So… the pumpkins. Though we visited the farm nice and early this year and got suckered in felt moved to support the farm once again by buying FIVE (why??) premium-priced pumpkins, we just couldn’t seem to get around to carving them til the day after Halloween. Mikey was very concerned about this turn of events. We tried to reassure him that November 1st was just as good. It would make the fun last that much longer, we reasoned. He wasn’t convinced until we told him it was now or never buddy, and suddenly he was all on board with our radical, day-after carving party.
Guts, guts, guts.
He made this face pretty much the whole time. (Also, please note Jonahs’ double hair whorls. Thank you.)
See?
Pretty soon, she was doing it too.
He was doing it too, but mostly because he really was grossed out by the stinky pumpkin guts. He hasn’t forgotten that time (FOUR YEARS ago) when I was being ambitious homeschooling mom and wanted him to experience the pumpkin using all his senses and made him lick the inside of the pumpkin top and describe it. He used one word: disgusting. And then he dry heaved.
This year we had the kids draw their own pumpkin faces instead of doing the initially-looks-simple-but-ends-up-being-really-complicated designs from the internet. (I’m looking at you, Cinderella.) (Also, you may have noticed the girls’ hair has some leftover curl in it and further may have assumed they’re from the day before and haven’t been washed out yet. Please feel free to instead think that I am the kind of mom who has curled their freshly washed hair for the second day in a row. Thank you.)
I suspect this boy had help with his pumpkin face.
Guts!
Pumpkin face outline hole poking is serious business, man.
Or not.
Ah these two.
This boy pretty much wears whatever shoes that will get him out into the backyard the quickest. On this day, Lauren’s boots fit the bill.
Love her concentration.
And her smile.
There’s only so much pumpkin carving this boy can take.
He didn’t actually want to touch any part of his pumpkin once he decided this whole activity was much too messy for his liking.
Doing her own carving this year.
I’ve heard it said that hamminess runs in families.
Her former preschool teacher once told me she was so surprised when she saw a picture of Lauren hamming it up because she said Lauren was so shy and reserved and quiet in class. Hmm. Her?
He picked the smallest pumpkin this year for three reasons. 1) Less guts to deal with 2) Less carving to do 3) Be done faster. Makes me wonder if he really even enjoys this activity. Yet he was the one who kept asking when we were going to do it. Jury’s out on his actual enjoyment level, but I do know he is a big-on-traditions kinda guy.
Ah these two.
Love her.
Nice job, son!
You too, sis (and daddy)!
Super cute, big sis!
Four pumpkins carved and all ready to be lit up inside. (The fifth pumpkin was Jonah’s green pumpkin which we had to toss after he carried (and dropped) it around with him everywhere for three days until it got too mushy to keep any longer.)
Only, we just couldn’t seem to get around to lighting them up that night. And so we left them right where they are in this picture. For a few days. And then it rained. And then they turned black inside. And then Phil chucked them into the outside trash can while no one was looking. Still making that face (see above).
