Introducing Wally

We have a new addition to our family. Well, he's actually been here now about two weeks, which has amazed me to no end. We have tried adding new members like him to our family before, but they all came to a quick demise.

Take Carl the Caterpillar Senior, for example. We captured him right off our front door and gave him a little plastic container as a new home. The kids loved him and probably gave him a little too much "love", as I discovered him "legs up" the next morning. A few days later, we managed to snag Carl the Caterpillar Junior (the Drama Queen is not the most creative name producer) and gave him the same container. He seemed much more tolerant of the exuberant "petting" and gawking from the kids. After three days, however, he crawled in between two leaves and covered himself in a filmy gray stuff. I thought perhaps he was building a cocoon of sorts, but we soon realized that Carl Jr. had bit the dust. Literally. My kids aren't old enough to really understand death; I explained that Carl Jr. had to go back outside to his own family.

I was really done with the whole Carl thing and really didn't want any more creepy crawly family members. Nevertheless, my man caught a woolly bear caterpillar a couple of days later and introduced him to the kiddies as Wally. This time I did some research on the computer and learned that woolly bears like to eat crumbled green leaves and are most comfortable in an environment with twigs and dirt in which to burrow. We set up Wally's container accordingly (thank you Gladware!) and have been watching the fat furry fellow ever since. The Drama Queen is in charge of his leafy food and remembers without any help to check each day to see if he needs more leaves.

So, for the inevitably short time you will be with us, Wally, welcome to our home. You have probably noticed it is not a very quiet or orderly place most of the time. Just so you know, we relish the time the kids go to sleep as much as you do. You can thank me for making the rule "We never poke Wally". I am trying to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Please do the same for me by not escaping from that container! :)