Butterfly Whisperer

This is one of those little stories that was an everyday occurrence, nothing earth shattering, but a really sweet memory so I want to remember it.

We have a flowering plant in the backyard that we noticed was attracting butterflies, and there were several caterpillars on the branches of the tree. The butterflies are beautiful orange monarchs, and the caterpillars are striped and very distinct looking. I found the bush online, and it's called butterfly milkweed and does indeed attract and feed monarch caterpillars and butterflies.

We came home from school one day last week and saw a butterfly stuck on the front path, not really able to move. She obviously had something really wrong with her wing or a leg but of course I am no expert in butterflies and when Ella started yelling "WE HAVE TO HELP HER! WE HAVE TO HELP HER!" I really didn't have any ideas of what we should be doing. But, Ella wasn't going to be dissuaded so I told her that we could transport the butterfly around the back of the house, to the butterfly bush, and maybe that would help her health.
















It was clear the butterfly was trying really hard and she started flapping her wings and being able to fly a few inches, then a few feet at time. Ella was really gentle and kept delicately picking her up and then when she'd start flying she'd squeal loudly about how much she was helping her and how much the butterfly liked her. We made it halfway around the side of the house and the butterfly took off - she flew straight up and landed on a tree branch. Ella was so excited that she had "saved" her :)

Halloween Party

Here are some cute pictures from a Halloween party we went to a few weeks ago. 

This was Ella's "back-up" costume which she ended up wearing no less than six times before Halloween - as she calls it, she's a "skull witch."

So cute on the slide with Phoebe

Painted face - with a skull of course!

Little cuties

The girl who Ella is with in this picture, she had just met at the party, but really hit it off with her. On the way home she said to me "Oh Mommy, I really wish that Olivia was my sister." I said "she couldn't be your sister, I am way too young to be her mom."  Ella's reply: "Sorry Mommy, if she was my sister, you'd have to be."  Ha, defeated by my 4 year old's logic once again!

Fall Festival

Our fall fun continued once we got back home - here is Ella showing off some of her Halloween decorations - she did almost all of this herself and was not open to suggestions on altering her display in any way!

That morning we went to a Fall Festival at a church nearby for pumpkin picking. It was not a real farm but they had brought in many pumpkins and had plenty of things to do, so Ella was in her element and had a great time. 

And she is wearing a Priority Mail sticker because we were at the post office earlier and she insisted on a sticker :)

Trip to NC

Once again I am very behind in my blogging, and have so much to catch up on!

In early October Ella and I went to NC to visit family in Charlotte, and so that I could go to my office for a few days.  Ella was beyond excited and could think of nothing else for the weeks leading up to our trip. We were able to see Mom and Glenn, Dad and Donna, and Erin, Josh and Cameron  And it was even more special because Gee-Gee came in for the weekend. 

Reunited at long last!!

These two are really just the cutest together, they are inseparable buddies and love each other so much.

On Saturday we did our first pre-Halloween activity and headed to a pumpkin patch.

Later that day, having more fun together, chasing bubbles and bouncing

On Sunday we went to Dad and Donna's and had a great time with them, and of course Ella and Cameron continued their fun. 

Getting a push on the swings from Grandad

Feeding the fish

Being silly with Grandma and Grandad

This was so sweet - Ella with her arm around Cameron rubbing his back on the couch

On Sunday afternoon, decorating pumpkins from the pumpkin patch

 

Great picture of Mom, Glenn, Gee Gee and Ella

Sidewalk chalk with Grampy 

I drove over to Raleigh on Sunday evening, and then Mom and Glenn took Ella and Cameron to Great Wolf Lodge on Monday to continue the party weekend!

Mom and Ella had two days together at Great Wolf Lodge for some very fun Grammy-Ella time.

Storytime with Violet

With "Bones" - Ella loves skeletons and they couldn't pass up this amazing deal :)

When they got back on Wednesday afternoon, Mom took Ella to pick Cameron up from school -- could they be any more precious?!

It was so nice knowing that Ella was having such a wonderful time while I got in a few days in the office (and some great time with girlfriends in the evenings!) I drove back to Charlotte on Wednesday after work, and then we flew home on Thursday afternoon. As always we were sad to leave, but happy to get home to Steve and so glad to have been able to go and have such a wonderful time seeing everyone. 

Picture Post

Here are a bunch of pictures from the last month or so, our last few weeks in the apartment and first few weeks since we've moved. 

Ella's first night of her new gymnastics class

Aunt Erin sent a surprise - a cute Hello Kitty necklace for Ella (here she is holding it, and notice the shirt she happened to be wearing the day it arrived!)

The necklace came in this little decorative box, and I discovered she was sleeping with it the next morning

Looking adorable

Fun in the (not-so-hot) hot tub one day last week after dinner

I went to her school for their cultural day where they made a "unity circle" and sang "It's a Small World" many times. Here she is with one of her best buddies from school.

Having lots of fun at a slip-and-slide birthday party

At another birthday party, swinging with Jake (I love their expressions!)

Driving around

Looking precious, yet again in a Hello Kitty shirt (I promise, she has a whole dresser full of shirts but has a very short-list of her "favorites"!!)

A 'first' - she colored a picture for a boy in her class. I was very surprised. She told me she wanted to make him a picture, wrote his name on it and everything and then brought them to him the next day. When I picked her up, the first thing she told me was how much he liked her picture and that he wanted her to make him another one - YIKES!

Pretty sunrise in the neighborhood when I was walking Cory one morning

Successful trip to the dentist -- no cavities and a goody bag!