Friday Family Fun Night: PUMPKINS!

If you know my Nate, then you'll understand why "Friday Family Fun Nights" are a new must at my house. Nate loves people and friends and attention and being social. So, when we get home from school, the first thing he does is run out of the car to his friends' house. On T/TH, he looks at the clock and listens for the bus to stop at the end of the street. This means his friends are home, which means he's gone, which means I am left without my baby boy. Upon reflection, I realized this is partially how God made my Nate, but I also realized this is partially my fault. We can be kinda boring. Chalk it up to exhaustion, a family business, working, University Model schooling my kids, and being a mommy!

Enter: The Plan! In an effort to create a desire in Nate to actually WANT to spend some time at home with us instead of spending all of his free time with his friends, I am now committing to Friday Family Fun Nights!

This FFFN couldn't have happened without our visit to the pumpkin patch on Thursday morning.

Tonight when we got home from school, we anxiously waited for Lou Lou, Uncle Jake, Aunt Kristina, Mimi, and Daddy to get home. When they arrived, we started our FFFN with scavenger hunt. At the pumpkin patch, the kids each chose a baby pumpkin, and we picked one large pumpkin.

Where are the baby pumpkins?

 

Let the fun begin...

We searched the street for our baby pumpkins and a treat. 

Next, we played "Pumpkin Concentration" with Lou Lou.

Obviously, we HAD to carve a pumpkin on our "Pumpkin Family Fun Night!"

Anna got bored, so Uncle Jake read her some "Pumpkin" books!

Nate loved pumpkin carving! I thought it would be Willie's time to shine, but really, Nate did most of the work all by himself.

The finished pumpkin.

We had to bake some pumpkin seeds.

"Make" some pumpkin themed chocolate cake. Translation: sprinkle pumpkin themed sprinkles on the chocolate cake Lou Lou brought. I had big plans for cookies, but this was MUCH easier! :)

I ended the night with my precious pumpkins in my lap. Dreamy!

All in all our Pumpkin themed Family Fun Night was a huge success! How do I know? In the middle of pumpkin carving, Nate's friends rang the doorbell, and guess what? He didn't move an inch or beg to go and play! We didn't play the Wii and the kids didn't watch any TV tonight. Instead, we spent every moment together enjoying each second! 

The Plan:

Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt (free)

Pumpkin Concentration (free)

Pumpkin Coloring Books (.97 each)

Carve Pumpkins ($7 total)

Roast Pumpkin Seeds (free)

Read Pumpkin Books ($ 15)

Decorate cake with Pumpkin Sprinkles ($2.97)

So...when I asked Nate if he knew what the theme of our first Friday Family Fun night was, he said, "Games!"  What?!?!