Hidden Treasure

I was tucking Aubrey into bed last night and she looked up at me with a mischevious grin. 

"I know a secret," she said. 

"What's the secret?" I asked.

She looked around the room, deciding if she should tell me or not.  She finally whispered so quietly that I had to lean toward her to hear, "Me and Ethan hid something."

"What did you hide?" I whispered back.

Apparently this was a question she wouldn't answer.  I could tell by the stubborn look on her face that she would never tell me what they hid, so, I tried another approach, "Where did you hide it?"

She giggled behind her little hand, "In my closet!"

I walked over to her closet and slid open the door.  Immediately, I could see something was amiss.  All of the stuffed anmials had been piled into the back corner.  I bent down and moved them one by one.  First, Minnie Mouse, then Baby Jo Jo, followed by Puppy and Lollipop, until I saw what my kids had carefully stowed away.  An 80 oz jar of pickle juice was nestled in the back of the closet with every stuffed animal in our house standing sentinel.  I put my hand over my mouth, both out of disbelief and to hide the smile that was growing there.

When I pulled the jar out of the closet, I turned to Aubrey and held it up with a questioning look.  She just laughed and laughed in her contagious way that makes it nearly impossible not to laugh right along with her.

"What happened to all the pickles?" 

"Me and Ethan ate the last ones, then we were taking turns drinking out of the side of the jar!" she explained like it was the best thing she had ever taken part in.

I was still smiling and shaking my head in disbelief as I walked down the stairs after I had kissed her cheek and told her good night.  I hid the massive jar behind my back the best that I could then walked into my bedroom where Kedar was getting ready for bed.

"Guess what Ethan and Aubrey hid in her closet today?" I asked.