My parents came out for a visit in Thanksgiving. Quite aside from the joy of seeing and spending time with family was the added fun of seeing some great sites that we either didn't know about or hadn't gotten around to visiting yet. We didn't have a huge list as we mostly just planned on enjoying being together and most attractions where still pretty far away from where we were all staying (a condo not too far from our house) but one must see was the St. Louis Arch as my dad had been there before and really wanted the rest of us to experience it. While doing trip research they came across a site that they knew I would really enjoy and decided to surprise me by stopping there before we went to the Arch. I knew that they were planning something but didn't have a clue what it could be until we pulled into the parking lot and I saw this statue:
The Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House. I had no idea there was a butterfly house in St. Louis and was completely surprised and very delighted. I love butterflies. And I feel it important to note that I love butterflies but not in a unicorn and rainbow sort of way but more in a personality sort of way. It's really hard to explain but I will give it another two sentences to give you an idea of what I mean. I love butterflies for the same reasons that I love sloths, hedgehogs and platypuses it is more their general attitudes on life that I really like. That being said I have a varying degree of fondness for different butterflies based on my perception of their personality (yes I know I'm odd and that none of this is real per se but since you read my blog I'm assuming that me being quirky isn't exactly a revelation) so for example I'm not as crazy about some butterflies their personality comes across much more as the over dressed drama queen and there's another butterfly that I respect but don't really connect with because they always feel a bit too sensible and dismissive of flighty-ness in any degree. Most butterflies I feel are wonderfully somewhere between the two which could be why I love them because depending on the day I'm somewhere between the two.
*clearing throat as I realize everybody is staring at me* Moving on. Here are the kids and I in front of the butterfly statue. They were pretty excited about being there. We left really early so we could get there right when it opened which we managed to actually pull off. (Always a huge victory for me...I'm thinking having more adults than kids definitely helped in this endeavor...)
Inside the butterfly house was this glass tank full of cockroaches. Why? you may ask and I'd have to tell you I asked the same thing and yet still have no idea. I think the information went in one ear and right out the other because my brain was still boggled at the idea that anybody would possibly want a tank full of cockroaches in their building.
Of course the kids don't have sense enough to realize that cockroaches should make your skin crawl *shudder as I think about them* so the botanical garden people put a bubble inside the take so you can poke your head through and be surround by hundreds (thousands?) of cockroaches. Because who want that? *I'm raising my hand right now* However the kids really did want to go in and look and after I refused they looked to Auntie Bonnie who is much nicer and more brave than I and agreed to go look with them. As you can see Samuel was thrilled. Boys.
So I edged a little closer to take a picture of them in the bubble and better capture Samuel's apparent joy in the bugs and leaned over the top only to discover there was no top! Ahhh! I honestly screamed out loud when I realized I was hovering over an open pit of cockroaches. In above picture you can see the edge of the tank - which is generally a useless picture but I felt necessary to illustrate the mental anguish at having nothing between my face and a bunch of cockroaches. At this point I retreated, held my camera up to where I thought it might need to be to take a decent picture of my child's apparent delight with these hideous creatures and started clicking away.
I managed to get a decent shot or two like this one of Bonnie realizing what she had agreed to and wishing she weren't there anymore. On the other hand you have Emmuska completely fascinated. Sometimes I wonder how she can be my child.
Inside the butterfly garden was absolutely amazing. I've been in a butterfly house or two but nothing like this one. There were a lot of butterflies everywhere. Our little group quickly dispersed to different parts of the butterfly house. Of course Liberty being the patient little soul she is (that and her personal preference for yours truly) stuck with me so I have the most pictures of her in the house. I absolutely love this one of her. It's actually one of a set where she sets her butterfly map down (she loved looking for each of the types printed in the pamphlet and wanted to identify each one she came across) climbs onto the bench, settles in and then notices a beautiful butterfly at which point she opens her mouth in wonder and joy. It's the perfect shot for what the butterfly house was like for both of us.
I did manage to get this one of Emmuska looking at this butterfly (look carefully there is one on the pink flower). Emmuska's wish for the day was to have a butterfly land on her but she also understood the instructions that she absolutely could not touch any of the butterflies so she would try to get herself as close to a butterfly as she could and hold out her shirt for them to land on her. Poor girl never got a butterfly to land on her but by the time we were done she was mostly okay with this.
Sam and Liberty looking at the butterfly nursery - I have no idea why Liberty has that expression. I'm going to guess that she is taking exception to something Emmuska just said. It happens a lot and this is usually the face that goes with it. Samuel was fascinated by the butterflies in these windows. There was one butterfly just out of it's cocoon waiting for it's wings to dry and stiffen. He just stood there and stared at it. Until he did this:
This picture makes me want to snatch him up and hug him. It's the face he does when he's really excited about something. You think the face is good? You should here the sound that goes with it - a gaspy sort of intake of breath - yeah no good, you'd have to hear it.
And now he's explaining everything he just saw. The kid is a riot.
Just before the exit there is this beautiful bench to sit on and when you do it just right you look like a butterfly. Emmuska loves this picture. It might have been the point when she began to be okay with not having a butterfly land on her - because she got to be a butterfly instead.
And butterfly Libster.
Throughout the entire house I'd been trying to get a good picture of the girls and a butterfly flying. It had proved to be difficult mainly because both little girls and butterflies are fast critters and somewhat resistant to my telepathic instructions as to where they should place themselves so I could get the perfect picture. So I was pretty thrilled when I was looking though pictures later and saw that not only did I have both girls and butterfly in the picture but the girls were looking at the butterfly in the picture. Super bonus it's an azure butterfly (read Fancy Nancy 'Bonjour Butterfly' and you'll know why that's awesome).
The kids and I on the butterfly bench or as Emmuska calls it - the four-headed butterfly picture.
The whole thing was absolutely incredible and I couldn't have asked for a better surprise. I can't wait to go back but sadly probably won't until we have guests we can take there. If any body's interested I have an extra room and make some pretty good food. ;)
