Thursday, October 24, 2013

Great Lengths

One Halloween I went to great lengths to get my daughter the out of the ordinary costume she wanted.

It was Halloween 2005 and my oldest daughter was three.  It was the first time she was really able to understand the concept of the "holiday," decide for herself what costume she wanted, and articulate those wishes.

The first time someone asked her in that sing-song voice people often use to speak to children, "And what are you going to be for Halloween?" she responded clearly and emphatically.  "A frog," she answered.  

I really have no clue where she got the idea.  Perhaps it was a precursor to her love of animals that is so very prevalent now.  Perhaps it was just something she had seen on TV or read in a book.  I was certain, however, that when the question was asked again, she would reply with some new, imaginative answer.  I was wrong.

For at least two weeks, she gave the same answer every time someone asked the question.  She obviously had her heart set on dressing up as a frog for Halloween.  I was impressed by her commitment and imagination.  Since my degree was in child development, I analyzed her thought processes and dissected her communication skills.   I was one proud mama and I was determined that she would have that frog costume.

(I should interject here that I am NOT crafty at all.  If a frog costume was to be had, it would have to be purchased - not creatively made by me.  I should also state that, as a young mother, I had no idea how ridiculously difficult it would be to find a stinking frog costume!!!)

We were living in Nashville at the time and, over the course of the next week or so, we scoured the city for the elusive costume.  I searched online.  Then, we visited store after store after store.  Finally, we found an adorable frog costume and happily (well, a little begrudgingly but mostly happily)  shelled out a whopping $50 for it.

Was it worth it??  You be the judge.




I think she made just about the cutest little froggy anyone has ever seen.  (Yes, I am a bit biased, I know.)  After all that searching, her little sister got stuck with the hand-me-down, generic, fuzzy jack-o-lantern costume, but she was pretty dang cute, too, huh??

That little frog is now an eleven year old vegetarian who loves animals immensely and plans to be a zoologist when she grows up.  

Back then, I/we went to great lengths to find the perfect costume and make our little girl happy.  As I've traveled through motherhood, I've realized that I cannot always make them happy.  Sometimes, what is best for them is not what makes them happy (or what they think will make them happy).  However, I will always go to great lengths to give them everything they need - physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually.  I will go to great lengths to keep them safe and to teach them what they need to be successful.  I will go to great lengths - to the end of the earth, if necessary - to make sure they know they are loved.  Luckily for me, though, sometimes all it takes is a really cute costume. 
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Just for kicks, here's what they looked like last year.  Obviously, the frog grew up and turned into a witch who highly dislikes having her picture taken.  The little pumpkin turned into a butterfly and we added a princess to the family, too! :-)

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Here's to hoping that you and all of your little trick-or-treaters find just the right costumes this year! 


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This post was written as part of Finish The Sentence Friday  and the prompt was "One Halloween I..."   FTSF is hosted by some wonderful blogging ladies.  Please give them a visit and check out all the other blogs that participate as well!



Janine's Confessions of A Mommyaholic

52 comments:

Sarah @ LeftBrainBuddha said...

Oh I LOVE that attitude on that witch! that is fantastic! And I totally would have paid $50 for that frog costume ~ it's beautiful! And you're right, we can't always give our kids everything they want, so it's okay to splurge once in a while!

Janine Huldie said...

Your girls are adorable and I loved that frog costume. You seriously had me shedding a few tears over this story and so true we go to great lengths to make our kids happy and can so relate!! Happy early Halloween!!

Richard Rumple said...

Boy, the oldest really doesn't like having her picture taken, does she? Maybe she had just looked at the old frog photo and couldn't understand how you'd do that to her! lol Beautiful children and good post!

Kenya G. Johnson said...

So cute. I'm glad you had time to find the perfect frog. The last picture tickled me. So did you keep the frog costume as a keepsake?

Kristi - Finding Ninee said...

Love it! Your oldest daughter's expression in the group photo is priceless and yeah, I, too, would have paid $50 for the frog costume because I love Halloween, and seeing the adorableness that ensued from finding the perfect frog costume seems so completely worth it! Also cheers to you for knowing your limitations in being crafty - I am horrible at that stuff!

The Dose of Reality said...

Totally, totally worth it!!! My son was a frog once, too!!! Omg...I absolutely love that everyone is so happy and she looked so annoyed at having her picture taken last year. Hahahahahahaha. Photos like this are my favorite things EVER. She is going to love looking at that photo in about 10 years! :) --Lisa


Ps. And you're so right. We can't always make them happy...but I'm glad you were able to come through with the frog costume that year!! :)

Tamara Bowman said...

Yes, it was worth it! She's a beautiful witch too. Last year Scarlet decided she wanted to be a sunflower. I was all, "Huh? Does that exist for buying? I'm not making that!" Luckily it does exist! This year she's Sofia the First princess and I'm going to great lengths to have Des be Sofia's bunny friend, Clover. Hop hop hop!

Tina Ashburn said...

This is a great story! I'm glad you learned once the little frog knew what she was going to be, the decision was final!! And I'm glad you were able to find the frog costume for her! The photos are priceless! She LOVED being a frog!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Absolutely! The frog costume was worth it and I hope this year's costumes will be worth the money we dropped on them! :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Janine! Happy Halloween to you too!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Richard! She really hates having her picture taken. That what pretty much every picture I have of her fro the last 3 years looks like! Someday she'll regret it, but she doesn't get that now~

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

We kept it for several years and my middle daughter (the jack-o-lantern/butterfly) actually wore it when she was 2, so we got out money's worth. A few years ago, we donated it to a children's drive that was collecting costumes for kids who couldn't afford them. All of mine had outgrown it by then and we figured it was time to let it bring joy to someone else. :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

I definitely know my limitations! :-) Once we found it, we didn't hesitate to buy it even though it was expensive. Totally worth it. Just looking back at that picture made me smile!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Ha! We keep telling her that "when you are a mom and want to show pictures of your childhood to your kids you are going to regret looking so sour in all of them!" She doesn't get it. almost every picture I have of her from the last 3 years looks like that (unless I was able to sneak one without her knowing!).

Kenya G. Johnson said...

How sweet. I love that you did that!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Oh, that will be absolutely adorable!! My youngest actually wanted to be Sofia this year, too, but she 6 and we couldn't find a Sofia costume that went bigger than a 5T. Guess it's considered a thing for younger kids. Anyway, she found a purple sparkle with outfit she liked. My middle is a cupcake clown and the oldest want to be a Greek Goddess.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

She did love being a frog. It is so interesting to look back not hat and see how much she loves animals now. :-)

Chris Carter said...

Oh what a wonderful post Lisa!!! I love every bit of it- the pictures, the search for the costume, the beautiful message...
But I gotta tell you- that last picture of your dear sweet frog lovin' daughter is PRICELESS!!! BRAVO for capturing it on film!! LOL ;)

southmainmuse said...

I love this post. Yes -- we do feel like we have to give them the perfect costume but sometimes the best things is to say this year come up with an idea and we'll make it. Not having the ideal one.

Karen said...

OMG...what beautiful memories. I can't stop laughing at that scowl on he rface, imagine how unhappy she will be when you share it with future dates? LOL

Stephanie Sprenger said...

Those pictures made me giggle with glee! The costume was SO worth it, as were the lengths you went to to make sure your children know how much they are loved. I love what you did with this post- the layer you added about great lengths was perfect. And the sullen witch cracked me up!

Dana said...

I love the face on your oldest in that last photo - priceless! My son was a frog when he was two; it's one of my favorite costumes. I stumbled on it at Old Navy. I used to make costumes - Martha Stewart I am not.

Chris HyeThymeCafe said...

See, now when opening with a frog, you should have closed with "Here's to hopping..." ;)

Kelly McKenzie said...

My $2.00 worth: That Frog costume was worth every penny! So cute.
I, too, did not get the sewing gene. My two darlings either wore hand-crafted-by-someone-else hand me down costumes or charming numbers invariably purchased at Costco. They also knew their own minds from a very early age and were always a part of the choosing. Henry, my 18 year old (how did that happen?) denies he dressed up as a "pretty girl" one year. Happily I have proof in photos.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks! Someday, she'll look back on those pictures and laugh, right?

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks so much!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

It wasn't funny at the time, but now it makes me laugh!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks Stephanie! That witch picture cracks me up too (now)!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Oh, I am certainly not Martha Stewart! I don't even attempt to make them. :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Ha! :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

:-) It was totally worth it!

Skew the Jen Mold said...

This is awesome! And omg, the frog costume!!! So so cute! I love her look in the recent pic, I know I am only weeks away from my own turning on me and the camera. It is destiny is it not?

Roshni Aamom said...

Wow! $50 for the frog costume!! She does look darn cute in it though!

Her Mommyness said...

Totally worth the 50 bucks! Loved the sulk after the frog grew up into a witch :)

KatiaDBE said...

Totally worth it, Lisa! Her expression on that photo? I'd say she almost looks proud, doesn't she? And I'm not crafty at all either. Would have totally done the same.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Unfortunately, I think it is. I guess posing for a photo just isn't cool at some point. :(

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

She did look cute! :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Sadly, that is a common expression these days.

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

She was a proud little frog! She loved it and I would do it all over again!

Jodi @the noise of boys said...

Absolutely worth it! Adorable frog and I love addition of the the current photo with the updates on who turned in to who!
Oh and look what I came across! :-)

Eli J. Pacheco said...

Awesome story. As parents, we know when to go all out, and when to teach acceptance of circumstances. Know who knows that better than anyone? Right - we do. Not anyone else. So I'm glad you shelled out the $50. Good one, mom!

Dana said...

Megan's my kind of girl - brownies and ice cream for supper, math, and corny jokes - love them! You better sell lots of books if you want to buy her that pony for her birthday, Lisa!

Tamara Bowman said...

Math and winter? Not my things. Ice cream and brownies for dinner? Totally my thing! Nine-year-olds sound fun. I can't wait to have one. I remember when I did school photography and babysitting, I always loved eight and nine-year-olds best.

Janine Huldie said...

Math, yes. Winter, so not my thing! Seriously, this was so cute and reminded me when I was a kid, I love playing school. Sounds like you might have a future teacher on your hands!! :)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Ha! She takes horseback riding lessons - that's about as close to having a pony as she's going to get!

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

She's something! She is my super energetic and quirky middle child. :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

She says she want to be a teacher when she grows up. She is certainly getting a lot of practice! :-)

Martha said...

I love it! And I especially love the photo with that bunny!

The Dose of Reality said...

I would not mind being at Megan's dinner party at all!! She's my kind of girl! :) She is ADORABLE!!! --Lisa

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

She is definitely an animal lover, just like my oldest! :-)

Lisa @ The Golden Spoons said...

Thanks! I would mind that dinner either, but my hips would disagree! :-)

Ashley Linder said...

She is so precious!

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