Summertime!

 Summer is certainly in full swing around here.  We made a list this year...idea from HERE.  I love the idea of this being a tradition we do each year.  

We have pretty high hopes for our summer...though we've checked a few off our list already.

One of the first...make strawberry jam!

So a couple weeks ago, Addison and I made freezer jam together.

It's so easy and so yummy!

We just used the recipe in the Sure-Jell box.

This next bit of summer fun, was not on the summer list, but it was so cool.

Jake and Addison found a couple of caterpillars outside (destroying my pansies), so we decided to see if we could keep them alive long enough for them to make a cocoon and turn into butterflies.  I have to tell you, I wasn't too optimistic.

Terrible picture, I know, but there are 2 caterpillars climbing around in there.

We learned that the caterpillars will only eat the leaves from their host plant (where you found them)...so we fed them a steady diet of pansy leaves.  Let me tell you, caterpillars eat A LOT and consequently poop A LOT!  We cleaned their jar out everyday.

About a week and a half later, the caterpillars both made cocoons (no picture...sorry)...and a week later, they came out!

It was so cool.  The kids and I were super excited to see if they would fly.  Sadly, one never learned to fly (we found remnants of it in the yard)...the other we left in the jar a bit longer and it flew off right away.

This last bit of fun came out of a desperate attempt to keep Jake busy while I made dinner.  A car wash.  It was a huge success.

He thought it was the greatest thing!

Our summer is off to fun start!