This Is Our Life

We have a new member of the household. A caterpillar found in our backyard garden and brought in on Sunday has now taken up residence in a pickle jar on the breakfast room table. The 5 year old's vote won out and so she is named, "Caroline", which is what the 5 year old has named nearly everything/one she's been privileged to name for a couple years now. The 3 year old lobbied for "Tessie", or maybe he would have spelled it "Tessy"? Doesn't matter, he yielded to Big Sister's wishes and Caroline the Caterpillar it is.

Here's her close-up there on the underside of the leaf:

Did I mention I know nothing about the care or keeping of a caterpillar?

In fact all I really know about caterpillar eating habits and life-cycle came from the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. So, after the first night when she ate nearly all of her nice green leaf, I picked her some more, and threw in an apple slice for good measure. You'll be glad to know I did stop before I added a piece of chocolate cake.

And just when I thought Caroline the Caterpillar may have died, lo and behold, she began creating a silky, weby, cocoon-like thing around herself!

My limited (as in I only had about 6 minutes to devote to it) Internet research tells me it will take at least 2 weeks for the metamorphosis and that in all likelihood, if on the very remote chance that this thing survives to emerge from the cocoon, it will be a moth, rather than a butterfly.

But, we'll take what we can get.

In other "This Is Our Life" moments from the past couple days, the 3 year old managed to get a hold of some dental floss and had big fun before he was caught all tangled in it. Anyone else ever have the feeling they live with Curious George?


And then there was this Kodak moment while baking some cornbread with the 3 year old. And I wonder why when one of gets sick around here we all get sick! Stirring with one hand, licking with the other!



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