Fall Fun

Theo loves dressing up and as Halloween draws near, every day is a chance to try out a new look. That is why we get to spend our afternoons with clown boy

and eating supper with Batman.

Last year I was happy to discover that the fruit farm where we went apple picking grew large carving pumpkins. This year they allowed us to take one home as well. Theo was overjoyed and spent a deal of time talking to the pumpkin and protecting it from William.

Last year, I carved the pumpkin about a week and a half before Halloween. In Canada, this was perfectly fine since the outdoor temperature is cool enough by mid-October that it still looks fresh by the time the end of the month rolls around. Not so in Japan. Ours was kind of warped, moldy, and shrunken from sitting out in the sun and warmth. This year I made sure to wait until just before Halloween to crack the pumpkin open.

Theo insisted that the pumpkin told him what face he wanted carved on himself (yes, I know how creepy that is) and proceeded to draw me a couple of diagrams of how I should carve it. I let the boys help me scoop out the innards but I did all the carving. This is only partially because I don't want them to cut themselves and almost entirely because I love carving pumpkins and don't want to give up my one chance a year to my children. It is pretty selfish, but when they are older maybe, maybe I will relinquish my supreme carving rights. I thought I was being pretty generous this year to allow Theo to completely decide what the carving should be.

Here is the finished jack-o-lantern:

Theo seems to be pretty pleased with the result.

Theo has officially named it the King of Darkness, which I think is a pretty apt name for a jack-o-lantern.

All ready for Halloween!