Mice in the lawn mower

Just before Paul got home tonight Maria and I were playing in the sprinkler. I then transitioned to mowing the piece of the lawn that connects the house to the sand box, pool, garden and compost pile so we could at least play out there without feeling like we were traversing a hay field. As I was filling the tank with gas a few mice spilled out from under the engine. Then I moved the mower back and another one came out. Hmmm? Now how many mice are in there, and how do we know when they're out? We gently pulled the cord a couple times to rotate the engine a little and got the last few mice out. Then we clapped our hands to chase them off of the lawn to the safety of their house (the shed). Maria thought it was great. She also thinks fish in the shallows of the pond are really cool. I think the fish come a little closer than fish should considering how much bigger we are than them. They gather around heads pointed towards us fluttering their fins to stay in place as we scoop mud and water like their thankful for the entertainment. She also likes to try and scoop grillos (crickets) from the lawn. As I mowed Paul and Maria wandered around together, got mail and did who knows what else like this...