Butterfly Fly Away and Some Spring Planting

Last Friday Rebekah took to caring for a dead butterfly. I tried to gently explain that it was already dead, but she wouldn't hear it. At one point, Emma took a quick glance at her sister's new friend and told her in no uncertain terms that the butterfly was dead, but then she took a closer look...
As Emma investigated the butterfly's health, she surprisingly declared it alive too, when only seconds earlier she had been aware of the truth. I think as the girls leaned in close to get a better look the delicate wings fluttered when they breathed on it. When we picked Alyssa up from school that day, she locked confused eyes with me as her sisters doted on a dead butterfly, but even she was later convinced she had seen it move.

Poor, sweet girl had a dead butterfly all along but that didn't stop her from trying to nurse it back to health for a good part of the weekend. She kept it in a box on the windowsill by her bed and checked on it frequently.
While Alyssa was busy with homework {I think it was a project about India on this day, but she has had so much stuff lately it all runs together} and Dave was cutting the grass, the little girls planted some pansies in the flower boxes of their little playhouse. I loved Rebekah's watering technique, and she was so happy to do this because they have been learning a lot about flowers and planting in school lately.
The Fizzy Lemonberry Pansies.
Emma watered our newly planted blueberries. She also helped me plant some Dinnerplate Dahlias. I'm so excited about them, they look like they are going to be beautiful! I'll post a picture if they bloom nicely.
Alyssa finished her work in time to throw down some Alyssum seeds for what we hope will turn out to be some pretty yellow ground cover over by our raspberries.
With net in hand, Rebekah looks for live butterflies.
These lilacs are some of my favorite things that grow in the yard. They always bloom rather suddenly and have such a strong, but sweet fragrance. They remind me of my aunt and cousins and going with them to the Lilac Day Parade and Lilacia Park in Lombard when I was growing up.