I Flies

We took a little trip to the zoo this week to see the traveling exhibition of butterflies, which Olivia carefully describes as Iflies. This exhibition came to town a few years ago when Ava was about 2 1/2 years old and I was petrified she would stomp the lovely little things and use all her powers to grab the butterflies to squish them in her then chubby little hands. This was at the height of Ava's stomp on all things living including human playmates phase.

But she didn't that day. We talked and talked about how to act at the butterfly house and she was as good as gold. A somewhat rare thing for Ava at 2 1/2. She had a blast and absolutely loved the butterflies. I was amazed at how much she ran through the building with wonder and amazement, all the while carefully holding her fingers up for a hopeful butterfly to land. She talked about the butterflies for weeks after the visit.

You can imagine my excitement as I read that the butterflies would be coming back to our zoo this spring. I invited Livi's playgroup and we caravaned downtown. Knowing how gentle and loving Olivia is by nature, I was sure she would be just as captured by the spirit of the wonderful exhibition with so many gorgeous butterflies everywhere.

Wrong. She freaked. She called them bugs and screamed until I picked her scrawny butt up and perched her on my hip the-entire-time. No amount of explaining that butterflies were in fact the cutest and most gentle of all bugs and they would in no way hurt her would pacify her. Kids? Who ever gets it right?

I enjoyed the butterflies none the less and did my very best to play national geographic photographer with 27 lbs. of Livi on one hip, diaper bag slung over shoulder and camera in the other 3rd hand.

Here is Liv with her little gal pal cronies. Of course trying to get them ALL to pose at one time in one space was not in the cards. The others were behind me either intentionally evading their mothers or or eating snacks behind me as I attempted a picture.

Obviously, this picture was taken before Olivia realized that a trip to visit butterflies meant that she would be in the same room with the dreaded Iflies.










The lovely Miss M thought Olivia's panic was most melodramatic and found satisfaction in bonding with one distinguished yellow butterfly.

And so did Miss E.














You go...ladies. You know these 2 will be explaining the finer points of chrysalis transformation by kindergarten.