Costumes

I really wanted Zephyr to be the kind of kid who dressed up. Around his third birthday, I cleaned out a big plastic tub and christened it The Dress Up Box. Things gradually began to accumulate- scarves, fairy wings, a feather boa and crown (from a garage sale, I swear!), a homemade cardboard Sir Topham Hatt hat. For a long time, it seemed that even though Zephyr had a fantastic imagination, he just wasn't going to be a dress-up kid. Then, the light bulb went off:

"I'm not a fairy," he insists. "I'm a queen."

Firefighter to the rescue.

A knight in reused armour. I don't think Nathan Small would mind.

One of many, many Batman costume incarnations.

I've posted this one before, but I couldn't resist a repeat.

The smushy nose got cut off the Batman mask to create a new look:
Catwoman

The little dangling bag was an important part of the look.
She had to have a place to put her loot.

Zephyr went through a very long Batman phase this year. We checked out every book the library had on Batman, and we all learned a good deal about the Dark Knight and his foes. Zephyr would swoop into a room and whisper, "Tell your friends....tell all your friends. Gotham is protected by Batman," then swoop back out. A month or two ago, we decided that for once, we would plan our Halloween costumes well in advance. Zephyr happily agreed to be Batman, Jon would be the Riddler, I would be Catwoman, and while we never quite figured out what Jubilee would be, we knew it would come together in plenty of time. I now own a catsuit (just ask my book club,) some sexy black heels with reinforced toes, and a mask. Jon has a kelly green bodysuit, and has started memorizing riddles to get into character. We hired a friend to make capes for the kids. We patted ourselves on the back- we usually start thinking about Halloween costumes on October 30th.

Do I even have to tell you? According to Zephyr, Batman is so last week. As creative as he is, a prefabricated hero or villain can only hold his attention for so long. I should have known. For Halloween this year, he is going to be...Coyote Boy.

Haven't heard of Coyote Boy? Let me fill you in on some details. When Coyote Boy eats someone or something, he leaves nothing behind. Not even the bones. His favorite things to eat are mice and twenty-year-olds. He is nocturnal, and he snores. When Zephyr is in Coyote Boy mode, he howls his pleases and thank yous. He might paw at your leg to get your attention. He quietly stalks in and out of rooms, never making an unnecessary noise. He often includes Wolf Girl as a sidekick in his adventures, when she isn't too busy insisting, "I'm Roo!" And you know how Superman is bullet proof? Well, Coyote Boy is everything proof. In case you're wondering if Coyote Boy is a superhero or a villain, here's his mission statement:

Jon is really good at finding opportunities to homeschool.

Last week, we sighed and gave up trying to talk Zephyr back into being Batman for Halloween. We asked for Coyote Boy costume specifics, and certainly photos will be forthcoming. (Jon was thinking Teen Wolf, but it's not exactly like that, either.) I'm still going to be Catwoman, Jon will be the Riddler, and Brita is sending a Super Girl costume for Jubilee.

And it's only October 18th.