Pumpkin Sculpting

After our trip to the pumpkin patch, it was just a matter of time before our pumpkins got new faces.  Jack put on A Nightmare Before Christmas and we whipped out the carving tools.

First, the girls played around with Jack’s oversized pumpkin.  It was, after all, forty-five pounds.

Claire kept making an amusing face and repeatedly uttered, “Oooo-oooo,” while she slapped the pumpkin.  It was obviously incredibly interesting to her.

Evelyn was much more helpful this year.  Last time, the slimy pumpkin guts were too much and she refused to reach her hand in.  This time, there was a gross fascination with it and she dug most of it out herself, expertly sifting the seeds from the pulp.

She dictated to me what the face should look like–how many teeth, the shape of the eyes, how many eyelashes.  Then she sat on my lap and watched me carve.

She did the same with Claire’s little pie pumpkin.  Man, that thing was tough!  At least it turned out cute so I suppose it was worth the effort.

I etched a witch into my jack-o-lantern, complete with a long carrot nose.

In the time I gutted and carved three pumpkins, Jack barely had time to hack a thick face into his.  For a few years now, he’s sculpted his pumpkin rather than carved it.  It turned out pretty good this year.

It was some kind of vampiric Frankenstein monster or something.  I think it turned out sufficiently creepy.

So, we lit the pumpkins before we sent Evelyn up to bed.  Hers and Claire’s definitely glowed the best.

The poor carved gourds didn’t even last the night.  The frost in the midnight hour weakened them which, when they thawed in the warm morning sun, turned to a wrinkly mush.  My witch’s nose deflated and Jack’s dried out pumpkin face became more defined.  Oh, well.  I suppose it just made them more spooky.