This is really late, but it doesn’t seem right to skip over Halloween here, and the leaves, and the costumes. There is some rituals to fall that should not be over looked. It’s a passing of time, that brings a much welcomed gust of cooler temperatures. But I’m just not a fan of all the Halloween hoopla. I like fall, the leaves changing, and bringing out out the pumpkins. But Halloween comes at a time when I’m just catching my breath from fall birthdays, and taking a break before we get to Christmas and ANOTHER birthday.
I could do without Thanksgiving too. I’ve been a vegetarian for 15 years. Tofurky is really gross and I don’t get jazzed by casseroles, no mater how much cheese is them. Right now I am ready to move on to winter, crafting, baking, gifting and snowflakes. But before we do that, I have to finish catching up on fall.
Visiting a pumpkin patch is a favorite tradition I like, just as much as our new one of picking apples. 
Little feisty one insisted on finding a pumpkin she could hold by her self – “with one hand.” This was it. She smashed a few in the process, dropping them. Opps. Sorry about that! 
Then came my oldest girl’s insistence that we carve the pumpkins two weeks before Halloween. I always end up doing all the work because no one else will stick their hands in the guts. This year I made them help – no wimpy girls allowed! I warned this was too early to cut open the pumpkins. But she insisted we go ahead.
And by Halloween….I said, ” I told you so.” As we had one dismal looking rotted princess pumpkin Halloween night and two others that could barley hold a candle. They litterally had to be scooped up with a shovel after Halloween. It was a natural lesson. She won’t do that again.
This was the first year since baby days that I did not make costumes. My middle girl has begged for years for a certain Southern Belle costume. My husband finally caved and said yes. So in came the year of online costumes (the youngest’s dress was a hand-me-down at least). 
In years past I would have taken 100 pictures of the girls going door-to-door. This year, this was the only one I got before they split, running with friends and me just toddling along with the munchkin. I hate that. I want the days back when the littles all toddle together, red wagon in tow, and no one strays afar. I suppose times are a changing. And sometimes that makes me sad.
