Maxwell and His Critters

My Maxwell will be three in March. That makes him exactly 2 1/2 years old on Sunday. He's my second boy, but, wow, are they different. Granted, my older son is 14 and each child is different from the rest.

My guys    ::grin::

 

 Maxwell is definitely a boy down to the core. He loves all things mud, trucks and bugs. This was his "pet" frog we had for just under 48 hours. Okay, technically, it's an American Toad- not a frog.

 

He kept this thing in hand for hours. He "cooked" it in their play kitchen. He put it in different trucks and pushed it around the house. He REALLY wanted to take it to bed with him, but I had to draw the line there.  He loved that toad.

 

After I felt the poor toad could take no more, we let it go in the back yard.

The very next day, he came in with this...

 

I believe with all my heart that if we lived somewhere in the country, Maxwell would be very much like Dickon from The Secret Garden.

 

While in the garden one day, we spotted this little guy nibbling on some watermelon rind. Max wanted very much to hold it but I just couldn't bring myself to let him.

 

It's a June bug- a HUGE June bug. With every new creature Max brings inside, we consult the Audubon guides. We really enjoy the field guides. They are super easy to use and give just enough information about each critter. Not to mention they fit nicely in my purse/bag when we go on outings.

 

 

This neat looking guy almost looks like he's wearing camouflage. Max found him but wasn't quick enough to catch him. I believe he's a spur-throated grasshopper.

 

I love Maxwell's natural curiosity with about nature. He is one of the very few children I know who don't run and scream when they see a bee. He loves learning new names for insects and caterpillars. Caterpillars are his personal favorite of all the creepy crawlies. The woolly bear caterpillar is one we  often find around here. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to snap a picture of him with one yet.

He amazes me.

His curiosity with nature and life in general reminds me of Jesus talking about us needing to have faith like a child. Simply, unquestioning faith.

 

I hope he never grows out of his love for the critters.