changes

life is full of changes. some welcome, some not. our most recent change was not welcome but unavoidable. part of what we've always liked about our yard were all the trees in the yard next door. it was like a little forrest. but the man that owns the lot decided to get rid of all vegetation. he rents out the house and decided it would be easier to care for that back portion of the yard if there were no tree so he could take his mower to it every spring to take down the weeds.

before:

after (this is the exact same spot):

before (the large tree - actually two trees - were in his yard):

after (this is where the two big trees stood):

during:

we were so sad to see all the plant life go. we used to have a large spot in the yard that was constantly shady. not anymore. pretty much constantly sunny now. it's sad, but there is a little good in all that. the two big trees that hung over our property, although they provided much shade, also provided a fair amount of twigs any time the wind blew. also they were very old and a bit sick. it was their time. but we hardly ever go out there anymore. it's just too dang hot now that it's all in the sun.

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.

camping

we went camping this last weekend in the uintas. it was fun but a lot of work. camping with four little kids is crazy!

my cute family by the provo river.

maria caught three fish! she looks nervous in the picture because that big fish on the end wasn't dead yet and had already bitten her once.

nothing comes between libby and her nap time.

out for a morning explore.

lincoln and maria. i think lincoln was the best camper of the bunch.

morning view of the mountains.

libby. crazy libby. i had to take maria to the bathroom and libby insisted on going . . . with her cereal bowl. she'd walk a yard or so then stop to take a bite. almost every picture i have of her is blurry because she would NOT stop moving around. always wandering. always making me nervous.

it got pretty cold at night but we all stayed warm in our sleeping bags - that is, as long as we stayed in our sleeping bags. libby was pretty good a wriggling out of hers as she slept.

every time i've looked through these pictures since we've been home the words of emmeline b. wells have come to my mind:

our mountain home so dear, where crystal waters clear

flow ever free, flow ever free,

while thru the valleys wide the flow'rs on ev'ry side,

blooming in stately pride, are fair to see.

the stream-let, flow'r, and sod be-speak the works of God;

and all combine, and all combine,

with most transporting grace, his handiwork to trace,

thru nature's smiling face, in art divine.

popsicles and swimming

after a very rainy and cool spring, summer has finally struck full force. the kids love getting outside more. they especially love eating popsicles and swimming in the kiddie pool.

looks tasty, doesn't it?

i just think little toes are so cute.

this is as much swimming as libby was comfortable with.

after dipping their bottoms in the cool water.

hudson offers more kisses than libby likes to take.

yummy popsicles!

we also just got back from a two-night camping trip. it was a lot of fun, but a lot of work! camping with four little kids is crazy! i'll post those pictures within the next couple of days.