Carving

I posted on FB last night this status update:

"When did "Let's carve the pumpkins!" turn into "Hey, we're going to watch tv while you and daddy sit and carve scary bats and grinning cats onto our pumpkins. And sorry the tools we gave you keep breaking, just make up your own tools using paper towels wrapped around saw blades. The paper towel will help soak up the blood when you lose a finger. Oh, and could you keep the cursing to a minimum, please. We're trying to watch Phineaus and Ferb here."?"

You may see cute picture of what looks like my kids actually participating in the pumpkin carving extravaganza, but don't let it fool you.  It's not true.  My FB status t is a much more accurate description of what happens when you decide to "carve the pumpkins!".  Livie actually pulled the guts out of one pumpkin, but that is as far as she got, before leaving to do something else.  Noah stuck his hand in once and left to go watch cartoons and Madie helped for a few minutes, before ultimately joining Noah as well.  Here is how the story unfolded....

Realizing that Halloween is just a few days away, I say "Hey kids!  Let's carve the pumpkins!"  Cheers were heard, excitement began to grow, and the kids dropped everything and headed to the kitchen table.  I cut off the top of the biggest pumpkin first and told the kids to dig out the insides.  As I told you earlier, it didn't quite happen like I was expecting it too.

Next thing I know, I'm starting to cut out some crazy cat-sitting-on-a-pumpkin design on that pumpkin, while Madie and Noah relax and watch Phineas and Ferb.  Livie, the most involved child, de-gutted her little pumpkin after valiently de-gutting the big one.  See the smile on Pete's face?  Yeah.  That's because he just started the process.  See mine?  I'm halfway in.

This was a rare moment when the kids came back to check our progress.  They told us what they wanted and left the room, expecting beautiful things to happen to their pumpkins, while we struggled with the designs and stupid, lame tools we had!  Notice, Pete's face isn't quite as "smiley" as it was in the earlier picture. ;-)

I finally finished my two designs.  Halfway through the one with the bat, my little saw broke, so I had to use the paper-towel-wrapped-around-a-sawblade one that Pete created to finish the job.  Oh, and the pattern I had for that one didn't work, so I freehanded that thing! 

In all honestly, as frustrated as we were last night at our sorry attempt to carve 4 pumpkins while the kids gleefully enjoyed an evening of relaxation, I know that most of what we did, they can't actually do.  It's just too hard for them.  But, it's pretty fun for me to vent about it in my own little way. :-)  At least they are done and look pretty cute in front of our door!  Yet another Halloween chore, er... I mean, tradition completed!