jonathan, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

Jonathan Ebersole was dedicated this past Sunday at our church. We don’t do the baby sprinkling thing at WP – instead, our pastor talks for a minute about and to the parents, then takes the baby. He talks directly to the baby and prays for him as he walks all the way around the sanctuary… it’s very, very personal, and very encouraging to the family and to the congregation.

This is the kind of thing I would like to see in more than just this one church – it lifts everyone’s spirits. And folks aren’t clambering over one another to see the baby all the way at the front – he gets walked right by where you’re sitting.

It was amazing – Jonathan started out really squirmy. But the pastor has a very deep voice, so in no time at all, the baby cuddled right under Pastor Tom’s chin and laid his head on his chest.

kaylin, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

My girl Kaylin. She whined the other day (love you, girl!) about me not taking as many photos of her and her siblings now that another large family has come to our church… But those kids I can get to stop moving… and this one just NEVER stops. =)

lake, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

This lake was… pretty. It was also frigid outside, so the thought of the temperature of that water was enough to scuttle me back to the safety of the deck. I liked the ice on the trees and the sun sparkling on the water, though. Too bad that didn’t come out in the picture.

shed, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

This past weekend, I went on a deacons’ retreat. We went to this beautiful bed & breakfast in the middle of a slim stretch of woods. It had a little lake surrounding it on two sides, with a road separating the halves. The house was gorgeous – modern, but with a lot of rich red wood. This is shot down from the deck looking over the edge of the lake (underexposed, I know – but I like the water in this picture the way it is).

It was a great retreat – refreshing and renewing, but at the same time, invigorating. We spent the weekend in heavy discussion about our mission. We’d all read a book called “Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor.”  The book is… thought-provoking. It’s amazing that the deacon who found this book did so – it speaks to us very clearly about a possible path for our ministry.

teddy, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

A seven-year-old took this photo. =) Amazing, isn’t it? Just that fact that it’s in focus and is of what she wanted it to be of is remarkable… I let kids take pictures with my camera a lot (there’s always a 2-picture limit, and I’m always close at hand), and this little girl ends up with some neat photos.

wet, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

Our once lush and green backyard has turned into a muddy wasteland. Between the “huge” snowstorm’s snow (1 or 2 inches) and several days’ worth of freezing and regular rain, this is what I see when I look out over the backyard. It’s gonna be worse in a couple of days – it’s supposed to rain today AND tomorrow. Ugh. Our basement is starting to be wet.

please?, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

It was the best of times… I love the SuperBowl. I loved this particular game – watching the NE Cheaters’ defeat was very… satisfying. Watching this game in HD was GREAT. Here I am, once again (and mostly jokingly) begging David for HD cable. Here he is, once again (and mostly jokingly) ignoring me. *sigh*

candleslit, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

Happy birthday, sister!

We bought a cake and lit 17 candles (matches) in honor of Leah’s 17th birthday. Our dog popped in to wish her an HB, and her present’s on the table with us.

The cake was good, L. =)

yum, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

My silly, web-footed dog. See that red dot by his front left paw? He was chasing a laser level beam around the house like a mad animal… I thought it’d be fun to get a shot of him running around chasing it, but when I snapped the photo, he looked up and licked. =) This was a way better photo.

disintegration, originally uploaded by tara.aukerman.

Tonight, Dave started setting up to work on the bathroom – he poured some of the stripper into a styrofoam bowl. Within 30 seconds, this is what remained of the bowl. So… note to us. Paper is the way to go.