It's the Great Pumpkin!

Halloween is less than one week away.

My family didn't celebrate Halloween when I was growing up. I do remember, once, dressing up and going door to door with my parents. I was three, maybe four years old, little enough to still need a car-seat. And I was wearing enormous pink rabbit ears that prevented me from sitting up straight in the car, because they kept hitting the ceiling.

That was the last time we celebrated Halloween. We did have Harvest Parties, and fall get-togethers, but no trick-or-treating, jack-o-lanterns, or scary movies. Looking back, I don't think I really cared (even though I'm sure my mom will beg to differ, since I'm sure we cried about not getting candy.)

However, we have chosen to not continue that practice with our boys.

First of all, it is just too much dang fun to dress them up. They are the cutest things ever and thinking about putting them in bee, and cowboy, and firefighter costumes is too much fun for me to pass up.

It's not really about the candy. Especially since I was going through a cupboard last week and found a still quarter-full bag of last year's Trick-or-Treat candy. What can I say? We're good at rationing.

The thing that truly makes me excited about Halloween is the pumpkin carving.

For those of you who know us, you know that this is a VERY big deal. We love our pumpkin carving. It borders on obsession. Finding the perfect pumpkin, with a nice flat surface. Finding the perfect stencil.

And since Halloween is less than one week away, it is that time of year.

(Check out here and here and here for previous years' pumpkins.)

First, Roman's pumpkin. He picked out the pattern and transferred it to the pumpkin himself. And then because I'm still that kind of mom, I cut it out for him. This, despite the fact he thought 7 years old is perfectly old enough to be handling knives (funny how it is not old enough to make your own bed.)


Next, my pumpkin. Yes, I did a Twilight pumpkin. I know, I know.


Like always, Keith's pumpkin is the very best. Okay, technically, this is Blaise's pumpkin, since he requested the picture. But, like always, Keith did all the work. And absolutely amazing work it is.


I'm going to send a picture of the pumpkin to the guy who created the stencil.

Keith has yet to do "his" pumpkin. He's got the pattern, but between helping all the rest of us, his pumpkin, somehow, always ends up being the last one done. I'm sure that it, like the rest of his work, will be amazing.

Not Me! Monday

I do NOT have moments where I freak out and forget all my medical training when something happens to the boys.

Roman DID NOT swallow a penny and my first thought was NOT to take him straight to the ER for an x-ray. I would realize they would have me watch him, see if it passes, and bring him in at the first sign of abdominal pain.

Blaise DID NOT develop a new rash on his cheeks. My first thought was NOT some horrific illness or rare manistation of swine flu. I DID NOT think about calling his pediatrician. It is a rash, and I've seen hundreds. Once I calmed down, I DID NOT realize it DID NOT look perfectly benign and is most likely a mild flare of his eczema due to the drier conditions in our home now that the furnace is on.

I would never panic and have my first thought be to call a REAL doctor. I DO NOT keep forgetting that I am a real doctor. Nope. I would never do that.

My cardiology rotation is completely NOT terrifying me. I have NOT ONCE badgered Keith to get his 34 year old self into his doctor to get started on a statin for cholesterol. He DOES NOT have a family history of heart disease that scare me to death. I DO NOT think about him everytime I admit another 40-something year old male with a heart attack. I NEVER image myself a widow at an early age. I will NOT keep pestering him until he goes in and does it. And I do NOT bring up the whole daily aspirin thing on a daily basis. I would always wait and let his doctor do proper blood testing and make a decision based on rational and not the terror of ending up alone prematurely. And I don't badger my husband. Nope. Never.

I have NOT been so tired that I have just dumped the last several loads of laundry onto my bedroom floor. My family is NOT looking for their daily clothes in huge piles of laundry. Nope, not me. I always put the laundry away immediately, no matter how bad the call night has been. Just the same way I do the dishes and NEVER set the table using all of Blaise's IKEA plastic utensils because there was not any clean silverware. I would NEVER get let the dishes go that long.

Or would I?

Our house is NOT completely over run with lady bugs. Or Japanese beetles. Or what every you call them. I DID NOT get home from work two hours late to find our living room floor covered in dead ladybugs. Keith would NEVER go on a bug killing spree. And we obviously would have contacted a exterminator a long time before it got this bad. We're on top of things like that.

And after a long weekend of call in the cardiac ICU, I did NOT forget that today was Monday until I read Gina's blog. I did NOT let Roman stay up almost an hour past his bedtime because I DID NOT think that since I have a day off tomorrow, that it was the weekend. I always know what day of the week it is. Don't you?

Join MckMama and the rest of us who HAVE NOT done anything this week.

A Day Late

Happy Birthday, Keith!

Okay, Keith's birthday was yesterday, but that didn't make the French Silk pie from Village Inn any less delicious.

Roman and Blaise, applying the homemade touch to Keith's favorite dessert

Oh, I love my family of boys!

Keith is now 34. Normally, people don't like having their age plastered all over the internet. But since he won't stop going on about how old he is, I'm going to go ahead and share it.

He is truly an amazing person, and when I tell people about him, I'm not sure they get a clear picture of who he really is.

Keith is a double math and physics major. Before going the "traditional" college route, he spent a semester at ITT Tech. (Quote unquote traditional, because really, how traditional is completing two degrees over eight years, while raising two children, supporting your wife through medical school, and maintaining a full time job. Like I said, this man is amazing!) He reads calculus and physics books for his nighttime reading. He loves circuits and has a multimeter/voltmeter that he uses to figure out just why the light in the car stopped working. He spent the last several years to research and development for a dental product company. He now wants to go to dental school.

All of this is 100% true. But if this were all you knew of Keith, you'd barely know him.

Keith loves 80s movies and music. He laughs until he is close to crying over Tom and Jerry. He obsesses over football statistics, and then sulks for days if his team, where real or fantasy, does not do well. He would be perfectly content to live for days off Mountain Dew and cold pizza. He knows how to build a house and fix a car. His check book is always perfectly balanced, but he never puts his socks away.

All this is true too. And yet, there is still so much more to him.

He is an amazing husband. I've said it before. He has supported me when I'm sure everyone else would have given up. He loves our boys with a passion and never ceases to amaze me with his patience.

Happy Birthday, Keith.

I'm so glad I have the opportunity to celebrate another one with you.

Every day, something new

Before we moved to Iowa (and even after we moved), we were cautioned that it was a "boring" place to live.

Well, we're still waiting to be bored.

The great thing about the city we will in is the summer arts program. Each week, all summer, that are free weekly concerts downtown, movies in the park, plays in the riverside theater, and art festivals. Due to our schedules and our current unwillingness to haul the boys around in public, we didn't do any of those things this summer. We plan on doing most of them next summer.

But last weekend, as part of the summer arts program, there was a sand castle competition downtown. Yep, sand castles in the Midwest. It was definitely something to take the boys to.





After we viewed the sand sculpting contest, the boys had their own opportunity to play in the sand.



We headed for home, sandy, sticky from cotton candy, and sporting the beginning of beach-worthy sunburns.

I have started my Surgical Intensive Care Unit (or SICU) rotation. I've been more worried about this one than any other. The patients are very sick and require care that I sometimes feel is above my level of training. The schedule is demanding, requiring overnight in-hospital call every third night. I took my first overnight call last night. I was almost as excited that I made it out alive as I was that all my patients did okay overnight as well.

After being awake for 33 hours straight, I came home and collapsed into bed.

I was awoken at 6:30 by Keith who announced that he had "tried something new" for dinner. I stumbled downstairs to be greeted by a beautifully set table and a serving of hot, Parmesan cheese covered, home-made gnocchi.

Keith had made gnocchi.

By himself.

And it was delicious.

I feel like I should write this in all caps to express the complete amazing-ness of it all.

Keith, who never cooks, who got stressed out if I suggested he make scrambled eggs or a salad by himself. Keith, who I didn't even think knew where the cookbooks were kept in our kitchen. That same Keith made blonde brownies two days ago and then spent 2 1/2 hours making gnocchi tonight. GNOCCHI! Something I haven't even attempted.

Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

Frogs and beaches and burgers...

In other words, we've had the perfect Father's Day weekend.

Since residency orientation starts this week, we've tried to slow down on the home renovations this weekend, so that we could enjoy some quality time together.

Yesterday, we went back to the fossil beds to see how the tadpoles were doing (and to look for more fossils).

We found both fossils and frogs.

Roman with his fossil find (look closely around his feet)

Little tadpole becoming a frog

Tiny little frog (you can still even see a bit of his tail)

Another tiny frog

Our plans for Father's Day were to go up to the lake, do some swimming and boating.

We woke up to pouring rain.

But as the rain turned into a drizzle around noon, we decided to head out anyways.

We are so glad that we did. The clouds rolled away, and we enjoyed the beach under a beautiful blue sky and hot sun.



When everyone was sufficiently waterlogged and then stuffed with watermelon, hummus, (and, um, soda) we went for a long pedal boat ride.

Soaking up the sun

The lake is so beautiful. The day was so nice. It was such a wonderful day together.


Now, if anyone is still hunger, I do plan on making hamburgers this evening. Or just telling people that there is a lot of left-over watermelon.

I would also like to tell Keith how lucky we are that he is our dad. Roman and Blaise are so blessed to have someone for a father who is truly invested in them, loves them fiercely, and wants every good thing for them.

Thank you, Keith, for giving the title "Dad" so much meaning. We love you.

(And you'll notice there are pictures in this post. Which means I (actually Keith) found my card reader. Which means very soon there will be pictures of our remodel posted here. Hang tight!)

Let the countdown begin

We closed on our home today!

We are real home owners now. We are saying goodbye to apartment living. Goodbye to sharing walls and floors, and ceilings with people. Goodbye to too little space and too many restrictions.

With the joy of closing, comes the not so joyful start of packing.

Keith and I have spent the last two days cleaning appliances, carpets, and blinds. We seriously better get our deposit back.

(And why do you have to pay an extra deposit for having a pet, but not a two year old. I bet the neighbor's tabby cat never colors on the wall with marker. And I doubt that basset make dents in the hall wall with a golf club.)

I'm sitting here tonight surround by bare walls, empty bookcases, and stacks of boxes.

The next time I open these boxes will be when we're finally home.

Rules of Engagement

Keith and I don't fight.

When I tell people this, there is usually the reaction that either I am lying or delusional. Some people have gone so far as to say that if we don't fight, it must mean that our relationship lacks passion; that fighting is "healthy" for relationships.

I disagree. Fighting is not necessary. Or beneficial.

When I say that we don't fight, I don't mean to imply that we never disagree. It would be unrealistic to think that two individuals would agree on everything. There are a multitude of things that we disagree about.

But we don't fight about it.

It's not always easy. Probably more for me, because I get very worked up over things and cry easily.

But we have rules. Rules for disagreements that have prevented us from fighting.

I'm not calling myself a relationship expert. And I'm not bragging. Or saying that my relationship is better than someone else's. But these rules have worked well for us. And I wanted to share them. Just in case.

Here they are..

1. Keep on subject. Don't bring up old arguments. Don't add, "And do you know what else bothers me...?"

2. Don't call names. Ever.

3. Don't attack the other person's occupation.

4. Don't attack the other person's education.

5. Don't attack the other person's family members.

6. Don't break things. Or slam doors.

7. It's okay to leave the room. But don't storm out.

8. If you need to, take a time out. If the conversation is getting heated, just stop talking, wait until you are calmed down, then try again.

9. Avoid talking about topics you disagree about in front of other people (related or not). It may just embarrass the other person and add more emotional fuel to the fire.

10. Don't yell.

I'm sure that I'm making this sound overly simplistic and easy. I'm not saying that. But it gets easier with practice.

Using these rules, we've gone eight years of marriage without a fight. (And please note: I did say fight, not disagreement. Just wanted to clarify that point one more time.)

I'm working on a list of rules about how to approach my children. Because I can get grumpy with them. More than I should. I've raised my voice to my children. While Keith and I have never raised our voices to each other.

(However, it is true that Keith does not color with marker on the furniture, or hit his siblings with baseball bats, or dump bowls of applesauce on the floor. He also does not try walking as slowly as possible when I am in a hurry. Or lick windows in stores.)

I realized just the other day that I need rules for me regarding them.

That's a work in progress.

There is one more things. For when all other rules fail. I love the person sitting across from me. Is winning this disagreement really more important than their feelings?

The goal of our marriage was not to sacrifice things we believe in or feel passionately all for the sake of just being able to say that we've never had a fight. I could just start agreeing with everything Keith says, for no other reason than to keep the peace. But that would make our relationship less meaningful.

The goal was to be able to trust each other enough to feel that we can express our opinion, even when it differs from that of the other person, without being attacked.

That in this world, so full of people treating each other so horribly, that our marriage can be a safe haven.


Cross-posted here.

Eight Reasons

Today is Keith's and my eight year anniversary.

The feeling that those eight years have gone by remarkably fast is an indicator of how great the last eight years have been.

The fact that we are both deliriously happy in our marriage isn't a secret. Keith is an amazing person. If I had to pick anyone on this entire planet to spend nearly every day of my life with and come home to after the worst call night ever, it would be him.

Here are eight things we have done during our eight years of marriage

1. Had a boy.

2. Been brave enough to have another boy.

3. Complete three bachelors degrees between the two of us.

4. Survived medical school

5. Bought our first house (we close on Monday!)

6. Decided to go back to school to prepare for dental school (Yes, Keith is in the process of applying to dental school!)

7. Have not asked our parents for money

8. Not fight!

And if one list wasn't enough, here are eight reasons (yes, I am going to limit it to eight, even though there are a lot more!)

1. He always knows when to call my bluff. I wanted to drop out of medical school. He casually reminded me of my student loans. I say I want to lose 20 pounds. He passes me a bowl of ice cream. He's supportive of my ambitions and ideas, but he knows when I'm serious and when I'm not (even when I'm a little confused.)

2. He is incredibly laid back. I used to be an extremely uptight, stressed-out individual (most people who just meet me think I still am, but I promise, it is nothing like I used to be!) Keith has helped mellow me out.

3. He loves being a dad. We have never divided parenting tasks. If the boys need a bath, who ever is available does it. Blaise needs a trip to the potty? Keith does it just as often as I do. He does horsey rides and story time and teaches the boys the subtleties of golf and football.

4. He never quits. It took him 8 years to get both his bachelors degrees. (He was going part time while working full time and helping with the boys while I was in medical school.) And if that wasn't enough, he decided to go back. That takes more guts that someone who is already in school to just keep going.

5. He never says no to friends and family. While this can be slightly annoying (really, you gave him money again) I really admire that he never fumbles around for a reason to get out of helping tow a car or frame a basement. If you really need help, Keith will always be there.

6. Despite how laid back he is in nearly every aspect of his life, he gets very psyched up by sports. I love watching him during a football game or NBA playoffs. I used to think it was strange (why should anyone care so much?), but now I just love it!

7. He's very protective of me. He gets mad when people hurt my feelings. He despised people who have used me. He is always in my corner.

8. He has always supported me in everything I've wanted to do. To have a spouse (especially a wife) decide to go to medical school (especially after children) is very difficult. He has never once complained about the all the times he has had to pick up the slack because I've just been too tired. He has not once complained about all my complaining and break-downs. I once apologized for how difficult things were. About how things would have been easier if he had married someone who was just a normal, stay-at-home-type-of-girl. He hugged me and said,

"I wasn't going for easy. I was going for you."

Bryce Canyon

Today is going to be a two post day.

Because if I don't, I'll never be able to catch up. But if this is the first time you're looking at my blog today, make sure you don't miss my sister's graduation.

And I could have made it a three post day, because we had an amazing Memorial Day at Red Butte Garden, but we'll save that one for later.

The Big Move is less than two weeks away now. Keith and I originally had these amazing plans that we were going to take the boys to all the amazing sights in Utah before we left.

Of course, our time and budget didn't allow us to see everything we wanted. Well, really, we realized only one trip would be possible.

So we choose what we thought would be the most memorable and striking.

Bryce Canyon.

Panoramic view from Bryce Point

We drove down early the day after my sister's graduation.

It rained nearly the entire drive. It honestly had never once occurred to us that it might rain on our trip. We hadn't even bothered to look at the weather. Silly us.

But when we arrived at Bryce Canyon, the sun had come out.



We were able to find a camping spot in the park without any trouble (I'm pretty sure the rain scared off the holiday crowd.)

Then we took the boys to Sunset Point for our hike.

Plenty of water and sunscreen!
Ready for our hike!

We really wanted to take the boys to see the canyon, not just from the view points, but from the floor. To look up at the amazing rock structures ("hoodoos") and be awed.

View of "Wall Street" from canyon floor

So we had planned a 2 hour hike on the Navajo Loop.

Only the rain had turned the trail into the most amazingly slick and sticky mud. Tromping through the mud went against everything that Blaise had every been told about mud. Normally, it is "Stay out of the mud!" But this time, it was "It's okay. A little mud won't hurt you. Isn't this fun?" Blaise was not buying it. He screamed and cried nearly the whole way down. We tried to carry him a couple of times, but his mud-covered legs and feet attempted to cover us with the same goo. We got a variety of looks from fellow hikers. The looks ranged from "You guys are crazy!" to "Good luck with that" to "You guys rock for doings things like this as a family." I guess Blaise's screams reverberating off the canyon walls didn't really help enhance the scenery.

On the trail
Get a look at the mud on our shoes!

Fortunately the trail was nice and dry at the bottom of the canyon. And the rest of the hike was wonderful.

Keith, Roman, and Blaise
At the Twin Bridges

The boys didn't complain once. Roman walked the entire 2-hour-nearly-2-mile hike. Blaise probably would have. However, we encountered a little more mud on the ascending loop, and Blaise lost his shoes in the mud. So walking was no longer an option.

We made it!
At the end of the hike!

After the hike, we enjoyed a few more view points, then headed back to camp. We had anticipated enjoying hot dogs and marshmallows over a campfire, but it started raining again. We got our tent up just before we got drenched.

The rain did let up just long enough for us to enjoy hot dogs, but as soon as we broke out the marshmallows, it started to rain again. It rained until 2 am. (Ask me how I know. Rain on a tent is loud.)

The boys slept great! Surprising considering the noise of the rain and the chill of the night at 8000 ft.

The next morning was a gorgeous day, complete with blue sky. After pancakes cooked over a campfire, we enjoyed some more canyon views.

We drove home through a small town where Keith's father has lived as a child. There was a mill there that Keith remembers playing in as a child. But it was all fenced off, supposedly because some endangered owls had been found there. But it still made for amazing pictures.



We may not have been able to take Roman and Blaise to see all the amazing things there are to see in Utah. But at least we took them on an unforgettable trip.

I HIKED BRYCE CANYON!

Wednesday

I hope your Wednesday was as wonderful as mine...

Even more boys

We just got back from visiting Keith's family in Montana.

Okay, we didn't just get back. We got back Sunday night. But things were so busy, it feels like right now is the first moment I have had to sit and relax. So, yes, I just got back into the swing of things.

It was an unbelievably great trip.

Although this is excluding the time our nephew, who came with us, asked "Are we there yet?" less than five minutes after getting into the car. (And he continued to ask every 15-20 minutes for the entire 8 hour trip. Well, except for the time we broke down and put on Bolt.)

Keith never liked living in Montana. And you can't really blame him. He moved up there during his sophomore year of high school. It's a tough time for anyone to move. But every time we drive along the Bitterroot mountains, I have to think what a beautiful place it is. (And if I had had my act together, I would have taken some pictures to share. But I didn't. I was busy trying to calculate how many more hours, minutes, and miles were left in the trip.)

I love Keith's family. He has got fantastic brothers. He also has a fantastic sister, who we missed, since she is away at college. Fantastic brothers lead to fantastic sisters-in-law, which lead to a whole passel of "THE grandchildren."

I love this picture!

Every single on of Keith's mom's grandchildren was there over the weekend. Which made for some darling photos.

All 13 grandchildren!
And amazingly, everyone is looking at the camera and "smiling."

The boys.
Things started to fall apart here, but still,
what a cute bunch of kids

The girls.
This was much easier than the previous picture
And aren't they just beautiful

I got to spend a good part of the afternoon holding the two newest additions to the family, two darling babies I hadn't seen yet. 4 month old Justice and 4 months old Carly, both of whom were born since our last visit over Christmas. (If you are keeping track, Carly makes the second grand-daughter. Out of 13.)

Sunday morning, we went out to breakfast with Keith's best friend from high school. This couple is probably the most awesome couple we know. And they've got three super cute kids. I really wish we could be neighbors without it involving us actually moving to Montana. We had great conversation. And the kids were pretty good too. Blaise only licked the top of the wall once.

We got to spend time with everyone we wanted to. I'm not sure the next time we will be able to go to Montana.

But hopefully, we have good memories to fill in the gap.

Between Here and There

I keep wondering why I'm feeling stressed.

I'm not in school. I'm not working. I technically have plenty of time to sleep and relax and get caught up on all my project.

But I'm stressed!!

I could figure it out until last night, amid a minor tearful episode, Keith pointed out that we had only matched 6 days ago.

That right. Only 6 days ago!

Since then, I've finished my research, taken the boys out of daycare, found a real estate agent, gotten us pre-approved for a mortgage, created a list a houses to look at, booked a trip to Iowa to buy one of said houses, gotten a TB test, and nearly completed my physician licensing paperwork.

It's been a busy 6 days.

I can't believe we are going to buy a house! Our first home.

Keith and I have been renting for nearly 8 years. I rented for a year before that. Keith rented for 6+ years before that. So I have been living in apartments for 9 years. Keith for well, nearly 15 years.

And everywhere we have lived as felt temporary. That's what apartments can do to you.

But we have been pre-approved for our first mortgage and head out of Iowa next week to start the house hunt!!

By Popular Demand

Due to the amazing reception and popular demand (yes, 2 out of 3 is still a majority), I'm going to post some of the best pumpkins from past years.

I'm going to start with mine, because the best should always be saved for last.

So, as I mentioned before, I tend to get stuck in a rut, and do something extremely girly. Such as a flower.

Pumpkin 2005: Butterfly

Pumpkin 2005: Hawaiian Flowers

This is the same pumpkin as the butterfly carving,
just the other side

Pumpkin 2006: Rose
(From Pumpkin Lady)

This next pumpkin is the one I'm most proud of, for multiple reasons. First, I made the stencil myself from a photograph I took. And second, these are Blaise's baby feet, and is there anything cuter?

Pumpkin 2007: Baby Feet

So now, let's get to the really good stuff. All the rest are done with Keith. Unfortunately, none of these stencils are available online anymore, due to that copyright image I mentioned earlier. So this is the only way to enjoy them.

Yes, we do have a thing for Pixar, in case you were wondering...

Pumpkin 2006: Lightnin' McQueen (from Cars)

Pumpkin 2005: Mike Wazowski (from Monsters Inc.)

Pumpkin 2007: Spiderman

I saved my favorite for last...

Pumpkin 2006: Superman

I would love to know what pumpkin is everyone's favorite (including this years and my siblings pumpkins).

Hope you have as much fun looking at these as we did carving them.

Voila!

Our pumpkins having been safely brought home from the pumpkin patch, now the next step begins. I would like to call it a carving contest. But let's be honest, it really is no contest. Keith definitely has the upper hand in this area.

We always carve the boys' pumpkins first. Roman, now that he is older, always designs his own. He draws out what he wants on paper. He then draws it on his pumpkin with marker. And then, I cut it out for him. Roman is the only one who seems to want to do anything that is traditional Halloween for his pumpkin.

Blaise, hard at work on his pumpkin

Roman, showing off his handiwork

Roman's finished jack-o'-lantern

We always try to choose something cute for Blaise, something we think he will like. Keith usually ends up doing this pumpkin as well, since cute usually means a little complicated as well. This year, it's a lion. (Okay, maybe not "cute," but definitely Blaise.)

Blaise's pumpkin: a lion

Close up of Blaise's (well, Keith's) lion

Every year, my indecisiveness makes itself known, since I can never decide what to carve on my pumpkin. For the last several years, after hours wasted on the internet looking at pumpkin stencils, I always fall into default mode and carve a flower. This year, I branched out into another direction: art. Thus, Mona Lisa. Or at least, an attempt of Mona Lisa.

My pumpkin: Mona Lisa

Keith is the "master carver" in our house. He has more patience and attention to detail that I do. Every year, Keith tries to see if he can challenge himself. After some of the best pumpkin stencils were taken off the web due to some copyright technicality, we thought we wouldn't be able to find any more decent stencils. But there still are some, hidden in obscure places.

Here are the steps of developing a masterpiece jack-0'-lantern:

Step 1: Find the perfect stencil
This year, it comes from Stoneykins. This Jack Sparrow pattern was perfect.

This is what the stencil looks like when it is printed

Step 2: Transfer the pattern to the pumpkin, and carve, carve, carve. Keith estimates he spent 6 hours transferring the pattern (punching holes along the edges of the pattern) and then carving the pattern out.

This is what the pumpkin will look like when the carving is done.
(Or what it can look like if you are good at it)

Step 3: Light up! You always wonder how the pumpkin will look like after all that time spent carving. And you never know, until you light the candle.

Keith's pumpkin: Captain Jack Sparrow

Close up of Keith's pumpkin
The detail in the face is impressive

Every year, the pumpkins keep getting better. Keith is no longer allowed to say that he is not artistic. I mean, just look at what he make with a knife and a pumpkin!

(If anyone wants me to post pictures of pumpkins from previous years, just let me know.)