For Halloween, most kids want to dress up like Darth Vadar, a miniature Twilight Vampire, Batman, or a "Diva" who's wearing a glittered mid driff shirt, while clutching a sequined microphone.
Not the Walsh girls! Oh no! A very good friend introduced them to the Little House On the Prairie series about 4 years ago, and it's been all downhill since then. The Walsh sisters encompassed Ma, Mary, Laura (before blindness set in), and Carrie this past Halloween, when my Auntie was kind enough to make their costumes. Without a pattern. From scratch. Bonnets, aprons, and all.
On any given day, I am re-living my own childhood,, as I sit and watch THE show that I grew up with. Little House, with it's wholesome values, and God fearing men, was pretty much one of the only TV shows that passed with Foxy's approval, and I was allowed to watch with wild abandon. Fond memories, they are. In case you were wondering, The Waltons and The Brady Bunch came in a close second.
But let me tell you what's changed and gotten even better over the last 3 decades regarding Little House: watching Pa chop wood. Just saying. I go into each episode, holding my breath with the anticipation that maybe, I will be graced with Michael Landon's bronzed chest, glistening with perspiration, as he swings his big ax. Hey man, chopping wood isn't for wimps.
Anyhoo, getting back to my story. So, over Spring Break, I decide to take the girls to San Jose History Park. I've never been there, but I've heard that it's cool. And as I pull into the lot, I see a replica of old town San Jose, complete with a gas station, post office, homes with wrap around porches, and a train.
But what I didn't see, was something that left my girls speaking in COULD THIS REALLY BE HAPPENING TO US? tones.
"Mom, oh my gosh. Oh my gosh!"
"What?" I put the truck in park.
"There's a COVERED WAGON!!!!! Kids are wearing BONNETS!!!! There's a wooden SHACK!!!!"
The Walsh girls bolted from our vehicle before I even had my seat belt unbuckled. I mean, as far as they were concerned, we had just fucking entered Walnut Grove. Word to your Ma.
I finally caught up with Charlotte in the stroller a good 5 minutes later. As I approached, I saw a young male docent who could maybe drink legally, but it was difficult to tell. And he was speaking in a hushed tone too...but he was no match for my girls. And he certainly wasn't chopping any wood.
"Um girls, we have a class going on right now," he looked to me for back up, as all 4 blond heads pop out from the back of the covered wagon, "but you can come back in just a little while."
Seeing that this was going nowhere quick, because clearly my girls believed that Nellie Olson was somewhere on the premises...she just HAD to be, I looked at him and calmly explained, "You have to understand. They dressed up in Little House costumes for Halloween."
I mean, who does that? Do other kids, pull up in their moms SUV and literally FREAK out with enthusiasm over a covered wagon and a wooden shack? I think we may be a bit extreme in that department. I do believe that if there was some sort of award for enthusiasm, we would win it.
Case in point. We're at the library a day later. All 4 have found a good book and a nook to devour their latest read. I'm tucked into a back corner while nursing Charlotte, donning my Hooter Hider, and reading out loud to Cozy, yet another Disney Princess book of crap. When all of a sudden, a monochromatic voice comes over the loud speaker.
"Hello friends of the Willow Glen Library. In just five minutes, we'll be making Origami collages in the Community Room. Please join us for this marvelous opportunity."
My girls reaction, much like the covered wagon, was off the hook. It's like someone just announced that ice cream was now a staple food in our diet for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"On my gosh Mom. Can I go? It's ORIGAMI HOUR!!!!"
Charlotte popped off my breast, as if saying, "Well hurry up woman, paper making creations are about to take place. MOOVE IT!"
So there I was, once again, trying to gather up our belongings in a hurried fashion, not even fully checking to make sure my breasts had made it back inside of my shirt, as I stumbled into the Community Room with my nursing cape on backwards. Charlotte had lost a sock in the upheaval, and who knew where all the books that we had the intention to check out had gone to. It's didn't matter, man. Origami magic was about to take flight.
So I guess my point is, well, I don't really have one. My girls are funny. They love the simple stuff. In fact, just today, I had to stop them cold turkey at Costco from taking no less than a dozen cardboard boxes.
"Mom, please? Pleeease? Can we take some boxes?"
You're wondering what's the big deal, right? Well, I'll tell you. We've had every sort of box from Pizza to tampon boxes made into SOME thing. But it's a something that requires 10 rolls of tape, 2 staplers, and my good scissors.
I try not to squash the enthusiasm too much, but I would like to have access to a roll of scotch tape that hasn't been fully utilized to make a cardboard city, you know?
Maybe I'm asking too much. But I'm pretty sure, that one day I'll look back on this fleeting time of pure innocence and long for it to come back...huh? Probably right around the time the twins turn 13, and are pulling the same pranks I did with Foxy.
Oh God help me.
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