The case of the missing 50 dollar bill...

I think I shared this story on Facebook way back when in February when it actually happened, so in that case, if you've read it before, please pardon me--- I just wish to recount it again so that I have it on my blog for memory's sake.

One morning, Spencer asked me to take a bunch of cash he'd left on the kitchen island to the bank to deposit into our checking account...  later that same morning, as I was on my way out the door with the boys, preparing to drop them off at preschool, I grabbed the stash of cash, counted it real quickly, piled the boys into the car, dropped them off at school and swung by the bank.  I deposited the cash in our account just as Spencer had asked me to do and that was that...

...Later that evening, over dinner, Spencer asked me what I'd done with the other $50 I failed to deposit in the bank???  I hadn't a clue what he was talking about... What other $50???  Of course he thought I was trying to be clever and keep the 50 for myself--- why ever would I do that???  Anyhow, as it turns out, somewhere along the journey to the bank that morning, we lost $50. Bummer.  $50 could buy us a pack of diapers that would last the 2 younger boys nearly 2 weeks.  $50 could almost, not quite anymore, fill up our gas tank in the Mountaineer.  $50 could pay for all 4 boys haircuts + tip.  It was gone though. Pointless to tread on the possibilities of just HOW we could have used that $50--- it seemed gone for good.

Fast forward to the following evening... the boys had all gone to bed and I was in our bedroom, sitting on our bed folding a heaping pile of clean clothes, still warm from the dryer.  Most of the clothing belonged to the boys--- jeans, tee shirts, pajamas, mismatched socked, undies... it was just as I was folding a pair of the boys jeans that I heard a crinkling sound... the sound came from something that was inside the front pocket of the jeans... thinking it was probably a candy wrapper or piece of paper of some sort, I reached into the little pocket with my two fingers and pulled out a 50 dollar bill!!!  Imagine my surprise!  One of the boys, either Ian or Noah, (it still has yet to be determined because both boys wear the same size jeans and both boys wore identical jeans the day before) snuck a 50 dollar bill off the pile of cash Spencer left on the counter the day before, stuffed it in his pocket and took it to school with him!!!  The nerve!!!  Neither boy has fessed up to the crime--- what I'm more curious to know though is WHY and WHAT ON EARTH WAS HE PLANNING ON DOING WITH THE $$$MONEY$$$... and boy, I sure hope he didn't flash the money off to his classmates or teacher at school!  I'm just thankful it was found and not lost and don't you worry, I made Spencer apologize for accusing me of keeping the 50 for my own selfish needs... like I'd really do that.