Butterfly Tree House Part II WE HAVE BUTTERFLY’S

Or as our little girl says “buperfies”!  You can only imagine the excitement in the house today.  The caterpillars formed there chrysalis (caccoon’s) on Friday.  I thought it would take longer for the butterflies to appear.  So I had not started putting flowers in the tree house yet.  At noon my niece tried to open the tree house and I instructed her not to.  At 3pm when my sister-in-law and nephew came to get my nice we had 3 butterflies.  After my niece went home we made an “emergency” trip to the grocery to buy flowers and oranges.  You put a sugar an water concoction on the flowers and just lay the orange slices out.  We fixed up our house then went to TaeKwonDo and came home to find the butterflies ‘munching” on there supper.

My daughter is so excited and the amount of words!!!!  She called one Grandma an clearly said “caccoon,,buperfies,,,,eat”  Her grandma was so excited to hear the words!

So I truly endorse this product.  They said they guarantee that 3 of the 5 caterpillars would form butterflies.  We had 4.  We may not be so lucky next time.  However, this is taping in to speech for my daughter, plus my son totally enjoyed the experience and learned a lot!  He reminded me that we needed to get oranges for them and insisted on getting an entire bag.

Ok,,,enough of the commercial :-)  We plan to keep them for a few days and release them before the weekend.  My butterfly bushes are in full bloom so hopefully that will make a good home for them.

Kindergartan Graduation

Well the big day came and went and it was wonderful and emotional all wound up in one!  Not only was it graduation but it was also the close of our time at the little preschool as our daughter will not be returning there next year.  Our son was very excited about his cap and gown as well as his first tie!  Yup, his first clip on tie.  He was so cute putting on his navy blue paints and light blue dress shirt.  He looks up at me after he is dressed and said “Mommy I look good, I look just like a little man”!  Ahh, yes he did and I felt the tear well up.  He is growing so fast!

The “commencement ceremony” was very cute!  It was all about dinosaur’s.  They said poems and sang songs about the dinosaurs.  Each child had there own line as well.  Our son had to say “which dinosaur had wings and could fly”.  He did so great with his “big” stage performance and said his line loudly and clearly :-)  At the end of the ceremony they moved there tassels from the left to the right and received a certificate.  I have been informed by my little man that I am to frame it :-)  We then came home and had a cookie and about on hour of loud playing before bed time.  The next day was the end of the year program for our daughter.  Again it was an emotional day for me as I said good bye to her teacher.  This teacher has worked very hard with our daughter.  Our daughter has been in her class for 3 years (since 2 day 2’s)  When we started there our daughter did not talk, period, so she has seen her blossom from the scared non-verbal 2 year old to  a more chatty confidant 4 year old.  Our daughter even sang most of the words to the songs in there program and she was louder then some of the older children!

So now we have the summer stretching before us, though it will be shorter then the last summer breaks.  I am happy to have my children home with me all day for a while.  There will be trips to the park, picnics, visits to grandparents etc.  Come August though, they will start full time school and I have no idea what I will do all day!

Butterfly Tree House

OH,,,did I get suckered in!  But this could be fun.  It has always been hard for us to reward our daughter.  Our son readily tells us what new “thing” he wants.  However, do to her Apraxia it has always been a challenge to pick something out for our daughter.  Granted this has been easier in the passed year as she will point to things when we ask her what she wants.  When my sister visited this spring she “scored” a new out fit because she continually said “Nope” to all the dresses my mom and I showed her.  When my older sister picked out an out fit and showed it to our daughter,, her reply was “YUP” so my sister bought it for her.

Now, it is no secret or surprise that I would here her response to the Butterfly Tree House.   My daughter may dress like a princess but in reality she is a tom boy (just has good taste in clothes and likes her tierras ),  she loves bugs.  She really loves butterflies and anything that looks like a worm or snake.  So caterpillars are on her favorite list as well.  Last summer she would dig up worms and chase our son with them by the end of the summer she finally got him to touch one.

A few weeks ago I was making dinner and the kids were watch TV when I heard the “yell” 

“OHH OHH OHHH,,, MOMMY, MOMMY,  ANT DAT, OHH ANT DAT!!!!”  followed quickly by her foot steps as she ran in the kitchen.  She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the living room to see the end of the commercial.  She then pointed to the TV and said “ANT DAT, UTTER FY,,, peas peas”  with the pleases she put her little hands together prayer style.  Her black eyes shining with excitement.  How could I not say YES.

Friday our tree house arrived and we are now the proud parents of 5 caterpillars that are currently eating up the medium in the bottom of the container.  Soon, according to the announcer on TV they should spin there cocoons and then we wait for the Butterfly’s.  The kit included a how to DVD that also tells you how to feed your Painted Lady Butterfly’s.  After we release them we can order more caterpillars.  Soon we will have our neighborhood swarming with Painted Lady Butterfly’s.  And of course being the box also included a catalog with all the other wonderful things we can order from the company as well.  My daughter has already pointed out a tent she would like as well as the frog habitat.

This post will end with a simple TO BE CONTINUED……..

School Decisions,, Part II

Yesterday was my daughters IEP (Individual Education Plan) at the public elementary school.  There were so many people there!  At one point I had to finally ask who the teacher was!  Luckily they thought it was funny and joked about how many people have to attend these meetings.

Other then my crying when they asked about my concerns the meeting went well.  Having a delayed child I am so worried about her getting picked on or “left” behind in the classroom.  I was assured that she would be accepted more coming in young then latter.  We also discussed the fact that she needs more time to answer questions and my need pictures to help her.  As we are discussing all of this the kids are in the back writing on the dry erase board (what ever happened to chalk boards?).  The teachers were amazed at her art skills and the details she puts into faces.

I am now comfortable with our decision to send her on to public school next year.  I will miss the sweetness of the private half day program.  However, the support they can give her in the public school is wonderful and that is what she needs at this point.  The other advantage is may be an easier transition for her as her brother will be starting there at the same time.  Of course, I will need a bucket or two full of kleenex to get through the first day!  But I will make it,,,,the kids will be just fine.