8 Months...

Well Little Man is 8 months old now.  Time really seems to be flying.

Maybe it's because I feel he's our last.

But I'm not as sad about that as I thought I'd be.

It's been kinda nice going through old baby stuff and getting rid of it.

There are so many things that Spencer has started doing this

past month...

Taking baths with Avery in our big tub has been one of them.

He loves bathtime and I love not using the baby tub anymore.

Plus bathtime with Spencer is an incentive for Avery.

(Bathtime is usually a battle with her.)

Little Man has been sitting up for awhile now, but now he can

sit himself up...

(And if you look closely you can see his third tooth, which came up on the bottom and not the top like I thought it would.)

and CRAWL!

I've been trying to babyproof the house but have found

it to be much more difficult

since the girlies have so many toys with

teeny, tiny parts.

Spencer now weighs 18 pounds and wears all of his 6-9 month clothes.

I even got him a little tie for church (it's bright orange and awesome!).

He loves to growl and grunt.  Much different than the

high-pitched screaming his sisters did

(and still do).

I love my Little Man so much and am thankful for him.

Visit(ation), Ghosts, and Inspiration...

A couple of weeks ago my dad was able to come visit on his way back to Montana from Texas.  Since we only see him once every 1 1/2 to 2 years or so it was a wonderful surprise.

The weather here is so unpredictable in the spring, but we were able to take Dad out to see Delamar Valley.

It was my first time out there also.  The view was beautiful and the girlies loved climbing on the old building ruins.

Of course our visit wasn't long enough... I hope it won't be as long before we get to see Dad again.

The wall pictured below is actually a light blue color.  You see, the girlies' room used to be neon orange and green, but right before we moved in we painted it blue.  We thought it would keep the girls from going blind (no joke... the old colors were insanely bright).

So this wall became my canvas.

 Spencer did a good job encouraging me.

 Phase one... brown.

 Phase two... detail.

 Phase three... leaves.

 Phase four... leaf detail.

I forgot how much I enjoy sketching and painting.

I feel that as a mom I focus so much on my children (and hubby) that I forget myself.

I forget that I have talents that don't revolve around them.

At one point I was a good artist.  I suppose I still am, it's just been hibernating.

I guess I should wake it up some more.