Happy Halloween: A tale of the dragon and her almost-goat

Happy Halloween! I hope Sandy didn’t ruin your plans for tonight. Ours include handing out candy to the 150 kids who stop by every year and trying to put our girls to bed at their usual 7 p.m. bedtime. Exciting stuff!

Nora went as a dragon for her first Halloween. Actually she didn't go anywhere, but I managed to stuff her into the suit for photos. I've been coveting this dragon costume, which belongs to my nieces, and finally had a baby the right size to wear it. (In these photos you can see the shenanigans that go on around here when I get out my camera.)

Cricket's costume is another story...I asked her about a month ago what she wanted to be for Halloween, thinking she would have no idea what I was talking about and I'd get to choose something cute and easy.

"Goat," she said. I kept hoping a simpler demand would surface, but she stuck to that response each time I asked. There was no way my crafting skills could produce anything resembling a goat, but how could I say no to such a funny request? So I gave in and bought the only toddler-sized goat costume—and possibly the most expensive costume—on all the internet.

As we awaited its arrival, Cricket informed anyone who would listen that she was going to be a "goat costume" for Halloween. But I knew from the look on her face when we opened the box there was no way she would ever wear the costume. I don't know what she imagined when she asked to be a goat, but it certainly wasn't this creepy, full-body get-up.

Here is some documentation of our last attempt to coax her into the goat costume. First we lay the costume on the floor. She ignored it and ran around like a madwoman, flashlight in one hand, apple in the other. Then we asked her to point out her favorite features of the costume, of which there were several. Then she decided Nora should try on the hat. Nora thought the hat was pretty great, so we had a glimmer of hope. That hope was soon dashed. And in a final moment of refusal, Cricket sat down on top of the costume to eat a snack of string cheese and cereal.

Oh, well. We'll never forget the year Cricket refused to be a goat. Next year we'll find something less scary to wear. Now tell me, did you ever have to coax your kids into their costumes? Did anything work?