Carb counting chocolate covered BUGS?!?

Today Emma and I went to the Butterfly Conservatory. I love that place...I don't know what it is, but it makes me happy everytime we are there. You walk into this little hallway leaving behind the normal busy-loud-cars-honking-people-shouting-kids-screaming-area....and step into a whole new world. The change in temperature hits you immediately...it's hot...it's humid...just to mimic the butterflies natural habitat. There are trees everywhere and bright beautiful butterflies flying all around. There are tiny little birds taking itty bitty steps and passing right in front of you before taking off in flight heading for the tops of the trees. There are amazingly wonderful smelling flowers all around and a gorgeous waterfall directly in front of you. I stood there holding Emma's hand and just soaking it all in. I love how it makes me feel like we literally walked through some secret travelling tunnel and wound up in the middle of a Costa Rican rainforest. We have been there quite a few times already, but without fail everytime we are there...Emma's #1 mission is to try and get a butterfly to land on her. There are signs everywhere saying not to touch the butterflies, but if they do happen to land on you of their own free will...that's ok. So, she will walk around other people...step over gigantic plant leaves that have grown across the path...and into a crowd of little butterfies flying and chasing each other...the whole while sticking her belly way out in hopes that one will decide to land on it. It's hilarious!
Naturally, today was no different. Emma walked up ahead of me on the path in search of a new butterfly friend. I stood there watching my absolute favorite type of butterfly make it's way past me and land on a flower. I'm not sure if any of you reading this have little ones who watch or have watched "Go Diego Go"...but I LOVE the blue morpho butterfly. I think it's is so beautiful...the blue on it's wings seems to shimmer and when it lands on something and closes it's wings up, the underside of them look so completely different...very camoflauged and incognito, brown, beige, and black colored.
This particular butterfly makes me think of Emma really. I think she is beautiful...not just her actual physical appearance...but her spirit...her personality...her soul. She "shimmers" in my opinion...just like the blue morpho. For the most part she is free-spirited and "flies" around playing and having fun...making the most of her day...making my day brighter. The fact that she has diabetes is sort of like the underside of the blue morpho...it is far from even being on the list of things that make her who she is. Yes, it is there beneath the surface...but it isn't the thing which defines her.
We reached the area in the conservatory that housed all of the cocoons and newly hatched butterflies. Just out front of this room there were 4 potted plants on the ground and a tiny little butterfly kept flying around them and intermittently landing on leaves. One of the people working there came over and explained to us that it was a Momma butterfly looking for the perfect leaf to lay her eggs on. We knelt down on the ground and watched hoping to catch a glimpse. Emma asked the woman if the baby butterflies knew who their family was once they were hatched and if they still lived with them. The woman explained to us that no that wasn't the case. That is why the Momma butterfly was searching for just the right leaf to lay her egg on so the newly hatched caterpillar would have plenty to eat. Very interesting to me, so I thought I would share!
We made our way through the Costa Rican rainforest in the middle of Ontario :o)....and enjoyed the day. We took a break from the heat and grabbed a couple of fruit smoothie popsicles from the gift shop (35 carbs each! sheesh! but definitely delicious!) After we finished, we made one more trip through the conservatory before heading out.
Of course the gift shop is just outside the doors of the actual butterfly area (how convenient!)...so we had to stop and check everything out before leaving. Thank God my kid doesn't have any desire to eat the chocolate or candy covered bugs they had for sale....aside from the obvious, I don't think I would know where exactly to find the carb count out on that one! Ewwwww!