WE HAVE BUTTERFLIES...

If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can scroll down and see the development of our little fluttery friends. It’s hard to get a good picture of them, but you get the point.

In this picture you can see there are two that have left their cocoons, one that is slowly making his way out and one that is still sleeping soundly.

Just 20 days after these little caterpillars arrived in our mailbox, they are now beautiful butterflies. It’s been a little creepy but a lot of fun to watch them go through their stages. Alyssa is starting to learn about butterflies in her class and this has really helped her understand everything.

If anyone is looking for a good Christmas gift, I would highly recommend the Live Butterfly Garden. It’s affordable, fun & Educational. I have also found a website that you can order many different caterpillars from. So even after these butterflies have gone, we can continue to raise different species.

All good things must come to an end...

We finished celebrating Dan’s birthday last night. After dinner, Alyssa and I decorated the homemade German Chocolate Cake. I did the frosting while Alyssa used icing to paint a Seahawk on it. After she did her Seahawk cheer ;) we sang Happy Birthday… then Dan struggled while trying to blow out his trick candles. Alyssa was laughing so hard!

Happy Birthday Danny Joe!!

We love you more then words can say…

I’m wishing you another year
Of laughter, joy and fun,
Surprises, love and happiness,
And when your birthday’s done,
I hope you feel deep in your heart,
As your birthdays come and go,
How very much you mean to me,
More than you can know.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!!

Today is Dan’s 32nd Birthday!! We spent the whole weekend celebrating…
Our original plan was to have a FODANNA Hoedown Cowboy/Cowgirl Birthday party to celebrate Fonso, Dan & Anna’s Birthday. Unfortunately due to a family emergency the party got canceled so plans were changed.

Friday night after picking up Alyssa, we went to Breck & Carrie Ivy’s for dinner and pumpkin carving. Chad & Katie also came over with their kids. We had a great dinner and Breck made brownies for Dan’s Birthday. The pumpkins turned out great…

Katie Corsack, Alyssa and I got the pleasure of gutting the pumpkins while the men did the carving. Alyssa drew a picture of what she wanted her pumpkin to look like and then Dan helped her carve it.

It was a little challenging trying to get a good picture of them, but you get the idea…

Saturday morning we woke up, I made a big breakfast for the 3 of us and then we played Mickey Mouse Monopoly ALL MORNING LONG!! (and still haven’t finished the game). We took Alyssa to her dad’s so they could carve pumpkins and then Alyssa went to her friends Halloween Party later that night. Dan and I met a bunch of friends at the Yardarm for dinner and drinks.

I love Dan's smile in this picture!!

Around 8:30pm we headed downtown Seattle to go to a comedy show at the Comedy Underground. We met Anna, Charlie and their friends in Seattle (it was also Anna’s Birthday). The show was great… the poor woman performer was not funny at all. It was awkward and embarrassing for everyone. Luckily, the main act did make up for it. After the show, a lot of people ended up going home while we decided to continue the fun. Dan, Nick, Julie, Andrew, Karri and I went to a dive bar in Des Moines. Then we went back to Nick’s place for a while.

Sunday morning Dan went to the track with Aaron while I got stuff done around the house. Then I met up with Nicole for Sushi and did some grocery shopping. I made a nice big thanksgiving style dinner for Dan. Then Alyssa and I started making him a Homemade German Chocolate Cake. Alyssa surprised Dan with a card and she's very excited to finish decorating his cake. We will finish the celebration tonight with cake and ice-cream and hopefully get somewhere on our Monopoly game. Dan said he’s never had a birthday weekend before… When he woke up this morning and I wished him a Happy Birthday, he said it doesn’t even feel like his birthday today.

Thank you to everyone who was able to be part of his birthday. I know it means a lot to him, We hope you had as much fun as we did!!

Live Butterfly Garden - Part 2

Day Nine – Friday, October 17th - The caterpillars have been able to work their way to the top of the container. Under the lid is a piece of fabric for them to hang from. This is where they will build their cocoon.

Day Thirteen - Tuesday, October 21st – Over the weekend the caterpillars created their cocoon. It was so amazing to watch them do this. They should stay like this for a little over a week!

We moved them to their new home. That way when they emerge from the cocoon, they’ll have a safe place to live. To move them, you take the piece of material from underneath the lid and pin it to the top of the net.

Now we just wait for them to come out as beautiful butterflies. Should be any day now!!!

Dan and I went to Alyssa's Parent/Teacher Conference on Tuesday. For the most part things are going great. MUCH to my surprise (or not) Alyssa seems to be a social butterfly. I have no idea where she got that from *guilty grin* Even the teacher said it's so hard to punish someone for talking too much, we've all done it. But that doesn't make it right. Other then that, she seems to be doing great. Her reading skills are getting better and better. We do need to focus more on what they call "AR BOOKS" Which are the books that she is tested on in class to see how well she understands the story and the structure of the story. She is doing great in math as far as understanding numbers and how to solve problems, But the teacher wants her to stop using her fingers to count. So that is our goal. Her teacher said that she has been doing a great job around the class, helping other students and setting good examples. So hopefully she'll be able to move her desk away from the front of the class very soon =/

Alyssa and her teacher sat down before the conference and came up with a list of goals that Alyssa would like to work on. We are very excited to help her reach her goals. We are so proud of what an amazing little girl she is.

We took her to dinner at Route 66 in Orting before the meeting. It is a small pizza place. She got to personalize her very own pizza. Which means she got to pick the toppings then they brought them out for her to build her own pizza before they cooked it.

Last Saturday we got together with some friends for an Adult Game Night. It was at Chris Gourley's house with his girlfriend Sarah, her sister Anna and husband Charlie and their friends Kyle and Jill, Chris's stepbrother Walter also showed up with a guest. We had a great time playing Pictionary (the girls were winning so the game ended before it was done) and Jenga.

Live Butterfly Garden - Part 1

My sister bought Alyssa a Live Butterfly Garden. The kit comes with a Net Cage and a mail order card. You place your order on the card, send the company $6 and they send you a small cup with caterpillars in it. Our cup came with 5 small caterpillars. At the bottom of each cup is some brown goop. Almost like peanut butter. This is what the caterpillars eat. Under the lid of the cup is a layer of material for the caterpillars to cling to when they are ready to make their cocoon. You can also notice the silk they spin in the jar. It almost looks like spider webs. They use the silk to move around in the jar.
Day One – Thursday, October 9th - Caterpillars come in a safe box

I put a penny in front of them so you can get an idea of how small they are. You can also see the little guy in the middle who stood up to pose just in time for the picture.

Day Two – Friday, October 10th – They seem to have grown already!!

Day Six – Tuesday, October 14th – They continue to grow really fast, we can tell that they’re getting close to cocoon stage. They have almost tripled in size.

Day Seven – Wednesday, October 15th – We are curious to see how these big guys are all going to fit at the top of the container when they build their cocoons. It’s unbelievable how fast they grow.

Check back for updates!!

I grew up in Kettle Falls, a very small town in Eastern, WA. So when I moved over here, I also moved away from my family. It’s not always easy making it over to see them, so it’s a big treat when they can make it over here. This last weekend my Grandpa (from Kettle Falls), My Aunt Robin (from Vancouver, WA), my Aunt Wendy (from Alaska) and her friend came to town. We all hung out Saturday at my Aunt Myrna’s house in Federal Way. Then we went out to eat at Jimmy Macks Roadhouse. I just love that place, but it is hard to get use to the fact that it’s completely acceptable to throw your peanut shells on the ground. Their rolls are to die for. After dinner Dan and I went to Shane & Rachel Coburn’s Birthday Party. Sunday was of course full of football and cars, while we waited for Alyssa to come home from hunting. Her dad took her to eastern, WA for her first hunting trip. She even got a chance to shoot a milk jug. I was nervous for her to go but I try to realize that I can’t be so protective. She needs to explore. I was not settled the whole weekend until I was able to hold her in my arms. She said she had fun, but it was way too cold.

Sunday was also my dad’s Birthday!! I wish I could spend every birthday with him. Yet another hard part about living away from close family.
I was fighting a cold last week, so I haven’t been able to go to the gym as much as I would like. I am starting to feel better and more than anxious to get back in there!!

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.

Friday night we met up with Pete and Tina and went to Jules Maes in Seattle to watch Bullitt County perform. They were supposed to be the 2nd band to play, so we decided to get there a little late. Unfortunately they went on first, so we missed most of their show. Our friend Jason plays the bass for the band (he is the one who gave us Seahawks tickets for the 28th). It was our first time seeing them. Very entertaining and great stage chemistry. We were able to hang out with all of them afterwards which made up for the fact that we missed most of their performance. Check them out: www.myspace.com/bullittcounty

Saturday morning Dan and I woke up and went out for breakfast. He headed to his dad’s to get some work done on his car, while I went home and relaxed. (what a weird feeling that was) That afternoon my friend Acacia came down to visit. Acacia and I have known each other since Elementary School, we both moved to this area but never get around to seeing each other. I think the last time I saw her was at Tasha and Rowdy’s wedding years ago!! So, it was a much needed visit. We went out to Sushi and then back to my place for wine and a haircut. She just graduated from the Aveda Institute of Cosmetology, so I was eager to see what she could do. Dan came home that night and surprised me with a bouquet of flowers he hand picked for me out of his dad's garden!!! LOVE!!

Dan and I got up bright and early Sunday morning to get ready for Pete & Tina to come over and watch the game. The night before we had made our Bloody Mary recipe.. we were just waiting on Pete to bring the vodka.

Tina wasn’t feeling good, so she didn’t come over. It was just me, Dan & Pete. Dan made Buffalo wings and I made chili. We also had pita chips, humus, salsa, chips, etc.
Needless to say, our weekend was great… we got to catch up with some few long lost friends and we were even able to relax a little bit.