Wooly Bear

Drew and Mason found a wooly bear caterpillar in our yard the other day and we fixed him up a luxury suite in his very own Mason jar. I thought it would be fun to observe for a few days and then let him go. Well, the second day we had him he started building a cocoon! I have waited my entire 35 years to see a caterpillar actually live long enough in captivity to form a cocoon. I was so excited I looked it up on-line to see how long the transformation would take, and now I am totally confused. It said that the caterpillar hibernates in the winter and then forms its cocoon in the spring. Well, it isn't winter and it isn't spring so what the heck is this little guy doing? Here are pictures of him building his cocoon(?) and also the finished product. I guess we will just wait and see. . . .

update as of Oct 30th: I thought maybe our little guy died since there wasn't any action happening so I decided to disect the cocoon. I cut it open a little bit and there was a brown thing with a hard shell! Who knows if I really killed it this time, I put it outside in the bushes and hopefully it will survive. If not, I am a caterpillar murderer! I felt horrible when I saw it had really turned in to something. What an incredible thing caterpillars can do.

Who was fooled?

I was nursing Darcy in her room upstairs just before nap time, enjoying the rare peace and quiet without Drew and Mason fighting over the last inch of my lap to sit on, when I heard what sounded like a bat being hit against our sliding glass doors downstairs. The baby monitor was on so I said "Mason, knock it off," in my normal voice because I knew it would come through loud and clear downstairs on the receiver. I thought that was a good trick and it actually worked, no more noises. I was sure that I had just taught my kids that mommy is all knowing, all seeing, and they can't get away with anything, even when mommy isn't in the same room. A few minutes later I heard the usual sounds of fighting and screeching so I did it again, "Hey guys, knock it off, find something else to do besides annoying each other." I was giggling at what I thought their reactions would be to my disembodied voice. I finished up with Darcy and headed downstairs and there on the floor was the baby monitor receiver, turned off. I guess they knew exactly where my voice was coming from and they decide not to listen to me anymore. Now I wonder just who was fooled and who was doing the fooling.

OSU 27 - USC 21

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My Dogs Are Barking!

I finally got in to see a doctor yesterday about the excrutiating pain in my feet that has hobbled me for the past 3 or 4 months. Right now the diagnosis is Plantar Faciitis. THis condition is caused by rapid weight gain (I'm the fattest I've ever been in my life thanks to my third pregnancy), being on your feet all day (I just mentioned I have 3 kids, right?), and wearing shoes with no support (my closet is filled with a rainbow array of Old Navy flip-flops). I wonder how in the world I ever developed this condition. So now I have these ghetto, homemade pads the nurse made for my feet that I am supposed to wear all my waking and walking hours which are very painful, along with the order to wear tennis shoes as much as possible. The pressure on my feet is killing me but I can detect a change in the pain today. Hopefully that means they are getting better? We'll see, I go back to the doctor in 2 weeks. In the mean time, please try not to comment on the big black arrows and the L and R written on my feet. I do know which is the left and which is the right!

She did it!

I was so proud of my Drew! She actually said her part in her very first Primary Program at church on Sunday. She had practiced her part to the point of having it memorized and she said she was going to do it, but when the time came Sunday for her to head up to participate she got cold feet. It took a helpful Primary teacher and an older girl from Primary literally dragging her up front to find her chair. Once there, all we could see was the part in her hair as she decided the best way to deal with sitting in front of all those people was to tuck her chin to her chest and stay that way even if her life depended on looking up. When her turn came up I looked at Paul and mouthed, "There's no way she's going to do it." Then, what do you know, "I can keep my family strong by keeping the Sabbath Day holy." It was loud and clear and totally understandable! To me anyway, since I knew what she was saying. I had tears in my eyes as I realized what a huge step this was for my shy little girl. After she said her part, her head was up and she was even excited about standing up and holding 4 or 5 pictures throughout the rest of the program. WAY TO GO DREW!

Drew the Scholar

Drew started preschool two weeks ago, and seems to be doing well so far. The first day the whole family packed up the car to drop her off at her new home away from home. She was a bit nervous, as was I, but she let us leave her there without any crying or making a scene. I held it together till we got home and I realized that the house just didn't feel right. Her little spirit was missing. Then I bawled for my missing sweetheart. That was the longest 2 hours and 45 minutes of Mason's and my life, waiting to pick her up from school. That was the first time I had left her in the care of someone she wasn't related to. Pathetic, I know. Paul and I need to get out more! A few days ago Drew told me that the bad girl was good today, and the good girl was bad. I wasn't sure what she meant so she explained that a couple girls aren't very nice to her and they won't let her play with certain toys. Well I was ready to head back to her school and have a chat with these little girls who were treating my Drewsy so badly. It hurt me so much to hear that someone would be mean like that for no reason that I could come up with. I have to remember my reason for sending her to preschool this year is for the social interaction and life lessons she needs. Well Drew, and mom, welcome to life. Not everyone is going to like you or even be nice to you but you have to perservere anyway. This morning I had a tailgater the entire way across town that was really bothering me, and wouldn't you know it, they were heading to Drew's school too. They made it inside sooner than we did and when Drew got inside the door she stopped dead in her tracks as the little girl turned to snear at her. Looks like Drew and I need to take on the other mom and daughter in a boxing match to straighten out their attitudes! Hoepfully Drew will come out of this experience much more wiser and well adjusted than her mom is at this moment over the whole ordeal!