The Bug Hunt

Chase and Cole had a great time this weekend. Saturday morning we brought them to the ladybug ball. They each had a bug box and were really serious about their bug hunt. Chase was more aggressive this year and went into the crowd to get closer to where the bugs were being released. Cole sat in the grass in the back and waited for the bugs to come to him. Chase ended up with 20 or 30 ladybugs. Cole left with only 8 or so because he kept opening the bug box to get a closer look at his little captives and they kept escaping. Chase also caught a butterfly, which we released along with the ladybugs in the courtyard flowerbeds.
Chase was a little reluctant to release his bugs; I think he really thought he could keep them alive in his bug box. We eventually convinced him that the ladybugs would stay in the flowerbeds and live on our plants. Still, he relased them one at a time. He'd take one out, look it over, give it a name, then find the right plant for it. It was quite a process. Later in the afternoon and again this morning, he'd go find them, pick them up, and carry them around for a while before finally putting them back on the plant.
Later on Saturday, we brought them to an outdoor art show where they got to do some painting. Chase painted a flowerpot and Cole mostly painted himself.
Today they played outside almost all day. Chase did a little fishing and made a few attempts to ride his bike without the training wheels (with Charles acting as the training wheels). Cole finally figured out how to drive his John Deere tractor, but not how to stop -- the flowerbeds may never recover.
They had a pretty busy weekend and stayed outside almost the whole time. Cole actually fell asleep at the table tonight -- hopefully that means he'll sleep at least a few hours in his own bed...