An Uninvited Guest at Our Picnic

And a very rude one, too. This zebra swallowtail manged to invade our little lunch at the beach on Tuesday. For some unknown reason (actually, I think I do know the reason), it really wanted to sit on Katie Mei's swimming pants and wouldn't take no for an answer. Katie Mei was patient, but less than pleased at having this clingy friend. Merrilee, on the other hand, was very much wanting the butterfly to come after her, but it just wasn't going to happen. It made for an interesting ten minutes, but eventually I had to pick Katie Mei up and take her away from the scene because the butterfly was really getting annoying. I never thought I'd see the day I wanted to swat a butterfly.

As to my guess why the butterfly was so obsessed with Katie Mei's pants.... Well, she had peed in them before we got to the beach (notice the crotch hold in the first photo), and my research on the zebra swallowtail tells me that they like to drink livestock urine to obtain salts and minerals. I don't imagine a butterfly would know the difference between livestock and my daughter, so I'm going to go with the theory that our unwelcome friend was looking for a little nutrition. Ick. Kinda makes you want to swear off butterflies, doesn't it?

Enjoy the last few days of spring.

Petrie

Li'l Swimmer and More

Katie Mei has taken to water like a little duck. She's just the right height that she can stand in the pool without aid, and she seems to be perfectly comfortable even when the other kids are splashing all around her. She's taken a couple accidental dips when her face has gone under, but she doesn't get upset and cry.

In this video she was pushing her fish around on a float, and Merrilee started coughing in the background. Katie Mei decided to mimic her for the rest of the video.

This is pretty much more of the same, but she's too cute not to show another video.

Merrilee has been doing very well in her gymnastics class, but unfortunately we're not allowed to take photos during class. A couple weeks ago I was talking to a friend during class and looked up just long enough to see Merrilee dangling in the air. I grabbed my cell phone and managed to snap this photo from the parents' waiting room doorway. Not a great photo, but I was so impressed that I had to at least try to capture the moment. Seconds later, she let go and dropped into the cushioned pit below.

And finally, a photo of Jacob with his handsome smile. Daddy took Jacob on a little vacation to NC this week. See you next week, Jacob!

Hugs,

Petrie

Good-Bye, Grandpa John

Jay's dad passed away last night. It wasn't a total shock to us; he's been in and out of the hospital a few times already this year. His health, or what there was of it, was failing. But no matter how prepared you are for a death, it's never easy to let go and say good-bye.

John, or JB to many of us, was a bit of an enigma. He put on a show of being tough and mean, but he was a tender, caring man when he was put on the spot. There are family stories of how he provided Christmas gifts for a child who wasn't his own, but was in need. He offered advice to Jay throughout his healthier years whenever Jay called on him, especially when Jay and I were first married and were trying to get ourselves established. He could cook too; JB would whip up a great pot of chicken and dumplings when we came to visit, and often made the potato salad for our family reunions. There are so many sides to this man, whom I only knew for 22 years. Unfortunately, when I first met him, his health was already declining, so I never got to know him in his more robust days. But I do love to listen to the family stories.

My two older children remember their last visit to Grandpa John in 2007. Merrilee has prayed for him and laments his passing. We will miss him, and I am thankful I got to know him.

Good-bye, Grandpa John. We love you and will cherish the time we had with you.

Love,
Petrie and the kids

Nothing new going on

I don't have anything exciting and fun to add today, but wanted to just post a few photos from the past couple weeks. I don't feel motivated to blog lately; I think I'm getting tired and need some time of refreshment, but that's going to have to wait a few more weeks. Merrilee has one more week of school and then we're going to call an end to first grade. She can finish the few pages in her math book over the summer, and can read her one last reading book at her leisure. She reads so much for pleasure now that I don't see much benefit in forcing her to read that last reading book according to a schedule.

Since I last blogged, we've had warm days and cold rainy days. The kids have been able to get in the pool a few times and the water was really beginning to warm up, but after the past two day of rain and temps in the 60s, the water is cold again. This is a very frustrating spring as far as weather goes. Even my vegetable garden is suffering for it despite all the rain.

Anyway, here are a few photos to keep my blog audience coming back for more.

Sunny day--crafts outside

Rainy day--Katie Mei helps Jacob work the joystick on his V-Tech game

Sunny Day--Jacob still can't blow up balloons, but he sure can fill them with spit!


Rainy day--Play-doh makes mighty fine jewelry for a two-year old

Sunny Day--Getting used the the cold water in the kiddie pool.

Hope to have better blogging entertainment for you in the next week or so.

Love,

Petrie