maria's birthday

here are some highlights from maria's birthday:

libby definitely enjoyed the cake.

"for she's a jolly good fellow"

legos from grandma and grandpa hawkins.

lovin' every moment.

maria asked for hot dogs for her birthday dinner because she'd never had a hot dog before.

it was a great day. maria loves being the birthday girl and she plays the part very well. we gave her the orange chair you can see her sitting on and some polly pockets. grandpa and grandma hawkins gave her legos and a zhu zhu pet (a little toy hamster that rolls around the house) and a book. i think one of her favorite presents was the card she got from her great-grandma & grandpa hawkins. it contained five dollars, all in dollar bills. my goodness, she was excited when she discovered that in the mail!

favorite kid question of the week

hudson: mom? what's my crotch?

maria is six!

happy birthday maria!

maria turns six years old today. i can't believe we've had such an awesome girl in our home for six whole years now. she is an incredible person and such a great helper! i keep telling her, i don't know what i would do without all her help. seriously, i wouldn't survive! she is so cute and fun and talented. she can be very shy, but despite that, she will talk to kids who look like they need a friend. she's a great older sister. she loves to read and reads through books faster than i can buy/borrow them. she likes to play the piano and is learning to read notes on the staff. she likes school and loves to learn. she also loves to dance.

libby giving maria a hug today.

lost her second tooth a few days ago.

she's a wonderful artist. this is a whale.

drawing a sailboat.

we are so lucky to have you in our family. we love you, maria!

sticks and rocks

it's hard to go on a walk when you love sticks and rocks so much.