Devils

When Andy and I met there were a few things that told us that we were meant to be. Never mind that we had completely different backgrounds, we both drain all of the water off of our Ramen noodles before adding the spices, we're both horrified by the thought of dunking cookies or sleeping with socks on, and we both have an unhealthy obsession with all things Halloween.

Since we tend to start looking at Halloween decorations in July, and since this summer and the next few months have and will continue to be some of the busiest in my life, I've been trying to plan way ahead for things that we know are coming so I can at least alleviate some of the stress and anxiety of doing everything last minute. So last week we purchased Calvin's Halloween costume. I had just planned to put him in the one from last year because he still fits it and I love it so much, but we saw one that is so appropriate for him right now, and Andy said, "that's the one. Let's get it!" So we got it in the mail today and tried it on. Calvin loved it. He pranced in front of the mirror laughing, ran around the house flapping the wings, and cried when we finally took it off. This year, because it fits his personality so much, he's going to be a little devil.

At church on Sunday I stayed in the boy's class with him because he's been having a hard time staying the whole time. Mostly they played with toys and ate snacks, but one of the teachers did try to do a two minute lesson on something spiritual. It was interesting in general to watch Calvin compared to other kids his age. He is MUCH nicer. He doesn't take away toys or push other kids or throw tantrums like a lot of the bratty little kids, but it was also interesting to see him when they did the church related stuff. When they had a prayer, all of the kids closed their eyes and folded their arms reverently; Calvin took the opportunity to steal the toys he'd been eye-balling and climb on chairs. When the teacher held up a picture and said "who's this?" all of the kids yelled "Jesus!" while Calvin stared blankly. I guess now everyone at church knows that we're just heathens in our home.

So that's a long story as background to this conversation: As Calvin was in his costume looking in the mirror, he said "what's that?" pointing to himself. I said "that's a devil. You're a little devil. Can you say devil?" (just because we try to have him repeat every new word he hears) and Andy shouts from the other room, "Good job, honey. We have the only kid who doesn't know Jesus, but we'll make sure he recognizes the devil."

We'll work on the prayer thing, and I'm sure identifying important people will come - for some reason I have given priority to farm animal and shapes (I thought that's what you did with < 2 year olds) - but for now he's just going to be the cutest Halloween devil anyone has ever seen.

The last four days have felt like fall. The air has been cooler with a slight breeze, there have been a few rainy days to get rid of all of the hot summer dust, and it even smells like the season is changing. I know it won't last just yet, but for now it makes my heart feel happy beyond belief.