On Wednesday, we carved pumpkins for the children to enter into the pumpkin-carving contest at the All Saints' party.
I feel like a bit of fraud posting seemingly sweet pictures of an annual family tradition without "lifting the curtains," so to speak, to confess that there much fighting going on between the children and much scolding coming from the Mama.
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| Swinging the baby onto my back |
John took most of the photos for me and I don't know how he failed to capture any of Joseph screaming his head off on my back, since that is what he did until he fell asleep up there.
I wonder when children are old enough to have the sheer muscle strength to carve pumpkins. I let John try and he couldn't even drive the knife into the pumpkin.
The children did their designs on paper (church for John, cat face for Mary, traditional pumpkin face for Margaret), I did the cutting, and the children added decoration with permanent pen. Foolish, Mama? Yup, the two-year-old managed to get black permanent pen on a new shirt and a handsewn dress--and I was unable to get it out with my rubbing alcohol trick.
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| Joseph, finally asleep |
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| Awake again! |
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| The final products: a cat, a church, and a traditional pumpkin face |
My seven year old carved his pumpkin with a "safety knife" with no effort, so I'm sure by next year John will too!
ReplyDeleteCarving was calm for us this year. No one was impatient or overtired, lol. I don't get involved, though, except to take the pictures. Pumpkins and dressing up (whether Halloween or All Saints) is not my thing.
I always left this job to Dad! Have you bought one of those pumpkin-carving tool kits from the store? They're everywhere, and they're awesome!
ReplyDeleteIf you print out (or draw) the picture on paper and attach it to the pumpkin, the kids can make perforations with the little pokers, and then use the tiny saws to cut. John (and maybe Mary) should be able to do it by now. They're the best invention ever!