Quarter Year! (and a brief catch-up)

Sorry for the long delay in posting. I haven't written in a while mainly because we haven't been doing much - the 3 feet of snow on the ground kept this southern girl indoors for the week! In an effort to keep things cheerful during the long winter, I've hung twinkle lights all around our living room and still play Christmas CD's every day.

Here's just a few of our daily sights:

icicles outside one of our upstairs windows

if you can't tell, this is snow plowed up to the height of the dumpster

gotta love the neighbors cigarette butts hiding out in the snow pile

All in all, I feel like we've adjusted to the snow and temperatures pretty well. I did finally get out on Friday to go to Bible study and I did pretty well driving, too! The thing is, its just a whole lot of WORK - scrape the car, shovel the walk, bundle me up, bundle Benjamin up, heft us all out to the car, remember to bang off my snow boots before i get in, etc. However, my dad sent a picture today that reminded me that it could be lots worse...

Northern Michigan

Anyway, speaking of snow being a lot of work, here is Benjamin in the midst of being suited up for going out... I just can't help but share the preciousness!

Benjamin turned 3 months old on Friday - a whole quarter-year! It's so fun to watch him growing up, doing new things every day, and surprising himself with his new abilities. Here are just a few of his new talents, some of which I think may be harbingers of boyhood to come :)

- Yelling! In just the past few days, Benjamin has discovered that his little voice can make such big, fun noises. Cooing has graduated to squealing and screaching just for the fun of it. Sometimes, after a particularly loud exclamation, his face looks surprised, like he's thinking, "Did I just do that?" He's also a growing conversationalist, if we speak in his language.... Here's what I mean (so far, Daddy is his favorite person to talk to!)



this video also showcases another emerging talent - playing with his tongue! :)

- Remembering! Benjamin is getting more and more aware of his surroundings and remembering what Mommy does when. "The books" say that babies his age may begin smiling when they recognize its mealtime, anticipating the yummy things to follow. There's no smiling for this boy - nope - when he recognizes that I'm about to feed him, he promptly opens his mouth so wide it makes his precious little nose crinkle ... "Feed me already, mama! I'm a growin' boy here!"

- Pooping! (on purpose, that is) For the first few months, it seemed I could never keep Benjamin's little diaper clean - there was just stuff coming out of somewhere constantly. But now, Benjamin has learned to poop on purpose ... accompanied by the funniest little grunts you've ever heard!

- Pushing up! he'll be rolling over before we know it!

And so life continues on as normal - fight the snow, fold the clothes, change the diaper - but every day, I am struck by the amazing privilege it is to call this precious little one our own and to call such a wonderful man my husband!