Adventures in Pumpkin Carving

Our road to getting Eddie a pumpkin to carve has been long and arduous. Every time we thought we were going to make it happen, something else got in the way! But this past weekend we had success! Twice!

Let me back up the story a bit. About 3 weeks ago, on our way home from Grand Haven one sunny Sunday at the beginning of October, the Sluiters drove by Green Acres Farmer's Market on 31 and Lake Michigan Drive. I was immediately smitten by the millions and millions of pumpkins outside the greenest building I had ever seen. I made it my personal mission to bring my little boy there and pick the perfect pumpkin.

I called my mom to see if she would want to come along that week. We had the day picked. The time planned. Everything was set...Eddie was even dressed for a "fall-like" picture. and then the rains came...in buckets. We stayed in and I took Ed's picture by the stuffed pumpkin that day.
This past Thursday my mom and I were going rain or shine...and of course there was rain. I didn't care. We were GOING. They had an indoor part to the farmer's market and that would be just as good...it had to be. My boy needed a pumpkin.

Then my car started making funny noises. My mom didn't trust it, and quite frankly, neither did I. So we went home. And Eddie just got a glimpse of my tire instead of a pumpkin.

I was quite sad and upset, so Eddie and I retired to the house and my mom went home...or so I thought. About 20 minutes later there was a tapping, ye a gentle rapping at our chamber door..."Pumpkin Fairy!" I heard from the front steps. Eddie's grandma had stopped in the rain and loaded up a cart at the Family Fare with 3 pumpkins for him! Success!
Sunday we headed over to Eddie's Granny Kim's and she had a pumpkin for him too! So we had our annual carving party (minus Liz and Cody. Poor Liz Ann was feeling ill). We all chose our pumpkins and got to carving. Being a daddy, Cortney got to carve two: one for him and one for his little boy.
Eddie was so excited...actually he slept through the festivities, but I know he loved the pumpkin his Granny bought him and that his daddy carved for him.
Even I carved a pumpkin. Can you tell how much I love doing this? It's all for my mom-in-law...she needs that crowd of scary faces on her front steps!
Look at those ghoulish pumpkins...and those happy carvers! Such fun!
Tonight daddy carved Eddie's pumpkin. He chose the tallest one from the three just for Eddie.
And then he went to work on Eddie's first jack-o-lantern!
What a great first pumpkin! Classic Jack-o-lantern done only as super sweet as daddy can do!
We are all set for this Saturday when it will be time to get Eddie dressed up for his first Halloween! Stay tuned for some "monkeying around" here in Sluiter Nation!