Patapillars & Buffflies

These are the caterpillars we got in the mail with our butterfly kit. They come just like this, and you don't have to do anything with them. They have enough food/water in that gross concoction on the bottom of the cup. So we watched out "patapillars" as Caleb called them move around that cup for about a week.

And then on July 4th, the first one began making a cocoon! It hung from the top of the cup and spun itself into the chrysalis form. It was amazing to watch. Within a day the other 3 followed, but 2 of them fell so we weren't sure if they would make it.
We transferred them into the butterfly habitat and waited about a week for the transformation.
On Tuesday, we saw our first butterfly!
On Wednesday morning the second one emerged. I wish we could have seen them actually emerge from their chrysalis, but to see this much of the transformation was amazing! Unfortunately, the other 2 didn't make it.

We fed the butterflies for a few days with orange slices and sugar water on cut flowers. Then on Friday it was time to release them in our yard.
Nearly 11 years ago, Tim and I released butterflies...
I have always been fascinated with the transformation of caterpillar to butterfly so it was especially fun to share that joy with our kids. When we released those butterflies at our wedding, we were marking the beginning of new life and celebrating God's redeeming power. It was hard to imagine that day what our life would look like in 11 years. I don't think I could have drawn it up any better, all because of the grace and power of a transforming God.