Eight

Can't believe our little guy is eight today! At his birthday party last night, he lit his own candles. He's becoming so independent and growing up right before our eyes.

The other night, Jeff and I had some time alone with Clay on our front porch. We lit a candle and ate ice cream 'til the mosquitos came out and it was time for bed. We had a great talk about life, World War 2, Hitler and Bin Laden, and all kinds of other things his mind was thinking about. It was such a mature conversation, and it was one of those moments where we caught a glimpse of the person Clayton is becoming.

Some things I love about Clayton:

His adventurous spirit. Today he had on roller blades for at least half the day. When he first started, he was pretty wobbly, holding onto our kitchen chairs while trying to skate across our wood floor. Later on, he got brave and was out on the front porch whizzing around, yelling, "This is awesome!"
He loves to work with his hands building all kinds of things, with Legos, sticks, cardboard, staples, paper, etc. As a birthday present, Grandpa Dave spent a day in the woodshop with Clay last week. They made this neat hall tree for Clay's room.
Our sweet next door neighbors had these signs in their windows for us to wake up to. When we happened to look out the window, we saw this:
Happy Birthday, Clayton Scott! You are deeply loved by so many, including your Maker, your Father in Heaven. We pray that you will hear His voice above all the rest, and that you will follow Him all the days of your life.