Bella May Rose Gebhardt

Do you like that name for a baby GIRL?

Yes, we are having a little, healthy, beautiful baby girl. Let me break her name down for you.

From the start of this pregnancy, my husband has wanted to name a baby girl after his grandmother. Her name was May Belle. 2 separate words that over the years, became one. Everyone called her Maybelle. So we flipped it. Bella May it is. Robert got his wish, and I got a little Italian twist on it, since the word 'Bella' means 'Beautiful' in Italian. A little southern, a little Italian, but beautiful just the same.

Rose is my mother. This will be her tenth grandchild. I wanted to honor her by giving the baby her name. This WILL be her last grandchild. (we said that 3 babies ago, but this time, it's for real.)

We will call her Bella. Unless she's in trouble, of course.

My husband threw his hands up in victory in the sonogram room in front of the technician. We knew we were having a girl since the day we found out we were having a baby. They really check the baby extensively when you are over 35. Kind of freaked me out. Genetic counseling and everything. The doctor said, and I quote, "Consider yourself 22 and pregnant." That's how great everything looks. We are so blessed.

Strangest Halloween Goody

Alex went trick-or-treating with his Dad during the day on Halloween. Apparently neither one of us knew there is a 6pm-8pm rule in the south. So I think my son may have caught someone off guard. This is what was in his bag when he got home. HILARIOUS! I think this poor woman looked at my sons cute face and went in her pantry, and this is what she came out with. The bottom of the bag was full of crumbs too. They went in the garbage-of course. But we all got a good laugh.

Oh What A Night

I've been told that a little boy rarely makes it to his 5th birthday without visiting the emergency room, apparently 3.11 years old was Alex's lucky number. Around 3 o'clock we went for a bike ride. He rides, I walk. I'm not a big fan of bicycles. I think they are dangerous. Go figure.

He likes to ride down the hills on the sidewalk where we live. 1 time-great! 2nd time-awesome! 3rd time, it all went down hill. No pun intended. He went off the side walk in to a gully type thing where they have drainage for heavy rain and it's landscaped so beautifully with ROCKS. Big ones. pointy ones. When I went to pick up my screaming son that was face down in a pool of blood I didn't know what to expect. A broken nose? A busted grill? A poked out eye? As scary as picking up your son and seeing a hole in his forehead and literally staring at his skull sounds, I was instantly relieved that is was that, and none of the above. I picked him up, abandoned his bicycle, and starting running with him...up hill. 32 pound kid, 17 extra pounds. Picture my fat self by the time I got half way home. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had to have him walk the rest of the way home. Throw the front door open, and screamed "EMERGENCY". Woke my husband out of a dead sleep (worked 12 last night, working 12 tonight). He took Alex and cleaned him up and bandaged him, told me he needed stitches, and sent me to the hospital while he went to pick up Amber from school. I have to admit that I strategically made sure big Alex didn't come to the hospital. I didn't want him to see Alex before he got sewn up. Calmness is not his strong suit. He hates to see his kids get hurt. I brought him straight to him afterward. I watched them stick a needle in my baby's head. No tears. I watched them sew my sons head shut. No tears. The only one that was crying was me. Robert held him and talked to him, made him laugh, and went for the CT scan with him since I couldn't because of the pregnancy.

The lesson learned? My son is braver than I am.


Little Frankenstein.
The jersey is dark, but the whole shoulder was soaked in blood.

Good thing for the helmet.....umm.....I guess......
And something that no mother should ever admit....I quickly took my brand new awesome jacket off before I scooped up Alex and ran because I didn't want it to get soaked with blood and ruined. (Lord please forgive me)
Papa is coming in to town tomorrow, I know I'm seeing my mother and sister on Saturday.....ever see how mad Italian people get when their babies get hurt? My mother wanted to beat up a 3 year old that scratched Alex's face. This should be a fun weekend.

Letting Go

Have you ever had to let something go, but hate to watch it leave? That's how I feel about my volunteer role at church. With my pregnancy at it's mid-point, my departure from the toddler room is creeping up on me. I know I have to go, but I hate to leave. 2 weeks ago, the director gave me a day off because someone was willing to cover my room. I was happy and sad all wrapped up into one. Irrational thought-Is she trying to get rid of me? Rational thought-I was the one that said I needed to step down for a while, she's just trying to be helpful until a replacement is found. ffeeww.....

I know I need the break, especially lifting babies on to changing tables, and carrying sad babies around, but I still feel sad/guilty/abandoning/quiting/ crazy-probably pregnancy emotions. I know a few ladies that stepped down from their volunteer roles. I wonder if they felt the same way.

You really get honored as a volunteer leader as well. I think I will miss that the most. I'm grateful for the 2 years I have had the privilege to serve as a leader in the children's ministry.

Now I need someone to tell me that it's okay that I'm taking a break. Please. Thanks.

The Ugly Jar

Philippians 2:14 says "Do everything without complaining or arguing"

This message was written by the apostle Paul, who at this time, was in prison, awaiting possible execution. Talk about a positive attitude.

PF has challenged us as a church to participate in a 7 day fast. Nope. Not a fast from food. A fast from complaining and arguing. We were provided with these "ugly jars" that were painted by our children to bring home with us, and each time we complain or argue, we are to put one dollar in the jar. The jars are to be returned next week, and the money will be donated to one of our outreach partners.

I was put to the ultimate test tonight, as I drove home with my husband, who decided we would listen to the Panthers game on an AM, fuzzy, unclear, Gilligan's Island type radio station all the way home.......FROM GREENSBORO. What a prime situation to complain and argue. I made it home successfully, however, our jar already has several dollars in it from both me and Robert, and an I-O-U from Amber in it that will come out of her allowance.

You don't realize how much you complain until your held accountable for it. It's kind of sad actually. I am going to at least aim to have the least dollars in there in this house. We will see.

Psalm 37:4-Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

What Marriage Means to me.

Me and Colly have been married for a whole 6 months now. Its been quite a journey for me so far and its about to get even more interesting with another new family member on the way. Colly asked me to be her guest blogger and I said sure even though I really didn't want to. ( File that under the sacrifice and devotion section of marriage. ) Not that good at this whole blogging thing but I love my wife so if it's important to her for me to blog then I blog. Come to think about it...There's not much I don't do when she asks me to do it, whatever It may be. ( Note: Might take 2 hours to 2 days to get it done but it gets done. ) So here it goes. ( Note: Colly asked me to blog 2 days ago.)

What I've learned!

I thought a Honey Dew was a type of fruit that grew on a vine like a watermelon.................Nope, sorry guys. Turns out a Honey Dew is really a Honey Do and its a list that grows on a piece of paper and it keeps growing year around no matter how many times you harvest. Imagine that.

I've learned that there's more to breakfast and dinner than cereal and turkey sandwiches........I've also learned how to eat at the dinning room table instead of eating over the kitchen sink. ( Note: Saved me from cleaning the kitchen table. )

No more drinking out of the container. ( Note: Again, saves me from washing a glass out. )( Note 2: Nana will kill me! )

I've learned how to gain weight gracefully. (Note: My wife being pregnant is no excuse.)

All joking aside. Its not just me anymore. I've been given a gift from God to be a husband and a father. To lead my family in the best way I know how and in a way that would make God and my wife proud. I had to let go of those things that I held onto as a child for I am a child no more, I am a man and God has called me to be more than what I was before I was married. I said my vows and made a promise before God to love my wife from now until forever, in sickness and in health till death do us part and that's what I'll do.

I've been blessed with a wonderful, understanding, patient, loving wife and 3 1/2 awesome kids. ( Note: That half will soon make 4. ) It's been 6 months since we said our vows but it feels like it was yesterday. I've only known Colleen for 2 yrs but I feel like I've known her my whole life. We have a very loving marriage and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Marriage

I'm not married very long, but have learned a lot about marriage thus far. With plenty still to learn, I am excited for the future. I've learned a lot about marriage as an outsider, being that I am surrounded by many happily married, seasoned couples, but it's different when you experience it for yourself.

I've learned that:

Even a single mother can be selfish in her routine with her and her kids. It's no longer just us, and I call all the shots. That's not a bad thing, it's a good thing, but an adjustment just the same.

If I didn't have God in my life, and the desire to be a Godly wife and live a life that pleases Him, I probably wouldn't be half the wife I am.

Even if something is not important to me, if it's important to my husband, it's important to me.

I have to let my husband make decisions for our family, even if I don't necessarily agree, and stand by him and allow him to learn through his success, or his failure.

I have to love my spouse for who his is, not what he does for me.

There is no 'keeping score' in marriage.

Caring for my husband is a privilege, not a job.

I need to communicate my needs humbly, as needs, not as demanding 'expectations'.

Part of being a good wife is taking pride in taking care of our home, our children, and my husband, even when I'm too tired or I 'just don't feel like it'.

When I have my moments where my thoughts aren't exactly 'Christ centered', I just think about my wedding vows, and the calling God has placed on me. He's given me the opportunity to be a wife, something I had kind of given up on. I don't want to disrespect that ever.

My next post will be written by my husband, and his views on marriage thus far. Should be interesting!

Manners

I don't care what year it is, I am going to make sure my son has proper manners. I already use the phrase 'ladies first' as often as possible. I'm trying to teach him to hold doors and let the ladies go first too. A little manners go a long way.

2 times this week I ate at work standing up while men sat in the available chairs, and not one of them offered me their seat. I'm sorry, but pregnant or not, if your a man, and your sitting down, and there is a woman standing up with no seat, GET UP. Offer at the very least. Who doesn't teach their boys these things? Won't they want this for their daughters one day if they have any?

My husband has these manners. If I come in the door with bags, he runs over to grab them out of my hands, and then goes and gets the rest. He opens doors, car doors, he was brought up with old school manners. THANK GOD FOR THAT.

I'm done.

Always Lift Him higher Alex

It's HERE.

Venus Music & Arts Festival. A dream of my husbands for about 15 years. I haven't said much about it, because frankly, up until the very last minute, we weren't sure if we were going to be able to pull it off. We started with a big zero dollars, and wound up raising close to $30,000 in sponsorship. That alone warmed my husbands heart that people believe in what he was trying to accomplish. Robert and his associate have been working endlessly on the festival for the past 6 months. It is a 3 day festival of Music, Art, dance, food, and much much more. DJ's are coming from Israel, Chicago, California, Washington, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, Colorado, and all over the Carolinas. There is:

A full camp ground with a camp site competition.
A Fire Artist Competition
A Pro Graffiti Team Exhibition
The Venus Art Market (Art exhibition, Glass Blowing, Metal Workers, Painters, Sketchers, and Costume designers.)
With These Hands Mix Academy(teaching how to mix music)
The History of Electronic Dance Music which features over 70 of the top artists of our time.

Visuals by Peter Parker (Parkerism.com)

Dancers by Archedream

This festival is going to be amazing. We are so excited. I am headed there right after school tomorrow, and will stay there until sometime Sunday night. My husband was kind enough to book me a hotel. I'm definitely not feeling like camping at this stage in the pregnancy game. I'm working the door Friday night. The rest of the weekend, I plan to soak in Robert's success, and watch the look on his face as the people keep pouring in. I've been praying for provision, and now I'm praying for the people, and the weather. I hope to post photos of a very full festival come Monday. Enjoy your weekend.

Getting by, with a little help, from your friends

I have a friend. Their life has been shaken quite a bit over the past year or so. A broken, extremely short marriage, getting back on their feet, no family here, trying to heal and still stay afloat. Not the over emotional expressive type, but will still let things out in their own way.

4 weeks ago, that friend asked me if I was going to church that Sunday. My answer of course was yes. I go every Sunday, it's my favorite part of my week. 11:30 service works best for them. I never go to 11:30 service. I'm an 8:30 attender. No matter-11:30 it was.

I meet them in the lobby, we attend church together, and then we go our separate ways. I discuss sermons with them on their terms, when they are ready. I wasn't sure exactly how God was working in them, but he was doing enough for them to come back each week since. This makes me so happy. This is an instance where, even though it's only one person, I am the church. Then it came. The sentence that made switching service times and not pushing, but being consistent all worth while.

'I want to thank you for being there for me. I really appreciate you. I lost a lot of faith with all that I have been through, and I am learning a lot by coming to church with you, and it makes me feel good.'

YES!!! Any other takers? It's just that simple. Your whole life can change. It will change. Just like mine did. Not over night, but I promise you it will.

Family Updates

Me: My belly has popped. 'nuff said.

My husband: I know he's very handsome with bright blue eyes and sandy blond hair, but between working the past 3 nights, and coming up on fulfilling one of his biggest dreams next weekend, I haven't been able to spend much quality time with him. But we both can't wait.

My big son Taylor: Well....I heard him get a stern speech about his mid term grades on the phone today. I also heard the conversation end like this: "Hey, I love you. You hear me? Just because I'm getting on you about your grades doesn't mean I don't love you buddy. You can do better, your better than that."

Amber: You are looking at a mid term A/B honor roll student!! She is so happy and proud, and so are we! And by the way, she has an 'A' in band so far. That's my girl. She's so awesome.

Alex: I think this picture pretty much sums it up. This is my life with my son. In addition to this, he speeds around on a radio flyer bike in the house cutting corners and creating speed bumps with my resistance bands. Hey, at least someone is using them.

I hope your family is doing well!

The Game

Amber wanted to go to the JV football game last Thursday. Just stay after school, and go to the game, and I would pick her up at 6:30. She said: "There will be police officers and security guards there." I said....."That's nice".

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was a good laugh, right? Me. Send my daughter to a football game. With no supervision. 11 years old. I told her, of course you can go to the game.....with me.

Of all the kids she knew there, I was the only mother there that came to supervise. I had 2 kids ask me for a ride home. WOW. Not only did their Mom send them to the game, they didn't know how their child was getting home? She said one of her friends laughed that she couldn't go to the game without me. I'm glad she got a good laugh.

It was so hot and I was miserable, but she really wanted to go, so I went. She had so much fun.

When we were on our way home, she said "Mom, we would have done the same exact thing that we did whether you were there or not." So I explained to her-it's not that I think you are going to do something wrong, I just want to watch over you, and make sure that you are safe.

Then she said..Mom, I know why you come. Just to watch me...and be there in case I get hurt....I understand. It's okay Mom. I like when you come.

*SIGH* SHE GETS IT!!!!

Adam & Eve

Marie was driving in the car with Danielle (10) and Amber (11).

They drove past the store "Adam & Eve".

My niece says..."What is that store, Adam & Eve?"

Amber says with her big cousin confidence...."It's a Christian store Danielle...Adam and Eve are in the bible."

Danielle says "Oh.....well, why do they have Bras in the window?"

If you didn't find the humor in that, Adam & Eve is an "Adult" store.

I hope Amber never asks me to take her to that "Christian store".

The Blues

What started off with terrible news at school yesterday, followed by a horrible nightmare, and topped off with an attitude from an 11 year old, has turned my day into a day of waterworks. I have accomplished nothing, and do not intend to either.

I found out yesterday that a child in the TK program has been diagnosed with leukemia. Her Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 6 months ago. A mother of a child in the 2's class and a child in kindergarten died in her sleep this week. She was 34. I'm not sure of her illness, or if there was one. I know she was dropping off and picking up as recent as Friday. I've watched a Mom of a child in my class lose her father to cancer over the past 2 weeks, and it has brought back some haunting memories. A friend at the restaurant has a neighbor that was fighting alcoholism. During his detox, while trying to sleep in his bed, he suffocated/choked on vomit, and passed away at 44. He was found by his 12 year old son when he came home from school.

Big Alex got a heartfelt birthday card from his father today, and he called me to tell me about it. This makes me a sad happy, because there have been many times in life that their relationship has been strained, to say the least.

Tomorrow night should be the night that my father would be repeatedly saying "Make sure my presents are piled up on the table when I wake up in the morning" for his birthday, which is Thursday.

When my husband came home this morning, and saw how rattled I was, he lost 5 years off of his life. He thought something happened to the baby. He was shaking like a leaf. I should have warned him before he got home.

I'm disgusted with myself because even after all of that news, I let my daughters hormones get the best of me this morning. How selfish. If her hormones are my biggest worry, I should be thanking God for that.

I think I will go back to bed now while my little man is asleep. Praying for a better day tomorrow.