I won't deny that Halloweens past were always pretty awesome, the main reason being I was young enough to go out and put in the work of ringing doorbells, earning myself a sweet treat for as little effort as possible; I was the sort of kid who pretty much just stood there as the other kids said the words. I would take my turn walking up to the kind old lady holding a bowl full of teeth rotting artificial confectionery, and grab a few of the "good ones", say thank-you, and then make my way by the shortest route possible to the next house where another kind old person would gladly fork over the same gooey, chocolaty, or crunchy yum-yums.
My sisters and I (I really only remember going Trick-or-Treating with Brittany and Celia - where were you other three??) would then come home carrying (dragging) pillow cases filled more than half way full of candy, dump them onto the kitchen table or the carpet in the family room, sort everything into it's proper category, count it all (to make sure no one stole anything), and then toss it all back into the pillow case. Within about a week, it would all be gone.
Obviously those days are over. Not that I want to return to them. If I want candy, I grab my wallet, hop in my car, and make a quick all-right-turns run to the grocery store only a stones throw away. And I mean stones throw; I could probably hit Wal-mart with a rock from my driveway. I've never lived this close to a Wal-mart. I'm not entirely sure whether to be happy or embarrassed by that. But even so, getting older and wiser has rubbed off on me when it comes to candy. The stuff really does have more of a kid appeal to it. I just don't care that much for the stuff. (Though Logan rarely gets any - I see that as a good thing, but sometimes I feel bad for restricting his sugar intake so much).
Anyhow...
Logan is old enough now to go Trick-or-Treating! And he is an adorable little professional. He successfully understood the ritual this year. Last year, meh.....it was still a learning experience. This time around, the loud "TRIIIIT - OOO - TREEEAAT" that was yelled milliseconds later than the rest of the group and sounded like the voice of a small boy that could only be my little angel, filled the evening air. Funny how stuff like that will bring such a big smile to your face. On top of that, Logan was very particular with his candy selection, or just overwhelmed with the choices presented to him. He was usually the last child at the door, taking a few moments to weigh his options before finally deciding on a piece.
He was so cute. Running after his cousins as they all made their way to the next house. But, two times too many his excitement led to trips and falls. He'd be pulling and tugging on Daddy's arm to catch up with the other kids and would lunge a little to hard and trip over his own feet, sending his little bag of candy flying. Is it just me, or does that not tug at your heart a little bit? Even though I gave a little laugh and assured him he'd be okay, I just felt so sad for the little guy. After he cried a little, and we picked up his candy, he'd be perfectly and completely happy again, on his way as if it never happened. But still, it made me feel so bad for him, haha.
There's something about growing up and having your own kids (or nieces and nephews - kids in your life you love just as much as if they were your own), that changes the way we see the "Holidays". I obviously don't care about how much candy I'll bring home. I don't care if all of the pumpkin pie is gone or if I didn't get a chance to sample the dark meat at Thanksgiving. Gifts with my name on them are the farthest thing from my mind Christmas morning. I just want my kids to have fun. I want them to feel the excitement and joy of the holidays. Of being around family. I want them to feel the love and happiness that comes from giving and sharing, and spending time with the ones that truly matter in our lives, because those are the things I remember and reminisce about the most from my younger years.
We had a lot of fun on Halloween. Getting together with Tyler's family is always a blast. Tyler and I dressed up this year (which we never do) in lit up TRON costumes. They were a pretty big hit. (The picture below only shows the reflected light from the flash off the tape I used. When it got dark enough, we switched the lights on. You can see that in the previous post). My mother in law liked to stay and chat with her neighbors for a few moments after the kids got their candy; finding us again was never a problem. We stopped at the house of Tyler's old YSA leaders, who I got to know pretty well while we were dating, and she took one look at me and said with a big smile and chuckle, "Oh Brigitte, you're such a Mormon wife." Haha, love her.
Besides the nice compliments, numerous looks, and pointing fingers, people standing in their doorways to look at us, some even chasing us down to ask how we made them, others yelling out of their cars or from across the street to tell us how awesome we are, or that we were their "hero"....the real fun was seeing Logan and Erica just enjoying the evening. Logan's costume got a lot of compliments too. He was Rufio again. (See last year). Erica was a champion stroller potato. She pointed and babbled, sucked on her fingers, laughed and smiled and took a nap.
It was a great evening, and I look forward to many more wonderful memories with my husband and my babies!
P.S. Do NOT wear 4.5" heals as an accessory to your Halloween costume. It doesn't matter if heels completes the look. Don't do it.
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| Logan and Erica's faces...hilarious. You can't see my hair, but it was pulled back into a tight bun like the sirens in TRON. And of course I couldn't pass up an excuse to really pile on the black eye shadow. I'm surprised my kids still recognized me. |
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