A little over a year ago, Mazzy was asked to be the flower girl in her cousin’s wedding. This was around the same time her good friend Charlie started to get into super heroes and was regularly running around with a DIY cape claiming to be Superboy or Batman.

While on a playdate with Charlie, I overheard the following conversation:

CHARLIE: I’m Spiderman! I will shoot you with my webs and you will be trapped!

MAZZY: I’m Flower Girl! I will shoot you with water and you will grow flowers!

Every time, Charlie blasted her with his imaginary weaponry (sound effects included), Mazzy would hold out both hands (palms out) and scream, “FLOWER POWER!!!!!!”

It was perfect.

Eventually, I had to break it to her that the flower girl had to wear a dress instead of a latex bodysuit and her responsibility was not beautifying the planet, but walking down an aisle.

Thankfully, Mazzy took that responsibility just as seriously.

For this past year, every time her friends play super heroes, Mazzy brings out her Flower Girl alter ego. She’s like that— when she finds something she likes, she sticks with it for a really long time.

So. When I found out Mazzy was invited to a superhero costume party, one week before Halloween, I knew there was only one thing I could do for her costume this year.

Create an actual Flower Girl superhero costume.

Now, I’m not the best when it comes to DIY projects. I’m creative sure, but that’s mainly when I am sitting at a computer with photoshop at my disposal. When it comes to hot glue guns and sewing needles, not so much. But certainly, I could cut felt into flowers and sew it on a cape, right? How hard could that be?

Not hard at all if you don’t mind sacrificing your dining room table!

FYI – that’s what happens when you ask the salesperson at Michael’s for the best fabric glue and he hands you something super strong per your request. That super strong fabric glue will seep through both the felt flowers and the satin cape onto your walnut wooden table. You won’t realize this though, until the next day, after you’ve left the cape drying overnight, and innocently pick it up to show your daughter and notice it takes all of the table enamel with it.

FLOWER POWER, indeed.

Anybody know how to sand and restain a table?

Thankfully, the costume remained intact and the damage to the table was so ridiculous (and 100% my fault) I couldn’t even get angry about it. Or my like, I had to play it off like it was no big deal so my husband didn’t get mad about it. Our apartment is such a wreck at this point anyway, I want to throw everything out and start over.

The important thing was that Flower Girl was born. (As well as my appreciation for wax paper.)

Notice how two things: 1) the glue marks on the inside of Mazzy’s cape perfectly match the markings on my table 2) the headband was a little tight and kept slipping down her forehead, creating this super serious expression…

Mazzy thought her costume was just the coolest and I got to watch her prance around the streets of New York blasting unsuspecting planters with imaginary water.

As for Harlow?

I figured the girl who loves accessories needed a costume with as many accessories as possible.

I thought Harlow would make a brilliant Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, regardless of the fact that Holly Golightly is somewhat of a prostitute. (Maybe more of a paid escort?) No matter, I had a fancy black dress (which coincidentally, Harlow wore to the same wedding where Mazzy was the flower girl) and I was going to use it.

I ordered sunglasses, gloves, pearls and a tiara headband on Etsy and my costume was done.

Well, except Harlow had to let me put it all on her.

Last Friday, both Mazzy and Harlow had Halloween fairs for their schools, giving us the perfect opportunity to test run both costumes.

Unfortunately, Harlow wasn’t as thrilled about her costume as Mazzy.

I got the dress on no problem. But the gloves were a no-go. I realized that almost immediately. Harlow had no issue with the tiara headband, which I thought would be the hardest, but she barely tolerated the pearl necklace because it wasn’t long enough to slip on and off on her own. It needed to be clasped in the back, which made her VERY ANGRY.

After a little convincing, she humored me.

The thing that surprised me the most was her rejection of the sunglasses.

“But you love sunglasses, Harlow!”

Nope, Harlow HATED the sunglasses, claiming they were mine, not hers by yelling “MOMMY’S GLASSES!!!!” every time I tried to put them on her face.

Have I ever mentioned that Harlow has a possession problem? Not only does she get mad if you try to use her things, she gets mad if you try to use any member of her family’s things too. I cannot touch Mazzy’s cup (“MAZZY’S CUP!!!!”), Mazzy cannot touch Daddy’s jacket (“DADDY’S JACKET!!!!), Grammy cannot touch our sitter’s sweater (“RUTH’S SWEATER!!!”) etc. This is particularly amusing when Mike tries to take money from my wallet to pay for takeout and Harlow screams “MOMMY’S MONEY!!!!!!” like Daddy is a robber she caught redhanded.

Anyway, Harlow did not like the idea of wearing what she assumed were MY GLASSES and kept pointing to her neon orange sunglasses to wear those instead.

Not exactly Audrey Hepburn material.

After some embarrassingly unsuccessful begging, I finally bribed her with vitamin gummy bears. Harlow put the glasses on just long enough for me to snap a few pictures. (Thank god, for vita-gummies.)

This last one is Harlow blowing me a kiss.

I think she’s saying, “Take your picture now, Mom because this is your one and only chance. MWAH!”

That’s okay, Harlow. A couple pictures is all I need!

What are your kids dressing as for Halloween? Post your pics on the Mommy Shorts facebook page or tag @mommyshorts and #mommyshortshalloween on Instagram.

I’d love to feature my favorite costumes in a future post!