'Scary' Decisions

It is an internal battle every time a holiday comes up that has traditions inconsistent with my faith and beliefs. I find myself always asking how I would like to go about teaching my children the traditions and what I don't want them to participate in or do what may be socially acceptable. Take Christmas for example... One of my many battles is do I write that the presents are from Santa or from Jesus? (I had a friend who also has been a great example in my life tell me that they write from Jesus and I fell in love with the idea.) If I write from Santa then I am just doing what society has deemed common practice, however, I don't have to worry about other parents being angry with me that my child told their kid Santa is fake and that Jesus blesses us with presents. At the same time I want my children to understand that if it weren't for the blessings from Christ we would not be able to afford the presents and we wouldn't have a 'Christmas'.

Clean-cut Allen and baby Carlos

So as you have probably guessed, Halloween totally fits into this battle. Every year it becomes harder and harder for me to decide what I would like to do with my own family. Now, I would never make the decision without my husbands input and support but he struggles with it just as much as I do. Halloween is often about evil, mythical creatures, witchcraft, and other things the bible speaks against! Yes, it can be fun and enjoyable at the time but so is drinking for a teenager trying to fit in... don't think you want your kids drinking.

Baby Moses

Either way, this is a battle that rages on in my head and I think that it is a decision I will just have to keep making one year at a time (Or every couple years or so). So with that said, Ethan did dress up for Halloween this year and he probably will next year too. We did not 'Trick-Or-Treat' because he can't eat any of it and he doesn't understand the concept anyway but we will take him out 'Trick-Or-Treating' next year. Spencer said months ago that he wanted to be Allen and Ethan be Carlos from 'The Hangover'. So we got Ethan all dressed up and he totally pulled off the Carlos. Spencer on the other hand was more of a clean-cut, ten pounds lighter (Yes, only ten (; Love you Spenc...)  Allen.

Happy Halloween

I wanted to get Ethan dressed up and take him over to Spencer's school right as they were letting out to go 'Trick-Or-Treating because I thought that it would be a fun and nice surprise for Spencer but I couldn't have Ethan be Carlos because it doesn't really work without Allen. So I got creative. I knew that I couldn't spend any money because it would be pointless since it was only for just a couple hours and because we have no money to be spending on costumes that he wouldn't even be able to use ever again. With that I decided that Ethan would play baby Moses. I don't know where the idea came from or what would even make me think of it, maybe it was that raging battle in my mind showing its ugly head, but baby Moses it was. I found a wicker basket in a box I hadn't unpacked yet and grabbed a blanket that fit the 'costume' just perfectly, then headed to Spencer's school. Once there and in the building I got Ethan down to his diaper put him in the basket with the blanket and went looking for Spencer. I hate to say this but when I found Spencer he had no idea what Ethan was. I even gave Spencer a clue saying 'Think ten commandments' and 'Think baby floating in a river crying'. I got nothing. I was so disappointed! I caved and told Spencer that Ethan was baby Moses and now we have a running joke that Spencer is in charge of reading the baby Bible to Ethan so they both can learn the stories. ;)

Would have been better if he was holding the
Ten Commandments but I did the best I could.

Now I admit that just looking at Ethan it is hard to get that he is baby Moses but when I gave the hints and the kind of hints they were... That should have just given it away. Boy, was I wrong!