Halloween Superheroes

Princess Batgirl and Superman-who-couldn't-be-bothered-to-get-in-full-costume
(and who also happens to have only one front tooth) 

Here's what makes Halloween great around here. The kids get to go trick-or-treating in the dorms at Baylor a week before halloween and they LOVE it. We stop at their favorite tree and swing on the big tree swings, and then 6 floors of family-deprived college students doting on their slapdash costumes and filling their buckets with candy.

Why? Because we're fun. 

And then ACTUAL halloween gets to be more of an afterthought. We can dress up, go around to the few houses within walking distance that give out candy, and then hang out on our front porch giving out candy. I think Ben likes the giving out candy part just as much as going door-to-door.

We went around our block with our neighbors. These are the girls that
gave Eliza the princess dress she's wearing--they think she's really cute.

One of these things is not like the others.

Eliza loves wearing her costume...

...all the time, in different combinations 

Ben's 6th Birthday

M&M cake for birthday party at Lion's park 

What a joy to be able to sit down and reflect on my boy at age 6. All of a sudden he's a kindergartner, blossoming into a social creature, showing glimmers of leadership and a genuine desire to serve others. I honestly did not think I would be saying any of those things at this time last year. 

I brought cupcakes for Benjamin's class at school on his birthday and he was so excited to introduce me to ALL of the kids in his class and they really seemed to rally around him. He has made a special friend in the little girl sitting behind him on the roller coaster in the picture below. It sounds like their friendship revolves around collecting "treasures" on the playground together--I find all sorts of delightful surprises in his pockets these days : ) 

At his birthday party this year, JB and I marveled at how he lead the kids around the little amusement park and tried to connect at different times with each of the friends. He's just growing up. 

Still happy--this did not last long. 

A friend of mine shared with me that she has enjoyed watching Benjamin in kids club (a Wednesday night church program) find real joy in serving others and help organize everyone (!) during snack time. I saw this recently when he had a bunch of kids up in his tree house and got everyone organized for a snack--he really took charge! He does appreciate a sense of order and might even be learning how to help make it happen.  He has always loved spending time with me emptying the dishwasher and folding clothes or other little household chores (something I notice particularly now that I have a second child who does not seem as naturally inclined toward spending time with me in this way : ) 

Everyone else loved this little roller coaster. 

We've known ever since Benjamin was 3.5 and cried over the not wanting things to change that he is a sensitive soul. Lately, this has turned into missing people before they are even gone. If you are reading this blog post, he has mostly likely done this regarding you. Here's a poem that Ben connected with when he was 3; we return to it often. From Arnold Lobel's Whiskers and Rhymes, a favorite in our home. 

There was an old woman of long ago

Who went about her mending. 

She sewed the wind against the clouds 

To stop the trees from bending. 

She stitched the sun to the highest hill 

To hold the day from ending. 

Her thimble and threads were close at hand

For needlework and quilting, 

For sewing gardens to the sky

To keep the blooms from wilting,

For lacing the land to the crescent moon

To save the world from tilting. 

A special birthday present from grandmommy

Birthday lunch with family--fish tacos! 

Taking training wheels off--we're working on it!