The Life of a Butterfly

We have butterflies! If you are wondering, the red stuff on the net is the left-over color from the butterfly's wing formation. . .

Great shot of the proboscis (the "drinking straw" of the butterfly) at work. . .
We had our Butterfly Garden hanging from the light in the dining room. We could not keep Emma off of the table! She loved watching those butterflies.
Release Day
Belle exploring her new home. . .
Ariel giving Claire a "good-bye hug". . .
Claire encouraging Ariel to fly on. . .

Claire's sweet friend, Harris, gave her a Live Butterfly Garden for her birthday this year. At the beginning, we were mailed live caterpillars that ate and grew in their own container. They then crawled to the top and attached themselves to a paper ring to form their chrysalides. Once the chrysalides were formed, we transferred them into a large, netted garden. It was such a cool process to watch live caterpillars transform into butterflies. Both of the girls were very interested in the day-to-day changes that occurred, and they grew quite fond of our butterfly friends, "Belle" and "Ariel". We did have one other caterpillar that formed a chrysalis, and Claire appropriately named her "Sleeping Beauty". Unfortunately, this Sleeping Beauty never found her prince and she did not make the full transformation into a butterfly.
After the butterflies came out of their chrysalides, we fed and watched them for a few days before setting them free one Sunday morning before church. Belle, who always seemed eager to escape, flew out and instantly became one with her natural surroundings. Ariel, on the other hand, was a little more timid to spread her wings and fly free. She really loved Claire, and did not want to leave! Eventually, she flew off as well.
Overall, it was a great learning experience for us all. The whole process only took 2 to 3 weeks. Sadly, I also learned that a butterfly's life span is only 2 to 4 weeks. That seems so short for all of the work they go through to completely change themselves from one thing to another. Our sweet Belle and Ariel are already approaching their final days. Considering that every butterfly we now see outside is one of "ours", I think I'll spare Claire and Emma from this knowledge.

Self Portrait

I took this picture last night while I was at Claire's school Open House. Looks like a picture of Claire to me!!

Emma's Turn!

Hopefully, this will not be the shot we get for Emma's 1st day of kindergarten. . .

Yesterday was Emma's first day of school! Actually, she is just going to be in a little "Mom's Morning Out" two days a week this year, but we (as in Emma) strive to be like sister, so we'll call it "school". Therefore, I placed her in the "first-day-of-school-picture-taking-spot", and snapped away. The top picture cracks me up, not only because of Emma's stance, but also because she looks like she is wearing an 80's side ponytail. There were two pigtails, and I made adjustments to even them out after the photo was taken. Just in case you wanted to know. :)

Lady in Waiting

Poor, sweet Emma. She has had to go around town this week taking Claire to her dance and gymnastics activities, and (sigh). . watch. Trust me when I say, it has not been easy to keep a determined toddler from bolting into the gym and dance rooms while happily proclaiming, "Yea! Me do!!". Her smiles quickly turning to tears as she is escorted out. It's sad, but at the same time, she has her own special activities coming her way during Claire's school hours.
I thought the title "Lady in Waiting" would be fun for this blog entry, and then out of curiosity, I decided to research its definition. This is what I found at Wikipedia: "A lady-in-waiting (also called waiting maid) is a female personal assistant at a noble court, attending to a queen, a princess or other noblewoman. A lady-in-waiting is often a noblewoman of lower rank (i.e., a lesser noble) than the one she attends to, but is not considered a servant. Their duties varied from court to court." Based on that definition, I feel like I qualify for the title right along with Emma! Between the school carpool lines and after-school activities, I would say I am serving the purpose of a personal assistant. To round the definition out, I'm pretty sure Claire would classify herself as a queen or a princess.

Still Can't Believe It

Does this look like the face of a kindergartner to you?!

2nd Day of Kindergarten!!

Hug and a kiss from Daddy as she heads on her way. . .

Well, I'm not sure how long this will last, but Claire seems to think that taking a picture before leaving for school is now part of the process. She requested that we capture these precious moments before leaving the house today.

1st Day of Kindergarten!!

After school, we took Claire out for a treat at Yogurt Lab. . . Nanny and BaBa have been in town for all of the fun and excitement.

Today was the day! Although we can hardly believe it, Claire's first day of "Big Kid School" has officially come and gone. I, of course, have been a little teary thinking of how quickly my sweet baby has grown. I literally keep flashing back to the day she was born. What a wonderful day it was!! We are so proud of our Claire. She absolutely loved her new school, and had so many new experiences to share with us this afternoon. She was most excited that she got to go outside to play TWO times. Ahhh, the life of a kindergartner!

Meet the Teacher Day

When Claire got home, she was greeted by BaBa with a water balloon fight. . .

Kindergarten, here we come! Yesterday, Claire had the opportunity to meet her new teacher, and join her friends in the park outside of the school for a Popsicle party. She is very excited about the year ahead, and we are so proud of how well she is adjusting to her new environment.

A New Little Gymnast

Claire had her first gymnastics class this week. She loved it! We are just praying that it doesn't result in a trip to the hospital. She was so excited about the things that she learned that she wanted to come home and do them over and over again. Lets just say she was not using proper technique as she was practicing forward rolls off the couch!

Lake Martin Fun

Emma and Laurel "tubing" off the dock. . .

Rachel's dog, Bozeman, enjoyed the boat as much as the kids. . .

This past weekend, we got together with some great friends at Lake Martin. Friday night was actually a "Mom's Night Out" for the ladies. It was great to catch up with my girls from high school, and to have to the opportunity to say farewell to our dear friend, Sarah, who will be moving to Turkey in a couple of weeks. We will miss you, Sarah!!

On Saturday, the husbands and children joined the fun. Claire and Emma had never been to Lake Martin before, and they loved it! From swimming, to rides on the boat and wave runner, they were grinning from ear to ear. It was great watching them experience a place that has meant so much to me through the years. A big "Thank you!" to Mr. and Mrs. McPhillips for opening their lake house to us. We appreciate it!!

Emma's 1st Trip to the Dentist

Last week, Emma made her first trip to the dentist. A few days later, we received this picture in the mail as a humorous surprise. So, clearly, going to the dentist was not Emma's favorite thing in the world. She did enjoy playing with all of the toys in the waiting room, and getting a goody bag of her very own, but she was not a fan of the actual cleaning. Considering that Emma has never liked getting her teeth brushed at home, this came as no surprise to me.
Overall, I would say it was a successful trip. Both girls got a thumbs-up and were clear of cavities. As for Emma, I'm sure that when she returns for her next check-up in 6 months she will have forgotten all of the "bad" parts.

The Power of Lollipops

Above, Emma waits for the second attempt at popping the ligament in her left elbow back into place. The first try didn't quite get the job done. Pictured below, is what I like to call her "You're going to do what?!" face.

Claire was happy as a lark to not be in Emma's position and still get a lollipop!

This past week we experienced our first "Nursemaid's Elbow". Apparently, the ligaments around the elbow are "loose" in really young children. If the arm gets twisted or pulled in the wrong way, the ligaments pop out of place. Poor Emma went tumbling out of a rocking chair and ended up with this injury. The treatment for "Nursemaid's Elbow" is simply to pop the ligaments back into place. With the bribe of some "pops" (Dum Dums), and a lot of snuggles, the doctor was able to get things back on track.