traditions

A love traditions….for a lot of reasons.  This year I’m grateful for them because they make me do memorable family things that I’d otherwise not do because I’ve been feeling particularly lazy and out of steam. 

One of our Halloween traditions is to go to the “Haunted Hayride” at Wilson Farms with our dear friends the Kruckenburgs.  This year wasn’t the best….some wrong turns, some traffic, a long long line, flat tire tractor, not so great pictures, stomach aches….I stood there trying to hold a squirmy one year old, standing in a packed line and wondered if it was worth it.  But once we got on board the trailer, the kids’ smiles and squeals but my wondering to rest.  It’s worth it.   Really, what’s not to love about riding a tractor around a beautiful harvested farm, sitting on hay bails, looking at silly spooky scenes.      

 

And then there is pumpkin carving.  So much hassle!  So slimy and messy and stinky…..and since Jeff gags at the smell of pumpkin guts he’s not much help with the hard mucky parts.  I was grumbling inside as I laid out the newspaper and hefted in the big pumpkins. The kids, of course could barely contain their excitement….and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Hazel and Charlie are old enough now to do a lot of the dirty work…..seriously, they scraped out their guts, and Hazel even carved her entire pumpkin face alone, without any help at all. 

     My mom and dad always say that family traditions is the “glue that binds families together.”  Traditions make memories, make kids proud of what they’re a part of.  And I could feel it….amidst the gross pumpkin guts smell and the mess, our house was filled with the happy, familiar, bonding feeling of tradition. 

I love traditions.