Okay, the story doesn’t really go like that, but Liz and Dad ought to get a chuckle out of it. But this blog post is really about letting everyone see the amazing “Pumpkin Carving of 2008″ that we just had.

This year Aiden did his entire pumpkin by himself, from start to finish. He was so excited, and so proud of his creation. As you can see, the face screams “I was carved by a 6 year old.” And though it won’t win any contests or scare away any gouhls or goblins from our doorstep, it is a wonderful addition to the otherwise lackluster halloween decor at our home.

James’ pumpkin had us worried for a bit, because when we picked it up off the front porch, it was a little “soft” to the touch. When I cut it open, it wasn’t rotten, just had thin sides in a couple of places. The mouth was a bit big, and it threatened to implode without help. The mini-pumpkin was just the right size, and made the grin just a little more manacing!

Happy Halloween!

When I last wrote, gas prices were killing our budget. Now the cost to fill the car is going down, but there have been lovely car repairs to keep us feeling desperate.

Another big change that came through – I have been called as the new Ward Mission Leader. I had an inkling this was coming, but didn’t want to say anything in case Murphy was listening. I guess he has ESP, ’cause I was called anyway.

Actually, I am really excited about the calling.

Another huge event was when Johanna and I spent every weekend in September painting the downstairs room which is now OFFICIALLY FINISHED!!! It’s a project that has been over a year in the works, and it is soooooooo good to have it done! It looks great. See for yourself!

Aiden is doing very well in school. When he can focus on his work, he consistently does very well on math, and is getting better at wring. But his mind wanders so frequently, we have to do his homework in 5 minute segments, or else nothing happens.

James is pretty much potty trained. He still has accidents when we don’t invite him to use the potty, so I guess we’re 90% there, he just needs to get the ‘do it myself’ part down.

And finally, just this past weekend Johanna and I officially enlisted the help of a lawyer so that I can adopt Aiden and James. In June/July of this year, their biological father mentioned that if I wanted to formally adopt them, he would not be opposed – it would be better for the kids. We had to wait for a while because some legal requirement states that the kids would have to be living with me for 6 months before we could get started. Now that we have a lawyer, we will start getting things moving forward.

And so, life moves on and is generally pretty good to us. On Monday we will go to the Pumpkin Patch (one of our new favorite traditions) and choose pumpkins to carve. It is sure to be a blast, and will be well documented with more pictures to upload. Now, if I can just remember to keep this blog up to date…

But this year, we have decided to put a little bit of a different spin on things. I don’t have a grill of my own that is worth of calling a grill (the Burgoyne’s are probably gonna need oxygen after hearing that one), so we have decided this year on Dutch Oven!

So for all y’all that are interested, we’d love to have you there. Here’s the usual rundown:

• Prior to the Saturday morning session, we start preparing the food. Normally for a bbq, we leave it at that, but for Dutch Oven, we will start the coals and set it out to cook during the first session.
• We watch the first session.
• After the first session, we welcome any guests that might arrive for the lunch.
• Pray, then scarf.
• Try to get motivated to clean up dishes, and curse myself for not getting paper like I promised myself I would do.
• Invite anyone who wants to stay for the second session to do so.
• Watch the second session.
• Clean up dishes, and promise myself I will get paper next year

If you want to comment on this post with suggestions for recipes, that is great. If you want to bring an extra dutch oven with your own recipe already inside, that is even greater. If you want to bring a salad, chips, or soda (pronounced sooooda by Aiden), please do. But we are trying to get a feel for how many people will be here, so being prompt is important.

Hope to see ya there!