Butterfly Magic

Right before 2009 ended, we went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens for their Butterfly Magic exhibit. Their indoor greenhouse is a butterfly haven during the cooler Tucson months. This was our second visit and it was just as awesome as the first time we went last year!


M&M's with a fun terracotta man in front of the gardens

The docents bring out the "newborn" butterflies all day, and they let visitors help take them out of the transport box.

Michael's first butterfly liked his face better than his finger!


Miranda kept giggling about the legs being tickly.


Michael's second butterfly was very calm. I love how if Michael is pointing one finger, he has to point his finger on the other hand too. :)

We met up with Isaac, Leah, Andre, Corissa, and Corissa's sister Shante, Teena and Jonas just as the M&M's were ready to be done with butterflies, so we hung out near the little train village and the zen garden while they did their butterfly thing.


This is next to the "Sound Garden" where they have a copper fountain with lots of drippy water to listen to.


Watching the train go by!


There it goes!


Michael is tucked in the bushes in the back here.


Sitting with Jonas, my little babysitting guy

Michael did a butterfly play for me here, where he wriggled in the dirt pretending to be a caterpillar, then he lay like a lump in the dirt for a while being in his chrysalis, and then he ran behind the butterfly wings and pretended to stretch out into a beautiful butterfly! He was very serious about it and was quite proud of himself.

First Day for Miranda!

Today is Miranda's first day of preschool at St. Mark's Preschool in the older 3's room, the Wild Things! She's been very excited, marching around the house for weeks with her snack bag and asking every day in December if *today* was the day she was going to start school. She had her whole outfit picked out last night, and was up bright and early today to get going!

Our standard first day of school shot on the front porch. Imagine what this will look like 15 years from now when she's starting her senior year of high school!




Michael patiently waiting by the car for Mommy to be done with her silly sentimental stuff...


When we get to school, first we take Michael to his kindergarten to drop off his snack (notice his new, hand knit vest from Mommy!)...


...and then we drop Miranda off at her class for a day of Wild Things!