Carving Pumpkins

Halloween is, sadly, now over. Still, I have one more photo to post today from recent Halloween-related festivities.

Last Monday night, I joined with Mike, Jana, and their kids to carve up the pumpkins we picked out the week before for FHE. As you can see, we (collectively) made some pretty great jack-o-lanterns.

Walking the Dog

At Monday night's family FHE at the Pack Pumpkin Patch, Jackson took the leash from Ben and took Kuma for a short walk.

Then, at 10 seconds into this video, Kuma took Jackson for a walk.

Monday Night at the Pumpkin Patch

For family home evening last night, the Plowman clan (minus Adi and Christian, who are in Florida visiting Adi's friends where she served her mission, and Jeff, who was in class) made our annual trip out to the Pack Pumpkin Farm in Farmington, something that has become a much-loved Halloween tradition for our gang.

Jackson, entertaining as always, enjoyed running through the hay maze and then posed as a zombie atop a different stack of hay bales:

Luke, McKenna, and Jenna posed alongside the pumpkins that they picked out for themselves:

We posed for a family picture . . .

. . . and then the others arrived, after which we took another one. I must say that we are pretty good-looking motley crew:

Good times were had by all.

Day 304: Carving Pumpkins

One of the best parts of Halloween is carving up pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, and for last night's FHE, I joined with Mike, Jana, and the kids in doing just that. I am by no means a great jack-o'-lantern-carving artist, but it is nevertheless a fun activity in which to engage. The kids, above all of the rest, had a blast making their creations as we all listened to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching me," and other seasonal favorites.

Jack, "the pumpkin king," posed with his and Mike's pumpkin:

Dallin showed off his two-headed creation:

And Kylee stood for a photo behind our combined pumpkin patch:

Jackson then picked up my camera and got a shot of Jana doing some carving work:

. . . and of me with my pumpkin:

With the many seeds we took out of our pumpkins, we put them into the oven and baked them. I had never tried roasted pumpkin seeds before last night, and as it turns out, they're quite delicious and taste something like popcorn.

Good times were had by all.

Day 294: Saturday Afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch, Part 2

This morning, I joined several members of the family and made my first trip back to the Pack Pumpkin Farm in Farmington in about four years' time. My first visit in the fall of 2008, incidentally, was also one of my first blog posts made here on Disconcertingly Choppy.

At any rate, lot has changed in our clan over that time. For one thing, four-year-old Kira was just a baby on that initial visit to the farm. She and her six-year-old brother Luke were good enough to pose for some pictures with me:

One thing that hasn't changed is that the Pack Pumpkin Farm is still one of Davis County's lesser-known treasures and remains a fun place to hang out for families and for everyone else. I hope I don't wait another four years before going back.

Day 281: Jackson in the (Fake) Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite photos from Jackson's infancy is that of Kylee holding him at the Pack Pumpkin Farm, in the fall of 2008 when he was just six months old. It is also one of the first photos I posted here on my blog.

Flash forward to today, when Jackson took me outside to show me the (fake) pumpkin patch he and the rest of the family set up outside the other day when I was elsewhere. It's amazing how some things come full circle, isn't it?

Saturday Afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch

Saturday afternoon, I traveled with my folks and Mike's and Dave's clans up to the Pack Pumpkin Farm in Farmington. I missed out on this little excursion when the family went last year - it's possibly going to become one of those yearly family Halloween traditions now - so I made sure to clear my schedule (which really wasn't that hard to do) and come along this time.

We were there for only about an hour, but it was enough time for the gang to see and do about everything. We all had a good time. My nieces and nephews, in particular, had a blast.

Here, Jana, Mike, and Jackson are getting ready to go look at pumpkins.


Here's Jenna and Luke in their wheelbarrow:


I love this picture of Kylee and Jackson:


Someone pointed out that Jackson's shirt made him look like Charlie Brown. So, here is our version of Jackson waiting for the Great Pumpkin on Halloween.


Meanwhile, Mom and Dad stayed behind and looked after three-week-old Kira:


After everyone had picked out their pumpkins, the kids ran through the child-size hay maze. Dallin, Kenna, and Luke were probably the most gung-ho about it.





Elsewhere, Kylee and I tried on some hats and posed with the scarecrows.


Before we left, Jackson, Kylee, and I stood for an obligatory picture behind the ghosts.


Fun times! If you're looking for something enjoyable to do this week with your kids, nieces, and/or nephews, I would highly recommend the Pack Pumpkin Farm.