The Great Pumpkin Showdown

The Great Pumpkin Showdown

Yesterday we made our annual pilgrimage to the local pumpkin patch. We have gone almost every year since the kids were tiny, because apparently, it is not fall until someone argues over a pumpkin. The tradition is simple: ride out to the patch, pick a pumpkin, take it home, and carve it a few days before Halloween. Easy, right?

Enter Noah.

I have mentioned before that Noah is stubborn. Well, he outdid himself this time. He insisted on getting a twenty-pound pumpkin. I told him that was fine, but I was not carrying it. Naturally, the ground was muddy from recent rain, and Noah wanted nothing to do with touching the pumpkin with his bare hands. (Cue me palming my forehead.)

Being the ever-resourceful mom, I put the pumpkin in a recyclable bag and explained, very clearly, how to cradle it in his arms. “Do not hold it by the straps,” I said, “or the bag will tear.” Would you like to guess what happened next?

Shane caught the whole thing on video, Noah grunting, fussing, and trying to lug this massive pumpkin across the field like a strongman in training. (You can check out the video on our Facebook page, trust me, it is worth it.) Every few steps he gave me the “this was your fault” look, as if I had personally created gravity just to inconvenience him.

All kids have their quirks, strengths, and challenges that make them who they are. Noah is no different. I just wish his greatest strengths were not equal parts muscle and stubbornness. But then again, I am convinced the Lord has a very good sense of humor.