Pumpkin Carving

I hate to brag but I thought we had the best pumpkins ever last year.

This year our trip to the Pumpkin Patch was so late we were left to choose from the reject pumpkins.

In fact, Charlotte picked an acorn squash instead of a pumpkin because she thought it was cute and she could carry it.

Darin left the day before Halloween on a work trip.

I decided to make homemade chicken and dumplings while carving pumpkins the day before Halloween, with Darin gone. 

I over did it. 

My little carving saw broke on the first pumpkin. 

(The first pumpkin that was actually a squash),

Charlotte wanted carved into a butterfly.

So we turned the stove off.

Got our rain gear on and walked to CVS down the block, in the 6 o'clock dark for new tools.

Lily, in true Lily fashion, wanted a peace sign.

 I decided on a vampire, to keep cool with Twilight fans.

My perfect pumpkins last year, as you may recall, were me doing all the work and the kids bored after 10 minutes.

This year was better, because our pumpkins are not so awesome.

But the girls played in the pumpkin guts for more than an hour while I made our dinner that naturally, took much longer than expected.

The roasted seeds were a welcome appetizer.

They made cakes with the guts.  Pies.  Stroganoff.  Whathaveyou.

It was awesome.  They are thrilled with the results.

They like each of theirs the best.

I am not thrilled with the results.

I am thrilled with my kids.

And what is it all about anyway?

That's right Friends.