What We Do Between Appointments

Someday, someday, we'll have less PT to go to (already down to just 1x per week and it's made for more Mommy and F time) and fewer doctor appointments and less of the sort of crummy stuff that's cluttered our lives the last few months. We do manage to squeeze in some fun stuff every once in a while though...

Like our friend Haaken. The few who know how F and Lexie and Ava played will appreciate his friendship with Haaken. They have that easy play style where they just get along, no fighting or problems with sharing, have and lots of cooperative play. It's that dream playdate where as a parent you can sit back and enjoy watching a couple of kiddos learn from and teach each other. He lives farther away than Lexie and Ava did so we don't get to see him as often, but boy oh boy F sure hops around on days he knows we'll see Haaken.
It's still winter here. Snowy. There's a snow pile in our back yard that's been there since October. I don't EVER remember a winter like that. However, I hear stories that the winter of '06-07 was like this, we were off gallivanting around Ireland and Europe and missed it. Normally snow sticks around Denver for, oh, a day and then is gone. Over the last couple of weeks we've had a serious of little snows and I've just ignored the piles of snow on the deck. FFM asked if he could go outside and 'shobel.' Absolutely! Hmmm, in about two years I think I'll have a hard time getting him to go out and do this...

He also got a nifty hat from Grammie PenPen that he finally decided to wear. She picked it up on her trip to Peru last year and she kindly sewed a fleecy liner in it so it would be nice and soft.
Grammie PenPen is here again for a couple of days along with her friend Ruth Ann. We all went up north to the Butterfly Pavillion today. Two giant busloads of field-trippers unloaded just as we got there and they were eating lunches. FFM was POSITIVE he needed to sit down with them and eat his snack.

The Butterfly Pavilion is a pretty nifty place. There are exhibits with all kinds of insects, and they're all right at kid height or have step stools nearby so little guys can tap on the glass. The giant millipede was popular as were all the hairy spiders. FFM was disappointed that you had to be 3 to hold Rosie the tarantula, but was quickly appeased by the on-the-ball handler who gave him a giant sticker.

Of course the big draw at the Butterfly Pavilion is the tropical garden full of, yup, butterflies. This room is fantastic this time of year (it's REALLY dry in Colorado) because it feels sort of like you're suddenly transported to, say, tropical Mexico or Queensland. Nice and warm and humid. If you're lucky a butterfly will land on you, they flutter all around and everywhere you look there is a kaleidoscope of whirling color, and you feel like you've got butterflies in your hair there are so many of them.

FFM and Ruth Ann...

Electric blue butterfly the size of a saucer

FFM could not stay still, and I finally figured out he was actually chasing specific butterflies.

I remember when the Butterfly Pavilion was built and I thought it was a bizarre business plan. Really, how many people are going to want to go look at butterflies? But I've been several times now since it was new, this is the first time with FFM, and I'm happy to say it's still great, still going strong, and still full of bugs and butterflies.