Pre-Halloween Preparations

Rosie and I took advantage of some time this morning to get our pumpkins ready for Halloween night. I covered the table with lots of newspaper while dj jazzy Rosie chose the right tunes to set the mood (she went with a rock mix) and then we set to work creating two jack o' lanterns to spookify the steps of our little house.

Rosie lost interest about 5 minutes into it and only joined me again once the cleaning of the pumpkins was finished. For a child who quite willingly dives into most messes head first, she still surprises me with the things she finds even beyond her comfort level. Those pumpkin innards were beyond gross for her. But she sat with me and we chatted about all sorts of things. She practised writing her name and I cleaned and carved. Finally we ended up with "scary pumpkin" and "happy pumpkin". I was a bit disappointed with the name choices but Rosie told me they were good names.

Rosie in her pink, furry boots with said carved pumpkins

Beyond the actual pumpkin carving, we just had so much fun together. I told her when a song came on that I really liked and she did the same. We sang together when we knew the words and even when we didn't. She told me about her favourite parts in High School Musical and why Chad was her favourite. I told her about trick or treating when I was a kid. It was the best. There is nothing better in all the world than to just slow down and actually spend time with these little, wonderful beings in our lives. They teach us so much about what is important. And we can find ourselves relaxing, laughing, singing, sinking into the thickness of life as opposed to hovering on the surface. Thanks, Rosie, for helping me to slow down. I love you.

~Mandy