It Matters to Me!

I was shopping at my beloved Target, when I spotted a crate of awesome pumpkins for an incredibly low price.  I quickly threw three in my basket for the boys.  I didn't think too much about it and I didn't think that they would either.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  I picked the guys up from school and told them I had a little surprise for them but not to get too excited.  The boys spotted the pumpkins and they were extremely ecstatic. They snapped out of their seat belts and lunged for the van door to claim their favorites.  Trevor fought viciously for the latch first but quickly fell over.  Sky took the advantage and dashed out, running to the pumpkin of his desire.  Trevor pulled himself up and with great distress ran toward that exact same pumpkin.   After a few crocodile tears and gut-wrenching compromise, the boys settled on their favorites.  They reluctantly let me snap their picture.  If you zoom up closely you can see the tear-stained cheeks.  These pumpkins actually mattered quite a bit to my little guys!

Next, the boys decided it was a good idea to take the pumpkins inside to decorate with their own creative touch.  They each grabbed their new treasures and ran excitedly up the stairs.  I anxiously awaited a loud splatter of pumpkin all over the floor and prepared for deeply embedded orange goo in my already despised wall to wall carpet.  However, to my great surprise, they all made it to the kitchen safely.  They grabbed their Sharpies and began their artistic endeavors. They took it oh-so seriously and worked tirelessly to make their pumpkins a one of a kind treasure. 

I thought by this time the guys would be bored. Trevor and Skyler, however, were still ruthlessly focused on these orange, round vegetables!  Now came the very important task of placing the pumpkins on the porch.  The boys took to this task with great determination.  More tears were shed as they disagreed on the exact placement.  These issues were settled after a couple of bloody fist fights.  The two quickly became a great team and quite creative on their placements.  I cheered them on as they paced the pumpkins carefully on the steps.

Trevor and Skyler finally decided to make a giant pumpkin face on our steps. Get it?  Two pumpkin eyes and a big pumpkin nose?  The second step was painted with white rock to create the mouth.  The boys were so proud of the final product!

Wow, I never thought when I threw those three pumpkins in the grocery cart at Target that it would mean so much to my three cubs.  I guess there are many things that may not seem like a big deal to us "grown-ups" in our weary adult world.  However, they can be very significant to our children. These little ones still live a life of wonder, adventure and raw emotion.  Those pumpkins and the events that followed meant a lot to my boys and I would not trade those hours for anything in the world, even with the drama and tears.  I hope my boys will have great memories of these fun moments.  I also hope they know that what matters to them, will always matter to me.