Happy Birthday Fly-Guy!!!

I think that I must have been born to be a teacher. I guess that would explain how we went to the garden center for flowers and ended up coming home with a chrysalis.

Let me start from the beginning. Last weekend, John, Megan, and I went to buy just a few more plants for the backyard. There was a "butterfly lady" there giving lessons to the kids. Megan was enamoured by the little flying creatures! It turned into quite a learning experience. Awesome! I love learning experiences!

We learned that butterflies "taste" with their front feet and really like Gatorade.

Lucky us! We were able to feed the butterflies with a Q-tip.

We observed them in a semi-natural environment.

And bought a chrysalis to take home with us! Megan and I checked it every day after breakfast. I started getting worried it wasn't going to "eclose" because it was taking a little longer than it should.
Today Megan and I went into the laundry room to check the chrysalis (you should hear her pronounce it....so cute) and WE HAD A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY. Megan immediately yelled, "Yea!! You did it!" I asked Megan what we should name him. Her reply was "Fly." I added the "Guy" to the end of it. Happy Birthday Fly-Guy!

Then the comedy really began. I had to go to the store to get him some Gatorade. Since it was 96 degrees and I was feeling lazy, I drove across town to the drive-thru to avoid unbuckling the carseat only to have to buckle her back in a few minutes later. Ridiculous, I know but it was really, really HOT outside. Imagine my surprise when the drive-thru didn't accept my credit card! Can you believe I didn't even have $1.99 in my purse? I have everything else in there!

So........I ended up having to take Megan in with me to buy Fly-Guy some gatorade at a gas station. Megan tried to twist off the cap and drink it right there in the store. The sales clerk looked at me funny when I said, "No Megan. It is for the butterfly." ha, ha. When we got home, I opened up Fly-Guy's little enclosure and tried to give him the Gatorade. He flew right out and crashed into Megan's chest. She was so startled she screamed and started crying. (Nice! Now I have a toddler crying and a butterfly loose in my house.) Lucky for us, he couldn't fly very well and was on the kitchen floor. I ran upstairs to get a Q-Tip (since you shouldn't touch the butterfly). While upstairs, it dawned on me that the dog might try to eat Fly-Guy. I sprinted back downstairs with the Q-tip, wondering how in the world my friends could ever think the life of a stay at home mom is "boring." ha! I was able to calm Megan and rescue Fly-Guy before the dog ate him for lunch.

Tomorrow we will set Fly-Guy free. I hope he doesn't fly TOO far away. I've really grown quite attached to him.