Halloween- to like, or not to like.

(read this till' the end if you want to know the meaning of this picture)

Halloween is fun, and I normally love it because I just love this whole season, but the older I get, the more wrong I realize this holiday is. Think about it....allowing your children to recieve candy from strangers? Dressing up is scary costumes? Celebrating the dead? It's wierd that we ever thought this was a good idea, and that so many of us participate without really questioning its oringin. And the candy....oh the candy! The candy we all hide from our kids within minutes of bringing it home after we find them hiding behind the couch shoving mass quantities of it down their little throats! Don't get me started on candy.

Without verbally expressing my recent disdain for this holiday to my kids, at the risk of ruining their innocent childhood memories, I must say that my wise little Jack has somehow realized the strangeness of it all without me having to point it out. He has never been one for this holiday. He doesn't dress up because he thinks it's "dumb". I stopped trying to encourage his participation last year because I realized that he is right. It is a strange holiday, and I like that he thinks it's dumb. No harm...I support his desision, and I think it's great. This year a family member did convince him to wear a skeleton zip up jacket. That was big.

Kaitlin, on the other hand, has always liked it. She loves picking out her costume and posing for the camera. She doesn't hide in her closet and sneak-a-treat. She understands moderation, and cavities. But she loves it, so I support that too. I have a distinct feeling that this was our last year trick-or-treating as a family though. She is at the age where she wants to be with her friends.

Regardless of our differences in opinions, we all get together annually and eat homemade chili and enjoy this bizarre occasion as a family. It's always a treat, and at the very least, we build memories.

This year, the biggest treat for me was this picture of me and my man. We rarely take a photo together that we both like. He almost never smiles in pictures (its a football player thing), and because of this, I would rather not take pictures with him because he looks so unhappy. You can see how happy we are in this one. And for those of you who have been around for years and know what we have been through, you know what a blessing this happiness is.