Many people enjoy Halloween because it is a thrilling holiday. During the event, everyone gets to dress up, take fun photos, and eat delicious sweets.
The Schmidts are in the same boat. Patti Schmidt, their grandmother, is a New Jersey-based photographer who enjoys dressing up her four children for Halloween every year.
She has three older sons: Larry, 28, Patrick, 26, Gavin, 22, and a 5-year-old daughter, Avery, who came into their lives unexpectedly.
Patti, 50, discovered she was pregnant again at the age of 44 and gave birth to her youngest child nine months later.
“They were as astonished as we were at first, and that quickly transformed to enthusiasm,” she said of her sons’ reactions to her pregnancy. “By the time I was 40, I had given up hope for another child, but God had other plans for us.”
Larry, Patrick, and Gavin are all close in age, therefore they have similar Halloween memories. However, Avery is so young, and Patti knew she wouldn’t be able to have the same experience, so she began a new tradition: shooting photos with all four of her children dressed up in costumes!
It all started in 2017 when the foursome portrayed characters from “The Wizard of Oz.” Patti was photographing then one-year-old Avery in mid-air for a photo series called #averyintheair at the moment.
The following year, they did “Star Wars,” and the following year, they did “Game of Thrones.”
“My husband and I were binge-watching (Game of Thrones), and I thought the boys dressed up as dragons would be hilarious,” Patti explained.
The siblings reproduced “The Princess Bride” last year, which Patti confessed was her favorite in an Instagram post.
Patti recently released a video collection of their costumes from the previous four years on Instagram and TikTok, where it received over 4.8 million likes.
Fortunately, her sons don’t dislike the annual tradition. They are great sports and adore Avery. The photoshoots also serve as fantastic family bonding opportunities.
“However, there could be a good-natured grumble or two when I pull out the following topic,” Patti explained. “Most of them chuckle about it.”
Many people follow Patti on social media because of her children’s Halloween costumes, but they end up sticking because of their family’s great relationship. They are quite close, and Avery clearly has a particular affinity with her three older brothers.
“What I like best is that they actually appear delighted and happy to be doing this with her,” one user commented.
“The pure love that exudes from this… “She’s clearly going to have high expectations for any male who wants her in the future, and I LOVE that they’re playing a part,” another follower said.
“They are close despite age disparities and physical distance,” the pleased mother stated. “Our two eldest sons live in different places, but they’re close enough that I try to get everyone together as much as possible.”
Patti and her husband didn’t intend for their children to have such a large age gap, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Patti’s videos highlight the amazing relationship that her three sons enjoy with their younger sister. Despite their distinct differences, they continue to love each other.
The family has asked TikTok for costume ideas for this year, and there have been some fantastic responses: Scooby-Doo, The Powerpuff Girls and the Professor, Merida and her three bear brothers—the possibilities are unlimited!
Patti captioned this photo of their 2022 Halloween outfit, “All you need is faith, trust, and a little pixie dust.”
