First Day Firsts

I've always been a weepy woman, tears streaming against my control at a sappy love story or goosebump moment in life.  As such, the guys often make fun of me, or turn in unison to see if I'm crying at the sign of something emotional.  Even knowing this, it took me by surprise that I was so teary on the first day of school.

Noah's been driving since the beginning of the year but today was his first day driving himself to class.  I thought I was prepared for it - until he backed out of the drive.  Walking back into the house from our annual photo opp, it hit me that he'd probably never again ride shotgun in the mornings or after school.  Though our drives were brief, they were memorable and I will miss sharing that time together.

The morning went much smoother than anticipated, another sure sign my baby is growing up.  He was ready to head out the door before his dad even arrived home from work.  Sitting together on the couch, I decided to bring back the morning verse of the day.

We started this tradition when the boys were younger, as it was a quick and easy way to get them in the Word each day.  Alternating between Psalm and Proverbs, you choose the date for your verse.  Noah flipped to Psalm and found there was no 8:10 so he moved to Proverbs.  It was so fitting for the first day of school and I hope Noah felt God's presence in the room.  I pray He covers Noah with protection this school year, guides his steps and decisions, and guards his heart.  While I want him to do well as a Junior academically, it is more important to me that he follow the wisdom and knowledge gained from this book...

I can hardly contain myself, as I want to text and check on his day; however, I will refrain for now.  You best believe I'll be ready with our annual cupcakes to share and hear all about it this evening.

Meanwhile, if you're wanting a distraction from all that back-to-school paperwork, here are some of my favorite school related posts from the past.

school days

afternoons with noah

disco spelling test

faithful friday

My handsome junior, no more bus rider

Trick-or-Treat Traditions

Traditions.

Just the word makes me smile.  Takes me back to fond memories of the past.
From my childhood and early years with the boys.  It reminds me of comfort, of HOME.

With a growing teenager, we're at a crossroads of change.  And as such, a tweaking of our traditions. Gone are the days of creating fun costumes and trick-or-treating with my little guy.

Noah was always such a good sport, letting me be creative and make homemade costumes.

 These were two of my faves.  

He chuckled remembering them this afternoon, 

naming some I had forgotten about like the "Cereal" Killer and mummy.

Things have changed so much, we aren't even able to participate in Trunk or Treat at church this year, which has at least allowed Noah to still dress up and hand out candy.

Because, this year, my little guy is so big he has to work the holiday.  He was a tad disappointed, although I think he was uncertain what he would even do, if he were off.  It's tough growing up.  I see the realization in his face as childhood traditions start to slip away.

Our children are forced to grow up so quickly.  So often we wish our childhood away and then spend decades wishing it back.  While I'm proud that Noah's responsible and mature, I also love seeing him enjoy just being a kid.

Noah was going to walk my sister's kiddos around the park today to collect candy from local businesses, until we noticed the massive line and the time.  Instead, he ended up hugging them goodbye and walking to work.  (Big momma heart tug moment!)

My sweetheart niece, Bryanna, thought of her cousin and carried a bag around for him too.  Not everyone gave her candy for both, but I'd watch her peek in her bag, dip in her little hand and drop some over in his bag.  Hopefully it'll put a smile on his face when he gets home tonight.  It sure did mine.

Instead of what we've grown used to for this holiday, we find ourselves rearranging and adjusting, figuring out new traditions along the way.  I'm sure it is the beginning of many more to come, as our boy grows older.

Since he doesn't clock in until the afternoon, we've decided to spend the day cooking and watching spooky movies.  We've not yet had a pot of Noah's award-winning chili so it seems fitting to start a memory of making it on Halloween.  It was difficult for him to give me his "secret ingredient" list to shop today but I promised to never share!

With the crazy schedule our family has, our pumpkins haven't even been carved yet so that will also be new for us.  At least our creations won't be soggy and caving in!

And for the first time maybe.....ever? Tim and I will be home on Halloween.  I realized this morning we better get some candy, if kiddos even come to our neighborhood.  If not, I'm sure my guys will have no problem putting it away.


What are your Halloween traditions?
...And what do you sneak out of the candy bowl?

Delicious Memories

There are bowls of shiny red apples in my kitchen.  A sure sign Halloween is just around the corner.

These rich, deep scarlet fruits, with crisp and juicy flesh, are as much a part of Halloween for our family as are pumpkins, candy corn or popcorn balls for others.  A tradition passed down from my father-in-law, years before Tim and I were even together.

As a child, I remember few stops along our trick-or-treating route, but George's house is one I recall fondly.  At the bottom of a steep hill (great for sleigh riding), we'd knock on the door and a man with stark white hair would greet us.  He was quiet, often not even speaking, as he'd turn away at the sight of us, carrying the candy bowl back inside with him.  The first year this happened, I thought maybe we'd done something wrong or upset him by knocking too loud.  It wasn't until he reappeared with a handful of bright red apples, tossing them into our bags, that we were shared the Blair surprise. 

We were favorites! Only George's favorites, special kids of dear friends, got red delicious apples.  Everyone else...just candy.

These weren't your average apples.  They were enormous!  Stretching our mouths to chomp into them resulted in a chin dripping with juices.  Each noisy bite filling our mouths with sweetness no candy could match.  It was always a treat that never made it home, as we'd enjoy them in the car, candy bags awaiting inspection.

Tim and I were only married one Halloween without Austin, so there hasn't yet been a season that we aren't away from the house trick-or-treating with our kiddos.  This year, though my teens are "too old" we will happily be toting my baby sister's littles, as she has class.  Even if we weren't going door to door, we'd be at the annual fire department potluck, where we have ended our holiday for two decades.

As such, I've never really got to start the tradition of handing out apples to special guests on Halloween, but I do make sure we always have them at home to enjoy.  Every hand selected fruit is a reminder of a sweet, quiet man we dearly miss.  For now, I'll just share them with my family and company that happens to visit this time of year.  One day though, my husband's salt and pepper hair will become mostly salt, much like his daddy's, and we can continue the tradition like George.

The Rose and the Thorn

I wouldn't call myself a copycat, more like an alert observer. If I see or hear something I like and I think it will, in some way, improve my day, I use it. There's no sense in recreating the wheel but I do tweak things here and there, make it my own, and hopefully better sometimes.

I was home last Thursday, as it was my last day of summer vacation, and watching daytime TV. It surprised to me hear that the guest on the show that day would be President Obama. During the interview, Barbara Walters asked him a question about his time in office and "what has been your rose, what has been your thorn?" I later learned he does this activity every evening with his wife and girls. Anyway, I liked it and immediately decided we'd use it when school began.

Maybe it is part of having boys but there's usually only one answer I get when I ask, "How was your day?" No matter how the day was - amazing, depressing, exciting - I'll hear, "Fine" as the response. If I prod, "What did you learn?" I will usually hear one word, "Nothing." And it takes several more sentences and prodding to get much information about the day. I decided this year would be different.

Noah walks in, hot and flushed, but who can blame him in this sauna-weather we're having. I smile, greet him with a big hug, and am surprised by the many sentences which spurt out of his mouth. He informs me his is a "big 5th grader now, so look" and places a neatly packed folder in my hands. One side is to keep, one to sign and send back. (Amazingly, they aren't crinkled and stuffed in whatever pocket was open on his trapper.) I'm glad I'm sitting at this point, for it continues. Noah goes on to tell me about his day, new jobs he may have, and a neat icebreaker that I may have to "borrow" as well.

He goes away for a snack and I'm still smiling from the sharing moment we had, in addition to the many forms I know I'm about to complete. This is a little off track but I just have to say - it is one of my favorite parts about the first day of school! I'm a form girl and I LOVE filling out all that paperwork. (No, this is not an open invitation to complete all of yours!)

A few minutes later he returns, still searching for a snack, and I use the time to introduce our daily activity. He didn't give me a big stage to announce it on, since he kinda shared without needing it, but I continue anyway.

This year, every afternoon after school, and, for what I hope to be many years to come, we will use this to tell each other about our days. The thorn allows us one complaint. I know some roses have more than one than one thorn but a wise friend once told me she only allows herself one complaint a day - I borrowed that too, I guess! The rose, which has many petals, allows us to share one or several great points about our day. I was pleased to see Noah jump right in this afternoon and share them both.

And it made me smile even more when his "thorn" wasn't all that grumpy; it was a fact - it was HOT today!

Maybe you could "borrow" this idea with your own family and start a new tradition.  Here's hoping your day is always full of more roses than thorns.