A caterpillar adventure

In the words of Nolan, this was the best weekend ever! Sunday morning we decided to go on a little adventure. So we got out the bikes and rode over to one of the parts in our new community. Well, the park was a little young for the boys so they decided they wanted to ride to the bigger park about ½ a mile away and they assured me that they could make the entire trip with no problem!

We get to the park and they are more interested in riding their bikes instead of playing, so they ride. After a while (maybe 10 mins) they say they want to go back. On the way back we had to stop 4 times because Nolan was just too tired and couldn’t go on. He had to rest. After much coaxing, I finally got the boys moving. It’s funny how by rest they get off their bikes and start running. Needless to say it took twice as long to get back than it did to get there. Thank goodness for the distraction of a caterpillar!

Dylan stopped suddenly, jumped off his bike and started screaming….caterpillar! He wanted to keep it, get a shoe box and some leaves and watch it grow into a Monarch butterfly. I told him that we should keep nature in nature and that she (as he told me it was a girl) might not survive in a box in our house. But alas, they cried and I caved. So we fought on the way home about who would carry the caterpillar home.

I gave Dylan a shoebox to make a home for the caterpillar. He assured me that since they were learning about caterpillars at school that he knew what he needed to put in the box. He even put decorations in for the caterpillar….Star Wars action figures, a key and some beads just in case the caterpillar wanted to play. I thought it was sweet. Once the whole box was ready, Nolan asked if he could give her a tour of the house.

He walked around the house with the box describing each room to the caterpillar. I heard him say, “this is my Mom’s room…sometimes I get to sleep in here with her.” I thought it was so sweet. I saw him later with her on the carpet and he said, ”Mom, we need to get her a Halloween costume!”. I tried to explain that she wouldn’t be a caterpillar forever and that by Halloween; hopefully she’d be a butterfly.

This morning, we couldn’t find her. I had told them that we needed to put her outside so she would survive. She was under a leaf not moving very well. Dylan proclaimed her dead and Nolan looked sad. I hope they learn a lesson here that there are a lot of fun things in nature, but they have to stay in nature in order to survive. So tonight when we get home from work, I’m sure we are going to have a memorial service for the caterpillar and I’m sure Nolan will say a few words. Dylan will just keep looking for another one. 

Baseball time!

Nolan is now an official member of the T-ball Little League Team, The Grasshoppers! Ohhhhh! He is so excited! His Dad got him a baseball bag and a bat to put in it, so he wants to carry that around with him every where we go, even into the grocery store. I have to tell him no, the bag is so big he could knock down something. But still he is stoked to be playing.

Our first practice was fun. He had a smile on his face the whole time! He worked so hard to please his coaches and of course wouldn't say anything to them until we were leaving when he rolled down his window and screamed, "bye coach!".

The next day my parents bought Nolan a T to practice with at their house in between games. (We live in an apartment so there is no room to play.) He was so excited that he started playing with it right away. He wanted me to "catch" the balls for him and stay out there and watch him play. I don't mind, but after catching 20 balls, I'm ready to go back inside.

I love how determined he is and how much he enjoys this sport and pretty much every other sport. He listens to what the coaches and I tell him and demonstrates it in how he catches and hits the ball. I'm so excited for the games to start! He may not be the star player, but he is going to have the time of his life! It's going to be awesome!