Painted Pumpkins

We didn't carve pumpkins this year and instead, we painted some.  We all picked a design on Pinterest and got started.  I selected an Emoji.  It perfectly shows my ever present state of mind this month, and the kids love Emojis.

Ridley selected a white Hello Kitty.  It was looking great until she decided to add the brush water, which caused the paint to run.  She didn't seem to mind one bit, because she was thrilled with the final product.  

Reed painted Steve from Minecraft, and it turned out great.  We didn't have a peachy flesh color, so we had to get creative with paint mixing.  

Ryland went scary this year.  His picture was of a creepy clown face, so I knew he was going for something a bit more "mature".  The other kids didn't seem phased, and the pizza delivery guy loved it.  

Pumpkin Find

We hit the super large pumpkin jackpot at Sam's.  We bought the four biggest pumpkins we could lift to get ready for Halloween decorating.  The boys were thrilled.

Fall Festival

Ridley was an adorable Itsy Bitsy Spider.  She was a trooper with the pettiskirt and Halloween outfit.  I stayed to watch the costume parade and pumpkin picking.  Ridley loved all the festivities.  

Reed was a handsome Captain America.  He walked the parade with his buddy, Silas, and waved at all the parents.  

Jack O'Lanterns

We have had a crazy October, so we are a bit late on carving pumpkins.  We couldn't let it pass us by, so we stayed up a little late tonight to have some fun.

 

 

 Time to clean out the yucky!

 

 We have Jack O'Lanterns!  The boys were very proud of their creations.

Homework

 

Ryland had a small "homework" assignment for his preschool.  He colored and glittered a card stock pumpkin and then cut it out.  I made an extra copy for Reed, so we could all work together.  It was fun to craft and talk about fall and Halloween.  The boys are getting so darn big.

Happy Halloween

We finally finished up our Halloween projects in the nick of time.  I have no idea were the month of October has gone, but it is officially time to have some spooky fun.

The boys drew faces on their pumpkins for carving guides.

 

 

Reed got upset when he couldn't hold the knife and do the cutting.  He was all tears until John Chris pulled the top off the pumpkin and showed him.

 

 

Ryland wasn't interested in cleaning out the pumpkin at first.  After John Chris and I dug in, he warmed up to the idea of getting a little messy.

 

John Chris and I put the finishing touches on the boys' firetruck wagon.  We added working lights, a ladder, and some lettering. 

 

When it got dark out, we headed out to trick or treat.  The boys loved their transportation, and they had an awesome night.  Ryland was all about getting a full bag of candy, and Reed walked every one's ears off when they came to the door.

 

Hall's Pumpkin Patch

My MOPS group planned a play date at Hall's Pumpkin Patch, and I was excited to take the boys.  It was a sunny, warm afternoon, so the fall outfits wouldn't work.  I snapped a few photos that I absolutely love - red faced and nappy hair.

The kiddos loved to climb in and out of the antique truck and took turns driving and riding.

 

One of the favorite highlights of the pumpkin patch is the miniature tractors.  

Even though the tractors were a little big for Reed, he didn't give up.  He pushed the tractor around circle.

As we were getting ready to leave, some of the kids were all sitting on the hay bails with the pumpkins.  It was a picturesque moment, so us moms grabbed our cameras.  The kids immediately got up and got back to playing.  We should have known.

Finding pumpkins

 

We have been a little slow in getting all the fall fun in this month.  It seems that October is off to a very fast start.  After we left the gym, we headed to Market Street's pumpkin patch to select a few pumpkins for the front porch.

 

We decided that each of us would select a pumpkin to carve, and Ryland was quick to find the perfect one.

 

Reed picked out the biggest pumpkin he could find.  He climbed up on the pallet to pick up the huge pumpkin, and he realized it was a little too heavy. 

 

Ryland as Frankenstein.

 

Before heading home, the boys had to give the small maize a shot.  Ryland led the way with no problem, and Reed followed the leader.

Jack-O-Lantern pictures to come.

Our pumpkins

Reed models his pumpkin bib with a huge smile.

I could hear Ryland telling Reed about pumpkins, so I peaked down the hall. Ryland had his mini pumpkin on Reed's walker, and they were just a chatting. Then Reed tried to take a bite, and the sweet moment turned into screams.

Carving a pumpkin

Ryland was really excited about pumpkins this year. He reminded me for days that we were going to the pumpkin patch. He was thrilled to hear that we were carving the pumpkin today. I cut a hole in the top while he told me all about the seeds that we would find inside. When the top came off, he wasn't interested in digging or touching the pumpkin. He refused to clean out the inside. John Chris and I showed him the seeds, but he wasn't buying it. I drew a simple face on the pumpkin, and Ryland and Daddy cut it out. Voila! The perfect jack-o-lantern.