Where Were All the Birds?

25 days into summer break, and I was looking for something to force the kids out of apathy and the ensuing television coma.

I drove them up the street to a park tucked in between apartment buildings and sheltered by a wilderness of trees for a picture scavenger hunt. 

You may wonder how I was able to convince my boys to wear hats instead of sunscreen. I'm not admitting to scare tactics, and for the record I felt it was in their best interest to know the dangers of Lyme Disease. 

And the tale of Makayla's dad burning a tick buried on his chest is true. 

Later, much later, I questioned myself when Matthew would insist on wearing a hat under any isolated tree. 

Strangely, we didn't find a bird or a lizard, which I put on the list specifically for gratification. I couldn't have guessed we'd run into a Blue Meadowlark Flash, but we did.   

This turtle didn't speak to us, but the hiding bullfrog did. We got our shoes muddy looking for it in the bullrushes. 

We left the park after Travis, Matthew, Makayla, friend Cierra, and cousin Riley fed the koi, turtles, and catfish. And after a bus load full of summer campers from the YMCA invaded the pond and started feeding the koi nachos. How could we compete?

Grateful I get to spend the last 58 days left of summer break with my kids...