Stan

I was cleaning out the garage when this dog came into our yard.  We tried to call the vet number on the tag, but they had already closed for the day.

The girls made it a bed and named it Stan.  Praying that we find the owners.

Goodbye William and Willie

Jocelyn was sad to discover that...

ants ate William and Willie.  

They ate two little holes right through the cocoon.

William and Willie

Jocelyn found two caterpillars in the yard last week.  She put them in her bug box and named them William and Willie.  

Jocelyn was excited to discover that Willie made a cocoon today. 

Ducks and Day Trip!

The girls were excited this morning when we went outside and saw...

a Mommy and Daddy Duck in our front yard.

The girls ran inside to get a piece of bread to feed the ducks while we waited for Lance, Nyx and Jude to pick us up to take us to...

IKEA for the first time.

The closest IKEA to us is in Woodbridge, VA. Lance, Nyx and Jude picked us up at 9:00 am and we got to IKEA right around lunch time. We enjoyed the meatballs there for lunch. Then we went shopping! Madison got to go play at the kid area while we were there, but Jocelyn and Jude had to stay with us because they were too young to go to the play area. Once we picked Madison up we checked out and ended our adventure at IKEA with ice cream and cinnamon rolls. We loaded back in the car and made the long drive home. The kids did amazingly well and we all enjoyed our day together.

Wow, that was FAST!

The girls and I were shocked this morning when we checked on our two caterpillars, Crunchy and Munchy, and found that one of them had made his cocoon overnight.

Madison is checking out Munchy the caterpillar and Crunchy's cocoon. Munchy is crawling up the stem and Crunchy's cocoon is in the left side of the photo by Madison's shoulder (it is kind of hard to see).

Here is a video of Madison telling everyone about Crunchy making his cocoon. As you can see, she is just a little excited!

Munchy!

Madison and I were outside enjoying the sunshine while we waited for the school bus this morning.

Madison picked us some flowers that the rain had knocked off the bush.

Then she found a caterpillar in the bushes. Actually we ended up finding 8 caterpillars in the bushes.

Jocelyn couldn't believe we found so many caterpillars. Madison and Jocelyn named this one Munchy, because he was munching the leaves. Of course they immediately asked if they could keep Munchy as a pet and watch him turn into a butterfly. I told them we would have to wait until Daddy got home and ask him. ;)

Feeding Our Duck!

Here is a video of the girls feeding our duck:

He's back.....

About 10 months ago we found a baby turtle in the backyard.

(Click on the "baby turtle" link to see the original blog about finding him.)

We were very surprised to find him right outside the front door this morning.

Madison was so happy that he decided to come back and visit us before we moved to Virginia.

He happily walked off into the bushes after his visit.

Moth Tragedy

We put the cocoon container outside, thinking that maybe it needed some sunlight to know that it was time to come out of the cocoon. Since it rained all day yesterday, I put a lid on it to keep it safe and dry. This morning when I went outside to check on it I found that the moth had finally emerged from his cocoon. Unfortunately, he got stuck between the container and the lid and died.

Caterpillar/Butterfly Update

The Butterflies are taunting us!

Today we found three butterflies flying around in our flowers outside.

The girls enjoyed watching them and chasing them. Madison wanted to catch one, but they were just too fast!

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Our caterpillar is still in his cocoon. Hopefully he will emerge soon to join his friends outside. Madison can't wait to let him go so that he can fly away and reunite with his family.

Planes, Trains, and NOW BOATS!

So far this weekend we have seen planes and a train, but "Transportation Week" wouldn't be complete without boats.

Since we didn't have a boat to ride, we decided to just go look at boats at one of Granddaddy's favorite stores: Bass Pro Shop.

The girls enjoyed looking at the fish more than the boats!

Caterpillar Update

It was two weeks yesterday that the caterpillar made his cocoon. From what I have read they usually only stay in there cocoon for two weeks. We are hoping that he will come out of his cocoon any day now. Yesterday we moved him back into the large clear plastic box to give him some more room when he emerges. We also prepared some sugar water for him so that he can eat as soon as he comes out. We were very excited yesterday when we moved him, because he started to wiggle. Madison started jumping up and down yelling "he is wiggling out." Much to our disappointment the wiggling stopped and we haven't seen him move since. Clay is afraid that he might be dead in his cocoon. We are praying that he is alive and well and will come out of his cocoon soon. The girls have taken such good care of him during this long process that it would be very sad to not see him emerge as a butterfly/moth. We will keep you posted.

Cocoon Update!

One week ago today our caterpillar made his cocoon.

Yesterday we bought him a new home. Hopefully he likes it and decides to come out of his cocoon soon.

Cocoon!

Our caterpillar finally made his cocoon!

Madison the Caterpillar Explorer

Madison decided to look at the caterpillar through her magnifying glass.

YEAH, he is getting SO BIG! We are still waiting for him to form his cocoon.

Caterpillar Update

After researching our caterpillar on the Internet, we think it is a

Antheraea Polyphemus.

It will eventually turn into a
Polyphemus Moth.

The girls are enjoying taking care of the caterpillar. They go and pick him leaves and branches everyday. They get so excited when they see him crawl around or eat the leaves they picked for him. They are looking forward to watching the caterpillar make its cocoon and eventually turn into a moth.

Caterpillar, Water Tables, and Art!

This morning while Madison and I were waiting for the school bus, we found a caterpillar on our driveway.

Madison wants to keep it and watch it turn into a butterfly.

As soon as she got home from school she ran to check on her new pet caterpillar.

Today at school the kids got to play in the water tables for the first time. They also continued their bus theme by discussing bus safety. They read Friends at School. Madison got 6/6 stars and received her mini marshmallow treat and hot pink "praiselet." Big surprise, she went to the Dramatic Play center again today!

This afternoon while Jocelyn was napping, Madison decorated a bag to put Mrs. Jodi's birthday gift in. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JODI! The girls send you hugs and kisses and are looking forward to giving you your birthday present the next time we see you.

Baby Turtle!

The girls and I were outside playing while we waited for daddy to get home. They were in the swings and I was pulling weeds. Clay got home and came out to see what we were doing. He started to help me clean up the backyard to come inside when he noticed a turtle laying in the rubber mulch. We have no idea how the turtle managed to get in our backyard. The yard in completely fenced in and there is just construction around us. The water is blocks away from our house. The poor little guy was far away from home.

Here is the turtle laying in the rubber mulch. He blends in pretty well.

Clay is showing the turtle to the girls before he takes him down to the water.

Thanks for visiting us, Turtle. We hope you enjoyed your time in our backyard. We enjoyed meeting you, but we hope you like your new home.