Forgot the pumpkin.

We have been celebrating ALL month long. Loving and enjoying all things fall. So ask me when I can remember to do all these fun extra projects everyday how Deke and I forgot the one major activity that we do every year around this time? We forgot the pumpkin!! We carved craft pumpkins, decorated pumpkins made pumpkin pizzas etc. etc. but failed to remember to actually go out and buy ourselves a pumpkin to carve as a family. I have to admit pumpkins hold a strong sentimental value with me since that is how Deke asked me to marry him. I mean come on cutting your pumpkin open and pulling up the lid to find it filled with streamers and candy and have your ring hanging from the lid of the pumpkin on a streamer. Then having the Deke get down on one knee and ask me to be his wife. So romantic, sooooo creative. I love how he asked me. I love that I had no idea. Everytime the pumpkins start to come out I get all warm and fuzzy. Reminds me of how good it feels to be loved and be in love. Anyways back to the story at hand. So yeah we forgot to get a pumpkin and here it was Halloween afternoon. So after the kids got out of school we went to Fry's to get one. Uh yeah there was none. Six stores later, NONE!! Don't we live in the city? There is a grocery store every couple of blocks and yet they were all sold out. We found an independent pumpkin stand that we went and checked out and you'd better believe the only ones left were the giant ones you could buy for a whopping $20. Sorry kiddos we love you but yeah not going to happen. Just when I was about to cry out of frusteration at myself for this ridiculous act of procrastination I went into WalMart where they had a wonderfully large bin of pie pumpkins. You can carve pie pumpkins too right? I thought to myself. Sure yeah that will be fun and something different which is always great. Taking time to choose a couple cute fat ones and a nice tall one I headed out to show the kids. They were thrilled and excited to get home and carve them. Avery cracked us up this year carving her pumpkin. Last year she did not want to have anything to do with the seeds and this year she was all over it. She scooped and scraped and grinned the whole time. She completely cleaned it out and then drew her face and all by herself carved it. It was awesome. Hunter is not such a big fan of the seed part. He cleaned his out but only with encouragement from Deke and I and a few random faces of distaste. However he did is very own design on the face of his pumpkin and for the past couple years has done his own carving. He is really detail oriented so he does a really good job. Last year even though Em was tiny we had her put her hand inside and feel the seeds. This year she was very curious and once she saw what was happening she grabbed a scooper and started in on her own pumpkin. I am not a huge fan of the carving part but I LOVE getting the seeds. I love that they are slimey and I love the smell of pumpkin. Emma sat with her little shovel and a couple seeds at a time got them out. After a few scoops she would put the lid on, wait a minute and then pull open the lid and look inside again. As if checking to see if the seeds were still there. Once she saw that they indeed were, back to shoveling she went. Hunter's "Baby Potter" pumpkin turned out really cute. I love its tiny triangle eyes. Emma's pumpkin. All three pumpkins now turned jack o lantern out back on the porch all lit up that night. Alright so maybe in a pinch these little pie guys really do do the trick. Whew. Close one, note to self: Remember the family pumpkin. The kids sat with blanket and just watched them until it was time for bed. Ave's is the one in the middle with the "spooky face" as she calls it. I loved watching their little lit up faces glowing in the dark. And by "their" I don't mean the pumpkins. :)