Witches and Dragons and a Princess Oh My

Well the grandchildren are back in school, the State Fair is just around the corner, Halloween decor is out in all the stores and that means it is almost time for my grandchildren to hit the closet to find out what they will be for Halloween. Last year in November a couple weeks after Halloween I happened to be in K-Mart when the rack of costumes went to 90% off. If you know me that is my kind of sale! That is the way I buy birthday and Christmas presents too most of the time. Well maybe more like 50 to 75% off but when I go in a store the first thing I look for is the sale sign. It is getting harder and harder to buy a season a head thou for the older grandchildren. Their likes and dislikes change more often. Back to the closet that holds a dragon, jack-o-lantern, Spiderman, knight, witch and several princess costumes, that were originally $40 to $15 (I can't even imagine spending $40 for a Halloween costume) and I got them for $4 to $1.50. For me that was a fun shopping trip you would have thought I won the lottery. Of course some of the costumes people make are very good but not everyone has the time it takes for that anymore. When Nick our oldest grandchild was about 3 or 4 I made him chaps and a vest and he was the cutest little cowboy another year he was a pirate and his little sister an angel. Then more grandchildren and a different job and the costumes I made kind of went away.

Actually I'm really not a big fan of Halloween! Years ago when I was young probably 4 or 5 my parents left my older brother and I with a babysitter and her older brothers thought it would be fun to put masks on and look in our windows to scare her. Well they accomplished that but also scared me and I can still see their faces looking in the windows.

It is fun for children to get dressed up and see if people recognize them or they can pretend to be someone out of a book or movie that they enjoyed. I guess the treats they get that one night that last for several months is a plus too! Nick is passed the dress-up stage but can still enjoy the candy that comes home with his sisters. He actually can eat all the high calorie things he wants because with Cystic Fibrosis you have a really hard time keeping weight on. Several of us wish we could give him some of our extra weight but we haven't come up with a plan for that yet. When that happens we really will have won the lottery!

Now There are Six!

Nick is our first grandchild but as of Monday the 22nd we have six! Claire Janelle was born on Monday of this week making a grand total of 4 girls and 2 boys. They range in age from 4 days to 18 years. Nick 18, Allie 12, Katelyn 9, Jake 6, Hannah 5 and now Claire 4 days. It has been a journey and you know journeys they take lots of twists and turns but that is what makes them interesting, fun and challenging! Each grandchild brings their own personality into the mix. I can't wait to see how Claire will fit into the puzzle. Right now she seems to be very content only needing her mother, father, sister, brother and other family members to love and nurture her. It really is an amazing time in my life! Children, grandchildren, husband of 44 years life wouldn't be the same without them.

I work at ESSDACK an educational service center in Kansas. Our office has 32 people, about half of them are grandparents and 10 of us have or will have new grandchildren in a years time, we all know that education is important for them. In the last year our specialists and technology team have come up with a lot of new ways to reach and teach education to our children and grandchildren. I work with some very talented people and hope that you get to experience their talent. I know that my grandchildren will benefit from their knowledge and hope that yours do too! Among some of their projects are My Kids Turn, Bullying, Art Snacks, Math Snacks, Tammy Worcester's computer books for teachers, to mention a few. To find out more go to www.essdack.org.