He gets it from me

We often tease and call Josiah Linus (from Charlie Brown). He always seems to have "Blue" his blanket in his hand. We have a constant battle at the door because Blue is supposed to stay home and wait for Josiah to return. Often it is put on a chair and it's the first thing Josiah looks for upon returning home. He loves his blanket and rubs it against his face each night as he goes to sleep.

So when I saw this photo, I loved my son a little deeper because I can see his blanket love comes from his Momma. I loved my blankie and it appears I tried to take it everywhere with me as well. 

Like Momma, like son :)

Pictures from the past

I don't know if it's pregnancy, missing family or just reflecting on how quickly time seems to be flying by with my own children, but I've been thinking back and reflecting on my own childhood. Looking through old photos has been a nice way to bring back memories. I thought I would post a few of the pictures I've been looking through over the few day.

Some of these pictures have aged through the years. And some of these were saved after Hurricane Dennis swept them away. We went through the wet albums and layed the pictures out to dry out. I thought about editing them, but decided against it because it was part of our families story and the age, spots and wrinkles are all part of life and makes these captured memories even more special. 

 1977

This is my Granny and Grandaddy Kinsey. My cousin Kelly is on the right, I'm on the left. We're three months apart in age, our little girls are three months apart,and she is due three months before me with both of our third babies. There is just something about us and threes!

I've thought about my grandparents so often lately. They have been married for 65 years. My Grandfather is struggling with Alzheimer’s disease and has been for years. My granny just came up to celebrate Josiah's second birthday. I am so proud of her for traveling the distance to come be with us. It was a huge undertaking on her part and it is was blessing to be able to spend time with her. It was awesome to watch her with my children.

I think that Car is still sitting in Granny's Back yard :)

When I look at this picture, I see Josiah's face looking back at me and Eden's love for baby dolls :)

This picture just makes me laugh! Momma used to cut our hair and apparently she gave us the same hair cut with the same bowl, only she gave me shorter bangs than Shannon! :)

Shannon, when Eden saw this picture she asked who it was with Shay. I knew she wouldn't recognize me, heck I barely recognize me! But I thought it was neat she saw your son in you :)

He's a Boy!

 One of the highlights of this past week was getting to see our newest son. Baby #3 is a boy :) We had an appointment for our ultrasound Friday. You would think with this being our third we would be old pros at this, but I still felt butterflies. We were both excited and eager to see our newest baby.

The nurse who did the ultrasound was great as we teased and talked through the first few minutes. I looked over at the screen and I could see that he was defiantly a boy! She didn't need to explain it, the proof was on the screen :)

 Larry and I are thrilled! We would have been thrilled with a girl too. What we were most excited about was that from all appearances he appears to be healthy. She even went into 4D to look at his heart after we told her about Eden's heart condition. His little heart is about the size of a dime right now. And looking for the problems in his heart is like looking at the nose on Franklin D. Roosevelt's face on a dime.  Wow, that's tiny! Everything looked great. 

This is 18 weeks.

We didn't get a profile picture this time.

This is his head with his hand resting on his check.

This was at 9 weeks.

Look how much he's grown in just 9 weeks!!

It is amazing to me how fast growth takes place, how intricately he is being woven together.

It is a Miracle! He measured a little big, but when I explained that Josiah was 8lb 12.5 oz we all teased that I just grow big boys.

More good news, I had gained 1lb. They Doctor is still concerned about my all day morning sickness, and have given me a few more suggestions and medications to see if they would help. It's funny how all the differnt doctors have different thinking on causes and cures for morning sickness. I'll try just about anything at this point, But realize that I could be sick the rest of the pregnancy. I was sick the whole nine months with Josiah and he came out nice and healthy, Praying the same is true for this baby as well.

I try to keep in mind this is a very short season and a healthy son is worth every bit of moring sickness. In my mind, complaining about it is the opposite of the worship I desired to give God for blessing me with another child. Especially when I always thought I would be a barren woman.

Praise God for this new son and the moring sickness that comes with him! :)

For You formed my inward parts;You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:13-16

Stitches of Love

Have you ever felt deeply loved by your church family? I did tonight.

Remember the quilting circle I shared about a few weeks ago? You can read about it here.

The women of our church spent many long hours working on this quilt. I enjoyed being a part of the time with them and saw it as Titus 2 in action. I hoped that whoever received this quilt would recognize the hard work that went into making it. Many hand skillfully wove thread in and out as life and love was shared. Little did I know the quilt we were making was meant for Larry and I. What a blessing to be loved so much by these women that they would do this for our family.

During our Valentine dinner they presented me with the quilt. I left out the pictures where I was a crying mess, but I couldn't stop the tears because I recognized the love that went into this quilt and that love was intended for me and my family. Oh how special I felt!

Josiah ran up from the back of the room and jump on it. He said,  "pretty Momma." I thought, yes he understand the beauty of it. Maybe one day I can explain to him the time and love that went into it as well.

Along with the quilt, One of our church members wrote a beautiful poem to go along with it:

Stitches of Love

Grand glorious fabrics are not what this quilt is made of.

But this beautiful treasure is bound by stitches of love.

From the hands of everyday people, a way to show they care

By joining in an effort, their talents they willingly share.

The stitches aren't perfect, but with painstaking labor they sew

many pieces and patterns from a common thread they grow.

In this day and age few things are still made by hand

So this message we hope you'll understand

Be it blessing or storms that come from above,

Always know you're wrapped in precious stitches of love.

Batter Up!

Josiah was given a t-ball set for his birthday and the kids love it!

 Momma loves when we can take it outside to play with it, even in the snow!

 Eden is my natural ball player. Look at her!

 Both hands gripping the bat, eye on the ball and a good swing!

She must get it from her Daddy, because her Momma has never been a good softball player!

 Even our cat, Sampson, came to watch her play!

 Daddy teaching his boy the basics, Josiah wanted to do it all by himself.

 When we let him play on his own we found out he might be a a lefty.  

I can see lots of ball playing in our future!

Thank you Grandma and Granddaddy.

 As you can see, the kids love it and we'll spend lots of time enjoying it :)

Snow Days

Thursday we had a snow day the way I like a snow day to be, snowing in the morning and melted by the end of the day. It was a great morning playing outside, followed by wonderful naps. When we woke up from our naps, the snow was all gone. Good times, Good times!

Josiah favorite part of our snow days was eating it!

Every time I turned around he had a handful ready to eat :)

Baby belly and update

These photos are for my baby sister and any other curious friends who wants to see the baby bump that I have already grown. It seems I call Abbey on a daily basis for Dr. Abbey advice on medications and  for a little moral support.  It's great to have a pharmacist in the family! I've been sharing how quickly this baby has grown and she asked me to put some picture up.

People have already started to notice and make comments. A woman at the park recently asked me a question related to pregnancy after seeming my bump. I thought I had it well hidden under my jacket, but I guess not. :)

Many people have asked if it's twins and the answer is still no, I'm just big I reply. I haven't gained any weight. I still weigh what I did before I got pregnant. I would gladly put on a few more pounds if it meant I didn't have to be sick everyday.

 Many fellow moms have offered words of encouragement. Those who have had lots of kids in a short amount of time tell me showing quickly is just part of the joys of third pregnancies. It's like your body remembers being round and enjoys the less restrictive material that maternity clothes offer. :)

 

So I'm enjoying these days and my growing roundness because it is continual proof of God's blessing on me and our family. These days will pass quickly and I'll forget all the morning sickness and the other ills of pregnancy when I get to hold our new son or daughter.

Super Why :)

Our family loves PBS shows. Knowing this, Grandma and Granddaddy got Josiah a Super Why coustume for his birthday. He and Eden Loved it!

Even Daddy thought dressing up was fun :)

Grand Visit

Yaya, Pawpaw and my Granny came up for Josiah's Birthday. The kids loved spending time with them! Having family come for special occasions means so much to me and to the kids.

 Here are a few of my favorite pictures :)

Little Painters

There are times when I try something new with the kids and it goes really well. Then there are times when the idea goes off the plan. While it becomes funny, it also becomes a big mess. Well that's how my little painters first time painting inside together went, a little off plan :)

 It started well enough. Both children had their paint brushes and were sharing the paper well.

I had covered the floor with an old shower curtain.

Good times, Good times

 I thought they were so cute painting together!

 Then Eden asked if she could paint her hand.

 I said sure go ahead and paint your hands, and do hand prints.

 I thought, oh that would be cute! And it was.

 See cute handprints :)

 Then Josiah thought, If Eden can do it I should too!

 Then he decided that he shouldn't stop with his hands, he should paint his whole body.

That's when my great idea got funny, but super messy!

 Eden painting the paint brushes.

 Josiah still painting himself.

That smile was worth the mess!

So in the end I laughed so hard I cried. I had to put the camera down and contain the kids and mess. I was thankful for the blog I recently read that gave ideas for old shower curtains. I was thankful my children played well together, even if they made a big mess and my bath tub looked like someone had been murdered in it. I was thankful that even when my plans don't go as I envisioned it should, we still had a good time and  learning happend. They learned to take turns and share. I learned to say no when they ask if they can paint their hands. :)

Happy 2nd Birthday Josiah

It's hard to believe that that two years have passed since Josiah came into our world. It's weird to think of life before Josiah became a part of our family. He is so much fun and has fit so well into our family. God knew he was meant to be a Gilbreath.

I am constantly amazed at how sweet and mischievous Josiah can be. He is the source of much laughter in our home. He is the epitome of being an "all boy" boy. He loves to climb and run. Bugs don't scare him and he seems attracted to dirt and mud in a way that must be genetic. Leggos and trains capture his attention like nothing else I have found. He is my cuddle bug, he loves to be snuggled and held.

Imagining what Josiah's life will be like is so much fun. I love watching his personality grow as he learns and matures.  We look forward forward to watching him grow to be a man. Praying God will use  and bless him abundantly 

 Josiah Larry Gilbreath

Feb 2nd 2009

8 lbs 12.5 oz  21 inches long

 I love this picture.

I took it with my camera phone the day Josiah was born.

Josiah was so sweet and had so much red hair!

He just wanted to eat and sleep. 

 Tummy Time

 Enjoying the great outdoors

 First two teeth :)

 Kawaski!

Enjoying his trains.

I love you sweet boy. Happy Birthday!

Titus 2 in action - Quilting Circle

Today I got to to be a part of a women's quilting circle. It was so much fun! It felt as If I had stepped back in time to a social event of years past. It provided a simple joy that women my age crave.  I have very little experience quilting, but thought this sounded like fun. My mentor helped me quilt my only quilt on her machine years ago. She did most of the threading and making bobbins. I just pushed the sewing machine peddle and tried to keep a straight zig zag line. I was eager to learn from these women, knowing they were experienced quilters and willing to teach me. 

This was my first attempt at hand quilting. It made me appreciate the hard work that my great grandmother put into the beautiful quilts she made for my family years ago. One of those quilts still keeps us warm on cold nights. I thought of how many women over years past had gathered to make blankets to cover their families; The amount of time and love that went into those pieces of fabric that turned into art. Quilting circles provided times of fellowship where joy and reflection on what God was doing in their family lives' could be discussed.

 It was a blessing to be with these women, to laugh and share our lives. I learn new skills from these clever ladies. Each had their own style and ideas, but when you looked at the quilt it all blended together into one beautiful piece.There was so much wisdom in this room. So much love and lifetimes of experience from these mothers, grandmothers and ever a few great grandmothers. It was Titus 2 in action.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Titus 2:3-5

This was my first square :)