Boys are from Mars . . .

On Monday while playing outside I noticed a chrysalis hanging from the tip of our garden hose. I called the kids over to look at it. Then lower on the hose we noticed a caterpillar starting to create a chrysalis. Very cool! So I ran inside for the camera. I took a picture of the completed chrysalis, but just as I went to snap a picture of the caterpillar, Jack came running up and knocked it off the hose with a shovel. While I appreciated his desire to protect me, I tried to explain to him that he did not need to kill everything that moved. Ten minutes later he came over to me with this stuff all over his hands. He had squashed the chrysalis. *sigh* Boys are so different! The girls and I had a wonderful conversation about how caterpillars become butterflies, then they went off leaving the chrysalis and caterpillar alone. Jack's instinct was to attack one and take the other one apart.


We have spent a lot more time playing outside since Simon's arrival. Granted that may be due in part to the odd change in weather (the temperatures have dropped dramatically this week because of storms we've had), but I think it's mostly because of Simon. There have been several changes due to Simon. The downstairs is staying cleaner as the kids learn that toys and stuffed animals left on the floor might get chewed, we've gone on family walks almost every day, the kids' sleep schedule is almost back to where it needs to be for school as they have been waking up early to see the dog and then crashing at night because they are tired from running around in the yard. Rob and I are thinking this is a good thing :)

Simon has gotten a bit more enthusiastic as the days go by and he is not taken back to the vet he was boarded at. He LOVES playing outside and just running around, rolling in the grass, or chasing bugs. He is making friends with the dogs next door and they run up and down along the fence playing with each other. He is still pretty well behaved for a puppy and only had a few accidents the first day or two - mostly due to Rob's or my inexperience at dealing with dogs (not leaving him out long enough or not letting him out without kids hanging onto his collar). He thinks the cats are great and would love to play with them, however they do not share his enthusiasm and spend their time shooting us dirty looks and hanging out where Simon can't get them. Megan is really doing a great job of taking care of him. She makes sure he gets fed, takes things away when he gets a hold of things he shouldn't, refills his water dish, and sleeps next to his crate at night on a little mat. She even makes sure the back yard stays cleaned up. Her sense of responsibility really amazes me. She definately deserves her dog!



Kylie pushed Beth on the swings the other day. I thought it was sweet and snapped a picture :)


The kids have been so active lately, they are really tired at night. Last night after their bath, Jack and Beth fell asleep watching tv. Notice Jack's shoes (on the wrong feet) - he LOVES wearing shoes and puts them on himself.


On a completely different note, remember the haircut I gave Rob a few weeks ago? Well after the fact I was told that the missionaries had told Rob if they had five baptisms, he needed to get a military haircut. He got that haircut just a few weeks after the fifth baptism - lol :) I swear I had no idea :) Rob has actually decided he likes having short hair. It's much easier to take care of. I don't think we will go quite that short again, but I think his hair is going to stay on the short side.