When my older kids were little, we didn't really do the whole Halloween thing. Part of the reason was due to a misguided pseudo-religious conviction, but mostly I was just lazy. Or overwhelmed. But probably both. (Just to give you some perspective, there was a time when I had 5 children under 6 years old. I loved that period of my life, but boy howdy, was I ever exhausted!)
By the time Halloween 2008 rolled around, I was finally ready to do costumes and candy with my kids. (And again, for perspective, I had 9 children ranging in age from 15 years down to 1 year old.) I don't remember what costumes my kids wore that year, because I am pretty sure I had very limited involvement in the decision process. Instead, I had farmed that out to the teens and tweens as part of their well-rounded homeschool education.
However, I recall with much fondness the costume I created for the one year old and me. I dressed up in a blue turtle neck with coordinating blue jeans and also dressed the baby in a matching blue onesie. I affixed cloud-like clumps of white batting to each of us and carried her around on my hip like usual. I also carried a squirt bottle full of water and randomly spritzed into the air. When people naturally asked me what I was dressed up as, I sprayed a fine mist of water in their direction and told them with a very straight face that I was -- wait for it -- Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Rain.
Then there was Halloween 2011, when I wore my beekeeping gear while holding the newest Romeo child on my hip whom I had dressed up as a bee. (My forte seems to be mother and child combo costumes.)
By the time Halloween 2008 rolled around, I was finally ready to do costumes and candy with my kids. (And again, for perspective, I had 9 children ranging in age from 15 years down to 1 year old.) I don't remember what costumes my kids wore that year, because I am pretty sure I had very limited involvement in the decision process. Instead, I had farmed that out to the teens and tweens as part of their well-rounded homeschool education.
However, I recall with much fondness the costume I created for the one year old and me. I dressed up in a blue turtle neck with coordinating blue jeans and also dressed the baby in a matching blue onesie. I affixed cloud-like clumps of white batting to each of us and carried her around on my hip like usual. I also carried a squirt bottle full of water and randomly spritzed into the air. When people naturally asked me what I was dressed up as, I sprayed a fine mist of water in their direction and told them with a very straight face that I was -- wait for it -- Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Rain.
Then there was Halloween 2011, when I wore my beekeeping gear while holding the newest Romeo child on my hip whom I had dressed up as a bee. (My forte seems to be mother and child combo costumes.)
Fast forward to now.
My 18 year old daughter is keenly aware of how quickly time is passing; next year at this time she will be away at college. As if to make up for all the lost years of not carving a single pumpkin as a family, she set out to carve six unique pumpkins by herself. There's probably a lesson in this, but I'll leave it up to you, dear reader, to find it. (Because I'm still lazy that way.)
My 18 year old daughter is keenly aware of how quickly time is passing; next year at this time she will be away at college. As if to make up for all the lost years of not carving a single pumpkin as a family, she set out to carve six unique pumpkins by herself. There's probably a lesson in this, but I'll leave it up to you, dear reader, to find it. (Because I'm still lazy that way.)
The Romeo child I dressed up as a bee in 2011 is old enough now to use my cell phone. I had given it to her while I was making dinner and her sister was carving pumpkins, assuming she would play a game on it, like Goat Simulator or Angry Birds. Nope. She recorded videos instead. I think she's lobbying for her own YouTube channel.
You can watch her cute video and running commentary of the pumpkin carving below.
You can watch her cute video and running commentary of the pumpkin carving below.
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