Some Good Messy Fun

Tonight we carved our pumpkins! I am so proud of my husband. You know, Dave? He did a fantastic job carving a cat in the window scene onto the pumpkin. What I am really proud of is not his artistic work (although it is really good) but that he actually stuck his hands into the stringy pumpkin pulp and got involved! Normally he almost has a mini anxiety attack just being in the proximity of a pumpkin carving. It's something he suffers through because I have a sentimental attachment to this tradition.
Anna and him sat side by side (I actually let her use one of the little mini saws that comes with the pumpkin kit: bad mommy moment) and she worked on her kitty cat face pumpkin, and he completed his masterpiece. At one point, she even took her lollipop and laid it on his jeans while they were working. Normally, stickiness freaks him out! I love him but he can be one persnickety fellow! He did not even move the lollipop but just left it laying there in the midst of all the pumpkin goo that was plastered all over his pants and all over the ground. My Mom's shi- tzus, Biscuit and Mutton, and our two cats, Sabrina and Sprite, even got in on the action. So there was pet hair sticking to the pumpkin mess and and pumpkin mess sticking in the pet hair. My hands were on fire from being in contact with the pumpkin guts (does anyone remember back in May when I got the burnt face from getting a pumpkin peel facial... wish I had thought about this!)
Jonathan and I got bored so we took the dogs on a walk. He attached Mutton to his handlebars and was laughing and saying, I didn't know Mutton was a sled dog! We came back around and the pumpkins were complete and everyone was NASTY!
First Jonathan and Anna got a bath, and then I gave Mutton and Biscuit a bath. Then I took a bath and Anna came in and used her teapot to pour water all over me and she dumped half a bottle of Winnie the Pooh baby shampoo in my hair. I did not realize until after I got out how much shampoo was in my hair. It's gonna look goooood tomorrow! I was talking to my Mom on the phone and was completely distracted (I am really bad at inappropriate multi-tasking. I talk on the phone while I am on the potty (especially to Lara, so sorry!), in the bathtub, I text sometimes while driving {this is so bad that an entire Dr. Phil episode was devoted to it tonight}...)
Anyways, after my two year old bathed me (wierd!) then I got out and we pulled our pumpkin seeds out of the oven. Before we had put them in, Jonathan walked by and said, Alright, when are we going to burn these things? He is so funny. Clearly, we want to cook them, not burn them. This is not a distinction he feels is important yet. Anna tried the pumpkin seeds (olive oil and sea salt, really delish!) and gave me her big, delighted, crinkly-nosed smile and said, They chew like popcorns, Mama! And I thought, Wow, she's right! I never realized what a simliar taste there is between pumpkin seeds and popcorn. I love how there are so many things the kids have never experienced yet. This was her first time ever having pumpkin seeds. I think this is one of the coolest aspects of parenting, being able to witness all of this brand new experience!