by Kelly J. Larson

Each October we attend a fall festival activity that starts off with a chili and cornbread dinner, carnival-style events, then caps off the night off with trunk or treating, the kids’ highlight.

My son, Isaac, age 6, begins asking in November how many days it is until the next Halloween. He gets very excited for dressing up and usually has several different costumes picked out. Last year on Halloween night, he went as a race car driver super hero.

This year for the church party, I planned a Toy Story theme for our family and it all turned out well.

Hannah as Jessie

I got Hannah’s Jessie costume for a bargain, but when it arrived, it looked cheap, as factory-made costumes often do. This is what I ordered online.

The picture looks so much better than it did in real life. The hat arrived all bent out of shape. The collar had wimpy surged edges. Big, fake buttons and red faux stitching trim stamped on looked lame and the cheesy 3-D belt buckle had to go.

I added big wooden buttons, got a seam ripper to remove the belt buckle, which was attached in two whip stitches.

I ordered a monogrammed belt buckle and belt on Amazon with an H for Hannah, rather than a J for Jessie so she could wear it in the future if she felt like it. She probably won’t, but I’m tempted to get one myself because I love it!

I sewed lace trim on the collar by hand, which made it look a million times better and did a bit of embroidery with red thread and gray thread to make the stitching look a bit more authentic.

I didn’t want to spend too much time on it, so I skipped the faux rope stitch portion, which didn’t look bad once I added a little depth with the gray and red stitching below it.

Hannah went to a youth dance recently that was country and western themed so I treated her to a beautiful pair of Lucchese boots — how convenient! I might have even picked out her Jessie costume based on having just purchased these new boots.

Honestly, Hannah would look amazingly in any costume, but she really brought the cuteness to our family in her Jessie getup.

Isaac kept calling her “Aunt Jessie” because I have an Aunt Jessie who died this past year and he’s heard me talk about her a lot. It was so endearing that I never corrected him. Speaking of Isaac…

Isaac as Woody

This family costume theme began with Woody when I spotted a super cute package at JCPenney in the right size for my first grader. Here’s an example, a much better quality and manufacturer than the Jessie costume. It had real buttons on the shirt, better fabrics and just overall style.

The only thing I changed was the belt. It actually came with a foam belt and holster. Once he played with it after the first try on, that was the last he saw of it because I didn’t want him to carry any gun around, toy or not. I’m not anti-gun either. I just don’t like the idea of my 6-year-old pretending to have one. I got him a nice looking belt with a Longhorn buckle and western belt.

Sheriff Woody has a special place in our family’s hearts because my sister’s husband Uncle Sean Gibbons, is a world famous boxing promoter who has a blinged out Woody as his travel companion. Woody has traveled the globe!

Needless to say, Uncle Sean Sean’s appreciation for Isaac’s costume was immense. Isaac represented Woody quite well! He wore hand-me-down boots from Logan Roberts that were slightly too big, but he didn’t seem to care.

The other Kelly as Buzz Lightyear

Not everyone’s husband would be willing to wear a purple hood and an inflatable plastic jetpack, red pants, shoes and a pair of lime green and white long cartoon gloves. It took a few minutes of convincing, but Kelly was a good sport and he looked quite cute, if you asked me.

Here is the accessory package I got on Amazon.

The red shoes have a St. Louis Cardinals logo on them which he doubts he will ever wear again, along with the red pants. Good thing I looked for the least expensive ones I could find. I have a feeling they’re both going to get some use here and there.

It seems like some of our least favorite football teams are in these colors, but the best holidays are too, so what the heck? Here is my good looking Buzz Lightyear.

He promised Isaac that he could have his accessories after our ward party and he kept his word. Isaac thought it was rather awesome.

Little Bo Peep

Being Bo Peep was fun, but I dropped the “little” for my introduction for obvious reasons. I decided to create my own ensemble using this costume as inspiration, but somehow never planned out shoes and at the last minute, grabbed a pair of comfy, funky slip-ons that looked kind of weird with it. No big deal.

I got a pink polka dotted dress.

And a white ruffled apron.

I got a white bonnet that I wasn’t crazy about it since it covers my face too much but didn’t want to mess with figuring out another option. Here’s a selfie on the way to the shindig, without my bonnet.

The staff was lightweight plastic and resembled an old person’s walking cane. I should have held it up to look like I was gathering sheep, instead of holding it like a walking stick. The only reason I’m bringing that up is to benefit anyone who may want to plan this costume idea.

It was a fun night with the kids and we enjoyed the time together with friends.

Family together time for our annual tradition is one of my favorite photo moments to look back on. They are such good memories for our kids too.

Thanks to Monica Lackey for taking our photos from my iPhone!