old.  I was so excited to make her costume!  Jess was always a great sport, even at this young age.  She was always cooperative and adorable!

I'm beginning to think that Jessica had aspirations of becoming a prima ballerina!  Or maybe she just loved tutus!

This pic was actually taken at Christmastime.  Jake loved to sing "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" so for the family talent show we dressed him up as Mike Piazza, his favorite player, and used mascara to create a mustache.  He got up in front of the crowd, started to sing, and burst into tears!  What a stud!  The worst part was that the tears made his mustache run!  Not a good look!

My mom made this silly costume for Jake one year.  When someone would go to put candy in his basket, his hand would pop out and scare them.  Obviously grandma has a twisted side!

Jake used to dress up like a cowboy.  Daily!  He dreamed of being a cowboy!  He pretended he was a cowboy!  He walked, talked and dressed like a cowboy!  It was the cutest phase ever!

He even dressed like a cowboy when he was wearing PJs!  In case you can't tell, that's a gun in his right hand!

 Here's Jess, all dress up for a performance for the school choir!

Here are the boy cousins getting to smack a pumpkin pinata!

Girls don't smack, they pose!

This is Jake on "Clifford" day in kindergarten!  I love, adore and cherish this picture, and this boy!

This is Jess the year she was in beauty school.  Can you tell those beauty school girls are into makeup?  Big time!

That same year, Shelby was a bunny and Jake was Zorro!  And yes, he had a BIG sword!  And no, he didn't use it on Shel!

Jessica came home a couple of years ago at Halloweentime and the kids got out the old costume box.  Here's what they came up with out of that old box of memories...

 Is anyone shocked to see Jake with a weapon?  I didn't think so!

We've made some great "dress up" memories over the years, and we're looking forward to making more someday with our grandpunks!  If we ever get any grandpunks!  Did you hear that Todd and Jess?  We're ready for grandpunks whenever you are!