Do pumpkins live – well besides the Great Pumpkin?

On Saturday night we got to enjoy a pumpkin themed First Birthday party for our little friend Houston. Houston is an adorable one year old with eyes so big and bright they should be considered criminal. The party favors for the kids were real pumpkins. The tiny kind you use to decorate the mantel. Olivia has never loved a party favor more. She named it Junior and took it to bed with her and pledged she would always love it and take care of it. Then she asked if at some point we would have to get rid of Junior. She was remembering a pumpkin from last year; a similar tiny pumpkin that she decorated with stickers and colored with markers, a pumpkin that sat for too long on her dresser until daddy said it was starting to smell and was mournfully put in the trash. I told her that yes at some point we would have to get rid of this pumpkin as well but that it looked very healthy and she should just enjoy it for now and not worry about that. And then she asked – Why do pumpkins have to die Momma?