Treasure Hunting

After Noah started school - before the other two started - they had to invent ways to entertain themselves. Luckily they work pretty well together and have the ability to energize others on activities that others might not find all that exciting. Take this day for example...

They were on a scavenger hunt. Of sorts...Found some! Here. Put them in the bucket.

And just what are they collecting, you ask? Well, here. Take a look.

Wait. What? No... Can't be... Here. Take a closer look.

Yup. Cicadas. A whole bucketful of them. In fact, when all was said and done, they ended up with THREE buckets-ful. And that is just from the trees from about five yards. Those of you that do not live with cicadas, boy, are you missing out! I had intended to make a video of their summer singing so you could get a better appreciation of them but never got around to it. Maybe next summer.

You'd think they would lose their novelty, right? But, no. She still likes to to get them out and play with them. Sometimes she just carries the bucket around. Other days she gets all the carcasses out and lays them on the driveway. Yesterday she was getting out the winged adults and pulling off their wings. Fun times. This afternoon we went searching fro more but I think they have pretty much cleared our street of all of them already. If anybody needs a cicada carcass, please call. We will be happy to set you up.

And just what is a pretty little girl like this doing playing with these big, nasty bugs? I wish I knew. I also wish I knew why she has decided that for Halloween she wants to be a - you guessed it - a Cicada. A CICADA!! I think we have at least convinced her to be a Princess Cicada - for what that is worth. I've put daddy in charge of coming up with the buzz. Wish us luck!