cruelty to vegetables

Sure, Xander appears to love his pumpkin, but that’s really a maniacal laugh you’re seeing.

We’re very kind to our pumpkins in the spring: carefully building soft dirt mounds for the seeds, watering them with care, paying visits to the garden and talking to them gently– “Please grow. Grow big and round and fat.”

You know what happens next. We pick ’em and gut ’em and carve silly faces on the good-natured gourds. But at our house that’s never quite enough. When it comes to pumpkins, total destruction is the goal.

The potato cannons are the first line of attack. I’ve written about potato cannons before haven’t I? The boys made them out of PVC pipe and a barbecue igniter. They are powered by spray deodorant which gives them the added benefit of smelling really nice.


The preferred ammo is crab apples with newspaper wadding (yeah, it’s a mess, but they’re happy).

Xander is the slave who replaces the pumpkin after each hit. Notice his very fashionable footwear: one snowboot, one moccasin.

It gets pretty intense.

And then, when dark falls, they haul all the remaining pumpkins to our roof…

and toss them into the driveway.

Aren’t these the cutest spectators ever?

Lucy was terrified!


Elle has a bit of a crush on Ben and had to tell him, “Good throw Ben! Good throw!”

Our neighbors contributed moldy jack-o-lanterns and they threw and threw until pumpkin guts were strewn all the way across the street.

The boys swept up the mess and I plucked a few seeds from the pile.

Poor little seeds– they have no idea what’s in store for them next year…

November 6, 2009
November 16, 2009

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14 Comments

  1. Christie

    November 12, 2009

    You are seriously the nicest mom ever. If my boys see this, they will immediately beg for emancipation and try to be adopted into your family.

  2. chococatania

    November 12, 2009

    This post is funny. I simultaneously feel grateful to have only girls, and also a little jealous that I have no boys. 😉

    And your pictures are really amazing. What kind of camera do you have?

    Anyways, I love checking out the blog. Your love of motherhood shines through this post, and it is so uplifting.
    chococatania

  3. Linkous

    November 12, 2009

    So much fun! We loved every gory minute :). Oh, and by the way, the girls have been begging non-stop to come over every day. Since that isn’t possible, they’ve made up their new favorite game–“I’ll be Mary, you’ll be Michelle and you’ll be Erik, and you’ll be Gabe, and Eden will be Lucy.”
    love you guys!
    Kit

  4. Jeanelle

    November 12, 2009

    Life with boys is so different than life with girls! What a fun day & night this must have been. The little girl spectators are darling.

  5. The Planet Pink

    November 12, 2009

    Oh my word this would SO not be happening at my house! You are a saint!

  6. Selwyn

    November 13, 2009

    That’s a HEAP of fun!

    Why at night? Just to extend the excitement, or because the fun police might spot the goings on?

  7. Tracy

    November 13, 2009

    LOL – sounds like a good party! You guys know how to have fun!
    xoxo,t

  8. Heather

    November 13, 2009

    This post makes me happy that I am expecting another girl. I am holding out hope that my only boy won’t do this kind of stuff without brothers to be co-conspirators.

  9. Clint & Karen

    November 13, 2009

    You have a house full of boys! And who gets to clean up the pumpkin gut mess? : )

  10. Melissa

    November 14, 2009

    poor little seeds indeed! LOL

    What a fun (and sorta gross too) tradition. Keeps the Halloween fun alive a little while longer. 🙂

  11. Coach A.

    November 14, 2009

    Party on! lol

  12. Linn

    November 15, 2009

    I just showed this post to my husband and he replied, “Sweet! We need family traditions like that!”

  13. Annie

    November 15, 2009

    Cool! You L<3s know how to have serious fun. xo

  14. Jan Russell

    November 17, 2009

    My boys will be lining up at your doorstep with their adoption papers too – you are so much fun!

    Love those cute spectators!

Comments are closed.