A Different Kind of Harvest Party

In the long list of things that 2020 has asked us to reconsider, revisit and reinvent, how to celebrate Harvest on Oct 31st was one of them.  For years, we've dressed up, gone to a large church Harvest party, enjoyed the games and shows and come home sacked out and happy.   The Harvest had been collected, let's celebrate and hunker down for the winter (our family interpretation of Halloween).  

I didn't know what to do so I asked the kids and they planned our own Pumpkin Party! Together they dictated a long list of foods to eat, games to play and music to listen to for their party. Mila talked about it for DAYS.  Isaac couldn't decide which costume to wear from his dress up box, so he picked two...Woody from Toy Story and a revisit of Dokta Isaac from last year. 

Between Gramma, our sweet neighbor and our church family who dropped off goodie bags, these two were NOT hurting in the candy department! (Santa and the Easter Bunny may be dipping into the harvest reserves!)

Pumpkin bowling was a HIT. 

Jack-o-lantern pizza:

Glow in the dark dance party:

We played. We ate. We laughed. We watched movies. We danced.  We had a lot of fun.  For all the reasons I have not yet been able to identify---maybe the simple Grace of the Lord---this was probably the best Harvest party we've ever been to.  Both kids went to bed with giddy, contented smiles; Mila gave me a sleepy kiss and added "that fun, mommy".  <3 

So, Lord we honor you as we celebrate the collection of the harvest. This year has been SO weird and SO hard, but You are clearly moving in ways we cannot yet see.  These precious moments with my kids are stacking up in such a way, that as I mentioned to a friend, "I think I'm going to look back on 2020 and actually say it was our best year!"