Carving Pumpkins

I have always hated carving pumpkins. I don't know if I am allergic to the pumpkin or if this is something that plauges everyone- but when I get the pumpkin guts on my arm- it itches me to the point of distraction. I hate it. But I also think that early childhood memories and impressions are very important- and I want Ty and Ryans to be ones that make them happy. I read once in an Ensign article that we (as parents) aren't just rearing children. We are preparing a future generation of parents-- a generation that will need all the positive experiences we can give them to cope with an increasingly challenging world. The article posed the question, is it possible that children who have a happy childhood make better parents? I don't know about the rest of you, but while I can't live Ryan and Tyler's lives for them- I CAN give them a well of joyful memories from which they can draw throughout their lives. So- we no longer make messes (okay- really when you live with a three year old- you DO make messes- but go with me on this for a second) we make memories. So, while I don't care for pumpkin carving- the memory of us together as a family doing this is something that Ty can carry with him.

I don't know that this "light-bulb" moment really helped me out a whole lot. It seems to have put even more pressure on me as a parent. But maybe it also increases the blessings that we receive from parenthood as well. And hopefully I can pass on this idea and these insights to my kids through memory after memory. Perhaps each memory that I give to my children will become another link in a chain of righteous parenthood as they help their own children make joyful memories. Eternal bonds. Eternal memories.

And what about pumpkin carving? It has to be worth the time and the effort for the memory that we make. I love this last picture. Ty was insistant that this pumpkin only have one tooth- so he cut and pulled at the bottom one until it finally came out.