A Beautiful November Walk with Elizabeth

On a lovely warm day in November, after dropping the big girls off at school, Elizabeth and I headed down the cottonwood trail for some fresh air. The cottonwoods were in transition, so we had a bright yellow canopy above us with green all around us. 

We stopped along the path at the train conductor. Sometimes he has butterscotch candies in his hand, so Elizabeth was curious to see if he had any candies today.

This trail is one of my favorite places, and I feel so blessed that it's just a short walk from home. It was very special to spend some time along the trail with my sweet Elizabeth.

Elizabeth

Summer has begun, and with it a brand new schedule. Every Tuesday, the big girls are going to be attending Little Lights for a Summer Fun Morning. Today was our first Little Lights Tuesday, and Elizabeth and I had a wonderful morning together. She got to paint and then we went for a walk to our Cottonwood Tree so I could take some pictures. She's such a spunky little girl. She's pretty stubborn, so getting her to pose has always been a challenge. We had fun, though, and I think we ended up with some pretty cute pictures.

"cute" (she found a rollie pollie)

Mid-shoot meltdown (No more pictures!)

Mmmm, snack

June Fun

Addie's flying high with Dad

Trying to get Elizabeth to walk, Chris would always find a toy she was really attached to and then hold it just out of her reach. One evening in June, the toy was this magic wand.

Go get it!

A step! Hooray!

A little Frozen humor, since Frozen has been a favorite in our house for quite some time now, especially since Addie bought the movie with her birthday money back in April.

We went to a friend's house and did tie dye, and the outcomes were magnificent...

Elizabeth and I were always up to something fun while the big girls were at their Wednesday fun mornings at Little Lights. One morning, Elizabeth found this bucket on the deck, so I filled it with water and let her splash around.

The bucket splashing gave me the idea to bring our kiddie pool up to the deck, where we have some shade from the awning. That afternoon, all three girls splashed around.

Grandpa John came over for an afternoon visit and read stories to the girls. It was a big hit for the girls, and Grandpa became a regular character in their imaginative play.

DeeDee also came over for one of her frequent visits, and we walked along the cottonwood trail, where, of course, I had to have everyone pose for a a few pictures. I especially wanted to get pictures of Elizabeth by the tree as she was wearing a hand-me-down outfit that had once been worn by Addie in front of our tree. Click here for a blast from the past.

Oh June, the beginning of summer. Warm winds, not scorching hot yet, everything green, summer excitement in the air.

Elizabeth Meets the Cottontail Tree

I haven't had much of a chance to take Elizabeth on the cottonwood trail because it's a bit of a walk to get there, and I only very recently upgraded to a stroller that will hold all three. One sunny day back in April when Addie was at school, I loaded Elizabeth and Emily up in the double stroller and took them to the Cottonwood Trail. Of course I stopped at my favorite tree to take some pictures.

While Elizabeth wasn't standing on her own yet back in April (it's something she's just very recently started doing), I was able to kind of lean her against the tree to make it look like she was standing....

Big Sis Emily wanted in on the posing... (so funny that Emily is now the big girl at this tree. Two years ago, she was the little one next to Callie, and Addie was wearing the dress Elizabeth is wearing.)

My little strawberry beauty.

Precious pic of Em. The funny thing is, she's pretending to scratch her back on the bark of the tree like Baloo in the Jungle Book.

Oh, and the "cottontail" thing. Emily's nickname for the cottonwood trees is "cottontail trees." She's become pretty fascinated with them in the last month or so because of their flying fluff, and wants me to point them out to her when we're driving around.

So glad I was able to finally take Elizabeth's picture next to one of my favorite trees. Last month I found this pretty little thing on Craigslist...a Joovy Big Caboose. Two seats with a sit n stand for the third. Since then, Elizabeth's seen the cottonwood trail several times, but I haven't had a chance to do a photo shoot with all three by The Tree. It will come.

The Newest Little Hicks

On Memorial Day, Wendy and Rose left early in the morning to make their journey back to Kansas, and Chris was still in Wisconsin doing the bachelor thing with Uncle Mike, so the girls and I got to spend some quality time with Uncle Dylan, Aunt Britney, and their adorable little girls.

We went for a walk by the stream in our neighborhood, which reminds Dylan and I of the Highline Canal that we lived by growing up. Callie did only a little bit of riding in her stroller, and there were so many cool things to stop and see along the way, so it wasn't a long walk, but it was full of adventure!

Before we left, Annalea needed a new diaper, and all the girls needed to have their pictures taken.

Water bottle? Check. Maraca? Check. We're ready for a walk!

What a good daddy

Sunshine's so bright for these new little eyes! 

We're ready to go, Mom!

Towards the end of our walk, we had to stop at the cottonwood for some pictures. Callie is on the go and wasn't too interested in posing.

Alright, I'll look at the camera, but just for a second, ok?

We got all three in front of the tree.

Look this way, cousins!

But they didn't stay there long!

Callie held Addie's hand, trying to help keep her in the picture,
but there were too many other fun things to explore!

Emily stuck around for a couple of pictures, but it won't be long before she's off and running with Addie and Callie!

Annalea got to ride in the Moby with mama, and while we were taking a break in the shade, Addie wanted to see the tiny baby.

So sweet and peaceful

There are "workout stations" along the path, and Callie was determined to do each one. And Dylan was her helper all along the way. What fun!