Outings to the Butterfly Pavilion and the Botanic Gardens

Last Sunday, in an effort to give Luke a few much-deserved hours to relax and play some wierd game on his XBox, Maddie and Lucy and I took a trip out to the Butterfly Pavilion.  We had SO much fun!  Luke and I took Maddie there once before, I think when she was about 18 months, and she loved it then, but this time she was old enough to do and see some really cool things.  Lucy hung out in the baby backpack for most of it, but she seemed to enjoy watching Maddie run around like a maniac, and she got to play a bit while we were there, as well.  All in all it was a great trip for all of us--Luke got to relax for the first time in weeks, and we got to have some fun girl time at the Pavilion.  When I was younger, I didn't realize that "fun girl time" included cleaning poop out of underwear (Oops!  She's getting better everyday, promise.) and trying to figure out how to change clothes in public (Maddie's, not mine.) while holding a baby, but I'm excited to  report that it DOES.  Go figure.

So brave!  Maddie held this supergross tarantula (What?  I'm not a spider person, myself.) without even flinching!  The sign said 3 years and up only, but I figured it's time my Maddie starts to enjoy the benefits of being so tall.

I still can't get over this.  You should've heard Luke squeal when he looked at the photo:)

Cockroaches.  Some very specific and exotic type of cockroach that is supposed to make them, er, not gross.  Maddie bought into it 110%!

Maddie found some Nemo fish.  I have a feeling she's going to want a fish tank someday.  In addition to not being a "spider person," or a "cockroach person," I am also not a "fish tank person".  So we will just have to see how this plays out. 

If Maddie looks like she's in heaven in these pictures, it's because she IS! Here she was petting a big crab.  Maddie loves loves loves crabs.  There's a song on Elmo's World called "The Crabbie Crawl" that started the whole crab obsession.  So she was very excited to get to pet one all by herself!  Lucy would like me to point out that she also enjoyed looking at the crabs, but was unable to be photographed because she was stuck in the dumb baby backpack.  Don't worry, she's coming up soon!

God I love her.  She was so happy about these crabs!

In the butterfly room they had this turtle just walking around.  Maddie followed him for a long time.  She got on the ground right next to him, but I missed the photo op. 

Here she is watching the "boo-fies".  She obviously could not look any cuter if she tried.  Obviously.

Maddie was thrilled to discover that butterflies often have "pokey dots".

You can just see how much fun she was having on her face!

I had to make this one black and white because I couldn't get the red eye out, and she was looking pretty crazy!

HERE she is!  Let's all take a moment to appreciate how cute the Moose was looking on this particular day.  She was so funny the whole time, she was very excited to get out of the baby backpack and get in on the action!

She can't quite sit on her own yet, but she's trying!

The usual scene at our house lately...Maddie being silly, Lucy watching Maddie. 

Lucy showing Maddie some of her wrestling moves.  Maddie wanted me to point out that she wore this dress, which was clearly too big for her, as a tribute to her Uncle Scott.  Uncle Scott used to wear all of his shirts like this in high school. 

I'm pretty sure this is where the pooping happened.  She just couldn't drag herself away from this butterfly!

Lucy and I at the Botanic Gardens.  Lucy would like there to be a permanent record that she was also at this outing, but spent most of it sleeping in the baby carrier.

Maddie at the new Children's Garden at the Denver Botanic Gardens.  We went yesterday morning and had a great time!  They have this little rock stream where the kids can take their shoes off and get it, move the rocks and sticks around and learn all about making a dam. 

I didn't get too many photos because I forgot my camera and had to use the phone...but you get the idea:)  She spent the whole time in this little stream and running over an elevated rope bridge about 200 times, while Luke and I slowly melted in the sun (Lucy slept almost the whole time!).

Moving rocks around to make a dam like the "beebers".