Zeke's First Day of Preschool

Zeke wanted to wear this headband to school.  Gotta pick your battles with a three year old!

He does this posing of his own accord.

Baby Quilt

My mom made a baby quilt for this new baby on the way.  It's so different than Zeke's was and I really love it.  It's so bright and vivacious... just like this baby (at least from what I can tell).  

Mom told me over the phone it had a "fat baby with wings on it".  I asked her if she meant a cherub... it made me laugh.

Since we still don't have a name for sure she just put Barreth.

The back side.

Gwen's First Day of Kindergarten

August Happenings

Gwen holding "chickens" at the Johnson County Museum we visited recently.

My neighbors that just moved gave me this changing table.  I painted it and painted the hardware.  Not bad for free. :)

Hope

It has been a whirlwind lately in the Barreth home.  Gwen got a little sick.  I got sick and it stuck around long enough to drive me crazy.  It was a fever only, but along with being 8 months pregnant it was a doozy.  Then last Monday Ben lost his job.  Let me back up.  We had prayed specifically recently that God would show Ben if he was to move on from this job or to stay.  Well, God answered that prayer in a definite and sudden way... but that's ok, cause we serve a BIG GOD!

You know what's crazy about it all?  Ben and I are at peace about it.  If we can trust God with our afterlife, then we can trust Him with taking care of our needs.  Ben has been interviewing and we are trusting.  Trusting in God's timing for a job, trusting in God's timing for this baby, trusting in God's provision... isn't so much of our lives out of our control?  And the parts that seem in our control... well, most of those aren't in our control either.  So, as I enter my 9th month tomorrow I'd like to just raise my hand and thank God that I have hope.  I have hope in someone greater than me and greater than is in the world.

When You're Home Sick

I am reading a book called "The Circle Maker" about prayer.  It speaks about really being specific in prayer and praying big prayers to a big God.  It has been a really good challenge and reminder for me to pray in a different way.

Today I came across this story and it was so interesting.  I've tried to validate this story on line, but while I can't find anything exactly like this story in "The Circle Maker", I have found lots of interesting facts about Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Hattie was born into the most distinguished family of clergymen in America.  She was the seventh of 13 children.  Her father, Lyman Beecher, was considered the greatest orator in America.  That mantle was passed down to her brother, Henry Ward Beecher.  But it was Hattie who would change the course of American history.

One Sunday morning in 1851, during a Communion service, Harriet fell into a trance not unlike the trance that Peter had on the rooftop of Simon the tanner's house.  In her trance, Hattie saw an old slave being beaten to death.  The vision left her so shaken that she could hardly keep from weeping.  She walked her children home from church and skipped lunch.  She immediately started writing down the vision God had given her as words poured from her pen.  When she ran out of paper, she found brown grocery paper and continued to write.  When she finally stopped, and read what she wrote, she could hardly believe she had written it.  It was nothing short of divine inspiration.  Hattie said that God wrote the book; she just put the words on paper.

Before she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, in 1849, her sixth child (they had seven total), Samuel Charles, died in a cholera epidemic in Cincinnati.  There was no medical intervention available at the time, and all Harriet could do was watch helplessly while her eighteen-month-old child was wracked by convulsions and lost all the fluids in his body. She later wrote that there were circumstances of such bitterness in the manner of Charley's death that she didn't think she could ever be reconciled for it unless his death allowed her to do some great good to others. She also wrote that losing Charley made her understand what a slave woman felt when her child was taken away at the auction block.

Isn't it amazing how I can feel a connection with a mom so long ago and ache with her over losing a child?  Maybe I need to read Uncle Tom's Cabin.


Samuel Charles

Harriet Beecher Stowe

34 weeks and 2 days

Baby Update

Yesterday I went to see the doctor and I took the kids.  It's a miracle I remember anything that was said even though the kids did really well.  I am 33 weeks now and this baby girl moves a lot and is very strong.  She is head down now and my doctor thinks she will stay that way!  Last time I went to the doctor I was measuring 4 weeks ahead by the measuring tape, but now I'm only measuring 2 weeks ahead.  My doctor thinks that she is dropping down which is good.  I had an ultrasound last week and they estimated that she was 4 lb 8 oz.  My doctor said that was a little over average, but fine.  In two weeks I will start having weekly ultrasounds and non stress tests to check everything out because of the gestational diabetes.  I am excited to see her so much.  The other two I hardly got to see before birth.
I am at the stage now where I wake every 2 hours or so in the night and my back feels stretched.  Hot showers seem to help and I am trying my best to position pillows to support me, but that is a challenge. I am ready to see this new person inside of me.

His Promises

Where would we be without God's promises?  Reminded this morning.

32 weeks

Large and in charge at 32 Weeks!

Freeze Frame

I love it when you experience moments that are just so perfect you'd like to freeze frame.  They don't happen every day, but I had one today.  We were at a local pond and the weather was warm and I was in the shade and the kids were fishing and riding bikes with their Grandpa and Daddy.  I took a little stroll and breathed in the warm air and looked at the lily pads... just beautiful.

Someone talked daddy into a slushy!

Fishing.  Yesterday he caught his first fish.

Riding bikes

Zeke and Paw Paw

Gwen and Daddy

Lily pads and ripples and a cool breeze.  My kind of beauty.

Being Goofy

Turtle

We found a turtle in the field behind the house.  The kids were very excited.

Zeke and a friend at small group.

Mothers Make a Difference

These two stories came from a devotional book that I borrowed from my mom's house when I went there the last time.

*A partially deaf boy came home from school one day carrying a note from officials at the school.  The note suggested that the parents take the boy out of school, claiming that he was "too stupid to learn."
The boy's mother read the note and said, "My son Tom isn't 'too stupid to learn.' I'll teach him myself."  And so she did.
When Tom died many years later, the people of the United States of America paid tribute to him by turning off the nation's lights for one full minute.  You see, this Tom had invented the light bulb-- and not only that, but motion pictures and the record player.  In all, he had more than one thousand patents to his credit.  

** The name Albert Einstein is synonymous with that of "genius."  Many don't know, however, that Einstein was a late talker.  His parents grew quite worried about this.  Then, at supper one night, he broke his silence with a full sentence, saying, "The soup is too hot."  Overjoyed, his greatly relieved parents asked him why he hadn't spoken before.  He said, "Because up to now everything was in order."

Living In the Moment

It is interesting to see how mothering changes over time for me.  I had a conversation with my sister about how hard it is to stay in the moment in this day and age with so many distractions.  I think that is a constant struggle for every mother.  This morning I really enjoyed watching the kids play in the rain.

We moved this rosebush from the back yard to the front yard and thought it might die... but it has bounced back and I'm so happy about it.  I am really enjoying looking out my big window at these beautiful yellow roses.

In pregnancy news, I'll be 31 weeks along tomorrow.  I went to a specialist for my gestational diabetes and my blood sugars are looking very good.  My prayer is that I can go until the end controlling my sugar through diet with no medicine.  They said to not feel like a failure if I have to go on meds, but I must admit I would be very disappointed.  They said because I have gestational diabetes this time that they probably will want to deliver me in my 39th week.  If I have trouble controlling my sugar or the baby is very big they said they'd want me to deliver in my 38th week.  I'm not sure how I feel about all that, but I'm taking it day by day.  They will start monitoring the baby by ultrasound when I reach 34 weeks.  I'm looking forward to seeing the baby again by ultrasound.  This baby is strong and moves often and so I am reassured she is doing just fine.  I'll give you another belly picture soon.  I'm busy running after two others that I can barely get a photo of myself these days.

Treasures

For Gwen's birthday present I bought her a grow your own crystal set.  We really enjoyed doing it together and seeing the final product.  Isn't it pretty?

I made cole slaw for the first time this year for the 4th of July.  Isn't this cabbage pretty?  What a wonderful God we have to make such variety!

I must admit, I love fireworks and the kids had a good time watching some last night.  They were pretty much toast on the way home though.  They are both napping right now for once!

Singing To Gwen

Summer Memories

The other night Ben and I were at the Grammy party to celebrate the actual Grammy my choir got.  I decided I need photo ops with it.  Do I look like a grammy winner?  I think not!  Oh well :)

The weather has been so nice and the Lord has been merciful to me with a mild summer so far.  It's so beautiful in fact that you can't stay inside.  So, today we went to Deanna Rose Farmstead.  It is free and the kids love it.  Gwen spotted this turtle on a log.

Gwen and Zeke both used their own money to buy a bottle to feed the baby goats.  Zeke was looking forward to it so much and then the overenthusiastic goats scared him.

Gwen, however, loved the attention from the goats and maximized it by pulling the bottle out of their mouths and running a few feet and then choosing another goat to feed.

Zeke still wasn't too sure he liked goats.

But Gwen did.

After we had walked around for a while I sat down on a swing and watched while the kids got soaked in some misting things they had there.  I figure this is what childhood and summer is all about.

Then of course we had to use up every coin we had, so we fed the ducks.

Every Good Thing

I've heard this song before, but I heard it again on the radio today and really appreciated the words.  I had a moment of true gratefulness of where I am right now in life.  God has given me so much more than I ever could have imagined.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17