Butterfly Release

The butterflies await release.



Alette was a little concerned that they would not want to leave, so kept poking her arm into their home hoping to shoo them out.



A quick rest on our hydrangea before leaving.

I was really, really excited about doing this butterfly raising project with Alette. Actually, I was tempted to do it even if she didn't care a bit about butterflies. The caterpillars all successfully became chrysallis...and then a week later we had six beautiful butterflies emerge. Even though we missed the actual emerging butterflies, it was exciting to watch them uncrumple their wings and beat them dry. We kept them for a couple of days (which drove the cats a bit crazy), them released them in our yard.

Best Buds

We just do not see enough of Ganiyah! Today, she spent the afternoon with us-took ballet with Alette and then spent time at the park together. The three girls get along so well.

PAWS Nature Farm

I was a little leary about taking the girls to the nature center. It has been hot, humid and Abria's got a little sunburn on her face. However, we slathered on the sunscreen, put on cool clothes, and had a wonderful time! The trip was organized by our playgroup leader so the girls had plenty of friends to hang out with. We got to pet a chinchilla, turtle, lizard and snake. Alette was a little hesitant about petting the chinchilla but Abria would have happily scooped up all the animals onto her lap. We then had a chance to wander about and visit the farm animals. Both girls loved the ducks and chickens the best-I had the hardest time wresting them away from the chicken coop. The goats (my absolute favorite) didn't hold their interest for long at all. Thankfully lots of shade, air-conditioned play areas, and thus a great day out.

Roar!

Alette is in the middle of a dinosaur craze. We've been reading books, drawing pictures, and play-acting dinosaurs. Imagine her delight when our playgroup visited a new playground and discovered it had a dinosaur climby-thingee (sorry for the technical language). This new playground was a delight! Lots of slides, climbing equipment, swings, and a sandbox filled with toys (clearly we were not in Camden as sadly, all the toys would have been stolen).
Abria's becoming increasingly independent. She is now able to open the fridge door, the basement door, and is working hard to figure out the oven door. We always seem to be one step behind in baby-proofing the house. She has also discovered that the drawer below the oven, and the cupboard below the microwave contain all sorts of interesting pots, pans, baking sheets, and utensils. To her delight, all the afore mentioned objects make really, really loud noises when banged on the floor or on a cupboard. One thing I do appreciate is her newly acquired ability to get her own drink of water from the bathroom sink. With only a minimal amount of spillage, she is able to turn on the water, fill a cup, and take a drink. I am actually looking forward to potty-training....

Summer Fun

The girls enjoy time with Grandma, who was quite a sport and later ran through the sprinkler with her clothes on. The girls were cooling off their feet in a bowl of water. (Yes we do have a larger inflatable pool)


Alette performs a drum solo.


Abria cools herself off by pouring water onto her tummy. Alette started pouring water over her head, which Abria of course copied. She looked completely shocked each time the water ran over her face. Unfortunately I didn't get any shots as my camera was inside.



The classic pose.

I'm not sure if summer is here or not-we've had hot, hot, hot days, followed by very cool and rainy weather. However, unless it is pouring, we are outside. Today it was a very cool and breezy 65 degrees but we still stuck our feet into the fountain at the park. Okay, what really happened is that I stuck my toes in, Alette stomped and splashed like a crazy kid, and Abria watched and shrieked in delight. She insisted on taking off her shoes but could not be convinced to get her feet wet (smart kid).
The sprinkler has been put to good use by Alette. There is very little chance of our yard drying out this year. It's been so much easier to be outside compared to last summer. Abria isn't just stuck plopped on a blanket on the grass (which she always tried to eat last year). Although she loves to copy Alette, she is not willing to follow her through the sprinkler. Maybe when it gets really hot and humid she'll discover it is worth the effort.

Our Budding Divas

I'm at a complete loss of words to explain this performance. It was so hard not to bust out laughing while I was taping.

I'm not sure how well the audio will work but the girls are dancing to some of Alette's favorite princess music. The sirens make it sound like the dance studio is in Camden, but in truth, I didn't realize that Abria had brought in her toy police car.