Max the Lepidopterist and Theo the Fantasist

30Jul
Max the Lepidopterist and Theo the Fantasist
On our way from Asheville to the Shenandoah National Park, we broke for lunch at your typical roadside fast food joint. We unloaded the kids and began to walk into the restaurant when Max stopped dead in his tracks. Then he broke free of my mommy-parking-lot-handgrip (no small feat) and went racing back to the car yelling and pointing.Before I could scream at him about parking lot safety, he was pulling a dead butterfly out of the grill of my husband’s truck. Awesome. Of course the adults wanted to toss the thing and head in to wash hands and eat. But the look on Max’s face let us know that the butterfly was here to stay.

I was made to put it into tupperware for the rest of the trip. Over the next few days he proceeded to build it a ‘nest’ with hay found on a hike, and decorate the tupperware with beloved Berenstain Bear stickers.

The butterfly rests peacefully each night next to the nightlight in their bedroom. He is calling it a pet which is cute, but also a little sad.

Theo has paid no attention whatsoever to Max’s butterfly. Instead, his nature commentary that week was of a different sort altogether.

We got to see a couple of bears while in Shenandoah National Park (calm down–we were in the car).

When Jeremy asked if he should get closer to get a better picture, I explained that where there is a cub, there is a mother bear hiding near by, so he had better keep his distance.

Theo: Why is the momma bear hiding?
Me: Because she is scared of humans.
Theo: Oh…so bears AND fairies are scared of humans?
Me: Yes, son.

I wish I had some nature anecdote about Wes, but we are just not there yet. Suffice it to say he sure is easy to carry on a hike.

For now.

 

2 Comments

  1. PapPappy

    Is the butterfly actually alive?
    It’s great that the kids have such a love of nature….at least they didn’t bring home some of the lizards that are some common down here….when I was in NJ, we called them Chameleons, but down here they are Anoles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_anole)…
    We used to catch them….much to my Mother’s disproval….until one got out of the box we had it in, and climbed up her leg in the car! OOPS!!!!

    I’m kind of sad…thinking that your trip is almost over….I enjoyed every blog!

    Reply
  2. Lively Little Campers

    Sadly the Butterfly is not alive. Max’s love of nature led him to try and pick up a bee today that then proceeded to sting him. We are actually home now–we still have to put up about two more posts about our stop in Virginia which was nice. We are actually overdoing it this summer and heading back out on the road to Vermont next week! I am starting to wonder if we are spending too much time away from home!

    Reply

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