When Patti Schmidt’s daughter Avery was born, two of her three sons had already reached adulthood, and the third wasn’t far behind. Avery, who is now 5 years old, has never had the joy of close-in-age sibling squabbles or giggle fests, as Larry, Patrick, and Gavin, who are 28, 26, and 22, respectively, but that doesn’t mean they don’t bond as a family.
People.com reports that Patti brings her sons to Point Pleasant, New Jersey, every fall for a special Halloween picture with Avery. And the end result is nothing short of spectacular.
The Schmidts began the practice in 2017 by dressing up as the Tinman, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion from “The Wizard of Oz.” Avery, who was only a toddler at the time, was dressed as Dorothy, complete with ruby slippers.
The boys were Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca the following year, while Avery was (of course) Princess Leia.
In 2019, they did a “Game of Thrones” theme. (“My husband and I were binge-watching (Game of Thrones), and I thought the boys as dragons would be so funny,” Schmidt told TODAY.)
They dressed up as Princess Buttercup, Westley, Inigo Montoya, and Fezzik from “The Princess Bride” in 2020.
Patti posted a video montage of each year’s costume shoot on Instagram and TikTok, complete with soundtracks. Watch this:
“They laugh a lot during the shoots,” Patti told People. “The boys are good sports. They adore Avery.”
That much is clear. How lucky is this little girl?
Patrick, the middle son, who is a professional surfer, told People, “It’s fun, and Avery has a blast.”
Patti is the one who tries to create the theme, which she then surprises the kids with. This year’s theme is unknown, though she requested suggestions from her followers. People offered some fun possibilities including:
– Goldilocks and the three bears
– “Alice in Wonderland,” with the boys going as the white rabbit, the Mad Hatter, and the dormouse
– “Brave,” with Avery going as Merida and the boys as her little brothers
– “Sleeping Beauty” with the boys going as the fairy godmothers
– Frankenstein’s Bride, Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Wolfman
– “Friends” with Avery going as Phoebe and the boys as Ross, Chandler, and Joey
– “Guardians of the Galaxy”
– “Harry Potter”
Patti offered one vague clue for what this Halloween holds when she told TODAY, “There may or may not be a good-natured groan or two when I pull out the next theme.” Hoo boy, can’t wait to see what it is.
And, in case you were wondering, the Westley-costumed brother did yell “As you wish!” as he rolled down the hill.
And yeah, the boys and Avery don’t only get together for Halloween. Patti posts videos of the boys and Avery doing various activities on her TikTok page.
“They are close despite not only age differences but physical distance,” Schmidt told TODAY. “Our two oldest sons live in different states, but they’re within driving distance, and I try to get everyone together as much as possible.”
Avery is a very lucky little girl.
