Happy Halloween- and May the Force be With You!

 

Happy Halloween from a galaxy far, far away!

What did you dress as this year?

Much love,

The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: Peter Pan Costume

 If you follow me on Instagram, you know that last year, our family of 4 (with one on the way) dressed as the characters from Peter Pan for Halloween!  Although we did not trick-or-treat, we weren't going to let the pandemic ruin my favorite holiday and an excuse to make and wear some fun costumes.  Our neighborhood had an outdoor cookout where we got to show off our costumes (with masks on) and see other families' fun looks, too.  So now that it's October again, it's time to show you how I created these costumes- they're so easy, you can do it, too!

All children grow up.

Except one.

And if you'd like to create his costume, check out this simple tutorial!

Supplies:

-Green felt [sketch out your pattern to determine how much you need!)

-Red craft feather

-Green tshirt

-Green leggings

-Sword

-Brown belt (not pictured, because I bought it too early and he outgrew it before Halloween!)

1. To start, you want to create a pattern for the tunic.  Grab a t-shirt that fits your Pan well, tuck the sleeves in (so it looks like a tank), and fold it in half so that the shoulders are on top of each other.  Lay it on a large piece of paper (a roll of wrapping paper works well, especially if you have the kind with a grid printed on the back, but you can also use kraft paper, tracing paper, printer paper even, if your Pan is a tiny one) and trace around it.  You're probably going to end up with something that looks like a rectangle with an arm hole cut out of it; if you want, you don't have to really trace the neckline of your shirt, you can just leave it as a right angle.  It certainly makes sewing easier, and you're just going to cut the front of the tunic open in a wide V anyway, so you don't have to worry about pretty curves.  If you choose to go this route, make a mark on your tracing of where the neck opening begins on your sample t-shirt; you'll need to know this later.

2. Now you need to add seam allowance and extra length to your pattern.  Because this is felt and it does not unravel, and also because Peter Pan is a wild lost boy whose clothes can probably look unfinished, I chose to NOT HEM the bottom of the tunic, the ends of the sleeves, or the neckline.  If you're going the no-defined-neckline route like me, add 1/2 an inch for seam allowance to the top of your rectangle-with-an-armhole-cut-out-of-it (make sure to repeat your mark that denotes where the neckline of your sample t-shirt started).  Add that same 1/2 an inch seam allowance to your armhole curve and to the side of the shirt beneath the armhole as well.  Do NOT add seam allowance to the side of the shirt that was folded; you're going to cut this pattern out on the fold.  To remind yourself, you can write the word FOLD in bold letters on that side.  For the bottom of the tunic, you want the finished product to extend below the waistband of the pants in a zig-zag pattern, so that there are those classic points hanging down.  Decide how long and how wide you want those points to be (I went with 2 1/2" for the length) and go ahead and draw them on the bottom of your pattern.  You can freehand this, or you can measure it all out so that each little triangle shaped point is the same exact size.  You do you.

3.  Next, you need a pattern for your sleeve.  This is a REALLY rough way of doing this, fyi, and only works because felt is sorta stiff and has its own structure, and again, I was going for a rough-and-unfinished look for our lost boy.  What you're going to do is measure the height of the arm hole on your PATTERN (not your sample t-shirt).  Place your ruler at the top point of the arm hole (which would lay on the apex of the shoulder) and measure straight down to where the bottom of the arm hole falls (which would lay under the armpit).  If you imagine this curve on your pattern as a right triangle rather than a curve, you would draw the horizontal side of the triangle from the armpit point inward, and you would draw the vertical side of the triangle from the shoulder point down, and you would draw the hypotenuse from the shoulder point to the armpit point; the measurement we're interested in is the straight line down from the shoulder.  Got it?  Now, get some more pattern-making paper.  Draw yourself a rectangle.  The height of the rectangle is that measurement you just took- the height of the armhole- plus an additional 1/2" for seam allowance (you only need seam allowance where the sleeve is sewn to itself, at the bottom).  The length of the rectangle is going to be whatever you want the length of the sleeve to be- measure your Pan from the point of his shoulder down to where you'd like the sleeve to hit (I went with an oversized short sleeve)- plus an additional 1/2" for seam allowance (you only need seam allowance where the sleeve attaches to the bodice, since you don't have to hem felt).  Finally, you're going to add some points to the sleeve just like you did for the bottom of the tunic.  Depending on how you measured your sleeve, you can either draw zig-zags to add additional length to your rectangle, or cut a triangle shape out of your existing rectangle so that the sleeve length you decided on represents the tip of the points.  Just to remind yourself, go ahead and write the word FOLD at the top of your rectangle (perpendicular to where you put your zig-zags), because you're going to cut it out on the fold.  

4.  You're going to cut out 2 identical bodice pieces on the fold, and 2 sleeve pieces on the fold.  Use that knowledge to determine how much felt you need to buy (or be like me and drastically over-estimate because you fear you'll screw it up and have to start over several times).  When you cut out your bodice pieces, you need to transfer that mark you made denoting where the neckline starts (if you're going the right angle route, like I did, and didn't draw in a neckline shape).  To do this, take a piece of tailor's chalk (or a straight pin) and mark the place on the top of your cut piece, then, leaving the piece still folded, turn it over, turn your pattern paper piece face down, and make a mark on that side.  This way, when you un-fold your bodice pieces, you have two marks blocking off what will become the hole that Pan will stick his head through.

5. Assembling this tunic is really, really easy.  Place the bodice pieces on top of each other, right sides together, making sure to line up the arm holes (and the nice thing about felt is that there is no right or wrong side, so just lay them however).  You're going to attach these pieces together at the shoulder seams- but if, like me, your bodice has no defined shoulders separate from the neck, just a straight line, this means you're going to start each seam at the outer corner, and stop at the place where you marked the neck.  Use a serger if you have one, or, if you don't (like me), then use a zig-zag stitch.

6.  To attach the sleeves, you're going to open up your tunic and lay it flat on your table, right side up.  Then, take one sleeve rectangle and pin it, right sides together, to one armhole curve of the bodice, so that the zig-zag edge of the sleeve is pointing in towards the neck hole.  Pinning a straight line to a curve is tricky; line up the place where the rectangle was folded with the seam you just sewed at the shoulders, and line up the corners of the rectangle with the corners of the armhole.  Use lots of pins, and fold the felt in little pleats to make the rest match up (either evenly spaced and purposeful, or a bit more haphazard for that I-live-in-a-forest look).  Do the same on the other side.  Sew with a zig-zag stitch again.

7.  Now, fold the whole tunic together again, so that it looks like a shirt, with the wrong side facing out.  Line up the sleeves with themselves, and the sides of the tunic.  Sew in a continuous line from the outer edge of one sleeve, down the side of the bodice to the bottom.  Repeat on the other side.

8.  To finish the tunic, we're going to create that front neckline.  Measure your Pan and decide how deep you want the V to be.  Find the exact center of the front neckline and cut a straight line that length.  Simply fold open the fabric and press and it will probably hold its shape, creating a pointed collar of sorts; if it won't stay on its own, you can tack the corners down with a quick hand stitch.  Ta-da!

9.  Now for that hat.  You need to measure your lost boy's head in a few places.  Find the crown of his head- the highest point- and measure down to his forehead, or where you want the front of the hat to lay, and call this measurement A.  Now measure from the crown down the back of his head to where you want the back of the hat to lay, and call that measurement B.  Finally, measure from the crown of his head down the side to just above his ear, and call that measurement C.

10.  Get some more of your pattern making paper.  Draw a straight, horizontal line that is A + B + 1 inch (assuming a 1/2" seam allowance; adjust accordingly based on your preference for seam allowance.  Now, from the left side, measure in a distance of B + 1/2" (or whatever your seam allowance is).  From that point, draw a perpendicular line straight down a height of C + 1/2" (or...you get the picture).  Now, draw a curve from one end of your line to the other so that the lowest point of the curve is at the end of your perpendicular line; you'll end up with a sort of half-teardrop shape, or half-ovalish thing, that's thicker on one end than the other.  Separately, draw yourself a rectangle with a length of A + B + 2" (NOT 1/2" like in the picture, my bad) and a height of whatever you want the height of the brim of your hat to be + 1/2".  Cut one teardrop-shape piece with the straight line on the fold, and cut 2 rectangles, not on the fold.

11.  Lay your two rectangles on top of each other and sew the short ends together, both sides, so that you're left with a tube.  Open up your teardrop shape and decide which side is going to be your "right" side (the outside of the hat).  Take your tube and pin it with its right side against the WRONG side of the teardrop shape, making sure the seams on the tube line up with the very front point and very pack point of the teardrop, respectively.  Stitch them together, then fold the rectangle tube up and out of the hat, so that it becomes the brim.  If you press it down, it should hold its shape, because felt is so stiff, but if you need to, you can tack it down in a couple of places by hand-stitching.  

12.  Last, find where you'd like your red feather to go.  Draw two short parallel lines, 1/2" apart from each other, just tall enough so that you can slip the feather in.  Use an exacto knife or very sharp scissors to slit those lines open, and slide the feather in so that the quill points towards the front of the hat.

Your Peter Pan should wear green leggings and a green t-shirt, then wear the tunic on top.  (Felt can be scratchy, and the extra layer will provide warmth if your Octobers are cold.)  If he has a brown belt that fits, buckle it around his waist (you can even snip in some belt loops, the same way we created a place to slide the feather in his cap).  Wear the hat on his head and carry a toy sword or dagger, for dealing with those pesky pirates.  (If the hat won't stay well on his noggin, you can pin it to his hair with Bobby pins crossed over each other in an X, one X on each side of his head.)

Is your little one going to fly off to Neverland with the lost boys?

Much love,

The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: Prince Eric and Vanessa Costume Tutorials

The Ariel and Flounder costumes were pretty intense construction, for me, anyway, so luckily my plans for the parents' part of this group only involved creating one accessory for each of us.

Of course in any group where our preschooler is the princess, the role of the prince is naturally played by Daddy!  Prince Eric only needed a simple red sash to complete his outfit which was otherwise composed of pieces Mr Geek already had in his closet.  And Vanessa- the human incarnation of Ursula, using Ariel's stolen voice- needed only the magic shell necklace, which didn't even involve sewing!

Prince Eric Supplies:

-red fabric (preferably something shiny)
-black fabric
-1" wide elastic
-white button-up shirt
-jeans

Vanessa supplies:

-gold card stock
-black yarn
-purple tank top
-purple maxi skirt

1. First, convince your husband to let you measure him around the waist.  It's a hard sell, but necessary.  Measure him all the way around wherever he typically wears a belt (probably more on the hips than the proper waist).  Call this measurement C.  Next, eyeball how tall you want the belt/sash to be- maybe 6"?  Call that value H.

2. You need to cut one red rectangle, one black rectangle, and 2 mirror image black trapezoids using the dimensions shown above.

3. Sew a 1/4" hem on both the top and bottom of your red rectangle.

4. You're going to create 2 1" pleats in the fabric.  Identify a line a couple inches above the center of the red rectangle and fold it over 1", then stitch it down with a 1/4" seam allowance using a straight stitch.  Do the same thing below the center line at the same distance.  (The dotted lines above visually represent what I'm talking about; the actual spacing here is up to your aesthetic).

5. Fold your black rectangle in half, ride sides together, and sew along the long end with a 1/4" seam allowance, creating a long black tube that is just slightly taller than your elastic.  Turn it rightside out.

6. Cut your elastic 1" shorter than the length of this black tube.  Feed the elastic into the tube.  Sew down one end of the elastic so that it is lined up perfectly with the edge of the tube, attaching it to the black fabric.  Gently pull the other end of the elastic to line it up with the edge of the tube on that end, and sew it in place.  When you let go, the whole thing will shrink in a little bit.

7. Fold down the angled edges of your two trapezoids by 1/4" each and sew them down with a straight stitch.  These pieces are going to connect your elasticized band to the pretty pleated red sash.

8. Attach the tall edge of each trapezoid to the ends of the red rectangle using a zigzag stitch and a 1/4" seam allowance.  Attach the short edge of each trapezoid to the ends of the elastic waistband.  Ta da!  [As an aside- you can use the same technique on a much smaller scale to make a soft elastic headband!]

9. Have Prince Eric wear his jeans and white shirt, rolling the sleeves up to the elbows and leaving the top couple of buttons undone.  Pull on the belt over the jeans at waist level.

10. Vanessa's seashell necklace is rather simple.  Draw the shape of the shell with a permanent black marker on the gold cardstock, then cut it out.  Cut the black yarn to the desired length and attach it to the shell.  Wear the purple tank and skirt, with the necklace prominently displayed.  Remind your princess that she can't talk, and steal the prince!

Do the parents get in on the Halloween action in your family?

Much love,
The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: Flounder Costume Tutorial

Obviously our red haired princess was Ariel for our family Little Mermaid Halloween costume.  Since Baby Brother has a tendency to act like such a guppy, I figured Flounder would be the perfect character!  To achieve this look, I created a rather simple hooded fleece sweatshirt, with striped sleeves to act as the fins, as well as a few fins along the hood.

Supplies:

-yellow fleece
-baby blue fleece
-navy blue fleece
-thread to match

1. Start with a nice big hoodie that fits your little fish.  Tuck the sleeves in, then trace around the outside, adding 1/4" for seam allowance.  You'll want to have one piece for the back, which will have a higher neckline, and one piece for the front, which will have a lower neckline- feel free to exaggerate that neckline to make putting it on and taking it off a little easier.  Cut this front and back piece from your yellow felt.  Next, pull the sleeves back out of the hoodie and trace around them, again with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Cut 2 identical pieces for each sleeve from the baby blue fleece.  Next, you need two long, thin rectangles of the navy blue fleece; the length should be the same length as the sleeve pieces, and the width is up to you, but I went with 1" for my toddler.  Finally, cut two freehand ovals from the blue fleece; they will be placed on the back of the pullover, one on top of the other, as the stripes on Flounder's back.

2. Take the back piece and fold it in half both ways so that you find both the horizontal and the vertical center lines.  Using these creases as your guide, arrange and pin the blue ovals onto the right side of the fabric, with their right sides up.  You want the ovals to be placed along the vertical center line, with one just above and one just below the horizontal center line.  Sew these on like appliques, using a zigzag stitch right at the edge.

3. Now you're going to attach the front piece to the back piece at the shoulders.  Place the two pieces on top of each other, right sides facing.  See how the front piece has very distinct, narrow shoulders?  You're going to sew the front to the back at those two points only, using a 1/4" seam allowance.  [It's important to note here that I'm not worried about hemming anything for a couple of reasons- it's fleece, so it doesn't fray like regular cotton fabric....and also it's a costume that's only going to be worn a couple of times.]

4. Next, you need to piece together the sleeves.  Lay out two of the light blue pieces with each navy blue rectangle, like this.  Sew the three pieces together with a 1/4" seam allowance.  Do this one side at a time, placing the rectangle on top of the light blue piece, right sides together, lining up the long edge of the rectangle with what will ultimately be the top of the sleeve, and sewing straight down that line with a straight stitch.  Then repeat with the other piece.

5. Now you're going to create that hood.  Use the hood of your original sweatshirt as a guide to cut two hood-shaped pieces of the yellow fleece.  Next, cut some shapes from both the light and dark blue fleece to be the little "mohawk" of fins along Flounder's head; cut two identical pieces of each shape.  Put those pairs of shapes together and sew along three sides, leaving an opening (like a bunch of little socks) so you can turn the fins right side-out again.  Finally, lay the two hood pieces on top of each other, right sides together, and sandwich the little fins in the middle, placed however you'd like along the curve.  [I did end up hemming the edge of the hood closest to the face, just for a clean edge.]

6. Finally, you're going to put the whole thing together.  Attach each sleeve to the bodice first along the shoulder curve on each.  Once that's done, put the whole piece together so that you're looking at an inside-out sweatshirt and sew up the side of the body and then along the sleeve, from the armpit out to the wrist.  Turn the sweatshirt the right way out, and then attach the hood to the neckline; leave a gap in the front for your fishie's big head!  Now, you can put elastic in the wrists if you'd like, but I didn't think to do that before we took this little fish out, so I ended up rolling up the cuffs instead.

And there's your fish!  Your Flounder can wear a light-colored T-shirt underneath his pullover, and whichever sort of pants are the most comfortable.  (If he's going to be walking around much, yellow sweatpants would be great!  Since our Flounder spent most of his time in a stroller, we went with jeans.)

What is your toddler wearing for Halloween this year?

Much love,
The Geeks

Crafting Adventures: Ariel Costume Tutorial

Last year, our crew did Halloween as the cast of The Little Mermaid.  If you've followed this blog for a while (at Halloween time, anyway) you'll know that my sewing projects tend to be mostly upcycle projects- I like to start with an already constructed garment, tear it apart, and rebuild it as something new.  I tend to be daunted by the idea of making any garment purely from scratch because I'm just not that confident in my skills.  Of course, I did make the vest for the Ryder costume from scratch the year that we did the Paw Patrol...but I didn't exactly nail the zipper on that one.

Well, The Little Mermaid costumes changed that posture for me.  Everything that I actually made for these costumes was done from scratch- one full costume, one partial costume, and two accessories.  That doesn't mean these costumes were particularly professional looking- they still look very much homemade!  But still, there was a lot of love in these garments and I think we all looked pretty great, don't you?

So today, let's talk about the Ariel costume.  While the mermaid get-up would probably have been easier to pull off, I felt  it was less appropriate for October weather, so we went with the "exploring the town" dress instead.  This costume is 4 parts- a black faux corset worn over a blue long-sleeved shirt, a blue skirt with an elastic waist, and of course a navy blue bow worn in the hair.

It's important to note that while a lot of the costumes I've made could be adapted to adult sizes merely by changing the measurements, the construction on this one really does presume it will be worn by a little girl- that is, someone with no curves.

Supplies:

-a baby blue long-sleeved tshirt in your mermaid's size
-black fabric
-black separating zipper
-black thread
-royal blue fabric
-royal blue thread
-1/2" elastic
-navy blue ribbon
-hair clip

1. First, measure your mermaid.  Have her hold her hands out to the side so she makes the letter T, and wrap your tape measure around her chest, right at the armpit level.  (Afterwards, she can strike a sassier pose, like this.)  Divide that measurement by 2 and you have the W measurement shown above.  Next, place one end of your measuring tape in her armpit, and measure down to her hip; this value we'll call H.  Find the spot on her breastbone at the level of her armpit, and then measure up towards her throat, stopping wherever you would prefer the neckline of this bodice to land (remember that we're going to cut a notch in it, so the center of the bodice will actually be lower than this point); call this B.  Then, wrap your measuring tape around her body at the belly button level and call this C.  Finally, measure from the belly button down to about the ankles, or wherever you'd like the bottom of the skirt to fall, and call that L.

2. Now you're going to cut the fabric for the front of the faux corset.  You'll need two identical pieces, and each piece needs to be perfectly symmetrical.  I achieved this by folding two pieces of black fabric in half and stacking them on top of one another; I suppose you could also achieve this by folding the fabric in half and then in half again, such that when you make just one cut, you'll end up with two identical (folded) pieces.  (Truth be told, with a heavy enough cotton, you don't really need to double up on your fabric, but I was using sort of a thin cotton from a pile of fat quarters, and I wanted this bodice to hold its shape.  Plus, I anticipated the notch that would be cut, and I figure it's easier to sew two pieces together along that sharp corner than to hem it; I'll leave it up to you to decide how to handle this, but my instructions will assume there are two front pieces.)  You're going to have to free-hand some of this shape; I suggest creating a pattern piece using whatever large paper you may have on hand, like wrapping paper or kraft paper.  Follow the guide shown here for how to sketch out that pattern piece, and cut it accordingly on your doubled fabric so that you end up with two pieces.

3. Now you're going to cut that notch.  Use your judgement to determine how deep and how wide you want the V to be; the depth will be measurement X and the measurement Y is the width divided in half.  Draw a right triangle with the X and Y as two of the sides, and then draw a hypotenuse to connect them.  Cut along that angled line to create the notch.

4. Now to cut the fabric for the back of the faux corset.  This time you want 2 pieces that mirror each other (although they are just rectangles, so they will be identical).  To achieve this, once again fold your piece of black fabric in half, but this time you're going to line up your pattern piece on the cut edge of the fabric, rather than lining it up with the fold.  Again, we're just cutting a rectangle here (and will end up with two) so the pattern is much more straight forward.

5. Time to begin assembly!  First, lay your front pieces on top of each other, right sides facing.  Using a 1/4" seam and a zig-zag stitch, sew across the top, and then sew across the bottom.  (If you want, you can do one continuous stitch by also going down one side, but only one side.  You need to leave the fourth side open.)  Turn the bodice front rightside-out, taking special care around the notch.

6. Next, hem both the tops and bottoms of both of your back pieces, again with a 1/4" seam allowance (a straight stitch is fine).

7. Attach your separating zipper to the two back pieces.  I followed a simple tutorial for doing this, found here.  I happened to find a zipper that was the exact right size for this bodice, so I didn't have to worry about dealing with the ends!

8. Finally, you're going to attach the front piece to the back piece.  To do so, place the back pieces on top of the front of the front piece (does that make sense?), right sides together.  Again with a 1/4" seam allowance, sew straight down on each piece.  Finish the seams however you wish.  (I don't have a fancy serger, so I just use a zig-zag stitch and call it a day.)  That's it!  So simple to make this beautiful little top.

9. Okay now we're going to take a pause and do some math.  That C measurement you took up there- the waist?  That stands for circumference, of course.  Remember how C = 2*pi*R ?  Let's round pi to 3.25 (I know, cringe, but estimates are okay here because we're doing an elastic waistband!) and solve for R = C/(2*3.25).  Now multiply that R value by 1.5 for a nice twirly skirt.

10. Take your royal blue fabric and fold it in half, then fold it in half again.  Using your L measurement and your newly found R, cut according to the image above.  Making circles is difficult; the trick is to take a string cut to the length you want the circle to be, tack it to the corner of your folded fabric, and tie a piece of chalk to the other end.  Then use it like a compass to sketch out a quarter of a circle!  When you're done, and you unfold, you'll have a big blue donut.

11. Hem the outside of the donut 1/4".  I happened to have some black bias tape and for whatever reason I thought it would look super cool, so I attached that to the bottom instead of just folding and hemming.  I don't know why.  Just go with it!

12. Cut a piece of elastic that is actually your waist measurement (C).  Fold over the top edge of the inner part of your blue donut so that the elastic will slip inside (for 1/2" elastic, make that about 7/8", or maybe a round 1" for wiggle room).  Sew that all the way around, using a 1/4" seam allowance, and leave a couple inches' worth of a gap.

13. Take a safety pin and attach it to one end of your elastic.  Feed the safety pin into one end of the tube you've just sewn, and slowly and carefully fish the elastic into the tube and allllll the way around, pulling the safety pin out the other side.  It'll get tough towards the end there, but you can do it!  Remove the safety pin and overlap the ends of your elastic by about 1" and stitch it together securely, definitely use a zig-zag stitch.  Finally, sew down the gap that you left in the waistband so it's fully closed.

14. The last piece is the bow!  Take your ribbon and create a large, 80s-style bow, and attach it (with hot glue, for some retro flair) to your hair clip. 

15. To wear the costume, your mermaid should put on the long-sleeved shirt, slip on the skirt, and zip the faux corset over the shirt.  Put her hair in a half-up pony and clip in the bow.

Phew!  What a costume!  I have to be honest with you, I really messed up the skirt on this outfit.  I messed up my cut so that the fabric was not so much a circle as a wobbly, wavy, vaguely rectangular shape.  I didn't leave enough gap for the waistband so most of it came undone when I was forcing the elastic through, and I somehow overstretched the elastic so it ended up being too big!  I had to overcompensate by adding a makeshift belt.  And finally that business with the bias tape- I really should have just hemmed it.

But you know what?  She still looked pretty adorable.  Ariel had a great time exploring the Rennaissance Festival with her Prince, and meeting humans at Air and Scare, and collecting candy on Halloween night.

So what is your little one going as for Halloween this year?

Much love,
The Geeks  

Currently, Chief is... {5 years}

I just read through last year's post, when my baby girl turned 4.  I was preparing to sit down and write this year's, so I needed to remind myself of the categories.  It was probably true last year, too, but I realized she's just too big for those categories of questions.  Her life is defined by so much more than what she's eating or the way she talks.  So this year's post is going to be different.

Meeting Tinker Bell on her fourth birthday

Currently, Chief is in Pre-K at our parish school, where she's knocking it out of the park.  Her teacher confirmed for me what I have always expected- she misbehaves most when she's around me, and manages to (mostly) act like a little saint every day at school.  (I will sometimes call her "Angel", and she'll remind me- "Mom, I'm not an angel."  Right, sorry.)  Apparently her biggest behavioral problem at school is her overly aggressive displays of affection- hugging people when they don't necessarily want to be hugged.  (Her baby brother can confirm that yes, this is a problem for her.)  Her teacher has also confirmed that she is brilliant, and will be starting a reading program soon with a few of the other more gifted preschoolers. 

the beautiful ballerina at her second dance recital

Currently, Chief is absolutely loving being a big sister.  She has survived an entire year of living with her baby brother, and has only shown overt jealousy towards him twice- once near his birthday, she cried that everybody who came to visit only wanted to talk about him; and another time at dinner she was upset that we were more preoccupied with getting him to eat than with talking to her about her day.  We try to let her know how very special she is, and how loving Peanut does not mean we love her less; that hearts only grow bigger and more capable of love with each new member of the family.  She is very protective of him, and now that he's (finally) walking, she is so very proud of him and every little milestone he accomplishes.  He's a lucky little boy to have such a wonderful big sister.  (And she informed me the other day that she thinks Peanut is ready to be a big brother, so...)

enjoying a cupcake at her fifth birthday party

Loving her baby brother, and the responsibilities of being a big sister; dance class; cooking; reading; making art; board games.

Hating bed time; time outs; grocery shopping; anything boring; getting up in the morning.

How did she grow up so fast?

Much love,
The Geeks

Happy Halloween from The Little Mermaid cast!

Trick-or-treating early at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's Air-and-Scare 2018

Happy Halloween! 

Remember as you scurry home from school to scarf down dinner and throw on costumes, that today is all about remembering our own mortality.  One day, we're going to die...we should take care of each other in the meantime, and help each other get to heaven when that happens.  So hand out some soul cakes if anyone needy comes knocking on your door tonight!  (Or candy.  I think the kids like candy these days.)

Were you able to convince your crew to wear a theme costume this year?

Much love,
The Geeks

Our Favorite Character Meet and Greets at Walt Disney World

The Geek Family Disney Trip 2017 looked a little different than the Geek Disneymoon.  One of those differences was the fact that we spent a lot more time meeting characters than riding rides.  We did meet characters on our honeymoon, but that wasn't necessarily the focus.  Here's a look at some of our favorite character meet and greets, in no particular order, from this time around!

BB-8 Star Wars Launch Bay, Disney's Hollywood Studios

This little guy beeped and booped and wobbled his little head around- it was pretty cool.  He wasn't quite sure what to do about all the hugs a certain four-year-old wanted to give him, but she had a great time.

Tinker Bell Town Square Theater, Magic Kingdom

This was the first character we met on the whole trip.  Miss Chief was dressed like her, and we got a little Peter Pan onesie for Peanut, which Tink thought was just adorable.  It was quite early in the morning but this pixie was positively bouncing off the walls!

Belle Enchanted Tales with Belle, Magic Kingdom

This attraction wasn't technically a meet and greet, but it was still the coolest character interaction in the parks.  You travel to the library in the Beast's castle, where Belle is going to tell you her story, but she needs help, so children (and adults!) are assigned roles in the story.  Our Miss Chief got to play Chip the teacup, hopping up and down to greet Belle.  She did a great job, and afterwards, Belle gave her a bookmark!

Mickey Mouse Town Square Theater, Magic Kingdom

This was hands down the best Mickey meet and greet- because he talked to us!  Sadly, I hear Mickey won't be talking to guests anymore, so we're lucky to have met him when he did.  It was his birthday, and he told us we made his birthday extra special by coming to see him.  He also told us all about his roadster racer- and a certain four-year-old knew all about that!  It really was amazing to hear him talk- when he walked into the room and said "Hiya!" all of the adults audibly gasped!

Tiana Princess Fairytale Hall, Magic Kingdom

Tiana was so sweet and attentive, and, as you can see, gave the best hugs.  Our little princess was a little shy every time she met royalty, but Tiana really brought her out of her shell.

Baymax Hiro's Workshop Character Experience, Epcot

Baymax was...huge.  Huggable, but huge.  I loved the setup of this meet and greet, with all of the little San Fransokyo details.

Minnie Mouse Epcot Character Spot, Epcot

I really loved the Epcot Character Spot- we met Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy here, and we didn't feel rushed from one to the next.  The interactions were wonderful and the pictures turned out great!

Anna Royal Sommerhus, Epcot

Our Frozen-obsessed four-year-old was positively awestruck to finally meet her heroes, so she needed a little guiding to interact with them.  I suggested that she twirl around in her pretty dress for Anna, who was very enthusiastic about the whole thing.  Elsa was a bit quieter- she is a bit less goofy than her sister, after all- but she did let us know that it's an Arendelle tradition to eat chocolate cake on your birthday.

Pocahontas Character Landing, Animal Kingdom

So I've gotta admit, we got in line for Pocahontas purely because I wanted to meet her- Chief had no interest in this meet and greet at all.  But as soon as Pocahontas invited us over, she changed her mind.  We told Pocahontas that we're from Virginia, and she said maybe she'd come visit our village sometimes since we're so close to hers.

Daisy Duck Tusker House Restaurant, Animal Kingdom

Tusker House is probably my single favorite buffet in Walt Disney World, and the characters in their safari gear are an extra treat.  There was a nice selection of North African and Mediterranean foods, and Chief tried a wide variety of things (not just her standard macaroni and cheese, although that was available, too).

Ariel Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Epcot

I'm not sure any of us were super impressed with the menu at Akershus, but as a one-credit meal on the meal plan, it's a better value than Cinderella's Royal Table if you're mostly interested in the princess aspect.  (I guess Scandinavian food is just...not exciting?)  Ariel was really sweet and of course commented on Chief's beautiful red hair, and at the end of the meal, there was a little parade throughout the restaurant where the kids got to follow the princesses around the room.

Tigger 1900 Park Fare, Grand Floridian Resort

The breakfast buffet was really good at 1900 Park Fare- certainly better than Chef Mickey's- and it featured an interesting variety of characters.  We met Mary Poppins, Alice and Mad Hatter, Winnie the Pooh, and, after we ate, we met Tigger.  Peanut loved how big and cuddly he was, and he pulled some pranks on Chief.  Overall it was a great morning!

Who are your favorite characters to meet?

Much love,
The Geeks

Highlights from the Geek Family Disney Trip 2017

As you may remember, we went to Disney in November to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary.  I realize it's now halfway through March, but I figured I should share with you how that trip went!

Rather than write a minute-to-minute journal of events, I decided to just fill up a post of all of my favorite pictures from the trip- most of which came from Disney's PhotoPass photographers (yes, we purchased Memory Maker.  Yes, it was worth it!)  So here are some highlights from the best family vacation we've ever taken:

Phew, that's a lot of pictures!  Check back later and I'll tell you about our favorite character meets, how our trip with kids was different from our trip without, and I'll let you know where you can find some of the sweet shirts (and ears!) we sported on this trip.

When's the last time you went to Disney?  When's your next trip planned?

Much love,
The Geeks