Pumpkin Prep

 
One of my favorite family traditions from growing up was carving pumpkins. My brother and I would each pick our own perfect pumpkin, taking into consideration perfect shape, color, texture, and extra bonus points for a cool, intact stem. We would sketch various designs, lay out the newspaper, mark our pumpkin designs and begin to carve. Mom would save the pumpkin seeds and bake them to get toasted just right. The smell of raw pumpkin, then toasted seeds for snacking, and smelling a candle in a lit pumpkin on the porches at Halloween is all part of the experience. I was pumped to carve with Cade this year! Nick gets grossed out by pumpkin innards, so it was all me!

Cade doesn't quite get it yet that all of the neighbors will be giving us candy.
Candy?!! At houses! That's silly!!! 

Mommy and Cade Dragon go, "Pbbbbbth!"

Guess who inherited Daddy's gross-out-pumpkin-innard aversion?  He actually said "Ucky, Mommy! No touch, go it away!"

Hard at work at sticker pumpkin. He was so serious and so artistic.  I laid out a midi-pumpkin for Cade with glittery foam stickers. He went with a star theme. So adorable. *And awesome fine motor skills to peel those stickers all by himself while I carved away! Bonus!*

As he said the other day, "That's Cade's pumpkin. Pretty stars. Green is my favorite!"






 I am LOV-ING the little monologues he gives these days. Sometimes I can't understand half of it, but I'm always impressed when I can. Both with his talking skills and my mommy translating skills! ha! He serioulsy is growing up so much that I forget he's just a little teeny tiny boy.  You'd think that spending my days with nine and ten year olds would give me more of a reality check with how little Cade is, but he seems so grown up. I can have real conversations with him now! Love it!

Devy girl enjoyed her bouncer and staring at the sunlight and flirting with us while we worked. (And MAJORLY flirting with her Daddy!)  What is it about babies loving light and shadows?  She has really blossomed that last few weeks in the way she shows her love. She is so attentive and loves to just make eye contact, read your face and give you a slow, sly grin followed by her "happy noise" (words can't describe it) and then maybe a little baby giggle.


She is just content. If I had to pick a word to describe her this day, it would be content. Happy to go along with whatever fun the family is having. Happy to just look at her brother lovingly.  Happy to listen to Mommy's stories and try to vocalize back. She's our little happy girl. I hope she always stays that way!

Here is our little punkin with the final happy pumpkin!  The teeth were supposed to stand out more, but one slip of my knife made them more like baby teeth.  I guess that's apprope for our house of toddler & baby!






Happy holiday prep for the kids = Happy parents for having another fun memory!!