Yoda I am

It’s taken months of planning and hard work but today, we debuted the Yoda costume. About six months ago, Larry found this Yoda knitting pattern and in the very nicest voice he could muster, requested I use it to make Walker’s costume. Knowing how adorable Walker would be and needing something to knit during long meetings at work (I was getting tired of making bunnies for my friend’s babies), I complied. It took awhile and required me to try a few things I hadn’t done before, but I’m thrilled with the result. Andy you’ll notice that the jacket (and possibly the hat) will accommodate Walker’s insistence on growing. (I made the booties a long time ago and I didn’t plan on his feet growing so much so they were a bit small…)

We all got dressed to attend Boo at the Zoo. Walker was Yoda, Daddy dressed as Luke, and Mommy went as a Title 9 Han Solo. Pop Pop came down and documented the day by taking 221 photos. We’ve only chosen to share a few.

The costume was quite a hit. It was warm enough to keep the little guy warm on the cold and foggy day by the beach. Almost everyone recognized him — the first person who commented thought he was Shrek and a little girl thought he was a green dog. However, most folks immediately recognized him and Pop Pop was shocked to realize the kids were equally as delighted as the adults. One little girl was shy and quietly whispered “May the Force be with you” as we passed by. We saw two little Princess Leias running around the playground as we had our picnic lunch.

The zoo really made it fun for the kids. They gave out bags and they had Trick or Treat stations all over. This will be the last year we could bypass the candy stations since Walker didn’t care and Mommy needs a bag of sugary treats like she needs a hole in her head. The first thing we did was walk through the “Haunted” Nature Trial. It was all decorated and there were a bunch of volunteers showing “scary” animals like snakes and toads. Walker checked it out but was more interested in the other kids. His favorite part was the “Happy Boo-th Day” party. He scurried over the little log and started playing with the fun colored bowls, plates, and fake cake. Immediately he was joined by a bunch of kids. One picked up a noise maker and blew on it. “Don’t put that in your mouth,” her Mommy pleaded. She put it down. A little boy picked it up. Put it in his mouth. “Don’t put that in YOUR mouth,” the next Mommy pleaded. He put it down. And, you guessed it, the last child who was playing at the table picked it up and put in her mouth. “Break the cycle, Walker” I pleaded. He left it alone. What a GOOD boy.

Now that Walker’s older, it’s fun to go to the zoo. He is starting to understand there are animals behind the glass. We always go to check out the Meercats since they’ve been made famous by the Meercat Manor series. Pop Pop got some great shots of Walker noticing the animals as they scurried around.

Walker will wear the costume a few more times this year but I guess we need to start planning for next year’s costume. It will be hard to top this one.