Flutter Bye Butterflies...

May 10th was a fateful day for our winged friends, it was a day of liberation for them and of farewell for us. We were all excited to watch them take flight and enjoy the rest of their short lives in the wide open world. Initially it was a bit of a letdown; when we opened up the habitat, the butterflies just stayed put. But at the suggestion of a neighbor we gently rested a twig inside until one of them hopped on and allowed us to aid them in their departure.

Ultimately, this gave the kids a much nicer opportunity to mingle with the buttterflies and fuss over their loveliness.

And then they were off!

Farewell Flutter Friends, thanks for the memories!

Hungry, Hungry Butterflies...

By May 4th, our 1st Butterfly had emerged and it was time to rustle up some homemade nectar. We took a quick walk outside and gathered several flowers for our fluttery friends. Then we dipped our foliage, added a bit more sugar water with a dropper and dinner was served! It is safe to say that Mini's were feeling pretty important when it came to feeding their precious cargo.

If you look closely at the right side of the habitat, you can spy a little butterfly drying off and prepping for some dining time. At the bottom of the pavilion, is a poor little friend that didn't manage to stay attached to the paper disk so we nestled him (or her?) on a napkin as instructed. Eventually that little butterfly emerged as well, a bit tattered but ready to flutter.
I must be honest and share a few Butterfly horror stories from our journey. I had the habitat out on the kitchen island and stepped away to peek out at the garden from our dining room window. I heard a little voice encouraging the Butterflies to fly, "You can do it!" and rushed in to find a well intentioned little girl freeing them!!! I managed to get the pavilion shut with only one escapee and proceeded to scare the pants off Bailey for breaking the rules and opening the top. Of course she had no comprehension of the perils that her winged buddy would face trapped in our house but still! I frantically left a few plates around with a flowers and sugar water hoping we could lure our friend home. Remarkably, I later spotted it resting near a floor vent and Michael wrangled it back into the habitat where it could hang out and wait for the remaining Butterflies to emerge. Such drama!

For the most part we kept the Butterflies sequestered on top of the fridge and the kiddos had access to supervised visitation with their little buddies. However at another point Miss B had access and was caught DRUMMING on the top of the pavilion completely ecstatic that it bounced up and down. We really thought we lost one and I about lost my cookies watching the poor thing try to recover. Somehow all survived although the smushed fellow had a severely compromised wing. A tough but valuable lesson for the anklebiters about booboos that Mommy and Daddy cannot fix. So sorry for the Flutterby that had to take one for the team on that life lesson.

Despite the tragedies and near misses, the butterfly raising was overall a precious experience for both of the kids, they were enthusiastic about the whole process and loved observing the creatures day in and day out!

Hungry, Hungry Caterpillars...

This Easter the kids were excited to receive their traditional candy but were also jazzed about a pair of Barnes and Noble gift cards from Grandma Joyce. Bailey had been in a bit of a Butterfly phase and so a Butterfly Pavilion was just the right item for her. The larvae arrived in late April and we had a great time watching how rapidly these critters grew. It was unreal! The photo above is from day one and the photo below is from day three whicih was Apriil 25th. Way to grow little wigglers!
By May 3rd, our little caterpillers had all formed a chrysalis of their very own and were dangling away in their shipping container. It was time to transfer them to their penthouse suite...

But first, everyone just had to take a peek at these fascinating cocoons!

You'll notice that Bailey is all decked out in her Nemo costume for the big event. She really hung onto that one. In fact, one year later she is sleeping with the thing as part lovey part pillow and she still has days where that is the only thing she deems appropriate to wear around the house. She is truly an entertaining gal....

At any rate, the chrysalides were carefully transferred and we spent a few more minutes ogling them as they hovered in their new habitat. Then it was time to practice patience as we waited for the day that they would emerge.

Come On Yittle Boy!

Here is a short clip of Miss Bailey chasing her big bro on the rat racers. She was just cracking us up - she kept shouting, "Come on Yittle Boy!" Oh how she loves her brother! Some day she will say "Little" and I will be pleased for her but I must admit my heart will ache more than a yittle bit when that day arrives...

Run Hayden Run! Or Not...

Here is a short clip of Hayden running on the Rat Racers at our farm outing. The wind had picked up and our poor little guy ended up running into the racer, But like the Energizer Bunny, he took a licking and kept on ticking!

Fun on the Farm

On May 8th, the kids and I had a little outing with my folks at a Farm & Orchard near their house. This gem of a place has a great playland for the kiddos. We have been several times now and almost always start out on the "rat racers" which are large tubes/wheels that are big enough for the kids to stand inside. They can then wear themselves out doing their best hamster interpretation. It is fantastic stuff!

Not only are they great to run inside of, apparantly it is satisfying to push them along from the outside. I will vote for whatever wears these two out!

Bailey always loves to wander among the big tires that are arranged in concentric circles and partially buried in the dirt.

On this particular day, H was more inclined to play King of the Mountain with the tires.

Bailey's preference was to stay low.

Next the kiddos moved on to nest building and "egg" collecting. It was such a hoot to watch them gather up the dirt and then pick out rock or mulch eggs to nestle inside. This kept them busy for ages!

Bailey adopted a Horton the Elephant-esque perspective on life, "No matter what happens, this egg must be tended!"

But H had other plans, apparantly Bailey's perching had compromised the structural integrity of the nest and it was imparative that adjustments be made. Eventually, Bailey's nest was stabilized and she returned to the roost. Hayden was then inspired to construct his own nest.

Before long, he too had eggs to tend.

The dirt was plentiful and the company was good! What fun to watch these two imagine the possibilities and enjoy each other. They are quite a pair.

What a handsome boy and what a lovely lass!

Here they are consipiring to conquer the fenced maze.

Both of the kids enjoyed having a go at mountain climbing.

Here is one last shot of Miss B tucked into the bottom of a barrel. Don't be fooled here - she may look harmless but her powers are strong...

What a fun day - we can't wait to go back soon!