Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Forum: Viewing image Halloween Pictures (NL) - Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Forum

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Supplies:
ScrapSimple Digital Layout Template: Rounded Corners (MRE)
Stylize Paper Biggie (BHA)
Autumn Painted Solids Paper Biggie (not available)
AMC_Chalk Talk Font
AMC_Friendly Font

Journaling:
The Halloween Pictures We Didn't Take (title)
Every year I take pictures of the boys dressed up for Halloween. And every year the pictures turn out awful.
So this year I didn’t take pictures.
Steven dressed up as a Broncos Maniac. His term. He wore a blue and orange face mask with the Broncos logo on it - a gift from Grandpa from when the went to the football game together. He painted his hair orange and blue and wore his favorite orange t-shirt and blue and orange shorts. Luckily it was a very warm Halloween this year.
He also carried an ax. I had to ask, “Is the ax part of the Bronco Maniac costume, or is it just because it’s Halloween so you have to carry an ax?” He said, “It’s Halloween so I have to carry an ax.” Sigh.
At least it was a fake ax.
Austin was a Ninja. Again. And I overpaid for his costume at Party City. Again. And I vowed that I would never spend that much money on a costume worn for less than two hours.
Again.
Austin wanted to trick-or-treat by himself, like his brother, but I said he had to wait until next year. I walked down the street as he ran door-to-door, keeping a safe distance so as not to mortify him in case he saw any kids from school. He did a much better job than I’d expected - always courteous, always aware of what was going on around him.
I realized I’d been wrong - he was ready to trick-or-treat by himself. So I let him go off on his own to enjoy his independence. I headed back home to Gerry and Andrew, who were manning the house and handing out candy.
As I walked back up the street, I was struck with this incredible deja vu feeling. I remembered the years my mother walked along the road while I trick-or-treated, running from one house to another. I could see the illumination of her flashlight on the pavement as she stayed close enough to keep an eye on me, but far enough to give me my space. The years fell away and suddenly it didn’t seem all that log ago. Why did that strike me so much this year, and not in years past?
Maybe because I worried less about taking pictures and spent more time living in the moment with my kids.

(caption) The candy wrappers were a gift from Steven and Austin, who naturally assumed I would want to scrapbook their trash.