Halloween Costume: Big Little Ranchers

Since crafting has always been a huge part of my life, making our sons' Halloween costumes was a huge event. The boys enjoyed it as much as I did and really had some good ideas. We entered them in the annual costume contest and won several years in a row. One year a friend said to me "I will be glad when your boys are old enough they don't enter these anymore."

We had so much fun and made so many memories making the costumes and since that year was our youngest son's last year so we went all out. We made him a tennis shoe with worn out toes and his feet stuck out through the holes. The heel of the shoe sat on his head and the shoestrings hung down in front of him. I regret not being able to find the picture but our costume making did go out with a bang that year.

The most important Halloween of all however was when the boys were 4 and 6 years old. They were going through the Cowboy and Indian stage so I encouraged them to put their own costumes together this particular year. With very little help, they did a fine job, as you can see in the photo. Away we went to trick or treat the neighbors. Living in a small town we knew most of the people so the boys and I anticipated a long night with glee.

We got to the first house; the boys walked up to the door, yelling the famous "trick or treat" and received their goodies from our local postmaster's wife. She thought they were so cute and invited us all in for a special treat she had for "her kids" so I joined the celebration and collected a sack of her fresh homemade cookies along with the boys. She took the picture of our little ranchers who are now 40 and 38 years old.

We had no more than gotten back into the pickup when our youngest son got very sick to his stomach, if you know what I mean. Now you will understand why this particular Halloween sticks in my mind. It wasn't the costumes, not that they weren't clever and the boys looked so darn cute. It wasn't that the younger son got sick all over everything and we were several miles from home. The part I will always remember is how the two of them at 4 and 6 years old handled the whole situation.

Ryan (the youngest) felt worse because he was ruining Halloween for his brother BJ. Talk about proud of one little boy. Then BJ says "I'll save my cookies for you and you can have them when you aren't sick." By now the buttons are popping off of Dad's shirt, too. Ryan then insisted that I take BJ back to town to finish his trick or treating. After the display of compassion, they both just displayed for each other how could I not do as they wished. So BJ and I left Ryan (who's tummy had settled down by then) with his Daddy and headed back to town to take in the Halloween festivities, if only for a short time as we agreed to.

It's a good thing I changed into a shirt with no buttons at home because at the very first door, my cute little biggest rancher at 6 years old politely asks the lady, "Would you mind if I took two? You see my little brother was with me but he got sick and we had to take him home." To this day I get all teary eyed just recalling that Halloween, the year my boys became big little ranchers in my eyes.

By Ann W. craftingtales.com from Loup City, Nebraska