Custom Costumes





Halloween 2009





Halloween is always a fun time at our house. Long time ago, well I say long time ago, for most 8 years isn't a long time, but for me it is.....Anyways, long time ago I made a promise to myself to always take the time and put the effort into making Halloween Special for the kids. And with that we always make our costumes homemade, no store bought getup's here! We have been anything from rodeo clowns, Indians, Mexican Cowboys, Witch, to many other crazy things!

The Mexican Cowboy Idea came from the nice Spanish couple that do the trick roping at the WRCA Finals......Colton found a Sombrero one summer and that is all he needed for the idea. I found a fitted jacket from the second hand store (girls fitted jacket, but he didn't need to know that). I hot glued gold trim all over it, and did the same to a pair of old jeans.....I so wish I had a Picture of this Outfit....

The Rodeo Clown, all little cowboy kids have been a rodeo clown....well Miss Fred found a picture in the Western Horseman Magazine of a Girl Rodeo Clown, lime green pig tails and hearts painted on her checks.....It was Love at first site......We pulled that outfit off last year. And once again I took that picture with my phone and have gotten a new phone since then....

That is just one reason for doing this blog...Saving the Memories!

Couple years ago Colton tried to pull the " I just want to be a Cowboy Mom" card on me.....that doesn't fly at our house. So after thinking about it and watching him pop his bullwhip one day the idea came to me....."The One Arm Bandit"....yes the famous rodeo act from right here in the Osage..... He had almost everything he needed but the hair do....I found a wig and it all came together... Yes he did kinda win the battle of " I just want to be a Cowboy Mom".....  




John Payne"The One Arm Bandit"



Colton's Look Alike

The same year Miss Fred wanted to be a Witch with a Big Nose.....well I think we got that covered too.

Along with the custom costumes we also have a Halloween Routine. Its kinda funny but we always go back to visit our old bosses or neighbors from all our travels and moves that life has taken us.....

Since the kids were little and started Trick-or-Treating we have always gone to the Jacques Ranch (our first ranch job, the place we got married and started our family.) We go to both Jim and Peggy's (Chris is waiting for his treat from Peggy every year...she makes him a bag of cookies so he wont eat all of the kid's candy)and Art-Joann's (Colton has known where her candy closet has been since he could walk)...Then it is up the hill to Papa Don and Mema Alice (not grandparents but all the kids call them Papa Don and Mema). Then its to Burbank.....JoAnn and Ruben Rowes house is a must...she makes the Very Best popcorn balls and of course to Grandma Minnie's (once again no Grandma to us, but it is old neighbor Harleigh Moore's Grandma) she always gives a full cans of pop!! And the last stop is to Janet and Gayle Fowler's....this always makes the night worth while for Chris when he can visit with Gayle about the latest horses he has straddled, and of course talk a few old stories..( Chris got his best horse Brownie from Gayle, which he raised).

Along with the few favorite door bells to ring, we always try and make it to Foraker's Hayride. Foraker is a tiny little town of about 8 houses....Everyone meets at the Church, load up on a couple flat bed trailers lined with hay and ride a mile down to the Reed Ranch....All the kiddos get goodies there then we load back up and head back into town. We make the other 7 stops before unloading back at the church for Chili and more candy!! This is always fun, parents get to relax and make fun of the high school kids who were brave enough to come up from shidler to get free candy.... and are hoping they will still be 'cool' in school tomorrow .....mind you none of them have on a costume and carry wal-mart sacks for their candy.....This just goes to prove that kids need to be kids and not to grow up too fast!!

So here we are.......Little Old Man and Little Old Lady....Arnt they CUTE!!

Well.... so here we are months later with just a picture of Fred... I took pictures of them both with Chelsea's camera... I cant ever remember to get them from her... So Im just going to post this for now and edit it later......