They Want to Do Different Things

I knew this day would come, I just thought it wouldn't happen until middle school or high school. My daughters are starting to figure out they have different likes and dislikes. They excel at different activities and they want to do different things.
I think this is probably the final summer that I can enroll them in the same activities. All four are in swim lessons. That won't change. They will stay in swim lessons until they have mastered swim strokes and have confidence in the water. However, one of my daughters has expressed interest in joining our local competitive swim team. She likes to swim. She likes learning new strokes. She has watched swimming competitions on TV and says she wants to do it. One of our swim lessons a few weeks ago happened to take place during the swim team's practice. She's not ready for the team just yet, but I think by next summer she could be. 
All four of my daughters are also in a gymnastics class this summer. They have been begging to take gymnastics and I found a class that fit our schedule. One of my daughters is quite dedicated to the class. She pays attention to the coaches and works really hard to master each task. She's already asking to take gymnastics again next summer (I'm not telling her the classes are also offered in the fall). Her other sisters enjoy the class, but don't take it as seriously as she does. I don't see the rest of them moving on to the advanced class.
And so it begins. I am destined to be a chauffeur, indulging my daughters by letting them take part in the activities they choose to participate in... and trying to figure out how to get everyone from point A to point B without running myself ragged!

Those Pesky Butterflies

A few weeks ago a moth took up residence in our house. My daughters were terrified of the moth, just like they're inexplicably terrified of all bugs, including gnats. Once I explained the moth was just like a butterfly they were no longer concerned. So it seemed like a good idea to go to our local butterfly pavillion.
We actually have taken the girls two previous times. The first trip they were about one-and-a-half. Everyone liked it, but Sue-Sue had the most fun. She wanted to see each and every butterfly. The second time we went my daughters were about two or two-and-a-half. Most of them were scared of the butterflies and it turned into a less than enjoyable experience. Roo would freeze whenever a butterfly flew near her.
This time I specifically asked them if they wanted to go see butterflies. I even told them the butterflies would be flying around and might land on them. Everyone wanted to go. Roo, Tortilla and Cakes held up pretty well. They thought it was a lot of fun, although they didn't really like it when the butterflies dive-bombed them. Sue-Sue, however, was not into it. Every time I pointed out a butterfly to her she would cover her eyes or shout "no." A butterfly landed on my back and she wouldn't hold my hand until it flew away. After awhile, though, she realized the butterflies weren't so bad. She would point out all the butterflies to me, but she just didn't want them to get too close to her.
Strangely enough, the thing they asked to see the most was the bug room. They liked seeing the huge spiders and cockroaches. No one, including me, was brave enough to hold the trantula, yet all of my girls kept wanting to see other kids hold it. I think they simply wanted to keep the trantula in their sites to make sure it hadn't somehow escaped.