Aaaaa...The Beach!!

We woke up to a beautiful day in Holland, and what better way to spend the day than at the beach! Sorry to all of you who don't have one nearby because it is absolutely breathtaking at times. Definitely better than spending the day cleaning the house. Sadly, the fun can last for only so long. We're home now which means the clean-up begins!

Butterflies Galore!!

Our family loves butterflies, but Kyler lives for butterfly season. He scouts out trees, bushes, and flowers everyday in hopes of finding them....or at least their little caterpillar offspring. His favorite butterfly to raise is the Monarch, and we are raising quite a few right now. Here are a few photos of the caterpillar in different life stages. It's really quite amazing to watch them develop from a minuscule egg, to a creeping caterpillar, and finally to a beautiful 4 or 5 inch Monarch butterfly.

Barbeques & Beaches

Father's Day this year started off with Kevin at work (as is the case most days), but he was able to slip away for an hour to come teach Elder's Quorum and get cookies the Relief Society. I'm pretty sure the cookies were a slightly stronger motivator than teaching was. Kevin's hour long visit also enabled Jordan to sing him his Father's Day song that was missed during Sacrament Meeting. Aaaaa, the sweet, operatic voice of a 6 year old.

Around 5 o'clock that night Kevin was able to come home where we put him to work barbecuing for all of us. I'm pretty sure my dad thought that was a backwards deal, but quite honestly you wouldn't want me cooking on a barbecue. Unless you like your burgers blackened and charred, I'd be better off sticking indoors with an oven by my side.

After a quick and easy meal we walked around the State Beach on hunt for caterpillars. Can I just say, it is AWESOME living next to Lake Michigan. Talk about nature at it's best. It is absolutely breathtaking! Our beach has bunches of milkweed, which is the only plant Monarch caterpillars eat. Kyler loves to scout them out every day in hopes of finding a couple. That evening, we ended up finding 3 baby Monarchs that we toted home to raise. We're up to 7 now, and I'm happy to report, all seem healthy and fine as of today. That was not the case with our last batch where all 11 died of a bacterial infection. Somebody really should buy me a pair of scrubs. I'm pretty sure I am now qualified for an honorary Monarch Nursing Certificate from whomever may offer one. Their bound to be found somewhere on this planet. Seriously, I've learned way too much about parasites and diseases of caterpillars lately. I am now in the know-how for checking all sorts of nasty infections these little insects can carry. Somebody at least say eeewwww for me! It is not always a pleasant (or sweet smelling) experience!

At least caterpillars are easy to clean and typically easy to care for. All they require is a small space and a leaf to eat. Can you imagine living on a diet of lettuce leaves all day and being completely content. Just munch, munch, munch for a few weeks, then when you are feeling too fat for your own good, create a chrysalis to hide out in for a couple of weeks, and BOOM, emerge a beautiful butterfly. What a life! Well, except for the fact that they have an incredibly short lifespan. The average butterfly only lives for 2-3 weeks after going through that major transformation. Oh well, caterpillars are the best my kids can hope for since mom has banned all other living creatures in her house. Man, I can be tough when it comes to that!

Have a pleasant day, and I hope you are able take a moment to notice some of Heavenly Father's beautiful creations around you.

Love,
Tami

"Cooking Mama"

I have a 3 year old who is borderline obsessed with cooking. It's so bad, he refers to himself as "Cooking Mama" after his favorite Nintendo DS game. The other night he decided he wanted to make us all spaghetti. No need to call DCFS on me...we made sure to turn the stove off while he cooked, but how funny is this kid. He even taste tests his creations as he goes. I must admit, the dinner was pretty tasty, so kudos to you kid...my future Chef Caleb!

Happy Daddy's Day!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you dad's out there, but especially to my own hubby, Kevin. And of course to my dad and my father-in-law! My kids are perhaps the luckiest kids alive because they have an outstanding dad. They would be the first to tell you they think he is pretty cool! He manages to take all 3 fishing on his own (since mom can't stand it) and hasn't lost one yet (boys that is, not fish!!). That's a pretty major feat in and of itself. He's the one to take them on bike rides to search for caterpillars in dozens of Milkweed plants, and he'll throw them into Lake Michigan (which may sound like a punishment to some, but my oddballs happen to love 50 degree water...go figure.). He will also curl up with them on the bed to read stories, have "boys only" movie nights when mom is at an Enrichment meeting, and ease their fears during thunderstorms or on the first day of the new school year. He's pretty terrific, and we are all lucky to have him in our family! XOXOXO