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.
