First Hike at 8 months!

Well, Ethan officially turned 8 months today! I know he is not smiling in this picture, but it is hard to smile with the sun in your face (more on that later).
I can't believe it has been eight months already. We have enjoyed him crawling all over the house. He is really good at finding things we didn't even know were on the floor. "Look Mommy, I found this paper for you. Oh wait, first I need to see what it tastes like." If you noticed in the picture that he looks a little different, but you just can't put your finger on it.....I chopped all his hair off. This was not my first haircut but it has been my most extreme. I told Philip that there are several good things about me having this spoof at this time:

1. He doesn't have peers that will make fun of him.
2. I'll have plenty of time to perfect my skills before he does.
3. His next portraits at Sears are a month away.
4. It'll take a LONG time before his bangs are in his eyes again.

It took me a whole day to get used to this new look. It's crazy what little bangs do for a little face. For a couple of hours I just kept telling Ethan I was sorry and that he looked like a balding old man. I was successful on the neckline though, so that's good.

Okay, about the hiking. Today we went on Ethan's first hike at House Mountain. It is a state scenic area that is just 20 minutes away from here. Philip and I had not been there before so it was neat to take Ethan and the pups for a day out of the house. The weather over the last couple of months has not been good for playing outside with a baby, so today's sunny weather was the perfect excuse to go!

As we were getting ready to go I got out a hat for Ethan and his new pair of glasses from Blaise. He fussed a little as I was putting them on but then he was okay. Well, when we got the trail I decided he probably didn't need the glasses, he could just wear his hat. Oh, what a sad choice I made! Not a mile down the trail Ethan was hatless and we didn't notice where or when we had lost it. Worse yet the trail was sort of a loop so we never found the cute little hat and that is why Ethan is having trouble with the sun in his eyes at the top of the mountain!


Let me say that prepping to go on a hike with a baby and two dogs takes more effort than you might think. We actually left the house with no diapers or extra bottles for Ethan (I packed one in the dog pack but no extras)! What was I thinking? After a trip to Walgreens for sunscreen we had to circle back and pick up a diaper bag. The trail was hard for the first mile (as you climb UP the mountain), but the second mile was basically flat on the ridge and the last mile was downhill. You always think that downhill will be easier, and it might be for your lungs, but your ankles and knees are a different story. It especially becomes more difficult when an 80 pound dog is trying to show you how fast she can get down the mountain! Philip was also having problems at the end with the Snugli not really having enough padding (or any hip support) for a three mile trek. Well, here is a cute picture of Ethan about half way through the last mile:All in all the prep-work was worth it. The dogs get so excited the second they hear thier collars' distinctive jingle and Ethan didn't utter a single cry throughout the entire trip (even though at one point he hadn't eaten in over 3 hours). He was just so entranced by all of the nature it was cute to see. It especially reaffirmed Philip and I's believe that he should, and will, be out in nature as much as possible.

I guess that's it for now. We are looking forward to our upcoming visits from family!! Danielle (Auntie) is planning on coming up weekend after next and then my Mawmaw, Pawpaw, Nanny, and two cousins are coming up the weekend after that!! I don't know if I can prepare a meal that compares to all the crawfish they'll be missing for Easter at Aunt Eleanor's, but I'll try! Maybe Mawmaw will even bring up some tails and we can have crawfish fettuccine or étouffée!






Mmmmm, now I'm REALLY excited!!




An update on the Baba's: Carmen is still on bed rest and will go for her next ultrasound on Wednesday. If you know Justin and Carmen (or if you don't) please pray for the successful outcome of this pregnancy and that they will have the Lord's peace through these stressful times.