Taking flight.

Today I thought we'd do something different.

I called a friend and we decided to take the kids to the little butterfly conservatory near us. Get a quick tour, learn some interesting tidbits about butterflies, and then go into the flight area to get an up-close peek.

When I asked her, Juliana thought it would be a great idea.

So off we went this morning, all piled into one van, for the 1/2 hour drive to see the butterflies. We got there 20 minutes before the tour started (good luck, not necessarily good planning....), paid our admission, hung out at the playground, and then managed to have the tour all to ourselves - all the better to have the kids questions answered.

Once it came time to enter the flight area, Juliana informed me that she didn't actually like butterflies and wasn't going in. Huh. News to me, especially since I had run this whole idea by her before I suggested it to the others, but, okay, I can make this work. Our group went in first and then the two of us talked about what it would be like inside. I told her that if she didn't want the butterflies around her then she should keep moving - they will only land on someone standing very still. So she took a big breath and went inside. Right off the bat she starts to wiggle and flail herself around which just startles the butterflies and makes them all leave their perches at once. The result - she can't get out of there fast enough!! So I found her a safe place to sit, outside the flight area, and she waited patiently while I returned to hang out for awhile with the others. (And I was ever so lucky to have a butterfly land on my shoulder.)

Juliana's comment in the guest book pretty much sums up her visit:

"I'm not a fan but it was interesting."

Perhaps we'll have better luck on our next outing.