"Boo!" or "Boo Hoo?"

Tonight we carved our big pumpkin that we picked out at Rader's Pumpkin Patch a few weeks ago. I have always LOVED pumpkin carving, and remember arguing with my brother about whose turn it was to scoop those guts out! No spoons for, me, either, I loved getting my hands dirty. That pumpkin goo was delightfully messy! Before having kids, I couldn't wait to do holiday traditions like this and imagined our happy little family, laughing as we carved our jack o'lantern face. Knowing how much Holden enjoys having messy hands (note the dripping sarcasm in that comment!) I had a feeling it wasn't going to go over quite the way it had looked in my mind. Last year, at only 6 months old, he freaked out when I put his fingers in it. As you can see in the collage below...he started out thrilled to see his pumpkin on the table. Then Daddy cut open his nice perfect pumpkin. He wasn't sure he liked that. Then Daddy put his hand in it....NO, DADDY, NOOOO! Then Mommy held some yucky guts and seeds up for me to see. THESE PEOPLE ARE TORTURING ME!!! His involvement ended in a mad dash for the floor, after which he proceeded to (I am not kidding you, people!) open up the kitchen cabinets, grab the box of garbage bags, and implore us to get rid of it since it was "Ucky!" as he kept saying. Too funny! I got the whole thing on video tape so his buddies can make fun of him when he is older.

Yes, he also got out the pledge for me so that I could clean the table. He did this on his own. The kid is a weirdo.

I forced him back near the freshly carved jack o'lantern for a picture. He is only sitting with me because I bribed him with gummy savers!

My glowing pumpkin. I think he turned out pretty cute!