October 31

Halloween looks different now that our kids are older. Abby sent photos of herself and her friends, who all dressed up as different American Girl dolls. Isaac, at the very last second, grabbed a Santa Hat and announced that he was going to school as a "confused guy." And Brady... well, he had the Big Bird sunglasses I got for him when I dropped him at school, but I never actually saw them *on* his face. So yeah, not so big on the costume-thing these days.

Then after school (which was a minimum day, so they were out by 1), I took the bros over to church so they could help set up for the trunk or treat event. They texted me two hours later to announce that they were done and to ask me to pick them up, so I headed over.

...and then we wound up hanging out there for another hour and a half. I enjoyed chit-chatting with friends and visitors alike --including the firemen and policemen who attended-- and Isaac and Brady enjoyed the face painting station. Their youth group friend Jocelyn was the artist, and both boys visited several times.

We rolled into the garage just as Adam finished plating dinner, so we ate and then the boys worked on carving their pumpkins while I donned my Hello Kitty onesie and headed to the bonfire at the top of the street. It's chilly out tonight, but it's always a blessing to get to catch up with our neighbors.

So yeah, Halloween looks different these days. But I'm content with what is. I'm grateful that Isaac and Brady were open to helping out at church and I'm grateful that I got to thank our police and firemen in person for their service and dedication to our community. And I'm grateful for good neighbors and fun events and chances to connect. Halloween was sweetened by candy when I was a kid, but these days, it's the many blessings I see in the day that make it an entirely different brand of sweet. And I'm grateful for that reality, too.