Monday, October 27, 2008

Costumed cuties!

The Shrader's Annual Halloween Bash was this weekend -- oh, the costumes were adorable, the food all eaten (who knew 11 year olds ate so much more than the same kids at 10 last year?!), and the smiles of my foursome worth every single bit of the work!!



That's Mason in the center as Jedi Master Plo Koon from Star Wars!

And a curtsy from Claire dressed as Laura Ingalls in our little house in the desert (was that a book?)!


Football players, Dr. Seuss' Horton, cats, nerds, bats and retro-girls....the costumes covered every spectrum to be sure!!


And Benjamin as Han Solo with his best friend...hmm...not sure exactly WHAT he was...




Our little Cate would not be left out (or go to bed), she stayed right in the mix, and was passed from group to group! Dressed as Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl (she says the WHOLE name when asked!), she was the official mascot of the night!
My big kids have loved dressing up since they were little bitty. Trick or Treating never worked for us very well -- just not an accessible activity! And the kids weren't that into all the candy...but the costumes, man, that they love. So a few years ago, we decided to host a party for their friends -- a casual, chili-night where everyone could get dressed up and have a night of fun with silly games (involving lots of toilet paper!) and sugar-overloads. I know they will outgrow this silliness faster than I like. But can I just tell you, that I love watching them interact with their friends. Love that their friends show up asking about this game or that from the previous year -- as in "can we do that again?" -- even though I have stressed and racked my brain and Internet coming up with "new" ideas! Love that the food is devoured faster than we can blink. Love that the "Worm punch" I make (lime sherbet, ginger ale and lots and lots of gummy worms) always gets guzzled and giggled at! Love that by the end of the night, the punk rocker's pink wig is being worn by one of the boys, the black cat's tail is being twirled and the yodeling cowgirl can't stand up she is sooo tired!
Particularly after our week of Strep Throat and not-so-good x-rays, we needed to laugh. So today, I am counting the blessing of life's simple joys -- donning a costume and being as silly as we please for one night a year. I am thankful for children who no matter how serious the day was before, can still embrace the joy of life, and laugh their masks off!

3 comments:

Tracey said...

Oh Carol! Your words and your family just make my heart smile!! Keep writing FREQUENTLY about your sweet, and fun, family!! I can't wait for the next post! Keep'em coming and making us all feel so good inside by sharing in your lives just a little bit!

The Giraffe Head Tree said...

"Worm punch?" Oh, my! I'm sure all the kiddos had a marvelous time! How can one NOT have a marvelous time when one has Worm Punch?!?!

Christie said...

Ok....after seeing your daughter dressed up as Laura Ingalls I remembered this...... in second grade I think, we had to dress up in Betsy Ross costumes or something? All I remember is how AWESOME your curls were....I always remember begging my mom to make my hair like yours. She always did the best she could but her comment usually was,"Christie, her mom is a hairdresser, that is why her hair looks so good!" I so wanted my mom to be a hairdresser!!!! FLASHBACK!!!!