One Of The Best Of All Time

This Halloween was one of my favorites of all time which surprises me given the fact that the day seemed to sneak up on all of us. We got our pumpkins last week and carved them a day or two later. All of the kids were into it which I loved. They each put a good amount of effort into carving their pumpkins and tried to come up with different ideas. Each of them succeeded. Andy's pumpkin amazed me. He seemed to whip that carving up in no time - it would have taken me weeks to create his design and it wouldn't have looked anywhere as nice as his did. His creativity is always inspiring to me.

After a little hemming and hawing Sarah decided that she was indeed going to trick or treat this year. This made me very happy. She was undecided about what she wanted to choose as her costume when a couple of days before going to pick one out she quietly said that she wanted to be a princess. She then changed her mind quickly after speaking that wish out loud as if it were somehow a silly thing for her to be. I encouraged her to not be embarrassed about wanting to be a princess. I told her that she would be a wonderful princess. She decided that she wanted to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. When Sarah put that costume on right before trick or treating a smile rose from her face and her eyes lit up. You could tell she felt beautiful. I will not forget that moment for a long time. It seemed like every house she went to people were telling her how beautiful her and Elizabeth looked. It made her feel special. She needed that.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was initially going to be a Greek goddess, but instead decided to be a flapper - which was the perfect outfit for her.

The boys came with Bob and I as we followed behind the girls going from house to house in search of tricks or treats. It was fun to have the boys with us. We laughed and talked while the girls happily collected their sugary treats. My heart felt full that night. I love when the six of us are together. With Andy working now and every one growing up it feels like it is harder for me to pull everyone together, but I am wondering if that is just in my imagination as I have really focused on creating more family time whether it be just the 5 of us or the 6 of us, and everyone seems to be joining in without too much fuss. It has been wonderful.

I want to give Elizabeth props for being an amazing sister to Sarah. I started out going door to door with Sarah so that Elizabeth could go with us, but not have to be responsible for Sarah. Although Sarah is a perfectly capable human being, she still needs a lot of help in a lot of situations. Elizabeth is usually the person to help her out. She does this all of the time without ever complaining or grumbling. Helping Sarah has just become her normal and something she has done for the past four and a half years of her life. After a few houses she came up and got Sarah and told me that she could take her. And the two girls trick or treated on their own the entire rest of the night with the rest of us trailing behind them. It was Elizabeth who navigated Sarah up each individual walkway telling her about each stair, bump, lit pumpkin, decoration, curve, and any other detail Sarah would need to know. It was Elizabeth who helped create space around Sarah so she could get past any other trick or treaters. It was Elizabeth who told the parent trick or treating with his kid that he was rude for telling Sarah how sad it was that she was a blind Belle. That girl may drive me crazy every day of the week at some point, but I will tell you this: Elizabeth has a heart of gold. Being a caretaker is not easy. And Elizabeth makes it look seamless.

So, what made this one of the best Halloween's ever? It was this:  Having my family together. Seeing my daughter's eyes light up because she felt beautiful. Seeing my other daughter gladly shoulder the extra tasks required in helping her sister trick or treat. Watching my girls from a distance laugh together. Seeing how mad boys got when they heard a person was rude to their sister. Hanging out with my husband and sons joking around and laughing together while the girls went grabbed treat after treat. Having one of my sons choose to stay out trick or treating with me and the sister he struggles to get along with the most while the other half of the family went back to the house. And being able to enjoy the moments of the night without worrying about what happened in the past and what is going to happen in the future. Just being able to BE with them. To not be distracted by the million thoughts that race through my brain each day, but instead to enjoy the moments as they came.

Watching my family that night just reinforced how much I love us as unit. I treasure my family so much. They are where my heart is.

Feeling where the tip and sharp edges are. 

Sarah's favorite part of carving pumpkins is taking the guts out. It grosses the other kids out, but she loves it. 

He is so methodical. He always has been. 

My artist. Thinking about his creation. 

Andy's pumpkin

Elizabeth's creation. 

Andy's

Josh's

Sarah's

Our flapper

Our Belle

Sarah spent the better part of the afternoon getting ready. I knew this costume was special to her even if she didn't want to let on that it was. She didn't want to wear any clothes underneath her costume and I think it was because doing so would have been a reminder that this was just a costume. She really wanted to feel a princess this night. And she did. 

Sarah brought two small bags so that she could swap one out for the other making it less heavy and cumbersome for her to carry. Andy was the nice big brother who carried the spare bag for Sarah. 

Her loot. 

Josh's loot. (Some families left a bowl of candy on their porch. On those houses I let Josh go up and grab 1 piece of candy. 

Elizabeth's haul.