Pumpkin Carving 2017!

My parents were able to come for a fall visit on Friday October 26th.  They hadn't been here since June and we hadn't seen them since very early August.  They arrived while I was picking the kids up from school.  The kids were VERY VERY excited to see them.  The screams were ear piercing.  

T has OT at a local University on Fridays and the plan was that mom and I would take her and M would stay with my dad.  Well, M decided that he needed to go as well so we all went.  After therapy we had dinner and the kids insisted that we carve pumpkins RIGHT NOW!  We knew it would mean a later night, but we decided to say yes and I am glad we did.  It was wonderful to have extra sets of hands for carving.  I was able to take photos during the cutting.  My dad and I were on seed duty and everything was done and cleaned up within an hour.  M took a lot more ownership in carving his pumpkin than ever before.  It was fun to see his creativity.  T was eager to try, but still has a ways to go in the knife safety department. 

Cutting out the tops is hard work!

I asked them to pose!  

T: First we had to figure out how we wanted it to look. 

M: I would rather watch Daddy dig out the gross stuff!

M: OK, I will stick my hand in a tiny bit. 

M: Yuck!

T: This is great!

T: Check this out!

T: I love the feeling of the pumpkin guts in my hands. 

M: First I planned the eyes.

M: Then I started cutting. 

Dad and I had a squishy job!

T: I really want to help!

M: Almost finished. 

M: Here it is!

M: Do we look alike? 

T's creation!

T: I love my pumpkin man!

The kids love to turn out all the lights and test the jack-o-lanterns immediately.  Such a simple and special tradition.

M and T:  It works, they are glowing!

T is in a gift giving phase.  She would love to wrap presents for everyone she knows every single day.  She usually wraps things that we already own, anything from deodorant to socks.  She is so proud to give her gifts and can't wait to wrap lots of gifts at Christmas time.  Wrapping paper and tape are on the top or her wish list.  What a girl! 

T: I took this picture of Mommy and Daddy before they opened their presents!

Sidenote:  For those who might have noticed, T did get a new soft band for her BAHA.  We purchased it from a third party company and she really likes it.  It is black so it matches many things including her hair.  It is also a smooth texture so it feels much more comfortable and she enjoys wearing it all day!  I never tire of hearing her as her BAHA is put on.  She does what sounds like vocal exercises before we put it on until after.  She loves to hear the difference once she gets the band on.  I am so thankful for this technology!  For those with very keen eyes, yes it was taken off during the carving.  She was touching her hair with the gooey hands and we decided that it was safer off and that she should pull back her hair as well.