Pumpkin Love

Olive draws about twenty different pumpkin faces on separate pieces of paper to prepare for the big evening of pumpkin carving. She helps cover the table with newspaper and sets out bowls for the seeds and guts of the pumpkins. Nick brings out the knives and spoons. I finish the dinner dishes and Elias asks questions.

Why are you putting paper on the table?

Are we carving pumpkins now?

Will we put the seeds in the bowls?

What time is it?

Are we carving pumpkins now?

In years past, the kids drew the faces and then Nick carved them out while I worked on separating the seeds from the pumpkin innards. This year Nick gives the kids the pumpkin knives and let them carve their own faces.

 

Olive chooses one of her drawings and offers her other samples to Elias and Nick for their pumpkins. Nick picks one of Olive's pictures and makes it come to life on our third pumpkin.

"Do you like the heart mouth?" Olive asks.

"I love it."

Olive needs a little help with her squiggly mouth, but otherwise manipulates the tools to carve her own pumpkin.

"Look I did it myself Mom!"

Elias draws two different sized round eyes, a triangle nose, and a lopsided smile. Nick helps him get the little saw-knife in his pumpkin but he does the rest of the cutting of his first eye himself. And his second eye.

And then he just keeps cutting away while the rest of us focus on our own jobs.

"You know why I cut that piece? To let more light in." Elias says.

"Mmm," I answer, without seeing the face of his pumpkin, my hands orange, and my bowl of separated seeds growing more full.

"Is mine scary?" Elias asks.

I look up from my bowl of seeds and slime and lean towards my son.

"Woah, yes, you cut off your pumpkin's face."

Elias laughs and Olive comes over to peek. "It looks like a sitting dog." she says and then points out the head and tail.

I cock my head to the side and say, "Its different. I like it."

And I'm not sure what I love more, that Elias carved his pumpkin all by himself, or that when we lit the candles our boy said, "Didn't mine come out great?"

 

Comments

[Kristen H]

It totally came out great! A family activity everyone enjoyed and excelled at - very, very cool. Between the bridge design and the awesome faceless pumpkin, Elias is showcasing some impressive skills. Both your kids did you proud (and Nick's pumpkin isn't too shabby, either!). :)

[Christy]

Thank you, it is cool seeing Elias do more and more things on his own and to have an activity in which we all had roles we enjoyed, thats not so bad either:)

[Lee]

They are all wonderful!