It's been a busy few weeks...so haven't posted in a while. What's been happening...
- Bailee taught herself how to blow bubbles.
- I took a fast business trip to Washington, DC - final pre-planning trip for August conference.
- We decided to go to San Diego and Disneyland on vacation after the August conference. (Not much time to save $$$$)
- Bailee's been liking YMCA camp ok and tomorrow is her last day. Then on to Camp Heatwave (Austin ISD camp at Bailee's elementary school) next week and "away camp" at Rocky River Ranch in Wimberley the following week. Better summer experience than last year at Country Home all summer where she just didn't love it.
- I've been managing a blog for the August conference and between soliciting posts for that and just planning the conference...no time for this blog.
- I read 3 books (2 on the quick trip). One of them was Julie and Julia. I can't wait for this movie to open with Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as the woman who decided to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. I think the most ironic thing about reading this woman's attempts (successes and disasters) to cook all those recipes was that it was such a good book I read it everywhere...including at McDonald's. Bit ironic.
- A few weeks ago we bought one of the butterfly mesh "cages" where you send off and they mail you the caterpillars. Bailee asked every day "did the butterflies come yet?" So they came about a week ago, we followed the directions which initially meant just setting the cup with the caterpillars upright and not in direct sun.
The caterpillars eventually climbed up (after eating lots of the caterpillar food in the bottom of the cup first, I presume) and hung from the paper lid inside the cup's plastic lid and turned into chrysallis (sp?). Two days ago I realized..."we should check on them more regularly" and Wowie! Wow! Wow! One of them had already come out (oops..we were late pinning the paper lid with the chrysallis' hanging to the top of the butterfly cage but the one that was already out didn't escape into the house). It all worked out and we now have 5 butterflies! This morning we actually got to watch as the last 2 came out of their chrysallis. Pretty amazing to see them pull free and their wings unfold! Miracle of nature...one of many.
Yoohoo (one of our cats) really likes watching the butterflies too! Freaks Bailee out that the cat is going to attack...but so far the cat is just fascinated and stares at all the fluttering. 
Bailee took her school scissors into the yard tonight and cut a couple of flowers which we dipped in the sugar water I made. The butterflies seem to love this...3 are on the flower right now.
Not sure when we'll let them go...Bailee wants to keep one. I keep trying to explain it's too limiting for the butterflies.
I do want to buy more caterpillars. It would be a cool science experiment for Bailee to do and journal about what she observes each day. I want her to do an entry in the school science fair next year. She actually asked to enter...so we just have to figure out what experiment to do.
