carving

We carved out some time for a little pumpkin etching this weekend. I found myself in a Pinterest frenzy five minutes before go time searching for a different design and then surrendered to free hand drawing. Miller's request was spooky & EK wanted a kitty-cat. Easy enough, right?

Miller dug around in the utensil drawer. An ice cream scoop for hollowing out the pulp..ha! The chill in the air and falling colors in the lake were all the more inspiring to put us in the spirit of carving.

While I dream up these grand visions in my head of intentional family time--it was somewhat stressful. I was either guarding the knives, drawing up the plan, or cleaning up the goop. Not to mention, playing referee and navigating the art of whine busters with Eliza Kate. Two cups of spilled hot chocolate later and I seriously questioned our tradition. Whew, and the tiredness was written all over my face!

But, at least the photos look peaceful..ha!

And, maybe just maybe the kid's memories of the night weren't as chaotic as I remember. They didn't feel the stress rubbing off on their carving fun.

One things for sure, the second cup of spilled hot cocoa made me a little crazy. I do know that kids are prone to accidents--daily.  Even their momma has some serious butterfinger slip ups. I remind myself to laugh during these {Lord, give me extra patience} moments and just count to 10!!

Our illuminated pumpkins were so cozy to look at all lit up. Their jack-o-lantern faces were just the ticket to make us feel festive peeking back at us through the window over dessert. Enjoying our Halloween Eve together after all the carving madness was over.