2016 Jack-o-Lanterns

Halloween is right around the corner and there are a few traditions that we have in our family. One of those traditions is letting the kids design and make a jack-o-lantern to enjoy seeing all lit up at night time.

Well, on Sunday night we got around to letting the kids carve their pumpkins and turn them into jack-o-lanterns. (It was a good thing too, because apparently Ben's had a crack in the bottom of it and it was starting to mold inside....) 

This was the first year that Benjamin really understood what we were doing and I think that is because he has fallen in love with the story "Spookley, the Square Pumpkin." We have the book and the dvd and he wants to watch it over and over. 

 

Anyhow, the kids had a blast carving their pumpkins. The older two even cleaned their own pumpkins out!

We had the boys draw their faces on their pumpkins themselves and then Bill carved Benjamin's pumpkin and I carved Jacob's for him. Rebecca carved her own pumpkin all on her own this year, using one of those carving kit tools that are supposed to be good for kids. 

So here is the final product with each kid behind his/her pumpkin:::

We put the pumpkins out on our front porch on 2 glass tables that face our front door so that I can light the candles in them and the kids can enjoy seeing them. Here they are all lit up and being spooky (from left to right is Rebecca's, then Benjamin's, then Jacob's):::

My dad said that Jacob's pumpkin reminded him of Picasso! I think they are cute and spooky!