My little brother isn’t so little anymore.  I remember the times when we were younger.  I was 8 when he was born.  Times like, having to wipe his little 3 year old tush after hearing him repeatedly yelling from the bathroom, “somebody wipe me!”, or him riding my brand new REI bike without my permission and having it stolen and not telling me for 3 weeks, even him coming to my horseback riding lessons and laughing uncontrollably when I almost fell off my horse during a gallop, or when I would hear a knock on my attic bedroom door in the middle of the night because Josh, around 7 or 8 years old at the time, was afraid of the dark — hey, what are big sister’s for??

josh + greg!

Babies always love Josh — as long as I can remember, that is a known fact in my circle. My own babies are no exception.  They love him so much it’s quite interesting actually. You see it on their faces as soon as they lay eyes on him.  It’s like their thinking, “oh that’s my dear Uncle Josh.  I love that guy.”  Josh is a baby lover.  He would come home from college after midnight — you’d hear him walk in, throw his backpack down, and race to Greg/my bedroom — a quiet tap on our door would come next.  “Are the babies awake?” he’d always ask in a whisper.  And the answer would almost always be the same, “No, Josh, they’re sleeping.”  He never gave up though, so on occasion if a baby stirred at that moment, I would let Josh hold them.

josh + my mom admiring the boys

uncle josh singing to his niece + nephews

loves his nephews to death

So my little brother isn’t so little anymore.  In the last few years I’ve seen him grow into a man.  He’s persevered through trials, put his faith into action, and has seen mighty miracles.  He’ll surely have many beautiful tales to tell his nieces/ nephews, kids, etc when they get older.  As of recently Josh casually walked into a career fair and landed a corporate job with his dashing good looks and pleasant ways and the unmerited grace of God.  Before he starts his job this coming June, he’s doing a 6 month Internship at the International House of Prayer (IHOP).  Even though he’s lived out of the house for 4 years now, and has been gone for summer internships, it’s the first time my family felt the heavy feeling that he’s really leaving Maryland, and we’re not sure when and if he’ll ever be back as a permanent resident.  Of course he’ll visit, but that’s never the same.

Life is interesting that way — you grow up with people, dear people, and because life’s paths are so different for everyone, you are left with the memories of days gone by.  We miss him alot, but we are so very proud of who he’s become.  A good brother, a humble son, an amazing uncle (their one and only uncle!), the loyalist of friends, annointed worship leader, a broken sinner, and best of all, a child of the Living God.  [My apologies for the sentimental post.  I had to get this all out.]

graduation day

greg, josh, and my paw paw

rohan + josh

kieran + josh

greg praying over josh at Chi Alpha UMBC, josh’s last meeting

brothers for life

church eldership praying over josh on his last sunday at ICF

Josh, may “the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” Number 6:24-26.  You’ll always be my little brother even if you’re not so little anymore.  Love you!

Thanksgiving this year was quite the event.  With 4 thanksgiving meals over a period of 3 days, you could say this mama is stuffed!  It really was a wonderful time with family and just being together.  There is so much to be thankful for — the surprise of two little babies growing in my belly, a handsome-loving-patient-and godly husband, a beautiful little girl who constantly rocks our socks off, and for our families who are a constant blessing to us.  Most of all, I am thankful for His grace, which allows me to be called a daughter of God.  Without His grace, this life would be meaningless.

greg, dhara, aunt beth + snowball. bethany beach, delaware

dhara and I on the sand

talk about amazing clouds! we spent a beautiful morning on the beach

[The photos above were taken at the beach this past Thanksgiving weekend.  The Dhara-girl and Greg couldn’t leave without getting their toes wet in the freezing Atlantic.]

There’s so much I’ve wanted to post about, but the last few weeks have been a blur.  Photoshoots and sewing up some sweet baby goods have seemed to take up my time.  I’m hoping to post more on the photoshoots later this week.  A few weeks ago, Greg and I were Susie Mey vendors at a local consignment sale at a synagogue in Baltimore.  We met some neat people and made connections.  The best connection and what I’m most excited to say is — if you live in or are visiting the downtown Baltimore area, you can find Susie Mey goods (like bibs, swaddling blankets and wool hair clips) at Soft & Cozy Baby — Baltimore’s natural baby boutique owned and operated by one of my midwives!  Awesome stuff.