Pre-K Graduation!

A couple weeks ago Hudson had his Pre-K graduation! I can't believe he is now a Kindergartner.....where has the time gone? We had a great year at Graham Cracker Express and we are looking forward to next year.

MUD!!!!!

Who doesn't love mud!?!?!?!

Spring Soccer

Hudson had another fantastic soccer season! We are looking forward to not having consistant Saturday commitments for the next few months. I know Hudson would love to have another season to jump in to, but he will just have to wait.

He just scored a goal.....he was so excited!

Tiger Leaping Gorge

To say this place was beautiful is an understatement! It was absolutely amazing and awe inspiring. I don't know how someone can look at this and believe in the Creator. While we were there it was the dry season so the water was lower than during the rainy season. However, the tradeoff was that the water was beautiful instead of the murkiness that is brought on during the rain. We had about a 2.5 hour car ride through the mountains in order to arrive at our destination. The drive was beautiful as well. I am always impressed to see how "resourceful" the Chinese are. They are able to grow gardens in the most usual places. Rural China is so very different than the big cities. This is a place that I could go to daily and never get tired of seeing it. Here is what Wikipedia had to say about Tiger Leaping Gorge: Tiger Leaping Gorge (simplified Chinese: 虎跳峡; traditional Chinese: 虎跳峽; pinyin: Hǔtiào Xiá) is a scenic canyon on the Jinsha River (Golden Sands River; 金沙江; Jīnshā Jiāng), a primary tributary of the upper Yangtze River. It is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Lijiang City, Yunnan in southwestern China. It is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site. The inhabitants of the gorge are primarily the indigenous Naxi people, who live in a handful of small hamlets. Their primary subsistence comes from grain production and foreign hikers(as well as Chinese). If you are ever in this part of the world, this is a must see! Even if you aren't in the area, you should go! Now here are some of the pictures for you to enjoy....it's even better in person. A lot of these pictures were taken by Kim McKown:) Sorry there are so many photos, it was tough just to choose these.

Fishin' Fun

Thanks to the city of Farmers Branch we got to enjoy a morning of Fishin' Fun with some good friends of ours. This event was great! We are already planning on attending again next year. Hudson and Parker had a blast; Elijah enjoyed the parts when I would let him out of the stroller. They had fishing poles you could borrow, prizes to win, bounce houses, a bubble station and a bean bag toss. We would love for Hudson to start fishing more often, it can be a great tool in teaching patience. He is definitely our "on the go" always moving kiddo, but he really enjoys fishing. On the other hand, Parker didn't care to fish at all! But this girl LOVED (and that's putting in mildly) playing with the worms. It was so fun to watch her dig for worms, hold them and carry them around everywhere. Thank you, Beims Family for inviting us! We can't wait until next year

Elijah

What a sweet sweet boy! Elijah (along with Hudson and Parker) have been such a sweet blessing to our lives. His smile and laugh radiate with joy. He loves balls, bats, tackling, airplanes, food and just about anything outside or sporty! I can't believe he is only 16 months old, he acts much older. He has the attitude and confidence of a 2 year old. Elijah adores his big brother and sister. His eczema is doing much better, thanks to our short stay in China! Who would have thought that it would clear up in China? We think he has a dairy sensitivity, so now he doesn't do any kind of dairy.....at least it's not gluten! He still doesn't do much gluten or processed foods which is fine with me, I just wish the rest of us would do the same thing:) Maybe someday. This boy can climb just about anything, has no fear and a strong will - I have a small fear that this could land us in the ER sometime in the next couple years. Eli Eli O we love you!

Faces in Different Places