Butterflyfest

Next great event is the Butterflyfest at the Natural History Museum. The kids get to make a mask, some wings, and antenna for a complete ensemble. Ryan chose butterfly wings and antenna but opted for a bat mask, so we decided he was a "bat-erfly." Not a lot of picture here, because...at the Natural History Museum, there is a traveling exhibit called, "Grossology" based on the series of popular books by the same name. One has to walk by this exhibit in order to get to the free butterfly crafts and childrens area. Well, Ryan got a sneek peek, and that's all he could concentrate on. He sat down and worked on his butterfly wings for about...2 minutes and proclaimed that he was ready to go see the gross stuff. I explained that we needed to stick together and wait till Rebecca was finished before we could go see the exhibit, and maybe he might want to spend more time on his butterfly crafts/ costume. So, he sat down and worked on it for about 30 seconds more and announced he was done, and wanted to go see the gross stuff. Since he wasn't getting anywhere with me, he sought out the nearest grownup for assistance. Happily, this happened to be a museum staffer. Here is the conversation that took place...

Ryan: You know they have gross stuff here?
Staffer: No way!
Ryan: Yeah! Wanna see?
Staffer: Yeah! Show me!
Ryan: (Runs out of the childrens area and over to the exhibit.) You SEE! There it is! It's GROSS stuff!
Staffer: That's so cool! Thanks for showing me.
Ryan: Want to go with me?
Staffer: Well, I think you should stay with your mom.
Ryan: Oh man, we have to wait for Becca. (Walks away dejected)

Rebecca has become extremely interested in anything artistic lately, was all about the butterfly costume, and wanted to take her time decorating it with markers, stickers, glitter glue and paint. She was happily ensconced at the craft table for 30 or 40 minutes in her own world working on her costume. Ryan and I entertained ourselves by talking to the vendors and scientists, anyone who was interested in having a conversation with him.