Pumpkin Mania!!!

The holidays and their traditions keep getting more and more fun as the kiddos get older. This year pumpkins held a special excitement and magic for the kids.

They loved picking out their own pumpkins at the stand we went to. It was fun to see the decision-making processes and hear the reasoning behind the pumpkins they chose.

Abby found a perfectly round, cute pumpkin...

Bekah fell in love with the white pumpkins...

Michael picked a huge "monster pumpkin."

And picked out a cute little one for Ella...

The whole process was exciting and fun.


We cleaned them up and decorated them with the push-in faces that Grandpatty had given the kiddos last year. They jazzed up our porch for a couple of weeks.



The day before Halloween, we gutted our pumpkins, and had our special pumpkin dinner.

The kids drew on the little pumpkins that would serve as bowls for their soup...


The girls really got into gutting the pumpkins. They loved getting covered in slime and seeds. They had been playing "go to the beach" earlier that evening, and were in their swimming suits... perfect for hosing them down afterward.


Michael preferred to keep his hands clean...


On Halloween, Paul was the master-carver, and helped the kids design their own masterpiece. They all wanted scary faces, for some reason...




And here they are, happy with their creations...


I'm okay with not seeing another pumpkin until next year... when I'll be excited to do it all over again!

The Dentist Office: Filled to Capacity...

It was time for the kiddos to have their teeth cleaned again. This time I scheduled all of them (except Ella) for the first appointment time at 8am.

I don't know why, but it was so funny to me as we took this family trip to the dentist office. It was like we walked in and overwhelmed the entire place. They each took one of the three chairs, and Paul and I kept zig-zagging to check on progress and encourage.


It was actually a delightful trip. The kids were excited. It seems like preparation is half of the experience, and we had talked about it excitedly the day before. We love our pediatric dentist here. And the office is a fun place for the kids. They actually loved it.


Michael always likes to be a "good patient." His six-year molars are coming in, which made him especially proud.


Abby was a crack up. She was very social as her teeth were being cleaned, and loved all the attention. Her favorite part was the spit vacuum thingy (whaddayacallit Petey??). She would close her lips around it and laugh and laugh and laugh.


I was a little worried about Bekah because she's been a bit particular lately. But she focused on the "be very still" part, and barely moved. Then Bekah saw what Abby was laughing about and caught on quickly. The hygienists were nice enough to let them play with these new "toys" for a bit. What a fun place!!


Ella loved looking at all the sights and carefully watched as she heard new sounds. What a good, calm, patient baby she is.

So my kids loved their dentist appointments. What a fun family outing! We liked it so much I think we'll do it again in another 6 months! :)