Best Reformation Day Ever

We celebrated Reformation Day this year with an excellent service and fellowship at Grandpa Powell's church on Sunday, and then by exercising our freedom from religious tyranny by dressing our children up in costumes and collecting candy from neighbors last night.




Matt and I had a ball making these costumes. Matt took great pride in fashioning his son's armor and Kate helped me with her bat costume. She looks perfectly harmless in the light of day, but she scared young children in the dark of night. A little boy, probably about two, stared her down and tried to scare her away, and she made a little bee cry and cling to her mommy.

With delight in their eyes, they ran from house to house. Katie rang the doorbell and flapped her bat wings until someone opened the door. At the last several houses, though, she would tell our neighbors, "I'm a bat, but I can't flap my wings anymore because I'm tired."

At one house, we passed a boy dressed in black wearing a monster mask. Titus, taking his duty as a knight seriously, aimed his sword and chased after the monster.
I called to him, "Titus, you can't kill the monster!"
"Why, Mommy? Scary monster."
It was hard for him to abandon his duty so easily, and I was very proud of my brave little man. This was always Kate's response to fear, too. When her daddy or I would scare her, her first response would be to fight. There would be obvious fear in her eyes, but she wouldn't hide. I've always found that curious.

As a result of lots of candy and staying up too late, I had to read the kids two stories before they were settled down enough to peacefully stay in bed. It was clear, stories or spankings. Thankfully stories did the trick.

Katie and Titus posing with our jack-o-lanterns.
Katie grew the little pumpkins in her garden.