May the force be with you

Why are the bad guys always the most interesting? There is something about the "dark side" that draws you in even if you know it is dangerous.

At work on Thursday I ate lunch with 48 kindergarten and first grade students and I asked each one what they want to be for Halloween. There were the typical princesses and fairies for the girls and the famous athletes and superheroes for the boys. All that is fine.  Nothing wrong with it.  And, as a school principal, I have to be glad that we are not faced with blood, gore, and weapons  But I was hoping to hear something unique. Have someone make an "out of the box" choice that would be surprising.  For that, I didn't need to look any further than my own home.  Grace told me weeks ago that she wanted to be Darth Vader.  That was a surprise.  First, I wasn't even sure how she knew about Darth Vader since she hasn't seen Star Wars.  At least not that I know of. And, Darth Vader is a man. And he wears a mask which I really don't like on costumes - too hot, not allowed in school, can't see...you get my point.  So, I started searching the internet, Pinterest, and Etsy for "girl Darth Vader costumes" and I settled on this:

I love that it was "girly" and didn't have a mask.  It was "perfect" according to Grace who bounced around the house in delight when the costume arrived and she tried it for the first time. (It was cold and rainy when I took the photo above.  She really is happy with it. I promise!) When she came home from school and told me that that other kids said she can't be Darth Vader because she is a girl, Mama Bear came out and responded:  "Girls can be anything they want to be."  That should settle it.  If nothing else, I want her to grow up being strong and confident.

Tonight the Girl Darth Vader costume made its debut at the Cleveland Aquarium's "Hauntaquarium" - a Radio Disney-sponsored Halloween event.

We invited Grace's male BFF Noah to join us and they had a great time.  His mom joked that it was their first Sweetest Day date. Ha!  But maybe not too far from the truth.  They do have a special relationship.

Noah was dressed as a pirate.  See what I mean about the bad guys?  But, he didn't think a pirate was bad enough since he told me he wanted to be something bloody or undead but his mom wouldn't let him. Love her!

The kids had a great time viewing the aquarium before we went to the Radio Disney party where they had a mechanical shark to ride, face painting, crafts, music, games, someone making ballon animals, jugglers, a magician....you get the idea.  There was a lot to do and I drove home with two very tired kids asleep in the backseat!

BTW, I took all these photos with my iPhone, handy little thing.  I had the big camera with me, but keeping an eye on two 6-year olds - even two as good as Grace and Noah - is a lot.  It was dark in the aquarium and I needed to fuss with camera settings on the big camera which just wasn't possible.  Another reminder of why Grace is an only child!

For the last few years Kyle and I have dressed up to match Grace's Halloween choice - Swiper and Dora to her Boots (2009),

Grumpy and the Evil Queen to her Snow White (2010),

Shaggy and Velma to her Scooby-Do (2011),

and a family of vampires (2012).

For the first time since she could express and opinion, Grace didn't care if we dress up.  But, I work at a primary school so dressing up is part of the job.  So....when I had the choice of what to be did I choose the good Princess Leia or revert back to a favorite the Evil Queen from Snow White?

I told you...there is something intriguing about the dark side.