It's Just Water

This weekend my family decided to have some good old-fashioned fun.  With water.

It all started on Thursday when, on a whim, I took my kids to the dollar store.  I told them that they could each pick out one thing. I figured that even in this economy I could spare the $3 in exchange for a few smiles.

As it turns out, we got more than a few smiles.  We also got some roaring laughs and loud squeals.

I won't keep you in suspense.  The laughter and good times were a direct result of my middle child picking out a four pack of squirt guns.  And I added a pack of water balloons.  

And then the fun began.

As soon as we got home she wanted to play with the squirt guns.  Since it was late, I was able to divert her until the next day.  Then she wanted to play with them while I was getting dressed and primped in the morning, so I told her to fill them up and squirt them at the toys in the bathtub. That lasted for a while, but it was just a way to hold her off until a better time.

That time finally came over the weekend.  Yesterday morning we had a family squirt gun and water balloon fight in our cul-de-sac.  We were teaming up and fighting to stay dry, until my husband and I turned into a couple of 9 year olds and started peppering each other with water balloons as fast as we could make them.  All the while were girls are circling around squirting us down with their guns.  My daughter and I even tried to seek safety by moving into the back yard to reload our weapons, but my husband managed some very accurate throws that drove us out of our shelter.  

All in good fun of course.  Actually, it was great fun.

But it didn't stop there.  It culminated yesterday afternoon with a water gun showdown on our cul-de-sac.  

The 12 year old boy across the street and his friend innocently meandered over our way, and suddenly came under fire from my girls.  After a few run-downs and a bit of harmless squirting, the boy wandered back home, only to return with his super soaker.  

What followed was rounds of howling laughter and screeching that echoed through the neighborhood.  It was so much fun to watch, and I can only imagine that it was even more fun to play.

And most surprising of all was that my middle child, my quiet little girl that rarely speaks in public, was right there attacking the boys with her squirt guns and loaded balloons.  As soon as she would load up she went after them full force, until they turned on her and she was forced to retreat. And she took the soaking right back, and hardly complained a bit.

Of course there were some tears here and there when the girls got soaked and weren't expecting it.  But to that we would say "it's just water," and dry them off so they could get back into the game without missing a beat.

Finally a truce was called before dinner time and everyone went back to their corners to dry off.

But today we were back out there again.  This time with a new round of enemies, some other boys from down the street.  Word must have gotten out around the hood that there were some new sheriffs in town.

After today's antics, we went through the last of the water balloons, and now we are two guns down.  But we've had 3 solid days of fun.

4 squirt guns and 50 water balloons = $2

Hours upon hours of good old harmless outdoor fun = priceless.