Porcupine Eggs

You know what a porcupine egg is, don’t you?

On a fall walk last week, the girls picked some up and their daddy told them these little prickly balls (ours were green) were porcupine eggs.

They believed him.

At first it was cute and we played along.  Well, he did.  I just giggled in the front seat while they talked all about their porcupine eggs all the way home and Joshua told them they would hatch after they turned brown and split open.

Then we got home.  And they made a house for their eggs out of a recycled Pampers box and some leaves.

And then they had to check on their “babies” every hour until they went to bed.

I warned him they would cry when he broke the news.

On Saturday, they forgot about the eggs for awhile when we went apple picking, but as soon as we got home they had to show their eggs to Mimi and Grandpa and tell them what they were going to name their porcupine babies.  Then, on Sunday, the eggs began to turn brown.

“Daddy!  They’re hatching!”

So he had to tell them.  It wasn’t too bad, he said.  Annabelle shrugged and ran off.  Madelynne had tears until Joshua explained that when the egg hatched, all the little seedlings inside would grown a great big sweetgum tree.  Then she lit up.

“Annabelle!”  she shrieked running into the backyard.  “Daddy said we’re going to grow a GUM tree!”

Joshua just said he hopes we move before he has to fess up to that one.