My family didn't celebrate Halloween when I was growing up. I do remember, once, dressing up and going door to door with my parents. I was three, maybe four years old, little enough to still need a car-seat. And I was wearing enormous pink rabbit ears that prevented me from sitting up straight in the car, because they kept hitting the ceiling.
That was the last time we celebrated Halloween. We did have Harvest Parties, and fall get-togethers, but no trick-or-treating, jack-o-lanterns, or scary movies. Looking back, I don't think I really cared (even though I'm sure my mom will beg to differ, since I'm sure we cried about not getting candy.)
However, we have chosen to not continue that practice with our boys.
First of all, it is just too much dang fun to dress them up. They are the cutest things ever and thinking about putting them in bee, and cowboy, and firefighter costumes is too much fun for me to pass up.
It's not really about the candy. Especially since I was going through a cupboard last week and found a still quarter-full bag of last year's Trick-or-Treat candy. What can I say? We're good at rationing.
The thing that truly makes me excited about Halloween is the pumpkin carving.
For those of you who know us, you know that this is a VERY big deal. We love our pumpkin carving. It borders on obsession. Finding the perfect pumpkin, with a nice flat surface. Finding the perfect stencil.
And since Halloween is less than one week away, it is that time of year.
(Check out here and here and here for previous years' pumpkins.)
First, Roman's pumpkin. He picked out the pattern and transferred it to the pumpkin himself. And then because I'm still that kind of mom, I cut it out for him. This, despite the fact he thought 7 years old is perfectly old enough to be handling knives (funny how it is not old enough to make your own bed.)
Next, my pumpkin. Yes, I did a Twilight pumpkin. I know, I know.
Like always, Keith's pumpkin is the very best. Okay, technically, this is Blaise's pumpkin, since he requested the picture. But, like always, Keith did all the work. And absolutely amazing work it is.
I'm going to send a picture of the pumpkin to the guy who created the stencil.
Keith has yet to do "his" pumpkin. He's got the pattern, but between helping all the rest of us, his pumpkin, somehow, always ends up being the last one done. I'm sure that it, like the rest of his work, will be amazing.
For fall celebration so far we collected bright fall leaves,gathered walnuts, and ate apple crisp, As always, we sat around the table last Monday to carve our lanterns: Tinkerbell, autumn leaves, and one large one is still waiting like Keith's to be carved.
ReplyDeleteYour pumpkins are always spectacular and we cherish remembering the times we did these with you and Keith and the boys! I agree, there is nothing quite so fun as dressing up/dressing iittle people up! Fire men and dragons at your house, fairies and princesses at ours! xoxo