The Gardens

This week we got a chance to finally visit Reiman Gardens, a beautiful indoor and outdoor botanical garden that boasts a fabulous butterfly wing (my favorite) and a current "big bugs" outdoor art exhibit.  We went with our friends Ann, Carson (3) and Hayden (6 mo) and had a great time.  Carson is a new playmate for Lucy, expanding her pool of eligible bachelors, and is as loving and huggy as Lucy is.  Though we love playing with Silas and Gabe, they often refuse her advances of hugs and love pats, but not Carson.  Actually, I think my little lover might have even brushed him off once or twice.  Ann and I spotted them holding hands walking and in several spontaneous hugs.  It's adorable now, but talk to me again in 10 years.

Warning, there are approximately one million pictures here.

 Part of the Big Bugs exhibit was indoors, these stone-and-metal picnic ants.  The kids were SO excited when they spotted a real ant crawling on the conservatory floor.

 Some of the outdoor Big Bugs.  These sculptures (?) were a little different, mostly wood, and really interesting to see.  You can get an idea of the size of some of them by the picture of the kids by the giant ant.  I'd like to know how one starts on being the creator of giant bugs.  And how I can get one for my front lawn.

 Watch out Lucy!  You're about to be bitten by the world's largest mosquito!

 Us by the spider web.  Per usual, Baby J's sleeping in the sling.  We were both pretty sweaty when I took him out of there at the end of the afternoon, but he didn't seem to mind, even when I kept a little blanket wrapped around us to block his poor little arms and legs from the sun.

 The kids had a great time smelling flowers ...

 ... running around ...

 ... stopping to relax with a beverage ...

 ... and even got a chance to cool off in the pool.

 Sorry Ann, I'm a picture sneaker.  Lucy and Carson shared the footrest of Ann's double stroller.  If you look closely, you can see baby Hayden peeking out from behind Lucy.  He also was a great sport.  What you can't see here is that Lu's not wearing any shoes.  She wore pair of sandals that are now in the "hurts-me" pile.  She has requested socks with these sandals a number of times, and now I know it's because they're not comfortable, not because she has no fashion sense.

 And finally, though we had already gone through the Butterfly Wing on our way into the gardens, it made impression enough on the kids that they asked to go through again on our way out.  It's an amazing place, with hundreds of species of butterflies.  We had visited the Butterfly Kingdom at the York Zoo when we went last summer, and sorry Aunt Grace, but the BK doesn't hold a candle to this place.  It's a much smaller room, probably has tons more money, and definitely doesn't have the crowds of sweaty kids that the zoo does.

 Lucy and Carson checking out the butterfly on Ann's shoe.  He probably liked her pink laces.

 The volunteer who gave Lucy the magnifying glass to use tried also to show her how to use it with no luck.

 The close up look at these butterflies was just amazing.

 It was a wonderful day!