new traditions --- pumpkin party with friends

One of the hardest parts about moving is that we can't continue all our holiday traditions in the same ways.  Since we aren't as close to family, some of the things we used to do with them will now be done on our own.  Sad but true.  It used to be that the boys would pick out pumpkins at a local farm, and then Grandma Debbie would carve pumpkins "with" them.  I put the quotations on "with" because she would really carve the pumpkins for them.  She would let them pick out any template from the book and then proceed to carve it expertly no matter how difficult the design.  That was our tradition and the boys loved it. I did too, honestly, because I didn't have to do much!

So this year I knew we would be carving pumpkins by ourselves.  I felt overwhelmed by the thought of finding time to do it.... I was afraid I would drop the ball or put it off until it was too late.  I decided to set it up as a social event so that I couldn't back out or somehow not manage to find the time.  I think it was a good strategy.  Throwing a pumpkin carving party is easy.  Just ask people to bring their own pumpkins, provide a little food, get your table ready to hold pounds of slimy goop, and you're golden.

We didn't go to a farm for our pumpkins.  We went to the Dominics parking lot.  And that was okay.  Also the boys didn't get to pick fancy templates for someone to carve for them.  I told them they had to draw their own faces and keep them simple.  Okay, truth be told, they didn't exactly stick to those stipulations.  Nate found instructions for a Poke ball that he put on S's pumpkin.  And before I realized what was happening, T had drawn 4 small, detailed faces on his pumpkin, one on each side.  Ideally he would have drawn a big, simple face on one side of his pumpkin.  But, hey.  Nate was willing to carve them all out, so it was okay.

We didn't have a huge turnout for our pumpkin party.  But what a great way to spend an afternoon with friends.  We had fun chatting, catching up, getting messy, and eating soup.  I regret that I didn't take a picture of our guests' pumpkins.  I'll try to remember next year.  I think we found a new tradition.

p.s. S is conspicuously absent in these photos because he was my photographer for much of the day.  Nate was carving his pumpkin for him, and Si's boredom was manifesting itself in obnoxious behaviors.  But I let him have the good camera to take pictures and he magically transformed into a happy helper.  He took most of the pictures for his post and I think he did a great job.