Carving Pumpkins - 2017

Every year, we seem to switch things up a bit when it comes to carving pumpkins.  In the past, we had carved them at the kitchen counter, but as our family grew, we ran out of space to squeeze everyone in there.  Last year, we opted to carve them outside on a table in the driveway.  But, this year, it was just downright cold outside so I took the opportunity to quickly set up a table inside (complete with a tablecloth that I had on hand that could easily be washed off).  The kids chose to stand, except for James, and it worked out perfectly.  I think that this just might be the way to go from here on out ...

Hair pulled back, sleeves rolled up and ready to get messy:

Sophia was the most meticulous of all of the kids when it came to cleaning her pumpkin.  She worked feverishly to get it gutted as much as possible and her final masterpiece was about as clean inside as possible.  It really shouldn't surprise me ... that's just her. 

As much as Samantha favors me in terms of her looks (so many kids say to me, "you look just like Samantha" which always makes me smile because of course, it is really her that looks like me ...), Sophia's attention to detail is the most like me.  Sam does a great job in school and is at the top of all of the her classes, but she is always in a hurry to get things done and doesn't always follow-through with everything.  Sophia finishes everything that she starts.

The gooier the better for this boy:

And then there was James. 

I had the most fun just simply watching him with his pumpkin.  Honestly, I must have taken 20 pictures of him alone because it was so fascinating to observe him with it.

Digging deep inside:

And ... then ... that's when we decided that it was time to remove his shirt.  Things were probably going to get messy.


Tasting a seed:

I showed him that the seeds needed to go in his bowl and he understood completely.

Adding the seeds, one by one:

The kids had a great time and required very little help or supervision during this part:

Steve jumped in to help Jimmy for a little while:

And then I eventually finished up his pumpkin for him:

We let Sam use a knife for a little bit of her carving:

Jack used a drill and a hammer for his creation:

I helped Sophia make a cat:

Sam's pumpkin was a tad gruesome with some "blood" dripping and a knife sticking out of it:

Jimmy wasn't quite sure what to think about his newly-carved pumpkin:

Lined up and ready to go outside: