Little Things

Matt and I often talk about how we forget that it really is the little things that are most exciting for the girls--not the big trips or things WE find to be awesome, but just little ordinary special things. Take, for instance, the scene before dinner at our house tonight. Matt arrived home shockingly early--5:10 p.m. (it's rare he arrives before 6:30 these days) and it was crazy nice outside (like 70 something. Remember that it is October. In Minnesota). I started dinner and then he had an idea to take the girls out back and check the pumpkins. These pumpkins are sort of volunteer from last year. We didn't put pumpkins IN the garden this year because of deer problems (the vines of course grew out of the fence and the deer had themselves quite a feast), but some grew out in the field after Matt tossed the old vines back there last year. So, off they went. Jillian grabbed her fairy wings on the way out the door ("Hey, Dad, I'm going to fly down to the pumpkin patch!") and they hauled the wagon down. About `15 minutes later, Jillian was ringing the doorbell in a frenzy of excitement telling me I just had to "get out here with your camera, Mom!"They had indeed found a few pumpkins. And the pumpkins were dirty, according to Jillian, so out came the hose. Jillian was serious about this task. Focused, and proud of her work. She said, "Mom, I'm so happy to be myself. This is so great that I get to wash these pumpkins". When she had washed the pumpkins to her satisfaction, Matt asked her if they were all clean. "Yep, Dad. They are as clean as a weasel!" I didn't know weasels were such clean creatures. You can bet we didn't correct that little slip up. The pumpkins are now carefully arranged on our front door step, and I'm confident you won't find more proud pumpkin growers anywhere else. Little things, people. Little. Things.