Jewels in our backyard!!

Yesterday the boys found "jewels" in one of the bigger rocks in our backyard.  They noticed the shiny bits and were determined to dig up the rock, drill out the jewels and make me a necklace.  I thought I'd share a bit of the conversation.

Gavin and Graeme (running up stairs): Mummy!  We found jewels in the backyard!!  Real jewels!  They are shining in the sun!  Come see!  Come see!

Me: Awesome!  I'm coming!  (I go down to look.  And, yes, there are sparkly flecks in a rock.)

Boys: We have to dig them out!

Graeme: I'll wash them off to see them better.  (Gets hose.)

Gavin: Mummy, we need to dig up this rock.  I need the shovel.  Then, when I get my tool box from Santa (he's asked for a tool box for Christmas already), I can drill out the jewels and make you a necklace!

Me: Well, this rock is part of the bike track, so I don't know if Daddy will want you to dig it up.  How about we just enjoy the jewels inside the rock?  It'll be like our backyard is a treasure hunt.

Gavin: Well, Mummy, we really need to dig out the jewels.  If we don't dig them out, then no jewels for you.  Which would you rather have, a rock in the backyard or beautiful jewels?  What if they are diamonds?  Then we wouldn't need to go to Diamond State Park in Arizona because we have jewels right here!

(He read somewhere about Diamond State Park in Arizona somewhere where "for a small fee" you can keep any diamonds you find. He's been asking to go for a few months.)

Me: Maybe buddy, but I still think you should ask daddy.

(Meanwhile, Graeme is diligently hosing off rock.)

Gavin: Well, Mummy, don't you want the jewels?  Which would you choose, going to Arizona where its probably WAY too hot, or just, like, digging up this rock in your backyard?  (Astonished at the ease of having jewels so close!)  Which do you want?  I'm mean if we have to go to Arizona, then it'll be really hot and, you know, take a long time.  When we have jewels right in our backyard!  So, I really need to get the shovel and dig up the rock.

Graeme (running up the stairs): I'm gonna start the letter to Santa, so we can get the tool box.  Then we can drill out the jewels.

Gavin: We could call the news station and tell them!  Then the newspeople would come and take pictures and put it on TV and everyone would know that we found jewels!  So, really, Mummy.  What's your choice?  Go to somewhere really too hot or just dig out this rock?  It's such a great discovery!

And then it continued... for about a half hour until I convinced them to wait till Craig got home to ask about digging up the rock.  So they waited in the front yard for him to get home.  For another half hour.


And we had a very similar conversation again.

I LOVE their enthusiasm!

(And Gavin just read part of this post.  So he's talking about it again.  Maybe I should call the news.)