4th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party

We had a tight rope walker at church this morning - he's seen above, talking from his chair, which happens to be on a tight rope.  It was a pretty cool message - he was talking about how tightrope walkers have a fixed point that they need to focus on, and even though the rope may sway, that point is unmoving.  Of course, the tie-in for our lives is that despite it all, our focused point should be Jesus.  It was a great illustration, and everyone enjoyed his simple message, although some of us were anxious for him to COME DOWN OFF OF THAT HIGH WIRE.

Madison was in service this morning as well, the theme of the day being "Pitfalls."  We were talking about running away from temptation, and remembering where the real treasures in life are.  Yes, we're still doing our video-game themed series, "Level Up."

When we got home, it was time for something special:  our Fourth Annual Pumpkin Carving Party!

Madison helped out with the cleaning of the guts, although she didn't get her hands in the gooey mess!  She used a spoon, as Daddy did the dirty work.  But he wasn't alone in that - there was plenty of goo to go around!

We had quite a few show up, everyone enjoying Mommy's chili recipe, and other dessert items, like pumpkin spice cake, Kona coffee, our spooky house brownies, orange and black dipping chips, and of course the brain cupcakes!

Jellied brains!  The munching went on throughout the afternoon, and into the night - and right away, the artists began to craft their pumpkins:

Madison was right there with us.  After cleaning out the insides, she designed her own face on the pumpkin, and Daddy sculpted it out for her.  I think it turned out fantastic!

The evening ended with the typical "family portrait" shot, where we put candles in each pumpkin and lined them up in front of the fireplace.  Daddy's is the bottom left - the Toy Story alien.  Josh's is bottom right, a grumpy Frankenstien sort of face.  Here's the official picture below:

It was a longer party, and a fun one.  Madison and the boys were playing "I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1" and a few other games on the X-Box inside, while the grown-ups socialized, carved, and of course ate all the chili.  The weather was perfect outside for carving, and the day was wonderful.

To cap it all off, Ba-Ba and Nana arrived from Florida just as things were winding down.  They got to meet the friends, and see the pumpkins lit up in front of the fireplace.  One by one, everyone said their goodbyes, and Madison gave each one a hug.  Soon, it was time for her to go to bed - school is tomorrow!  But it was a very nice party, a perfect day for the final weekend in October!

Before saying goodnight - here's a copy of the "Pumpkin Story" I set up a few years ago.  The idea has been around for years, although I believe I copied and pasted the words from another place - can't remember who, so I can't exactly give credit there.  But the story has been around for years, and we thought we'd make a nice hand-out for the kids.  In fact, we're printing and handing these out again this year!