*Sigh* Can it GET any better?
Last Friday we excitedly piled into the Durango to head to our favorite local farm for… PUMPKINS! As I watched my teenage girls frolic amongst the brightly colored gourds of happiness, I felt a wrenching pain in my heart. I was instantly transported through each one of the many years of pumpkin celebrations with my little girls and I wondered where the time has gone… I have pictures of my babies holding tiny pumpkins, but because they were tiny themselves, those little pumpkins looked huge! I have pictures of Emily perched happily on top of a pumpkin that had been hollowed out – too bad I couldn’t get a picture of that toddler butt from the INSIDE of the pumpkin… I bet that would have been hilarious! I can hear their sweet giggles as they grossed themselves out with the guts of the pumpkins, see them cringing as they dared each other to put pumpkin slices in their mouths, and I can see them proudly beaming over their freshly hacked creations. Oh girls, thank you… THANK YOU for the memories! I am such a lucky mother to have wonderful girls with whom I can share this great adventure we call life.
So there we were, last Friday evening, at the farm.. The sun was lower in the gloriously blue sky, the weather was perfect and my girls were having a ball! The girls would laugh and squeal over each new and even more perfect pumpkin than the last which they had just put into the little red Radio Flyer wagon.. so I simply could not refuse when they wanted “just one more.” I stood back and snapped picture after picture of the smiles, the laughter and the silliness that ensued and I could have been there all night. I was that happy! Bill joined us about 40 minutes after we had arrived at the farm… and we had already loaded our prized selections into the Durango.. So naturally we had to go back! We wanted our favorite guy to take part in the pumpkin happiness too.. And another 30 minutes and 17 pumpkins later, we headed home – reassuring each other that YES, WE ARE CRAZY!
Right about now you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Geez Nicole! 17 pumpkins… REALLY?”
Yes. Really. And let me tell you why…
When my girls were little and would have bad dreams, they would come into my room at night, tears streaked on their little cheeks, and they would crawl into bed with me. We’d sleep snuggled up for the remainder of the night. I remember a few years ago when I realized that they no longer do that.. I felt like I had been smacked in the face and I thought, “Hey wait a minute! When exactly was the last nightmare incident that had one of my Snuggle Bugs end up in my bed?” And as long as I am asking ridiculous, rhetorical questions, WHY didn’t someone tell me it would be the last time so I could fully appreciate it, and get the full benefit of The Very Last Nightmare Snuggle?
The very same scenario played out for the neighborhood summer nemesis, The Ice Cream Man. When they were little, my girls would take off at an Olympic sprint whenever they heard that creepy tinny music from blocks away. I could hear their little feet thundering through the house as they came at me all breathless and tense and asked me hopefully, “CANWEHAVEMONEYFORICECREAMPRETTYPLEASEHUH?” Take a breath girls! Here’s your quarters now go get sticky! One summer I actually gave them each their own roll of quarters and told them to use it wisely.. make it last.. I actually thought I was teaching them something cool about being responsible. Too bad Abby had already learned how to be generous because she went out and gave all of her quarters away to friends. LOL It is nice that you shared, Abby… but please don’t do that with your future paychecks! Now when the Ice Cream Man circles our neighborhood like a hungry vulture, the girls don’t even blink an eye as the music filters through the house like some horror scene about to play out.. And once again, I ask myself what I would have done.. what I would have thought… if someone had told me, “Hey Nicole, see those adorable little girls out there with ice cream running down their faces? Well, this is the very last time they are going to want to chase the ice cream truck. How do you feel about that?” The truth is that I probably would have cried because I do that a lot as I watch my babies turn into blossoming adults.
So that is why we bought 17 pumpkins! Because next year, or the year after that, or the year after that.. when I wake up one day and realize that we no longer rush off to the pumpkin patch with our grins and cameras ready, I want to be able to say, “Yeah, I remember that and it was OH. SO. COOL!”
By the way - Today is my Sweet Grandma Robinson's birthday. Grandma, I still miss you every day.. still fight the tears that are my constant since you've been gone.. and I will always...ALWAYS love you. Happy Birthday, Beautiful Lady!
