Play It Forward: Meijer Gardens

Ok, so I know I said I was going to be doing Rewinds for a while, but now that my birthday and St. Patrick's Day are done, and because there are over 100 photos of Spring Break that I love and I don't know how to sort them just yet, I wanted to skip back to a more recent update: the Field Trip to Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI.


It was SO COLD. Probably less than 30 with the wind chill and rain. I threw our picnic blanket over Miranda and Megan while they ate their lunch (calzones, yum!).

Zoë begging me to open her rice crispe treat (part of her mandatory school lunch; she still got some calzones, tho').

These next shots are all taken in the butterfly house. It's a giant green house, was about 80-degrees F (so twice the temperature outside) and it was beautiful!

The girls examining their butterfly brochures.

So humid inside that my camera lens fogged up. I still love the effect and the dreamy look in 'Nica's face.

"Cheese!"
Miranda was spying butterflies and Veronica was enjoying the pictures.

Tara rode with me and my three girls up to the gardens. She was then a chaperon for her daughter and two other second graders.

I got to chaperon three loving and fun girls, too!

Miranda took this foto:

Another mom chaperoning some girls took this foto of all of us:

Megan took this foto:

Butterflies and Birds flew up and over, below, behind, around, on, up and down and all around. It was magical and amazing to see so much color and beauty.
I was also very glad it was warm!

Butterfly puzzle Megan put together in the Children's Garden area.
Megan assembled this little bug by herself.

"Hi. I'm a chameleon!"
And they say television doesn't educate kids. Thanks Tangled!

"Fow-err!"

I love the look on her face. Doesn't it show how much fun we had?!?

I never thought I'd use the membership my mom bought us. GR is a bit of a drive (2 hours) from our place, and long enough that I'd rather spend the trip going to Chicago. BUT, after seeing the garden, I think we might just have to head up there on a day that is hot so we can enjoy the water in the gardens, and play more in other places. It's actually kinda cool to walk into the butterfly house and think "Hey, this feels air conditioned!" (I did that a few times in Texas).

So, if anybody wants to join us, we'll be headed up there again before September (when our membership expires).