A carving we will go, A carving we will go...... Sing with me!

Last year I started something with the boys. I thought that carving their own pumpkins would be good for them. For Eric it would help his gross and fine motor skills. For PJ, it would just keep him busy enough to keep him out of my hair for a few minutes. No, for him, just to be a kid.

We did the kind last year that you tape and then poke holes in it and then carve. Eric did a really good job on his, and PJ had some help, but still they were both very good. And they had fun.

This year they decided that since we were going to the pumpkin patch that we could carve again this year. That was fine with me. I enjoyed it, it was a mess, but who cares, it was fun for all of us.

We went to the pumpkin patch and got 2 very nice pumpkins. I thought that they were a little pricey, but when I went to the grocery store on Sunday, I found out that the ones there weren't as nice and they were more money.

I get the newspapers laid out and start stabbing PJ's pumpkin to get the top off. Oh how I hate this part! But I got it cut and top off and hand in to clean it out. EWW! Dig in to get all the seeds out, all the stringy stuff, and start scraping the stuff out. I decided that this would be a good job for PJ. Just don't look at my messy countertop. I was trying to make breakfast at the time!



I get that one done, and start on Eric's. He wanted to do most of the work. That was fine with me, because I didn't want to do another one. He had a good time with it, he is more like me, he doesn't like stuff on his hands.



But he dug right in and got out all the seeds, got all the gooey stuff out. Ick! I let him do all that stuff, only because I did the other one.



I send them outside with the pumpkins, tape and patterns. Started having some problems. This year I got a different kind of pattern, not the same as last year. I thought that this was a better, I was wrong. We had all kinds of problems, the marker smeared, the patterned buckled and tore.

I helped PJ get his on there. It wasn't easy, but I wanted him to start carving. I traced and got him started. He had some problems, but he had fun with it.




Eric tried to tape his and do his on his own. He did pretty good with it. He pretty much free handed his, because it didn't want to tape on to the pumpkin. I did help him some, but for the most part, he did it on his own.




They carved and carved. It was fun watching them. They did a good job. They cut, cut fingers off, missed some of the letters, but who cares. They are kids, and they aren't supposed to be perfect, they are supposed to have fun. And they did.

In the long run, they tried. They had fun. They laughed at what they did. Looked at the way they got on to the pumpkin. Everything, they are kids and they are supposed to have fun.

I have been criticized by many for letting my kids do such a horrible thing. But, well, I didn't have the chance to do anything like that. No one took the time with me, and I want them to be kids. It isn't fair that if some don't care for it, that I shouldn't care for it.

I got candles tonight and lit those babies up!

Eric's alien was more towards the bottoms, but he tried, and that is all that matters.



PJ's boo didn't come out very well, but, he is 8 and he made the attempt.



So, we will make plans for next year and have fun again. I have fun with them. And I am so glad that I made the time to have fun with them.