This past week, our whole family was sick. First Wyatt, then Paul, then me, and then Greta. What a mess! Aside from feeling bad and the missed work, there were some upsides to staying close to home for most of last week. It gave me time to get some much needed snuggle time in with Wyatt. Not the world's snuggliest baby, he does become very clingy when he's sick. Not that I want Mr. Little to feel bad, but I do love to sleep with him and to hold him all day, and those are activities that almost never happen if Wyatt is in full form. While I am never at a loss when it comes to snuggle time with Greta, I do crave one-on-one time with her recently. With Wyatt's mobility and his being really great at being "little brudder" - - sometimes I have to carve out time to talk with G. Since we were home alone together all day Friday, we had talking time in spades. Over and over again, our talks seemed to revolve around something scientific: the environment, animals, properties of matter, and I could go on. Never having been supremely interested in the sciences, I am finding that I am drawn to these little curiosities in part because talking about them at a three year old level is probably the only time in my life that I'll feel educated enough to teach anyone anything and also because Paul makes science so much more interesting to me than anyone else ever has. I feel very fortunate on this and so many levels that he is the father of our dear children.
Our eldest dear child got to watch some television on Friday morning, and here she is captivated by Animal Planet which taught us more than you'd ever really want to know about prairie dogs, coyotes, bison, and owls. When we got tired of watching nature on television, we headed to our back yard. We've been learning all about birds lately by observing our back yard feeder. Wyatt can now say "bird" and Greta identifies the common birds along with the Tufted Titmouse, Mourning Dove, and Brown Headed Cow Bird. She is really into ornothology, it seems, and is always asking questions about birds, their habitat, their babies, and whether they are nocturnal or not.
And she knows the difference between the bright daddy birds and their more dull-in-color mama bird counterparts.
While we've looked at ladybugs a zillion times, our sick day was the first time G would hold one.
While spending time Friday inside and outside between naps, I happened to notice that we had about a thousand additions to the Booth/Massey home. Greta and I watched the "birth" of our praying mantis babies and were happy that we were at home to see it - - especially given the fact that were we not there to release the babies, they would likely have eaten one another (so said Paul anyway). A few weeks ago, Paul ordered three cocoons containing praying mantis larvae. He wants them for our yard to help with mosquito pest control. We gave one cocoon to our friend, placed one in a tree only to find it missing minutes later, and the third we placed in a jar. Lo and behold, on Friday, the cocoon popped open and we were able to watch the babies pile out. Check back soon for a lengthy video of this cool process.
Can you find the tiny praying mantis?
Enlarge this photo to see dozens of the insects moments after "hatching".
In other scientific endeavors, Greta and I painted the other's nails. Girls have to take intellectual breaks now and again, right?
By Saturday, Paul and Wyatt were feeling perfectly fine, but G and I were still on the mend. We had a very relaxing day at home which included more science. We've had very hungry caterpillars growing in these jars for a few weeks. Once they grew large enough, they began hanging upside down at the tops of the jars. Then within a day or so - - which happened Friday and Saturday - - they each spun their silk and formed crystalids.
Paul and Greta delicately moved each cocoon from the jars into the butterfly house which now hangs in Greta's room. So far, we have no butterflies, but I anticipate their arrival by the weekend.
Finally, there was a long discussion on Friday and Saturday about different states of matter. This conversation got started when I kept reminding Greta to drink plenty of liquids. What's a liquid? Is this a liquid? Is that a liquid? Since we had the time and inclination, Greta and I froze and thawed and steamed water a few times on Friday in hopes of illustrating the three states of matter. Paul drovethe point home a little better, though, on Saturday by making plastic bag ice cream with G and Wy. Here's Greta shaking the cream in the salted ice.
Wyatt's not so sure about all this talk of matter states. And that bag is freezing, dad!
But Wyatt quickly learned - - science, it turns out, is not only fun, it is also delicious! While being sick was by no means welcome, I am glad for moments like these which force us to slow way down and listen to one another, touch one another, and take time to investigate all of our burning questions.
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