This is Halloween...

I really don't like making lunches and am not the lest bit creative in how I make them despite owning a very cool bento lunch cookbook.  I decided to be nicer for Halloween, but I don't think the kids actually cared that much.  Did they have a clue everything was orange?  Probably not.

The pumpkin line-up

Cassia was the most joyful seed cleaner outer.

I was very much sure that I would lose a limb due to Jon's giant knife wielding.

Edison was not impressed with what was inside his little pumpkin.  "You want me to do what?"

Cassia thought the seeds were gross, but she was the only one who gladly used her hands. I love the many layers of my dainty girl!

If you know Zade, you can hear him saying, "this is sooo gross!"  He has the dramatic voice and gestures down and uses them often!

Some of the kids drew the faces they wanted us to cut (this is Cassia's), and some just gave general instructions.

She had a second pumpkin from her school field trip.

There was a free chair on the other side of Edison, but he'd rather be back to back with his buddy.

I think large familyhood snuck up on me, going from two to this many kids in a year and a half, so I still get awed by the whole group doing activities together.  I love every one of them--and the baby who was thankfully napping during the pumpkin' cuttin'.  When they are all working together, I stand amazed.

Zade drew his face for us to cut.

Tobias gave Jon general instructions.

This is Jon's pumpkin.

Soren also had two pumpkins.  He wanted very traditional faces for both of his.

I was very much dreading this carving of pumpkins and put it off until the day before Halloween, just before dark.  We had a lot of pumpkins to clean and carve and not as much help as you may think.  Zade and Tobias never got close to getting all their seeds out, so I gave up and helped them as the sun began to set.  Edison scooped out one seed at a time, climbed over Brishen to reach the trash and then took a break to do something else.  After he scooped out four seeds in that manner, it was time for help.  Cassia and Soren actually did a good job on theirs so we may get closer and closer to getting to sit back and watch as the years go by.  I'm guessing we have several years before we hand over the sharp knives, though.  That is sad for Zade who really, REALLY wanted his own knife this time.  I'm glad we finally got around to continuing this tradition.  The kids loved it, and I survived!