Very Hungry Caterpillars

While we were on vacation we had a neighbor looking in on the house for us...watching our dog and cat, checking the mail. We told her that we were expecting a special package any day - caterpillars! I had bought Clara a kit that allowed us to send away for caterpillars so we could watch the metamorphosis into butterflies. I highly recommend this to anyone with young kids. Clara and Jonathan both loved checking on their progress everyday, and the transition was so fast, both kids stayed interested. Our neighbor was thankful the caterpillars didn't come while we were gone, but they did show up the very next day after we returned home.

They came in this little container with food already in there for them. There was filter paper stretched across the top and a lid with holes placed on top of that.

Right away, the caterpillars started building a network of net along the bottom of the cup. They grew considerably over the next few days. Clara insisted on reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle the first couple nights as her bedtime story!

About a week later, they found their way to the top of the container and attached themselves to the filter paper.

There, they started to build their chrysalis.

All 6 caterpillars in their chrysalis. Once they had all made it to this stage, we carefully removed the filter paper with them attached and hung it in the netted enclosure provided in the kit. It was strange in that they lost their heads in this stage. (That's the little part that's hanging next to some of the chrysalis...others fell completely off and onto the bottom of the net enclosure).

About 5 days later we had our first butterfly. These were 'Painted Lady' butterflies. We fed them sugar water until all the butterflies had emerged over the next 2-3 days.

Then we let them set them free on our Lantana outside.

A view of the inside of their wings. Clara named them all after Disney princes and princesses. We had Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, Beast, Prince Charming, and Prince Eric. She wasn't sad about letting them go when the time came, only that she didn't get to hold one first (they flew off before she had the chance!)

Point Lobos, Monterey, CA

Once we got to Monterey, we decided to check out Point Lobos State Reserve on recommendation from a neighbor. It was beautiful, the pics do not do it justice.

Check out the large grouping of rocks in the middle...

This is that same grouping of rocks. If you click to enlarge this pic and the next, you'll see it has tons of sea lions hanging out on it!

Heading back to the car, we spotted 4 deer in the brush along the beach

This sea lion wasn't far off the shore, just checking everyone out.

CA Redwoods

We left San Francisco and headed to Monterey. Chris looked at the map and realized the CA Redwoods were along the way, so we decided to make a pit stop to check them out. We took a trip to see the Giant Sequoia's just after we moved out here to CA, but it still amazes me to see trees so big. They were beautiful. I love looking at the bark on these trees. None of the pics that we took do any justice to the height of these trees, but it was a nice little hike along our way.

(They're holding hands!)

Stopping for some family pics

My Little Buddy

Love the criss-cross pattern of the bark on this tree.

My Baby Girl

This is probably the best example of the height of the Redwoods, even if this particular tree is on the ground. The kids had fun balancing on it.

Wearing his Dinosaur rain boots!

Jonathan was not a happy camper anymore. This was day 4 of our vacation, so he had many nights of restless sleep in a strange bed built up, paired with poor eating habits, and just all around lack of routine...he wanted to be carried. We had the stroller, but he insisted on being carried - by me no less. We did not give in, no matter how much he screamed, or how slow he walked. The woods didn't seem quite so peaceful with a screaming 2.5yr old walking through. I think we eventually threw him back in the stroller just so we could get him out of there!

Muir Beach, San Francisco, CA

Actually, had we known where we were heading, we still would've been able to get a nice picture of the Golden Gate Bridge with the sun setting behind it. Instead, our travels took us along the winding road to Muir Beach. We may not have seen the sun set behind the bridge, but what we found was definitely worth missing it for.

Golden Gate Bridge

We headed out our last night in San Francisco to try and get some pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. We did great on timing at first...

I took this pic from the car window as we drove toward the bridge.

This pic was once again from the car, just before we turned to go over the bridge.

There was a look out spot just on the the other side of the bridge. We were finally able to get some pics to show the color of the bridge, without the haze. It was very cold and very windy that evening, so I got out of the van my own to snap some pics while Chris and the kids took their time getting out. About the time Chris and the kids got out of the van, I was heading back to change camera lenses. Chris and the kids went to take a look, while I changed the lens, and then headed back out to take a few more pics. As I was getting out of the van I did a quick look around for the keys, and then knowing that Chris always sticks them in his pocket, locked the doors (keeping in mind all the signs posted around the lot instructing you to do so) and headed out. Just as I closed the door, Chris came back and said, "Do you have the keys?" I said "You're kidding, right?" - He wasn't. I talked him out of breaking a window and into phoning our insurance company, with whom I'm sure we had roadside assistance. Thankfully, they got someone out to unlock the door for us, and since it was an employee of the Golden Gate Bridge Park (government)...we didn't have to pay anything. It only took about 15 minutes once Chris got off the phone with USAA, during which time we were huddled up in the ladies restroom, with me fuming mad at Chris for not putting the keys in his pocket, and the kids completely oblivious, just having fun warming their hands under the hand dryers!

I snapped this pic while the nice man was prying the door to my van open!

Once we were back in the van, we went in search of another place to take sunset/night pics of the bridge. We missed out on sunset thanks to our set back, but Chris stood out in the freezing cold to get some night pics.