The Great Pumpkin!

Last weekend we took Sophie to the Great Pumpkin festival. Don't know why I haven't blogged about it until today.

After we woke up Saturday morning, I tried to feed and dress Sophie quickly--in order to get us all out the door by 9:00. Fall in Cedar City is WINDY and the earlier you can get started, the less wind there is to deal with. But alas and alak, an early start wasn't to be, and with one thing and another, Erik, Sophie and I didn't make it to the university until almost 11:00.

We milled around for a bit, trying to get our bearings, (passing, on the way, the cotton candy machine which comes into the story later) and found the fairly hidden kiosk where we paid 5 bucks for Sophie's plastic bracelet that let her into all the pumpkin events.

From there, we went to the "pumpkin corral" where Soph could climb all over a giant stack of pumpkins, and then pick one to take with her, and either carve or paint.

After the corral, we went to the painting station, and were given a paper plate with small squirts of different colored paint and one paint brush. (On the way to paint, I noticed several kids at the carving station, all hacking away at pumpkins with real knives and very little supervision. I didn't hear of any major injuries, but damn! That just looked like a very bad idea to me.) Soph had fun painting her pumpkin, and the only trouble there was when she was looking around for somewhere to rinse her paintbrush, noticed Erik's $2 paper cup of Pepsi, and proceeded to give the brush a thorough swishing in it.


Next was the dress up tent. Of course, she choose a princess costume. The very sweet ladies running the tent dressed her to the nines, and then sat her on a throne and took her picture. A minor melt down ensued when Sophie realized that she had to take off and return the costume, but I was able to lure her away with a promise of cookie decorating.




At the cookie decorating station, a cute college guy gave us yet another paper plate, this time with a pumpkin shaped cookie, frosting, and candies. Sophie was so thorough in her cookie decorating, and felt very proud of her ultimate creation. So much so, that had a little "have her cake and eat it too" moment and couldn't decide whether to eat the cookie or save it. Ultimately, she went for eat it, of course.

After the cookie decorating, we found a shady spot to sit and I went to procure some $2 hot dogs for all of us. (A side note. I love hot dogs. I rarely eat them, because I know they're freaking gross and filled with nitrates and balls and whatever else, but damn, they're tasty.)

While we were eating, I noticed a couple of 8 year old hoods who had set a pumpkin on a table and were THROWING KNIVES AT IT. TOWARD PEOPLE! I was just getting up to regulate on that action when a festival official of some sort came down on them like a plague or the land. WTF?

"Ghost Eating" was after lunch--the typical eat the doughnut (why is that word SO HARD TO SPELL?) on string with no hands. Soph was a total sport and didn't use her hands once. She didn't win, but got to eat a doughnut on a string with no hands--and that was apparently trophy enough.

By this time, we were all kind of tired and ready to go home, even though Sophie wouldn't admit it. I told her that we'd get a cotton candy on the way out--so she reluctantly agreed to go. Then, horror of horrors, we walked to the cotton candy booth and IT WAS GONE!!! Please don't underestimate how big of a problem this created. Tears. Snot. Kicking. Fuck. So, our nice happy time ended with a huge scene. Oh well.

Today's best thing about being a mom:
Pumpkin painting

Today's worst thing about being a mom:
Lately, Soph is totally into the quarter (usually 50 cents, actually) machines and rides at the supermarket--or wherever else. It's such a pain in the ass. To give in or not to give in? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to withstand the screams and tantrums of an angry three year old, or to say yes and be branded as, once again, the most permissive mother in all the land. Sigh.