PINECONES!!!

Poor Max. Being the youngest of 4 has meant that he has lived most of his life in his car seat. It’s true. Between school drop-offs, preschool pick-ups, trips to daddy’s work, countless trips to Wal-Mart, visiting teaching appointments, and every afterschool activity my kids have ever participated in- Max has taken a lot of his naps in the car instead of his bed. Max has developed a habit of discussing with me all the things he sees out the window while we’re driving. He absolutely requires a response when he mentions something. If I don’t respond promptly, he says it louder and louder and louder until I say, “Yes Max- I see it too!” Anyone who has ever been on the phone with me while I’m driving in the car can attest that this is true.

Hattiesburg is in a unique part of the US called the Pine Belt. Many businesses and organizations identify with the Pine Belt label. I think it’s cool. Max thinks it’s SUPER cool. Here in Hattiesburg there are more pine trees and pine cones than you can shake a stick at. They are everywhere, which thrills Max to no end, because pinecones are his latest obsession. Here’s the conversation that happened in our car this morning on the way home from dropping the kids off at school:

Max: LOOK MOM!! PINECONES!! (because they are all over the ground, laying thick in everyone’s yards)

Me: I know Max, I see them.

Max: MOM!! PINECONE TREES!!! (this is when he notices the pinecones still hanging up high in the trees)

Me: Wow Max! I see them in the trees too!

Max: SMELL IT MOMMY (SNIFF, SNIFF). PINECONES SMELL GOOD!!

Me: Yes, the pinecones smell good.

Max: I LIKE IT!!

And, like a shampoo commercial, wait 30 seconds and repeat. It’s like groundhog day. We have this same conversation over and over and every time Max acts like he’s seeing the pinecones for the first time. It’s actually become somewhat of a driving ritual that I look forward too (because I really do like the pinecones too).

On the ground…

Pinecone trees…

 

I used pinecones as the theme for my Christmas decorations this year for two really awesome reasons:

1. They were free. Every time the kids told me they were bored back in the summer and fall, I had them go outside and get me more pinecones. I had quite a collection amassed by the time December rolled around.
2. I like pinecones too.

I was thinking today that I should start gathering pinecones again in different sizes (we regularly find perfect pinecones that are 8-12 inches tall) and group them to sell on Etsy in the fall. Max and I can’t be the only ones with a mild pinecone obsession, right?