For Family Night last week, we let Brinton make a haunted castle. It was a pre-made kit that is just like a gingerbread house kit, but with a chocolate house cookie with Halloween decorating stuff. Earlier that afternoon, we were leaving his favorite friend and cousin,Jackson's,house. He didn't want to leave (when does he), so I told him we were going to have some "fun" when we got home. We broke out the kit and taught him how it was all edible and he loved it SO much. Of course he didn't want to stop eating it and got pretty messy. His face and hands got a little gross, so I had him scare me - that's the beautiful picture with black on his face and hands. He did a pretty good job. I took care of the frosting (not so wonderfully), but he put the candies all over and chose where he wanted the ghosts on the front.There have been quite a few times since then that he has asked if we will have "fun" when we get home. Apparently nothing else we do at home is fun and the new reference for the word fun is to make something you can get a sugar high on.

-

Then, for Family Night this week, we carved pumpkins with my side of the family. My parents have a tradition to have all their kids and grandkids come over on the last Monday before Halloween to carve pumpkins. First we have a soup dinner. Whoever made the soups this time is pretty much awesome! (It was me, haha.) After we all eat, everyone picks their pumpkin. My Dad loves to garden, and grows more than enough pumpkins for all of us and our kids.I, of course, always claim one of the biggest ones. I am pretty sure no one minds, because they are a little tough to carve sometimes. It takes some leverage and a sheetrock saw in this case. This Family Night is something I look forward to every year, even though I end up carving all the pumpkins. Steve usually guts them all out for me because he doesn't like to carve for some odd reason. Give me a knife and I can get to work! I did one for me, Brinton, and Zander. In all honesty, I probably would have carved one on Steve's behalf, but there wasn't enough time.This year, Steve got Brinton to help gut his pumpkin. I had to take quite a few pictures because, as you can tell, he was REALLY disgusted. I was laughing so hard. If Zander could talk, I bet he would appreciate the "Z" I carved on the top of his pumpkin. Brinton wanted a cat, so that is what his pumpkin ended up being. It was fun for him to chose and be excited about it on the doorstep.