The Great Pumpkin Caper

One day while Nate and I are on our bi-weekly Target run, I see the CUTEST Halloween shirt for Ellie. Seriously adorable, so I have to buy it. Which is weird since I actually HATE Halloween because it gets done to death every year. But the kids are super into it and I know Ellie will like it, so I cave. Of course then I feel guilty for Nate and cruise over the toddler boy section. The shirts are hideous. Really disappointing, but I want him to have a shirt too, so I buy this weird Monster Rock shirt since it's the only one in his size. Whatever.

Of course we get home and I show Ellie her shirt and she loves it. The only down fall -- nate loves it too. He's chasing her around, begging to put it on. So I go get his ugly shirt and he of course rejects it, just as I would have if I were him. So for the next few days he keeps bringing Ellie's shirt to me and begging me to put it on him. He cries, "PUMPKIN" anytime he sees the shirt. So of course I realize I'm going to have to buy him his own stinking pumpkin shirt. I can't get him one like Ellie's since hers is REALLY girly, puffy sleeves and such.

So Tuesday rolls around, Ellie's at school and Nate and I set off in search of a pumpkin shirt. We try Wal-Mart first -- no boy Halloween shirts. Can you believe it? There were some cute girl ones, but not one stinking boy shirt -- at all. Not even with skulls. So I try a few other stores around our house. Nothing. We're talking 4 other stores. I resign myself to treking up to Old Navy. But guess what -- nothing cute at Old Navy for boys. GRR! Can boys not have pumpkins on their shirts? Nate does see a GIRL Halloween shirt with Pumpkins on it and insists on having it. It's not *as* girlie as Ellie's shirt, but it does have capped sleeves. He loves it however and wears it for the rest of the day.

I call all of my friends and family to complain about the lack of boy pumpkin shirts out there. With each call, it only strenghtens my resolve to find a boy pumpkin shirt. So the next day, Nate and I pick up Ellie from school and head to the mall for lunch with Dustin where we plan on searching for a pumpkin shirt. The first few store we hit are a bust (not that I didn't spend plenty of money on other cute things for the kids) and we finally head for the GAP which turns into me scouring the materninty section and completely forgetting the whole reason we were there. Luckily I brought Dustin along -- and being a man, he doesn't forget the true purpose of the shopping trip. He searches the store and finds ONE last pumpkin shirt. Size 2T, BOY! I kid you not. There was great celebration in the land and much purchasing of clothes for all.

So fast forward to me getting home and checking my phone messages. I have a message from my Aunt, "Maddy, I found a pumpkin shirt for Nate and I'm going to mail it out." (It's actually the shirt he's wearing in the picture above -- he's still sick hence why he won't sit up for me to take a stinking picture little booger). So the person who HATES Halloween, now has FOUR Halloween themed shirts for her son. He's wearing those things until SPRING! Luckily my Aunt got a 3T so we can avoid this whole fiasco next year. And I guess baby girl can wear the girlie pumpkin shirt when she's 2, so not all is lost.

Phew, that was a long story. I'm sure most of you have actually already heard it and were just DYING to rehash the saga ;)