And Then There Were Six...: Traditions

Student, athlete, pirate, biker babe...she is keeping her options open. Think Harvard would like to see this picture on her resume?

Have you ever noticed how traditions change throughout the years? Our traditions just seem to evolve.

"He's got leg's..."

"Every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man..."

Do you have ZZ Top running through your head? I do... I'll be dreaming in ZZTop stereo tonight.

Take Halloween, for instance. First of all, it is not one of my favorite holidays. Don't get me wrong ~ I used to decorate my ENTIRE house, for the ENTIRE month. Lately, (OK - only since Ashley got to be "older") I haven't decorated, and this year was no exception. I didn't have the inclination nor the energy.

"What, exactly...is in the bag?" I reluctantly asked. " Please tell me you didn't tie up one of your brothers."

"I'll never show you," she replied with a smirk.

The other undertaking that I was lacking on this year was...Dang! I hate to admit this... My kids (except Ashley) had store bought costumes. Oh the horror. I despise store bought costumes with every fiber of my being. Ashley, in all of her 14 years, has NEVER had a store bought costume. We may have purchased bits and pieces, but never an entire ensemble. So, not only are my children deprived of decorations, but also of the homemade costume. Hopefully Ashley still has memories of making homemade Halloween ghosts, and cutouts, and candy, and caramel apples... We did some pretty cool things! Why are my boys not getting the same treatment?

Well, for one thing - Stephan is 2, and has no patience for crafts. (Must be the boy in him.) The twins are only 9 months so "who cares"? They don't!

"Dude, I think there is something on my head. Can you check it out for me?"

"Are you kidding? The parents couldn't even pull down my shirt before taking a picture. What kind of show is this? Check out my muscles. I am baby ~ hear me roar!"

"I'm serious. I think there are eyeballs on my head..."

"Can you see them? I know there is something up there."

"Mama, please take the picture and get me away from him. He's starting to scare me."

"I will not be put off. I know there is something up there. Please send help..."

"I'm done. You are all really going to hear me roar now..."

I also gave my sewing machine to Goodwill last month. Dumb move if you want a homemade costume for your kids. (mental note: save money for new sewing machine) Seriously, do I really want to sew 4 costumes? OK all you SAHMs, how many costumes do you sew in a year for your own family? Do any of you purchase costumes?

Back to Traditions...

"I'm telling you, my mom has a bad case of ADD and can't carry on a simple conversation without taking a photo, or talking with her hands, or even staying on topic. Do you know how many photos she has of me getting into a vehicle? Why? What is the point? She needs serious help."

Before kids...Tim and I would get all dressed up and participate in the scaring of little kids. Yep, we were the awful adults who would stage a large scary scene in some one's front yard, and as the kids would come to the door, we would scare them till they ran away screaming. It was great fun! Some kid actually kicked Tim one year. (Very funny moments.)

Then, along came Ashley. We were responsible adults at this point so we dressed our little girl up and went to visit family. (They give the best treats!)

Eventually Ashley got older and wiser and learned that other children actually "haunt" houses and BEG for candy! She was hip to this whole idea, we allowed our child to buy into the commercialism, and so off we went. The bad part about this is where we live. Children don't walk house to house, they have to be driven house to house because we live so far away from each other. (Let me tell you, my husband and I would draw straws to see who had to drive that year. Pretty much takes the fun out of it.)

Then, the pre-teen years hit. A new tradition was started. (A good one too!) She was old enough to be driven in town, and allowed to trick or treat in unknown neighborhoods. (Settle down, I still walked with her...) We would meet our friends at a local Mexican food restaurant, eat dinner, and then meander through the neighborhood in town. Good friends, good food, good exercise, child happy with LOTS of candy...

A few years ago, the town got smart... The local business owners decided to begin "Trunk or Treating." This is where you either donate candy to the businesses, or you park your little "booty" on the street with a LARGE bag of candy, and the kids come to you. It is a very cool idea. Main Street is shut down for two hours during this festival.

But, we don't do that. We volunteer at our church. Our church has a Fall Festival for the community. There are games, videos, face painting, and LOTS of candy.

Shelby is our pretend daughter. We pretend she is ours, and she pretends we are hers. It's a fun little community.

Shelby, Tim, Aiden, Stephan, Ashley, Me, Isaiah

This year... off we went. ALL of us dressed in costume heading to the church. It is always a good place to be. Stephan was so overwhelmed by the people, the games, and the candy. He even tried eating the wrapper on a Tootsie Roll! The twins had mixed emotions. Aiden couldn't figure out why someone put a "snout" on top of his head, and Isaiah wanted to know what had become of his mommy. He had a bad night. Overall, it was fun.

It is our tradition, for awhile.

Eventually, our children will be older, and we will evolve...again...and create... a new tradition.

Enjoy the photos of the family, kids, friends, and festivities..

Don't ask how long it took to figure out how to get his car seat buckled while still wearing this costume. He refused to take it off. Good thing I'm good with puzzles.

Grammy and Isaiah

Morgan (on the left) is the boys' favorite babysitter. I love her because she is not afraid to come over in the middle of the day and play with the boys. Sometimes I even take a nap. I tried to convince her to drop out of college and be my full-time nanny. She's still in college...