Beautiful Butterflies!

Over the past two weeks we experienced the beauty and miracle of Mother Nature, right on our kitchen table.  I bought some baby (teeny tiny) caterpillars that grew into big fat caterpillars (but didn't eat sausage, cupcakes, lollipops, plums, or cheese - much to the confusion of the kiddos who love Eric Carle).  After several days in cocoons, they emerged as lovely butterflies.  Unfortunately we missed the actual event (happened so fast), but the whole thing thrilled the kids.

(Side story - the mesh butterfly bag sat on our kitchen table and our housekeeper - probably in frustration of things everywhere - dumped several toys into it while the cocoons rested inside. We had a couple of casualties, and the kids freaked out. Poor Maricela, clueless to the situation, did not understand why JB said to her "you killed them, you killed them!!"  She was more traumatized than JB, who got over it pretty quickly....)

This weekend we let the butterflies fly out into the flowers outside. Hopefully they are sticking around so we can see them (or their babies!) 

Maryn keeps crying "weh my caterpillars? weh my caterpillars!?"  When I explained we let them fly away she became very upset and said "you cheated, Mama!"  (Always Mama's fault, amiright??)   I suspect these won't be our last butterflies!