Sunday, November 1, 2009

The Perfect Age



We are now entering the kids' best, best years for Halloween. Do you remember those years? Where you'd sort your candy, trade with friends, eat some, sort, trade, eat, and so on until somebody finally herded you off to bed, sticky and satisfied?



That was Luke's night anyway - nine is just perfect for that.



And Owen's night was fun, too:





Five isn't about candy yet, at least not in our house. It's about playing the part, running with the big, noisy crowd of kids from house to house, drawing upon the courage of your costume so that you are NOT afraid when you go by the house with the fake gory cemetery scene. It's about bravery and belonging.



In other areas of life, outside of Halloween, both boys are the perfect age right now. Luke is busy reading, questioning, learning, playing Yu-Gi-Oh, often at a local comic-book-store with a bunch of teens (I always picture them in those little green poker visors, swathed in cigar smoke, but that's fortunately not the reality). Luke's current interests don't necessarily make for compelling picture-taking, but to make up for that, we have some really cool conversations and like the same books. I'm just finishing the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and Luke's read the first two, The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. They are amazing books, funny and thrilling, and leave the reader with a working knowledge of the pantheon of Greek Gods. Can one ask for more?



And Owen, at five, is just so much fun. I wish I could stop time and keep him this age:





He'll yell "Hey Mom! I just made a letter!" and I will come upon him standing proudly over a collection of blocks, or markers, or tinker toys perfectly arranged. When I ask, "What letter is it?" the inevitable answer is, "I don't know... but it's a letter!"



Then, there are the blanket-in-the-hallway moments:









Definitely, definitely, the perfect age.

8 comments:

Susan said...

Love the Halloween costumes! And the perfect age motif is beautifully done.

My kids loved the Percy Jackson books. Now we are reading The Shadow Thieves...check it out.

Anonymous said...

Awwww....this post made me nostalgic! Although this was the first year in a few that the boys enjoyed Halloween again, thanks to making it a group affair. H-T just started the first in the Percy Jackson series...I'll let you know how he likes it!

Karen said...

Susan - The Shadow Thieves, eh? I'm continually amazed at the amount of books that are totally awesome, yet we have never heard of. We'll look for it at the library - thanks for the recommendation!

Topsy - For the last few years, we have been part of a big group and it has made Halloween so much more fun! Good luck with Percy Jackson :-)

K

Magic and Mayhem said...

I try to think of every age as the perfect age but some are definitely sweeter than others. :) When Victoria was about to turn 6 she cried and cried that she wanted to be 5 forever. She still remembers that, though now that she's 11 she can't wait to be 13!

Loved the pics!

Karen said...

Alicia - too funny about Victoria! I am trying to think of every age as the perfect age, although I admit I am kind of dreading the teen years...
K

jugglingpaynes said...

Oh goodness! I forgot to comment on this post and I loved it! You see how busy I've been?

What I wanted to say was that the Robin Hood costume came out fantastic! You must be so proud of his work.

And I love Owen's cape. Capes are my absolute favorite item for the costume box. The one my youngest wore on Halloween was made by my aunt for my oldest child about ten years ago. Owen's looks so comfy!

Peace and Laughter,
Cristina

Jena said...

OK, now I wish I hadn't read this post because I'm just getting over a day or two of realizing I'm MAD that Peter grew up and moved away, and you've got me all teary. Time goes so much faster than you can imagine. Savor each moment, and it looks like you are doing just that. :)

Karen said...

Cristina - I am proud of him. He had so much fun making it, and then he had so much fun in it.
We are a huge cape/cloak family, with a Gryffindor cloak, a Death Eater cloak, several play silks that are always knotted up into cloaks... and now the Jedi cloak.

Jena - Thanks, now I'M tearing up :-) I have been thinking lately about how fast we speed through time - my 20th high school reunion is approaching! - and it does not seem so very long ago that I was a kid. Or newly married. Or mom to a new baby.
Even though it's going by so fast, it is a wonderful journey and so I will try to savor every moment!

Thanks for stopping by -
Karen