We are trying to start some traditions in my family. Growing up we had a ton. It was always so exciting around the holidays in my home. Mama would really do it up for every occasion and we would party the night away into the wee hours of the morning. Even from a really young age, I remember staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning screaming laughing, dancing, singing, eating like pigs and chatting until the sun came up.
Again, like I’ve said a bunch in my posts, this last 12 or so months have been very life changing. So many things have brought us here, some I’ve already shared so I won’t elaborate and bore you! One of the things that I have realized is that we stopped many…no most of our traditions! Pretty much all of the holiday excitement died with my dad. Funny, because it was my mom who was the creator and doer of most of them. Maybe by not doing them, it would take away the obviousness that he’s gone…was what I thought the first few years. But then it became habit. Holiday comes, get together, eat, go home. No decorations, no party til we can’t stand it anymore. Just the obligatory….it was easy. I think we all got into this routine and it only became apparent recently when all the kids started becoming able to understand. “We NEED a change” my sister said, “this is ridiculous.” So yesterday was our FIRST ‘do it up right again’ holiday!
We all woke up bright and early and headed to an AMAZING pick it yourself farm. All the kids got into red wagons and we walked them out to the fields to pick fruit and veggies. They hopped out in the raspberry patch and each filled up there little crates in record time. It was SOOO cute. We also got strawberries, boysenberries, carrots, a bunch of different lettuce, celery, zucchini and a type of yellow squash that I had never seen before. We then let the kids play in the farms playground for a few more hours. They had a blast and crashed before we pulled out of the driveway.
Our first tradition! July 4th, go out and harvest this beautiful land that we are so lucky to live in:) Then return home to cook it all up. Food is DRASTICALLY better when you have worked so hard to pick it and it is so fresh. The kids were so proud of the food, they ate like little piglets and I was so proud of them and my family.
We have started what I hope to be years of exciting new traditions. Yes, we were not the family laying together on the boat in the marina watching fireworks…. But, we were a family with 4 and 1/2 (my sister in law is pregnant) new little people starting something new and special and all our own.
