Our Green Pumpkin

     As we live in Russia, it's fun to keep some American traditions.  One that our family has done each year is carve a pumpkin.  Last weekend, Anneka had a homework assignment of making a creation out of a vegetable.  Also, she's been asking for awhile now if we can roast pumpkin seeds so that she can take them out on the playground and share them with her friends.  So it was a perfect weekend to find a pumpkin and have some fun family time together!

     There was only one pumpkin at the outdoor market (where the grandmas sit and sell vegetables from their gardens).  It's not the traditional orange, but we bought it immediately!  Since this was for Anneka's school assignment, we let her choose the face and draw it on the pumpkin.  Leif asked me if I thought it was too scary, and I was like, "no, it's fine".  But I totally wasn't thinking about the fact that it was going to school.  And that it really is CREEPY and people here don't have Halloween as a holiday!  For whatever reason, I just though Leif was asking if it was too scary for Ella and Ike.  

     When we took it to school on Monday, the teacher gasped!  It was then that I realized what a strange/creepy thing this really. is.  I explained about the tradition, and I actually think she really liked it.  The kids all gathered around and oohed and ahhed for 4 minutes.  

     Here are some of the creations that were on display from Anneka's class.  Sorry the picture quality isn't so great.  As you'll notice, the jack-o-lantern is hidden in the back.  Whew!  Next year, we'll think this through a little more!