My Ebenezer

A pretty normal week for us again!  We had lots of everyday moments in preparation for an out-of-the-ordinary week to come.  Here's how it looked:   Daddy time in the evening often involves an episode of Bonanza.  Little Joe is a favorite around here! Bath time for Seth.  Maybe it's because he's my second child, but I do not have anywhere near the amount of baby gear I had with Noah.  Baby bathtub? Nowhere in sight.  It's Kitchen Sink City for us!  For this reason, you may not see an actual bath picture, because it takes all my hands to hold on to Seth in the sink.  If I ever have a helper, we may see good future blackmail bath time photos. :) One afternoon Noah and I took his after-school snack to the dock.  Handi-snacks, anyone?  I, for one, love that they still come with the little red stick for spreading, just like when I was his age! Cowboys are his favorite these days.  What're YOU lookin' at...

This week went better than I had anticipated photo-wise!  I had my doubts as to whether I'd remember to take photos every single day, but I did!  The only 2 days I missed were days that my dear husband took my camera to work with him to take videos of a house he had just completed.  Maybe he needs a camera for his birthday... Here is week 3 in photos: At the beginning of the month, we tore out the mega-bush that had flanked the whole front of our house for the last 40 years, and put in some things we liked better.  Since the weather had been so beautiful lately, I sent Noah out to water the plants.  In shorts and a t-shirt!  Brothers making each other smile.  LOVE THIS! If the weather is nice, I usually take Seth for a walk at some point during the day.  His eyes are closed because the sun was bright, not because he was asleep. I view this as God's early Valentine's gift to me each year.  This tree in front of our hous...

In honor of Seth turning 2 months old today, I finally got a video of him rolling over!  He first did it at 6 weeks, but I happened to get the video today.  Happy 2 months, Seth!!

My 365 Project was inspired by my friend  Jenny , who did this on her blog last year and has decided to continue into this year.  The gist of it: take at least one photo a day to document the monumental as well as the mundane events that make up our daily lives.  At the end of the year, you have a great way to look back and reflect. Personally speaking, the challenge will be to remember to take photos!  I'm already a little behind, but I'm not going to let that stop me.  Old Jo would have let it stop her, but I'm going to just pick up right here and go!  What's the worst that could happen?  I end up with fewer than 365 photos...but so what?  I guarantee there will be more than if I had never started this project at all! So without further ado, here are the first 2 weeks of January, documented as best as I could when I remembered to take photos: Sweet Seth Oh, scary!  Noah doesn't care if his subject is still in her pajamas with b...

It was Christmas morning, and I had nothing to open.  Nothing in my stocking, either.  It was then and there that I decided Something Needed To Change.  It's not that my husband didn't give me anything: he had come home from the store the day before and deposited my Christmas gift, visible through its translucent gray Wal-Mart bag, on the floor in view of all.  It was a space heater; a very thoughtful gift actually, since my old trusty one that I had kept in my bathroom since I was 15 (!) bit the dust the week before.  But it was the lack of ceremony that did me in.  No attempt made to keep it a secret, wrap it up, and watch my face as I opened it.  Just there it was on the floor.   In a Wal-Mart bag.   Don't misread me.  I'm THANKFUL.  I've used that new heater almost every single day since he "gave" it to me.  But there is something to be said for a little bit of fanfare, a little bit of flourish or mystery in gift-giving. So...

I'm not going to call them "Resolutions" because in many cases, these are not new changes I hope to make.  These are simply the goals I have for this year, many of which are just continuations from last year.  So here goes (in no particular order): 1.  Read through the Bible (again), but this time chronologically.  This may seem "no duh" to you, but it was only a few years ago that I realized that the Bible was not written in chronological order.  For years I thought the events and prophecies in the end of the O.T. really happened then.  I'm hoping a chronological reading will help me with the history in the Bible.  Not to mention, it's kind of fun to take a detour partway through Genesis and read through Job! 2. Lose 8lbs.  I lost 20lbs the week Seth was born, but he left me with 8lbs of baby flab, the stubborn kind: right around my midsection.  It's gotta go. 3.  Read 6 books (on my own: non-Children's books).  I have other ...

One of my favorite pastimes these days is making Seth smile.  It's beyond rewarding!!  Here are two videos of me doing just that. This one was taken by Noah.  PLEASE ignore the fallout from the day's happenings all around me.  I have a new baby. :) And here's one of the little guy responding to my shameless goofy faces as I attempt to make him smile:

Some of you who may be on our Christmas Letter Recipient List will notice that I was a little, um, late getting my letters out this year. (If you would like to be on our list, send me your address and I'll include you next year!)  For next year, I'm actually leaning very heavily to just doing the nice photo cards that so many families do.  We'll see.  But for now, this is the photo that went out documenting our family at Christmas 2012.  Thanks to Matt for taking the photo at his house.  (Our house was still working its way out of "Disaster Area" status and wasn't photo-ready. *wink*)

A couple glimpses into daily life this week: To do an accurate video of Noah, I had to try to be sneaky, since he turns into a different person in front of a camera.  Here's Noah playing: And here's a video of me trying to get Seth to smile:

I finally changed the background on my blog.  Goodbye to the pumpkins--it's not Fall anymore!  The very fact that I (a) had time to do this, and (b) cared enough to do it speaks volumes about where I've come from over the past 6 weeks.  I am finally feeling more and more myself each day.  Busy, yes, but not overwhelmed to the point of tears when I look at my To Do list.  I am finally feeling like maybe I can do this (with the Lord's help, of course), where before I felt no hope.  Praise the Lord for His faithfulness, and for pulling me out of my postpartum funk.  I still have bad days, but they are fewer and farther between, and I am so SO thankful.  I'm coming back!