Treasure!!

When the stores started filling their aisles last April with squirt guns, beach balls, sidewalk chalk, and popsicle molds I couldn’t resist the temptation to fill my cart with their rainbow of colors.  Then as I was checking out I remembered this old treasure box I had given my sister, and I knew that I had to bury this cartload of summer toys in the backyard and the boys were going to have to dig it up.

And so, that first full day of summer, my boys were playing in the backyard when they stumbled on…

The conversation that followed went exactly how I had been picturing it.

Kid A: What is it?
Kid B: It’s a map!
Kid C: It’s a treasure map!
Kid D:  LET’S FOLLOW IT!

The map led them first to the Pew Pew tree, very ripe with its crop of squirt guns:

Then they trooped into the front yard to harvest the fruit of Ye Ole’ Gum Tree:

Next they marched down Smuggler’s Cover for pirate swords.

Then the most dangerous part of the journey—they had to cross Falling Squirrel Landing.  Lacking helmets, they improvised.

And finally, X marked the spot!

(Fortunately, the boys were too excited about finding the treasure to realize this is the spot they always pee on when they don’t want to come inside to go to the bathroom.)

And there it was—the Solstice Treasure.

The rest of the day was filled with squirt gun fights, making popsicles, silly string wars, bubbles outside, and the chewing of gum.

It was an AWESOME first day of summer.

Now, about the second day of summer…

WHAT’S COOKIN’ 2NITE:
Pasta bake with random things from fridge/pantry
Corn with chili lime salt and cilantro