Since this is (probably) the last year that we pretty much get to decide what they will both be for halloween, we went for Backhoe Loader (Dexter) and Helicopter (Desmo). Costume construction began on..... October 29. We're really dedicated to this particular holiday.
As with last year's Airplane costume, it all started with an empty diaper box.
Dennis is teaching the lab part of that bioreactor class at the Danforth Center again this year. He had class on Halloween night, so it was just me and the boys. It was an adventure.
Picked the boys up just before 5:00. We were going to Chili's for dinner, because tonight was 2 free kid meals with one adult entree purchase. Woot.
Except Desmond said no, he did not want to go to a restaurant. And he proved it by really fighting the whole thing, refusing to sit down in the high chair or in the booth, refusing to stay close to our table if I put him on the floor. He finally settled down and ate once the food got there, but it was a LOOOONG time before that happened, because they didn't even seat us for 10 minutes (no one in front of us & no big crowds for dinner at 5pm), then the server didn't come for another 10 minutes. I asked Dex if he wanted to go to a different restaurant, but he already had his heart set on his "popcorn" (corn on the cob), so we stayed.
THEN I took them to Krispy Kreme, where you get a free donut on halloween if you are in costume. Except Desmond wouldn't sit down in his carseat so we could go. THAT took another 10 minutes and screaming.
Did I mention you have to be in costume to get your free donut? So yeah, we get to the Krispy Kreme parking lot, get them out of the car, and put their costumes on. I took some pictures with the good camera, even though neither of them would stand still and barely even stood close to one another.
Desmond's helicopter blades kept falling off (See them on the ground behind him in that last photo?), and the shoulder straps weren't working very well, so the whole helicopter was pitched backward, which made it pretty hard to walk. We got to navigate through an outer and an inner door in those costumes. Waited (forEVER) for our turn and got our free donuts.
Took the costumes and jackets off to eat the donuts. (Can you imagine trying to eat donuts in those costumes? Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.
Dex had to use the potty at Krispy Kreme, which turned out not to be so terrible, since it gave all of us an opportunity to wash the donut off of our hands. A nice man helped me carry the costumes back outside, where Desmond refused to stay on the sidewalk and ran in front of a (slow-moving, but still there and moving) car.
Managed to get Dex strapped back into his car seat (who knew he would ever be the cooperative one?). Desmond climbed all over the car while I made parking lot repairs to the helicopter costume. Thankfully, I had brought clear packing tape just in case, and I used the hell out of it. I reinforced the blades and the armature and the headlight/spotlight (little flashlight) that was attached to the thing. The original goal was for the blades to be able to spin. But that just wasn't going to happen. So I opted for fixed, non-rotating blades over blades that rotated right off of the helicopter every 42 seconds.
While he was climbing all over the car, he found 2 suckers that were left over from some recent doctor and bank visits. He very kindly gave one to Dexter, but they were upset when I wouldn't let them have them, seeing as WE HAD JUST EATEN DONUTS and were about to go get more candy.
As I was buckling Desmond's carseat, I smelled poop. Awesome. So we got home, checked, and yes, he had poop. I changed him on the chest freezer in the garage. He didn't want to get up there, because he was playing with toys in the garage, and then he didn't want to get down - who knows why.
After THAT, we started putting the costumes back on to go trick-or-treating. Dexter was excited to wear his and put it right on. He then went to play with toys while I got Desmond into the helicopter. His shoulder straps were falling down while we were waiting at Krispy Kreme, so I had to tape those tighter, too, after I got the costume on him.
While I was trying to wrap 3 feet of packing tape around the shoulder straps of a moving Desmond, I hear "I fell down! I fell down! I fell down!" I finally realized Dexter had fallen and couldn't get back up because of the backhoe loader costume. It was pretty pitiful. So I went and helped him up.
Finally, everyone was ready, and I took a few more pictures with the good camera. Again, no one would stand still or together.
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| Dexter requested a switch to yellow construction helmet instead of the much more buff, white construction helmet. I think the goal was a better fit, but judging by how many times this one fell off, I'm not sure we came out ahead there. |
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| That construction helmet with a string taped to it is supposed to be his candy bucket. That didn't work out so well. |
I did that as quickly as I could, because by then it was after 7:00, and I was afraid people would start turning their lights off. So I said, "Let's go!" and Desmond cried "Off! Off! OFF!" Gah. So I went and got some scissors and cut the 3 feet of packing tape that I had so cleverly positioned to keep the costume on him. Got him out of it and taped that glowstick to his back so he would at least be somewhat visible. At least his sweatshirt had a crane on it, so, with a plastic construction hat, it almost looked like he was a very planned part of an overall "construction" theme.
It probably took 15 minutes just to walk to the first house. Desmond took a lot of detours and generally ran in every damn direction, to the point where I had to carry him against his will for a large part of the journey, stopping occasionally to pick up lost construction helmets, a fallen Dexter, another lost construction helmet, a lost candy bucket, and another lost construction helmet.
Right as we are finally approaching the first house, 2 cars of trick-or-treaters pull up and get out to walk up to the door. I'm sorry, but ARE YOU @#%$^&* KIDDING ME?! No one trick-or-treats on this street. That house probably hadn't had any trick-or-treaters for an hour, and these people pull up the same MINUTE we manage to get over there? I managed to be nice. One of the moms commented on Dex's costume (which was admittedly pretty cool with its headlights and brake lights). There wasn't room for everyone, so I told the boys they had to wait for their turn. Desmond took this to mean he should run around and crush the woman's plants.
The next house was across the street and a few down. It was a good one. Desmond was again being carried against his will, then decided he needed to play with their garage doors instead of walking with Dexter and me to the next house. So, yes, I had to go get him again.
At the third house, Dexter finally had his "Trick or Treat!" down (so cute!), and they gave him lots of candy. That house had a giant bowl full, and of course almost no one was trick-or-treating there, so they had plenty to spare.
I wish we could have tried for a few more houses on the cross streets, but I was done, and so were they, really. Desmond was happy but wildly misbehaving, and it was already 45 minutes after bath usually starts.
Got home, got everyone out of their costumes, told them they could have ONE piece of candy. Interestingly, they didn't fight that, though they each initially picked the "one" that was a treat bag with 3 mini candy bars in it, so I still had to repeat my instruction that they pick ONE.
Naturally, instead of getting in the bathtub, they started jumping on Dexter's bed. I finally got Dexter into the tub after probably 30 minutes of them running and screaming and jumping on the bed while I tried to keep my patience and cajole them into the (Orange! How fun! For Halloween!) bathtub. Dexter started crying and said he did not want that colored water. Fine. The water was cold by then anyway, since they wouldn't get into the tub, so I let him drain it and add new, clear, hot water.
When I went to get Desmond to put him into the tub by force (sensing a theme?), he pointed to the leftover pizza in the refrigerator and said Eat? Pizza? GAH! The kid really didn't eat a lot of his dinner. His whole nutrition for the evening was french fries, milk, and a donut. Not that pizza is so nutritious, but I did think he was legitimately hungry. So I let him sit on the kitchen floor and eat it. Except he would take a bite, run down the hallway, wait for us to look at him, then run back and take another bite. I finally said, "Last bite! Then we're getting in the bathtub with Dexter!" Somehow, that worked, and he got into the tub.
Bathed them quickly and got them out as quick as I could. That was probably 8:40? Cue more running around. Dexter wouldn't put on his underwear and pajamas. Desmond fought the diaper and the yeast cream. (Dealing with an interesting diaper rash - not very much improved in the last day or 2 & will be calling the doctor again tomorrow.) Then refused to choose pajamas, until I picked some for him, which of course broke his little heart. Dexter pointed to some digger PJs, and that sounded like a good idea to Desmond, so he picked those, then proceeded to run around the room and jump on his floor mattress.
Finally got Dexter into his clothes by threatening time out. The initial comment didn't work, but when I said I was counting to 10 and if he didn't have his pajamas on by 10, he would get time out, he brought them to me and asked me to help him put them on.
I started to put Desmond's shirt on, but he screamed bloody murder, gave me the pants and said, "Left foot!" (while holding out his right foot, so don't get too excited about that part.) Okaaaaay, we'll put the pants on first. Finally wrestle (literally, we *wrestle* their clothes on and off of them twice a day) the PJs on, get him in some socks, and say "book or night night?" Well, you know how Desmond is about night night, and it was 9:00. Poor kid had been rubbing his eyes since 7. He wanted to go straight to bed, so I let him.
This was a VERY distressing turn of events for (overtired) Dexter, who wanted to read Desmond's book in Desmond's room. I mean, very distressing - tears and hysterics for at least 10 minutes. Dennis came home about then and managed to distract him with some pictures on the phone. Then there was drama because Dexter didn't want Dennis around for books. Then there was drama because the book he wanted wasn't in the room. Dennis brought it to us, and that was OK for a while.
THEN he wouldn't put his books away. The same damn fight we have had every night for what, six months? A year? Lately, we've been making the connection:
Me: Dexter, what happens when you don't put your books away?
Dex: Mom puts them away.
Me: And how does that make you feel?
Dex: Sad.
Me: Do you want to feel sad?
Dex: No.
Me: So what do you need to do?
Dex: Put my books away.
And then he puts them away. That's worked for the last week or so, almost, but tonight it just wasn't happening. He wouldn't put the books away, laid on top of the books to prevent me from getting them to put them away, pretending to walk to the bookshelf and then walking away and holding on freakishly tight to the books and saying he did not want to put them away.
Naturally, when I did finally put them away, he was again distraught. Major hysterics again for another 10 minutes or more. Distracted him with a story I made up about a boy and a dog. Partway through, he put his head down on the bed, then cried "I don't want to lie down!"
Got him to sit in my lap with his head on my chest, but even after that he didn't want to get into his bed. It was 10:07 when I finally left the room with him asleep.
I was exhausted. I was exhausted at 7:00, more exhausted at 8:00, and now I'm dead. And I get to keep them both at home tomorrow! And Dennis has firefighting training tomorrow night! And Dennis teaches his class again Wednesday night! Somehow, we will all live through it.
If you made it to the end of this, you can have a piece of their Halloween candy. :)
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