Jack & Tink x 2

Way back 10 years ago in October 2002, I was in a small group at First Baptist Lubbock that was led by Rob & another college student.  We did not start dating until the spring of the following year in fact we really don't remember much about each other prior to February.  Anyway, we carved pumpkins with the 6 of us one Sunday evening, roasted the seeds, relaxed & enjoyed the evening.   Little did I know that 10 years later, we would be carving our second pumpkin together (with the 6 of us-if you count the wee ones inside). And yes, we skipped 9 years of pumpkin carving in between for no real reason : ) 

We had a wonderfully relaxing Sunday evening just a few days before Halloween with some good music, dancing in the kitchen & dinner outside. We decided to run over to get a pumpkin before it got too dark outside.  On the way there Charlotte kept yelling "Where are we going?" We told her that we were going to get a pumpkin to carve.  I then realized that she had no clue what "carving a pumpkin" meant let alone the meaning of the phrase "making a jack-o-lantern."  She & Eloise were quite excited to pick out a "weely BIG punkin" with as much emphasis as humanly possible on the word "BIG." 

Once we were home, we got to work on the front walk.  The girls loved how the inside of the pumpkin felt. We were laughing when we cut it open & got a whiff of the smell we remembered from childhood. 

The girls got to help scoop all the innards out with a spoon and those good ol' hands that don't mind getting dirty.  Robby was our official carver while the girls were confined to a bench.  We opted for a simple smiling pumpkin this year for our first go-round. We were pleased with the finished product & the girls were SO happy when the candle was lit & our "Jack, the Jack-o-Lantern" was happily glowing. Although her face in the photos below says otherwise, Elo was quite fond of Jack & gave him multiple hugs & kisses every time she entered or exited the house.

We had to get a photo of the belly bump.  It is growing quite rapidly here in the 2nd trimester! I ate every pumpkin seed I could & then licked the bowl that was coated in butter & salt ..I don't remember these tasting so amazing when I was a kid.

For Halloween night, the girls both dressed up as Tinkerbell.  We had two hand me down costumes (SCORE!) that were good as new to the little ladies.  Big thanks to the Chambers family & the Buck family! Big thanks also to Hugo & Juanita for our lovely new bench on our front porch : )

Robby told them to do a scared face....haha!

Peeking inside Jack

Elo Pancakes

Charlee Noonles

That evening, about five families came over.  We had the corn holes & bounce house set up in the back yard, lots of appetizers & some cute kiddos dressed up in various attire. Sadly enough, I didn't get too many pictures of all the guests but here are a few....

Adrian aka Batman

Char & Cassie with their candy necklaces

Rob & Chris with their little helper

We spent a few hours inside & out. Once it was dark we passed out candy via the front door. Charlotte thought it was pretty great. Each time she opened the door she said "Hey guys" followed by divvying out candy according to whose costume she liked the most. Her fav of the night was Jessie from Toy Story. That girl got a handful of goodies!  I think Eloise was asleep before I walked out of her room despite her lollipop & chocolate she got to enjoy.

All said & done, we ate way too much candy (we are still eating way too much candy). In fact, at work the other day, aka the perfect place to bring the bags of leftover candy, I was out of control. Blame it on the twins but I chewed about 15 individual pieces of Super Bubble gum.  I did not leave a piece in my mouth longer than the initial sugar blast which left me shocked having had forgotten how delicious it tasted for those 90 seconds. I spit all the pieces in the same trash bin at the front desk & hours later more than a couple people commented on how they could smell gum if they were sitting near that area. Ha! I only fessed up to a couple people ; ) The boys must have loved the sugar high because they were dancing around like I had never felt before! On top of the gum I have had about 8 large Reeses Peanut Butter pumpkins, a million and one Gobstoppers & so much Laffy Taffy I should be able to perform as a stand up comedian.  Let's not even talk about returning to a dentist.

It has been a fabulous fall thus far even with the illnesses shared between family members & close friends.  We are now 5 days into our Thankful Tree for November. I can say it's tradition now since we are on year two : ) We are in the works on what to cook for our Thanksgiving Dinner & are in countdown mode for the arrival of Grammy & Grandpa Big Bob!

Time is a flying & soon enough it will be 2013....oh my, I feel like I need to start sleeping now to be prepared ; )