Pumpkin Carving--The final product

After hunching over a pumpkin for an hour or more, squinting and trying not to cut yourself, or your child, this is what you get!  As far as I can remember, no one drew any blood.

Greg and Anna's Masterpiece

Lizzy was tickled with her jack-o-lantern.  It had little insertable eyes for the eye sockets.  She loved that it was cute and happy.

Here is Adam's pumpkin.  

Last, but not least is Ben's.  He really wanted to do something scary.  He was very pleased.

I know I have been a little picture happy, but hey, this is for posterity.  Doesn't it make you want to carve a pumpkin? 

Carving Pumpkins--the Carving stage

Here are the official carving pictures of the official Finch Family Annual Pumpkin Carving Family Home Evening (try saying that 3 times fast! HA!)  

Anna and Greg patiently working

OK, so maybe it looks like Ben did a little bit of stabbing.  Cherrie was so patient with him and just let him saw and saw until he would ask for a little help.  Then she would saw for a quick minute and he would be back at it again.  This was hard work for a 4 year old folks.

Sweet Lizzy posing for the camera.  She also did the lion's share of the carving.

The only picture I got of Adam carving, he had his eyes closed, so Ben got to cheese for me again.  So cute!

October Fun-- Carving Pumpkins--the scooping

One of our favorite traditions for the Halloween season is carving pumpkins.  The new carving kits these days make it so much more fun for us and the kids.  It is way better than just stabbing a poor pumpkin with a steak knife.  This year all the kids, with the exception of Jacob, of course, carved their very own pumpkin!  It worked out perfectly because Greg's mom, Cherrie, and her husband Jim were still here for Family Home Evening (to learn more about Family Home Evening, click here http://www.lds.org/hf/fhe/welcome/0,16785,4210-1,00.html) when we carved them.  Greg worked with Anna, Jim worked with Lizzy, Cherrie was ever patient with Ben, and I helped Adam, after I got Jacob down for the night.  The kids were so proud of themselves.  They scooped, they carved, they triumphed.  It was tons of fun.  Personally, I think this is way more fun than letting them paint their own pumpkin, like we have done in years past.  Here are some scooping pictures.

I think Adam likes getting crazy with the pumpkin goup almost more than any other part.

Ben gingerly scooping out the pumpkin.  Doesn't he have a great cheesy smile?!

Anna, not enjoying the pumpkin guts. Greg's just messing around.

Lizzy and Jim working together.

Once again, I must reveal my true identity.  It is I, the wife and mother.  Give no heed to what blogger says about the matter.

Even more pumpkin patch

Anna, Ben, Lawson and Lizzy.

Hairy Grandpa and his posse.  Thanks for carrying the baby dad! (Greg carried him through the corn maze, the baby, not my dad).

MMmmmm! Spaghetti.  We added three more children for dinner because I watched my friend, Leah's, kids.  For a while we had the two neighbor boys too.  At one time there were 12 children, age 9 and under in our house!

Thus endeth the pumpkin patch pictures!

Muddy pumpkin patch pictures

Grandma Cherrie and Grandpa Jim. Look at that smile, even in the rain and mud.

The wagon, mired down in the mud.

Handsome Husband.

Ew!! Gross. I had to wash the clothes and clean the shoes.

I am having trouble getting the pictures in my account, so I am using Greg's. It's me Tammy again.

October Fun--Post 1--Pumpking Patch/Corn Maze

Have you missed me? You are about to get overloaded with posts to catch up for the last month. October was a fun and busy month for us. We have really come to love the fun it brings. This year we had two, yes two, sets of grandparents come visit. My dad and his wife Nancy were watching my brothers kids for a week in Iowa City, so we didn't see much of them, but a little. I went up there one day, and then on their way to the airport they stopped to do something fun with us. Greg's mom, and husband Jim, happened to come the day before, also, so we decided to head to the pumpkin patch for some fun. My niece and nephew also came with us. So we had a total of 6 adults and 7 kids (not a bad ratio, really).

The day started out fun enough. We first did a great corn maze with lots of different checkpoints. It was great fun, but then it started raining. It was really starting to come down so we had to leave the maze and hide out in the little store. We still hadn't picked our pumpkins though. We talked it over and most of us decided to brave the rain and still get a pumpkin. Adam and Nancy opted for the drier, warmer car. The rain slowed down a little bit, but we failed to think about the MUD! It was so slippery and deep. It was difficult to walk, let alone pull our wagon with pumpkins in it. We did it though, and everyone had a great attitude about it, even the baby who was carried by my dad in his backpack. It even added to the experience. I think the worst part was cleaning off seven children's shoes when we got home. We came home and had hot chocolate and spaghetti for dinner. It was fun we could do this with grandparents and cousins along.

                                                                       Fun at the Corn Maze.

Lizzy at the Pumpkin Patch

P.S.  This is Tammy, not Greg.