Happy Birthday Joseph!!

Twenty-two years ago today I was blessed to become a parent. After numerous hours of labor, things became interesting and Joseph was delivered via emergency c-section. He did very well. Me on the other hand, ended up needing two blood transfusions and other interventions to stabilize me. Everyone was able to hold Joseph and visit with him before I was even able to see him. He was loved immediately! I remember very little about the whole event other then it was stressful and traumatic, but I believe it prepared us for where we are now. We had no idea what was ahead in our lives.

Me and Joseph Easter 2013

Amanda made a comment the other day that the days are long as a parent, but the years are short. That is so very true. Day in and day out it can be challenging to be a parent, but one day you wake up and they're all grown up!

Our amazing Hawaii experience!! 

Would you believe that way back then I had no intention of having more then one child? God had a different plan obviously! Looking back, the birth was pretty minor in comparison to other life events we have since been through, but it certainly forever changed our lives and for that we are thankful.

Most of our family
(just before Jordan joined our home)

For those of you that do not know our family very well, Joseph is the one that most people pick out of the pictures and ask about. He has long curly hair and sometimes is referred to as the one that looks like Kenny G.

Roseminique and Joseph on our trip to Hawaii

To me, he is Bean. To Naomi, he is Jo-Jo. To others.....hmm....he has a range of names. Joseph is an artist. You'll likely see him at the Farmer's Market or other events wearing a suit, cool shades, and helping others.

Joseph with Naomi at cousin Jamie's wedding

He is unique and we love that about him. He does web design and is finishing up his last year of college. Anything that I've produced such as my website or ministry cards, Joseph has actually done those for us.

Joseph is an amazing young man who has actually never really been young. He is an old soul of sorts and is more like a third parent in our home. He cares full time for my mom and has basically been her primary caretaker since he was 15 years old. She was diagnosed with cancer and has not been able to care for herself for many years.

Joseph with Naomi visiting grandma in the hospital

I was looking through various pictures and I notice many things about Joseph. He is always seen in pictures helping one of the younger kids. Joseph may roll his eyes a bit about the number of siblings has and has been known to joke that if we buy a bus, mom will fill it up (which may be true). BUT he is one of the largest supporters of our family.

Joseph in the front with Talitha in Indiana-
(on one of our many cross country road trips)

 If we need help, all we have to do is call him and he will be there to help with the kids or fill in the gaps with whatever is needed. He has now moved into our house with grandma and continues to care for her full time. He is dealing with various business details for us back home and is a tremendous blessing to our family. Thank you Joseph!! We know it is a heavy burden at times!

On one of our trips to Washington DC

Monticello- the Home of Thomas Jefferson

I've added a few pictures from memory lane. I don't have that many on my computer, but for some reason I was able to locate these photos from when we lived in North Carolina and used to travel around the east coast and the mid-west frequently. For our friends in North Carolina and those that we have visited across the country on our road trips- we MISS YOU!! Thank you so much for the continued support and prayers! 

Notice the Haitian Jewelry? This was right after he came
back from his first trip to Haiti