Too much fun

Last night - official pumpkin carving night - was too much fun. I hadn't carved a pumpkin since middle school, and going in I was worried I would come out with a lopsided face (the pumpkin's not mine) or one less finger (me, not the pumpkin). Luckily neither happened. Jack and Sam were great helpers - they told me where to cut, cheered me on when I sliced around the top and poked out the eyes, but did they reach in and dig out the pulp? No way. "Ewwww, that's gross." Jack helped with a spoon (protected by safety goggles) - you never can be too careful - but I was so surprised that neither wanted to dig in with their hands. That was the best part for me! Thankfully, Bill was the expert cleaner-upper as we splattered pumpkin everywhere.

The kitchen was a mess, and I had pulp in my hair, but we ended up with two reasonably well-carved jack-o-lanterns (at least from far away). The big mouthed one is named Jack (surprised?) and the toothy one is named Sam in honor of the first lost tooth. We also have an un-carved, smaller pumpkin named Timmy. Why you ask? No earthly idea.

Normally (and sadly), I'm usually focused on too much of everything else - too much email, too much TV, too much work, too much laundry, but tonight was just too much fun. We danced in the kitchen, carved and dug and scooped, of course saved a few seeds to plant in the yard (does that actually work?). In the words of Jack, "it was the best time ever!" Some before shots

And now for the fun part!

All aglow on the stoop!