Evening garden

I should probably be Red Butte Garden's official blogger, don't you think?  This week the light was so pretty and warm, it finally felt like a summer evening.  We saw a bunny again!  And a rattlesnake.  (I hope they stayed far away from each other.) There are a lot of pictures.  Daisy just looked so cute in her little skirt, and then Juni started being extra cute, and then it all just escalated out of control.

She likes to run right up to the camera and peer into it

So happy!

My shirt matched these irises

Sunlight through wisteria---so pretty

The rain has made everything so green!  Gorgeous with the sun coming through.

They have the same strange mouth-twist here

Hair!

A bath

She likes it.  But then, she likes almost everything.

Especially her daddy.

Spring Garden

While Philip and Allison were here visiting we went with them and my mom to Red Butte Garden.  All the daffodils we'd seen a few weeks earlier:

were gone, but so many other things had come out instead!  It was beautiful.  You can see in these two pictures below how much things change in just a few weeks:

mid-May

early June

 It feels so great to be outside finally!  It was kind of chilly while the sun was behind clouds, but still nice enough to feel like Spring.  I'm afraid Spring is going to get shortchanged again this year, but we're enjoying what we can of it.

In a house

Juni looking interested and serene

We saw lots of of squirrels and birds, and even a bunny!  Malachi loves them all so much---he talks to them just like people.  "Hi, Little Birdie!  Come over here!  I want to give you a hug!"  I keep telling him that birds are too scared of people to allow hugs, but he just can't accept it.  "But why are they scared of ME?  I'M not going to hurt them!"  It makes him so sad.  This time, when we got home from the garden and were getting the  kids ready for bed, Ky came into the bathroom with tears in his eyes.  Sam asked him what was the matter and he said, "I just WANTED that bunny to come home and LIVE with us!"  It was the saddest thing.  Sam had to go on and on about how happy the bunny was, how it had a little home with other bunnies and they all snuggled together, etc., to cheer Ky up again.  And even then he said, a little sadly as we tucked him in, "I wish WE had a bunny home like that."

The friendly bunny.  He hopped right up near us and looked at us for awhile before hopping away.  "He loves me!" Malachi said happily.  And was then extra sad when the bunny departed.

Pink dogwood---so pretty!

I love this tunnel of trees!

Kindergarten Program

Seb had his end-of-year Kindergarten Program last week.  It was cute, and he was cute.  If I had been another parent watching him I might possibly have thought there was something odd about that child, but being his doting mother, I knew his repetitive autistic-savant-like motions were just him counting the chairs.  And the books behind him.  And possibly the parents and siblings.  And poking his finger nervously into the tiny, tiny hole in his shirt about which I had given him many stern warnings about not poking it or it would get bigger before he left for school that morning.

He said his part perfectly, and sang very nicely, when he remembered to.  He is so sweet and I love him.  His teacher (who has been the BEST, and Sebby said he wanted to be in her class every year and even when he got a job after college) got very teary about saying goodbye to her kindergartners, and I was a little teary myself thinking about how much Sebby has grown up. I don't know how I'll stand having him gone all day next year!

Shyly receiving his certificate

Self-portrait

I asked him if he wanted any pictures of his classroom and this was what he wanted to memorialize.  It is a very cute, tiny toilet, I must admit. (Good thing I had the focus so sharp on the important part of this picture!)

Lehman Caves/Memorial Day

On Memorial Day we took a quick daytrip over to Lehman Caves.  It wasn't our first time there, and the baby in the carrier was a different one, but the cave remains spectacular.  Sebby has a new plan for what to be when he grows up: a park ranger that leads cave tours.  He was fascinated with everything and asked our guide lots of adorable questions.  Malachi said he saw a stalactite that looked like an elephant.  Daisy glared at the ceiling when she got dripped on.

Afterwards, we were pleasantly surprised to find the weather warm and sunny for our picnic.  We found a playground and everyone ran around happily.

Daisy had the happiest smile ever when she got to ride this bouncy horse

In short, a lovely day.