Holy Halloween Batman!

"Some matches are made in heaven, but ours was made on Halloween!" 

So went the line from the slide show at our wedding. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Shin and I LOVE Halloween!

Needless to say Kio's first Halloween was a much anticipated event in our household. So much so, that at this time last year, his costume had already been decided.

Nana nana nana nana, nana nana nana nana...

Batman!

With Kio's costume as the starting point, the rest of the Hirano clan jumped on the Caped Crusader bandwagon and a Bat-er-ific Halloween was had by all.

Starring Daddy as the schizophrenic supervillain: Two Face!

And mommy as the original eco-terrorist: Poison Ivy!

Of course someone has to keep these wily criminals in line - baby Kio...I mean baby Batman to the rescue!

Although I hadn't used a sewing machine since seventh grade home-economics, I was determined to make Kio's costume by myself. I have to say that I'm rather proud of the end product! Although, maneuvering around all the points in the Batman emblem probably shouldn't have been the first task that I took on. 

My patience was certainly tried on more than one occasion. 

Of course no Batman costume is complete without a cape and cowl. 

Which he didn't mind wearing until I tied it up.

Once Kio's costume was good to go, Shin asked me to make the jacket for his Two Face costume. This involved sewing half a jacket and then attaching it to one of his regular suit jackets. As you can see from the shoulder seam that starts somewhere around his elbow, my seventh grade sewing skills still need some work. But the idea is certainly there.

So you all must be wondering, what fabulous event did the Hirano family attend once they were all decked out in their superhero / supervillain finery? 

Ummm, none.

We got dressed up, took pictures, ate Halloween cake and then I hurriedly peeled off the leaves that I had glued onto my face, and went to work. 

Of course Shin had his yearly Halloween bash at his bar last Saturday.

And Kio attended the kids' Halloween party I planned at work.

But dressing up as a family was just something we did for fun. 

Looking at the rather ghoulish make-up Shin was sporting, and my somewhat altered appearance, one might think that the whole Halloween experience would've been rather traumatic for wee Kio. However he wasn't bothered by the make-up at all - a sure sign that he wasn't switched with someone else's baby at birth.

We made sure that he was involved in the dressing up / making-up processes, letting him touch and explore as needed. 

I believe that it's safe to say, Kio is totally down with having a pair of Halloween-loving nut jobs for parents. Although, I'll have to reevaluate that statement when he's 14. 

Unfortunately, Halloween was not without a hiccup or two. Pumpkins suitable for carving are very rare in Japan and extremely pricey! Although I did find a company that delivers them, I decided to hold off on shelling out the cash until Kio is old enough to enjoy the whole carving experience. To fill the void, Shin brought home the Jack-o-lantern that he uses for the Halloween display at his bar. It's pretty huge but I had used it for the party at work, so Kio had seen it before, and they were good friends.

Said Jack-o-lantern stays inflated by using an air pump which has to be plugged in. Unfortunately, Shin forgot the chord.

Not wanting to be charged with ruining Halloween, he Macgyver'd up a solution and inflated the Jack-o-lantern using my hair dryer...

...which Kio is terrified of!

After that, Kio was pretty much over his first Halloween. 

Now it's time to start thinking about next year!

But first...

Let there be lips!