The Beauty of Spring...and a New Book

I love the way the redbud branches look against the sky. I started this tree from a tiny little twig nearly 20 years ago. I was so excited the first year it bloomed!
Creeping phlox are so pretty. I have both the pink color...
...and the pale lavender color.
This plant looks nice year round but it's rather invasive. I have no idea what it is - my mom gave me some starts years ago and it's almost taken over in my rock garden. In the spring it has these yellow blossoms that last into summer. By autumn the blossoms turn a really pretty burnt orange/rust color. The stems ooze sticky milk colored sap when you break them. Can anyone identify them for me?

The book I just read was given to me by my husband. He knows how much I like the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute in Chicago. The book is called The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone. It was written for children or preteens and is about two kids who find a way to shrink themselves down to 1:12 scale and explore the rooms. It's a very good story.