Thursday, November 1, 2007

Post Halloween let-down

I think I am suffereing from post partum after Halloween. I get all keyed up for my very favorite holiday of the year. I dressed in a Halloween theme such black with a vest complete with pumpkins made out of ribbons and other stitchery. I ALWAYS wear my Halloween socks. All day I am thinking about the night's events ahead of us....

I rush to pick Rhett up at mom's. I have his costume in the car, but on the way there, I realized I'd forgotten his Halloween bucket or rather his Harry Potter caldron he has used since he was Harry at age five. His age - not Harry's! That meant we had to go home to get it before going to Elisa's church to meet her, the girls and Nate. I'd emailed our pastor's wife we would not be at church tonight so she wouldn't worry.

It was a bit warm outside so I knew Rhett would be hot in his pleather biker jacket. He couldn't stand wearing the mask to play the games the church had set up for the children so I held onto it for him. While we were standing in line for an activitiy, Rhett heard my cell phone going off in my pants pocket. His ears were closer to it and music was blaring in mine so I didn't hear it singing "Mandy". I didn't get it in time, but it was Don. He was at home but heading our way soon.

It was sort of neat that Nate introduced Rhett as his brother-in-law. The young girls did not believe that a nine year old could be his BIL.

Don tried to sneak up on me, but his deep voice didn't scare me. I felt him there before he said anything. Then we saw Lisa and the girls not far behind us. Tatum was a country star deva, but I later found out she was actually portraying Sarah Evans. Lisa had applied make up on her so we will have an idea what she will look like in a few more years. I couldn't quite figure out who Wesley Rose was supposed to be. It was a bit later when I heard she was Dora. She soon got tired of wearing her hot wig much like Rhett did his mask. Nathan put it on and Lisa took a lot of pictures of him clowning around with his friend Shannon who is also a friend of Jason's (our oldest son). I will get copies of her pictures, but I probably won't be able to upload them here.

There were lots of cute costumes. One little boy was a buccaneer pirate complete with tiny boots. He was so cute beneath his colored on beard. He had such a cute smile. Tatum's friend Madison was a french maid. She kept dusting Tatum off.

Stephanie arrived as we neared the end of the trunk or treat. It was almost 8. We decided to go to Trenda's house as we do every year. Don & I rode in the front of the black truck while everyone else rode in the back of the truck. We rode over to a subdivision we'd taken the kids to once before. Even at some of the houses that were decorated with Halloween lights, Tatum and Rhett would not get out of the truck because "it was too scarey" when it was not sacrey in the least! At one house the two of them stood in the middle of the yard refusing to walk up to get the candy while Wesley Rose trucked on up there. Brave little soul that she is. She came back to the truck saying, "That monster was scarey, but I wasn't scared" in her cute little voice. Lisa went with them so I remained in the truck while they went from house to house.

Luckily we were through by 8:30. I don't know why I let myself get so tensed up, but I was beginning to have a bad case of indigestion and needed to burp. Of course I had nothing to drink. Suddenly I was just totally exhausted, wanting it to all be over and wanting to go home where I could just fall into an easy chair. Rhett was hungry and Lisa said she didn't have enough food for everyone. Steph and Amanda had already eaten. So this year was different. Rhett & I picked up something for Don and him at McDonald's. I thought of getting a McRib sandwich, but decided not to eat anything. I got a Dr. Pepper (which I rarely drink) just so I could burp.

Once home I crashed in the recliner. Later after Rhett ate, he curled up next to me and I knew he would be fast asleep soon so I put him to bed. I guess today took a lot out of his little sails as well.

It sort of seems like each Halloween is changing and I can't describe except I feel the winds of change coming. We have done this holiday as a family for nine years now. I wonder how much longer it will last. Soon our kids will be too big for trick or treating. Then what will we do? We will still go to our annual party which is where I take the majority of my pictures now. I did not take a single one last night. Once Tatum says she is too old for this sort of thing, Rhett will be sorely disappointed, but he can still go with Wesley if Tatum is doing her own thing. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. One year at a time. We still have a few more Halloweens left.

Maybe we could make our own haunted house complete with thick spider webs and gigantic spiders like the ones I saw last night which I wish I had taken a snap shot of at least. Another regret but not a missed chance for a haunting we will go again next year....

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