Sunday, October 31, 2010

Writing his own script...


After 10 years of Halloweens with Nolan, we've finally figured out how the "script" will play out.  But man, we've taken our lumps along the way.  Nothing spoke epic fail to me as a parent, as did halloweens of our past... 




Ironically, his first Halloween was probably the smoothest.  As young parents, we just didn't know it yet. He was a pumpkin his first Halloween.  But due to the time change?  When it finally got dark outside at 6 o'clock, he fell ASLEEP and promptly missed the whole thing. We were so disappointed. He sure made a cute chub-cheeked pumpkin, too bad nobody got to see him.  




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By the next Halloween I was newly pregnant with Colton and in the throes of "all day"  sickness.   We decided on an impromptu visit to Minnesota and as I type this, all I can think is... "what were you thinking?"  My sister-in-law loaned us a fuzzy lion costume for Nolan. And act like a lion he did! He clawed at it trying to get it off. He howled and whimpered and finally roared until we took it off. Here is the one rather pathetic photo we got of a worn out nauseous mom struggling to hold her little lion cub! Pretty sure I was praying hard for this next baby to be a girl... princesses don't roar, do they?

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And so the saga continued. The next year Nolan decided on a Buzz Light Year costume and Missy came to the rescue again providing a tricked out Buzz costume. We practiced every day for a week trying it on and getting used to wearing the costume.  But come Halloween night our little buzz never saw the light of day let alone the outside of our house.  How could we keep getting this so wrong?

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I stopped being able to remember exactly which year we finally made it at least around the block once but not without at least two complete meltdowns before we got outside.  I also gave up on taking pictures...   But, then Colton came along. He may not have been the "girl" that I had hoped for, but he was the sweet, flexible, easier temperament that has been a breath of fresh air for us all. And he helped smooth the way. He was the one not afraid to go up and ring the doorbell as Nolan cowered behind him. Little brother led the way and slowly big brother gained in courage.

And as for mom and dad? Well we have grown some very thick skin and a sense of humor.  Last year, Nolan was in rare form. He was ready in his costume by 5:05 pm and although it was light outside, he couldn't understand why we declined to take him just yet.  We told him to watch for the outside house lights to come on and he just couldn't take it any more. He went in the house and took off his costume and proclaimed Halloween OVER. But much to his dismay, mom and dad have now been around the block a time or two and only stood outside laughing.  Within maybe 5 minutes he was dressed again, composed, and ready to go.  

 And Colton, completely oblivious to the shenanigans of his brother, was gleefully happy in his green power ranger costume and without any prompting leapt for joy when the camera was pointed his way. They have such different ways of being in this world. 



Who knows what this year will bring?  Rumor has it that 10 year-olds don't always go trick or treating anymore.  And suddenly, that idea feels okay with me.  Instead of the script we tried for years to get him to follow,  he is writing his own.   

What does your Halloween script look like?  


13 comments:

  1. I love it. Living out in the country, I was able to keep Halloween a pretty minor thing for the first several years. My girls assumed everyone went to 2 neighboring farms and then went home. I have always found this holiday exhausting with little children.

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  2. McCoy had the Same Pumpkin and Lion costume! LOL
    He usually had snot all over everything!!!

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  3. That second photo is a "winner"..
    I love this captured moment. I have one of my grandson getting his first haircut. You would think that the hair stylist was killing him! Wonderful memories, Vicky.
    Love to you my dear friend...
    Jackie

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  4. Well, it certainly looks like! Halloween can really be up in the sir sometimes thats for sure! ;D

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  5. Just helped out at our church event tonight. Lots of happy kids playing games and getting tons of candy. At my house, only two children for trick or treat!

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  6. Fun post!
    Halloween means birthday time here at my house. My oldest turns 17 on Halloween. We have not traditionally done trick or treating but did alot of costume birthday parties when he was a little guy, now we just enjoy the day anyway we want.

    This year we were coming back from visiting family, so we did it simple. We relaxed with an afternoon of watching football and having pizza and a few rips around the woods on the 4 wheeler.

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  7. Vicky, this is one of the wonderful things about having multiple children. They really do teach the lesson, plainly, that children are born with a disposition, and though we can influence how they move through their world, we cannot move mountains against the forces of nature and reality. God will have to pick up where we leave off. It's a hard lesson but one I'm learning too. I really loved the photos, even in all the imperfection of them. :) They're adorable whether they're crying or thrilled to be costumed up!

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  8. “We must always have old memories and young hopes to succeed".
    Good old memories always freshen up and rejuvenate one's thinking process.
    I liked all the photos with different moods and memoirs viz.(i)Happy and care-free.
    (ii)Surprised and thinking 'who am I ?'.
    (iii)crying is always wider than a smile.
    (iv)The ecstatic junior super-man.
    All good ones and a great refreshingly fun post.
    You must have enjoyed it while compiling and posting, I'm sure.

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  9. Vicky this is a funny story, Kinda like me as a kid wanting to see a NEW YEAR EVE but always feel asleep before midnight and no one ever woke me.

    I love the buzz light year photo so precious!

    We don't really celebrate Halloween here, it's not popular at all. However my kids pestered me to dress up and so we had a BBQ and made spooky cupcakes and went trick or treating to the neighbors we know. My daughter made me buy candy to give out but we had no trick or treater's knock at our door and now my children are hyped up on sugar.

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  10. Those early years of trick or treating was always super dramatic and explosive (at times) for me and the little ones. We have much more fun now, though Jillian gets wiped out too quickly. Then it's tough for me to keep her in the spirit so that the boys get their full trick or treating in.

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  11. Vicky, thanks so much for your friendship, support and advice during my husband's job search. You gave me some things to think about. I'll share your experience with my husband when we talk tonight about all our options. We're at a rough spot right now, but I know it will all work out. Thanks again. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I'll keep you updated!

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  12. Cute photos - must be something magic about turning 4 -- I read your post and just laughed -- cross out Nolan and insert Christopher and the stories are the same...how come I seem to think that a lot about those two.....thankfully Brynne/Colton are usually interchangeable also....

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  13. A happy belated Halloween to you and your family :) The pictures were a delight!

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