Pumpkin Carving Fun and Halloween Adventures!

I love carving pumpkins with the family! Taylor is now old enough to punch out the pattern on her pumpkin and she really gets into it, which is really a lot of fun to watch. She likes to see how the pumpkin goes from just a pumpkin to something with a design on it, whether it be a face or a spider, or whatever! See the slide show in this post...

It has been an interesting journey as I think back to my first Halloween as a mom to this latest Halloween. My first Halloween as a mom was spent in the hospital with a one day old, four pound baby in the NICU. I remember my niece, Grace and nephews Jacob and Pierce(They were so young then) coming up to the hospital to visit. They saw Taylor through the NICU window and then came to my room in their costumes. It was very sweet. But, I remember at the time only being able to think about my child in the NICU and my doctor's orders that I was not to get out of the bed. It seemed like I was never going to get to see my baby!

That was seven years ago, but it seems like yesterday. I guess I said all this to say that all suffering is temporary. I look back on that, and while I was going through it, it felt like it would last forever, but two more babies and seven years later, I realize how short a time I really went through any difficulty, and how in spite of my physical and emotional trauma, I could feel the joy of having my first child. God blessed our family with a beautiful baby. She is happy and healthy, and, along with our other two children, is the joy of our life.