Pumpkins. Everywhere.

This year we went to two pumpkin patches.

We went with Berry's preschool group to the pumpkin patch at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, same as last year.  And this year we also went over to the one at First Presbyterian in New Orleans... it's on Claiborne and not especially fancy, but it has a special place in my heart.

In October 2001, three months after I left Australia, I got a birthday letter from my mum along with a picture that I had drawn for her when I was five.  I was struck with such homesickness that I had a bit of a falling-apart right there in the attic bedroom. Wanting to cheer me up, Nathan took me out to the First Presbyterian pumpkin patch. I'd never been to a pumpkin patch before – so it worked, and I still love it.

The kids did not love what is inside a pumpkin. The picture above shows the first and only time Berry dipped the spoon in.  Man-show's expression could conservatively be called pained.

They were, however, pleased with the end result. The jack-o-lantern above was our first... he looked slightly tired by the day before Halloween, so I carved another (below) to look more sprightly on the day.

The kids loved them both.

Skills

Man-show sniffs the air: "I smell a carnivore."

He would have been so handy in the Mesozoic Era...

. . .

Private talk

"Mommy," Berry says, "Today I had a long little private talk to David."

"What did you talk to him about?"

"About him being mean to me.  I said how would he feel if I was being mean to him. How would that feel."

. . . . . .

Unfortunately, I think David might've had a crush on Berry.  His "mean" behaviour consists of pretending to be a wolf and chasing her around the playground, and using a crazy voice whenever they talk. 

I guess Miss Assertive just torpedoed the crush...

I hate this plane and ALSO!

I just picked up my iPhone to text Dawn and instead I stumbled on this hastily-entered list of appalling things my frustrated two-year-old said on our four flights back from Australia, now three weeks ago.  Oh, I had completely forgotten!

Unadorned:

"I HATE THIS PLANE AND ALSO I HATE MOU-MOU!"

"Hey everyone!  BOOTY!"

"You stupid, raisin!"

"You stupid, mommy!"

"Can I get out the plane?  Can I get out the plane?  Can I get out the plane RIGHT NOW?"


(Mou-mou is Mickey Mouse.)

(Mommy is both amused and aghast...)

(Disclaimer: "Stupid" was his first attempted Shock Word; not approved in our house.) 


. . .