Last night, on the way home from a Christmas party, I asked Ken to pull into a Michael’s.  It’s a craft store that’s running a special on adult coloring supplies.  Books, colored pencils, markers, etc.

While picking out a few sets of markers to complete a few other yankee swap gifts I’m putting together, I came across a pack of window crayons.

Made me think of Halloween.

In the next town over from where I grew up, the recreation department would hold an annual Halloween window painting contest.  My sister Lindsey and I entered every year.

I’m pretty sure I never won (she may have once), but I always remember having a good time.  Coming up the design, waiting in desperate anticipation for paint pick-up day, and being almost mesmerized by the ease in which that thick, rich acrylic moved across the glass.

It was Fun.

And while extra cash is a bit nonexistent at this point in the month, I  saw that last box of window crayons hanging from the rack and gave in.

I’m glad I did.

Briggs and I spent the morning turning the bottom panels of our 12-light front-door into stained glass.  He scribbled to his delight and I filled the spaces in-between with different colors.

It was pretty.  And Fun.  And a wonderful way to spend some time together before I left for a holiday outing with friends and Dad took over for the rest of the afternoon.

I wasn’t out of the house for twenty minutes when Ken sent me a text.

A picture of how he and Briggs were keeping the Fun going with some more designs of their own.

That little picture said so much.  Represented so much.  Rang out that Fun (with a capital F) was now free-for-all at the Goodwin household.  Briggs, Mom, and Dad were now all getting in on it, and the getting was good.

And all I could think, as I smiled at Ken’s (amazing) drawing of the Grinch, and Briggs’s (darling) little face, was how my heart had just grown three sizes on this day.