Sweet Babies - Screamapillar

You know, we parents have only one brief period where we can make kids REALLY do what we want. When they are small and maleable, and they are too small to give us crap yet...

It's such a fleeting time. Take advantage of it!! Use this time for making your kids dress up in adorable cuteness that they would NEVER agree to later in life.

Today, I'd like to share my dear Screamapillar's embarrassing costumes from her early childhood. I hope you will enjoy it.


Exhibit One: Tribble

You saw this photo briefly last week. I didn't do it justice. This lovely costume was made by gutting a giant stuffed monkey that appeared at my house mysteriously. I hated it. So I ripped it apart and made a tribble out of it. And made her wear it. Like the kid even knew what a tribble was. She still doesn't. So, yeah. The torture begins.

The next year, we tried "behaviour modification by osmosis." Dress her up like an angel, and perhaps?" Needless to say, that was a failed experiment. She is the most stubborn contrary child in the history of......of children. But she sure is cute.

This was back in the day before you could buy wings like that -- I made those using baling wire and old white toddler tights. And feathers, of course. They took absolutely forever, working from the outside to the inside, layering all the feathers.....If you don't believe me, ask to see my glue gun burn scars sometime...

Fast forward another year:

This was another "Stars of the Silver Screen" dress. And I made her wear it in public. In fact, she won the WalMart Halloween costume contest in this getup. It's made from some random red swimsuit fabric my sister gave me because really, who makes their own swimsuit anyway? The orange and green fabric was $1 a yard at WalMart, and the wristbands are Christmas trim. That's the amazing thing about Christmas: WalMart puts out all the Christmas trim in plenty of time for you to make Halloween costumes out of it. Very thoughtful of them, I must say. Got the plastic fruit uber-cheap at Zim's in Salt Lake City. Remember Zims? They had instructions and supplies for "panty hose art" from the seventies last time I was there. It was so retro it was painful.

After this, my opportunity seemed to be lost. The following year she insisted on being a princess. The next year a fairy princess. The next year a fairy godmother. Are you starting to see the trend, here? So parents, take advantage of the opportunity you have to dress your kids up YOUR way while they are little. It doesn't last long.

And I almost forgot: DON'T FORGET TO TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES. For blackmail. When they are almost 16 like that little girl you've been looking at for the last 5 minutes. And post them on your blog. And your Facebook page.

Lots of pictures.
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