Pictures

Our new back porch and furniture
Wendy my dads new dog
Ethan and Alex eating ice cream cones
Alex playing with Wendy

Time to Catch Up

Sorry It has been forever since I last posted. We have been pretty busy with birthday parties, weddings, showers, work, etc. So let me catch up.
Alex had her 1 year and 6 month check up with the Dr. Everything went well as always. She is right on track with her development. She has grown a couple more inches (33 1/2) and has stayed the same weight (29lbs). The dr advised we are to expect her to start learning new words, putting sentences together and making more sense. Her next appointment is when she turns 2. Alexandra is still keeping us on our toes. She has learned a few more words which include "Watch, Boobies, Car, Bird, Out, Belly, Please, Thank you and Ewwww". She also says "Bye, See ya". She enjoys pulling up your shirt to show you your own belly. She also knows all the parts on a face; eyes, cheeks, hair, head, ears, mouth, teeth and nose. We are working on our alphabet now. She still loves music and sings all the time. At daycare they sing rhymes and dance to songs so she is always humming something. We love to play and sing Ring around the Rosie.
For Mothers Day Doug bought me a a beautiful dark purple Clematis that I planted in the back yard up against the fence. I am hoping to train it to grow along the fence. Now Doug wants me to plant another one on the opposite side of the yard.
Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday I was sick with the flu. Thursday I came home from work aching with a fever. I had tried to take Airborne throughout the day but it didnt work. Doug kept me locked up in our bedroom away from him and Alexandra. Friday we had plans to go to Carb day but didnt make it because I was still sick. I spent my day in bed. Saturday I made myself get out of bed and go outside. I only lasted a few minutes before I was back in bed aching and sweating with the cold chills. By Saturday evening my fever had broke. Sunday I woke up feeling almost 100% better except I was very weak and no appetite. By Tuesday I returned to work feeling much better.
Over the holiday weekend we bought a table and chair set for our back yard and also built a patio using large decorative blocks. We were able to set up everything and now spend most of our evenings eating dinner outside. Alex loves it because she can also set up her picnic table outside with us. Now we are planning to continue building a flower/hosta border along the side of the patio including a water fountain. This weekend we will be working on that. Doug also helped out neighbors Nick and Renee build their patio.
Memorial Day Alex and I spent a few hours visiting PaPaw Buchanan and cousin Ethan. We went to the Memorial Day parade in Acton. Alex had her first icecream cone. I even let her hold it herself. She definitely made a mess of it. We also got to play with my dads new dog Wendy. She is an Australian Shepherd he adopted from another family. Alex absolutely loved her.
This weekend plans include a graduation party, bachelorette party and work in the yard. Depending on the weather, I might take Alex to the pool in the addition for her first swim of the season.
I have lots and lots of pictures that I will post soon.

Buh-Bye Butterflies

Early this week our caterpillars started to hatch out of their chrysalids. We came home to three butterflies in their cage on Tuesday. We fed them orange slices and paper towel soaked in sugar water. As the days passed, the colors in their wings got brighter and thicker. The next day a forth one hathed. It took a few more days and the fifth one on the bottom of the cage started to hatch. I had a feeling there would be a problem with this lil guy since he never climbed the cup walls as a caterpillar. After a day of so the butterfly still had not completely come out. So I assisted him and got the rest of the chrysalid off him. His wings seemed a lil disformed. He also wouldnt walk, like his legs didnt work. So I placed him on the orange. Today we let our beautfiul friends go. The fifth lil guy didnt seem to do very well flying so we placed in the lilac bushes on the sugar soaked paper towel.

This was a lot of fun and we hope to continue it every year as Alex gets older. Doug and I especially had fun with it. I think Im ready to grow some lady bugs or earthworms next. Or we could try growing praying mantis' or frogs. But you will definitely NOT see me grow any spiders. We have enough already.

Butterflies

Here are a few pictures of the butterflies we are growing. Originally they came to us in the mail as caterpillars. They stayed in a sealed cup with food on the bottom. The literally grew about 5 xs their original size. They kinda got ugly too with white spikes on their backs. After about 2 weeks they crawled to the top and formed into chrysalids. One of the caterpillars couldnt climb to the top so he stayed on the bottom and made his lil coccoon. We then placed them in their home with is a mesh cage. In about 10 days they will start to hatch as butterflies. We will then feed them carnations soaked in sugar water, watermelon and orange slices. We will then let them go outside after a week or so. Right now the lil guys are just "hanging" out in their habitat. I will take some more pictures and post when they start emerging from their chrysalids.