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?

Grief to Thankfulness

During October I participated in a photo challenge.  30 days of capturing the grief of child loss. Though it is something I live with daily, it was fascinating to see it visually.  To focus on a topic and a picture to describe my feelings each day.  Purposefully, I didn't really look ahead or think about what I would write each day; instead, I lived in the moment.  Capturing photos from where I stood in the day.  Where grief found me at various points of the day.

Goosebump hug - "23"1 posts on this last day

As I looked back this morning through my collection, a collage of grief, 

something stood out.  

Healing.  Truth.  Joy.  Life.  

For so long, in the darkness of grief, 

I didn't know that any of those would ever exist again.  

Below is Day 29.

Day 29: Reflect #captureyourgrief
All day I've thought "how can I sum up the past six years of #childloss in an Instagram post?" Impossible.
But driving home I saw this tree and turned around to capture a photo. It spoke to me about grief.
Ugly/beautiful. Gradual. Slow, like that of the seasons. Change. Death and yet, life.
After taking it, I looked down and noticed the arrow. Moving forward. Looking ahead. Hope. #joy. And it's all a cycle. Yes, if a paragraph can sum it up this tree inspired that reflection... #whathealsyourheart

The project actually went through 31 days.  The final day we were to capture a sunset.  Day 31, Halloween, found me knee deep in trunks of candy.  Organized chaos.  The scent of chocolate.  An array of costumed kiddos.  And sleet.  Seriously, sub-zero temperatures and just as we began to set up - freezing rain!  We pushed through and, although very chilly, it was a beautiful night.  Even in the weather, over 700 kiddos came through within an hour and a half.

Needless to say, I didn't have an opportunity to capture a sunset.  (Or post for Faithful Friday.) Honestly, I don't know if a sunset was even visible.  But here are some photos of my last night of October.  A sweet ending.

A panoramic view of the start of the night - Trunk or Treat @ EHBC

Our trunk - Monopoly
and the cutest "Mr & Mrs Moneybags" ever!

Now...we are in November.  A bittersweet month.  

A month of memories, our lasts with Austin.  Remembering the pain, the nightmare.  But also, absorbing the gratitude.  A month of thankfulness.  

For what was... and what is...and what will be.

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.

Fall Fest-palooza

What a crazy, busy, season-filled week!  In addition to the typical chaos of a work week, we've tossed in the start of basketball season, a couple of practices, and not one but TWO fall festivals.  Bookend that with another Fall Fest tomorrow, a family Halloween party on Sunday, and of course, the holiday on Monday, and you can see why my blogging has suffered! 

It's everything I love about this time of year, crammed into one week.  While it's been hectic, I've enjoyed it and I'm looking forward for what's to come.  One of my favorites of the week have been the festivals.  What's not love when you have a hodge-podge of cake walks, hayrides, hot dogs and chili, games, silent auctions, and more?!

Wednesday was spent at our former church, with a festival we've known and loved since my boys were little.  In fact, I remember bringing Noah to the first and needing to carry him most of the time because he was so small.  (Heart tug moment!)  The rain dampered a bit of the plans, but we still shared favorites, like the cookie decorating station and free pie.  Hugs and kisses from Noah during the cake walk was extra special too!  Most of all, what I treasure about this festival is that my entire family comes for the fun.   It was an added treat to watch new littles, my toddler niece and nephew, on the giant inflatables.  Seeing their excitement as they climbed the giant slide and having them wave to us in happiness made my heart smile.

This evening, actually in just a few minutes, we'll leave for Noah's school festival.  It's a bittersweet one too because it is our last.  My big 6th grader, this will be the end of grade school festivals for my kiddos.  It really is a little sad because it's such a sign of how quickly those childhood days are fading.  I will miss so many moments and memories from fall festivals past but am so grateful I have them.  And, I will certainly soak up every ticket, game, swarming of the silent auction table, sweaty hugs from my excited boy, squeals and screams I will encounter tonight!

And then tomorrow a new festival for us, at the church we've been attending.  Much to look forward to with the hayride, Trunk or Treat contest, cake walk, chili supper and getting to know more of the families there.  It's sure to be a fun-filled evening and a new tradition for us!  But of course, the icing on the cake will be our Souper Spooky Sunday at the house.  I don't want to write much about that because I'm sure it will wrap up my joy post for the weekend!

All in all, it's been a festive week, a sure to be seasonal weekend, with sprinkles of family, fun and joy throughout.  May yours be filled with sweet spooks, festivities and treats too!