#gilbert triplets

[sims-and-counting]

Now that Stella has aged up to a child, it was time for her to have her own room. As the oldest daughter, it’s important she has some space away from the littles so she can begin her bible study. We ended up putting a sleeping bag up there for Sadie as well - only temporarily though, I don’t want Stella sharing with Sadie for too long. 

Since aging up to a child, Stella has been the most precious “little Mama” to the triplets and Savanna! Today she got all the kids ready for bed and read the children’s bible to them before I came to tuck them in. I am one PROUD Mama!

Stella has such a special relationship with Savanna too, and it makes this Mama’s heart so happy to see my oldest daughter and my youngest daughter having such a close bond. Although I hope Savanna won’t be the youngest for long! 

Stella truly has a servant’s heart and is such a good helper. I wish I could say the same about Sadie, but she has just gone right downhill.... my Mama was right about adopted children and their sins! 

[sims-and-counting]

Today was an important day for our family - we’re moving! We planned to add extensions to the house, but it was getting so expensive that we couldn’t afford it. But we trusted the Watcher to provide, and He did! Since Sam’s sister has gone to university, his parents have decided to move to a smaller house and so blessed us with their old house! It’s the perfect size for our growing family!

We took one last family picture at our old house - it’s hard to believe that just ten years ago Sam and I moved in here together!

Before we moved out completely, we gifted the triplets with their birthday present - bikes! I don’t really know if bikes are appropriate for young women, but Sam says he spoke with Pastor Andrews and confirmed it was acceptable. Praise the Watcher for a headship that is so invested in his daughters’ modesty!

Sam and Seamus had some special daddy-son time to learn how to ride the bike. Seamus seemed a little unsure, but Sam cheered him on and encouraged him!

Summer picked up bike riding so fast - she didn’t even need Sam’s help! She did try to taunt her brother a bit and Seamus started crying. I had to remind Sam that it’s not manly to cry, then send Summer to time-out for being un-Watcherly. 

[sims-and-counting]

Today was my baby shower for the triplets! My whole family came to celebrate with me, plus some new friends from church (it’s so easy to make friends now that Stella Grace goes to baby group there!) and Sam’s mother and sister. Everyone brought presents and expressed their prayers for our precious triplets! Sam and I know we were chosen to be blessed beyond measure!

For Stella Grace we wanted to be surprised with the gender, but this time, we decided to find out! We have to buy so many new clothes for three babies at once, and we needed to know what to get (noys and girls can’t wear the same types of clothing, of course). We had a special cake made to reveal the gender - there were three layers of cake in each tier, and each layer of cake would be either blue or pink to show if we were having boys or girls.

We cut open the cake together, and..... we’re having two girls and a boy!

Sam is SO excited to have a boy! Well, he didn’t say it out loud but I know he is, all headships should have a son. I suggested we name our son Samuel Jr after his daddy but Sam said no, something about wanting him to have his “own identity.” That is such an unwatcherly statement, but I let it go since he’s just speaking out of excitement.

[sims-and-counting]

To celebrate our greatest blessings - our triplets! - aging up to children, Sam’s parents paid for our whole family to take a trip to Tartosa! After the children officially aged up, Mama got to enjoy some time at the spa while Daddy took the kids to the beach! He is such a Watcherly father!

I joined them at the beach not long after. The children were having plenty of fun playing in the water, though I did have to discipline Summer for splashing her brother! She claimed he splashed her first, but as a future headship, he can do that if he wants. I’m praying this isn’t the start of a wilful streak in summer. 

I enjoyed some time on the beach building a sandcastle with Savanna, but mostly I just rested and enjoyed my vacation. The sun is a symbol of the Watchers love, so I wanted to soak up as much as I could! 

I’m not sure what Savanna got up to after I left her, but I’m sure it was safe and wholesome! (AN: The kid totally just wandered into the water to play by herself and somehow didn’t drown).

Oh, and Sadie was there too. 

[sims-and-counting]

SURPRISE! We’re expecting again. And an even bigger surprise: we’re having TRIPLETS! The Watcher has truly blessed our little family (that won’t be so little any more). I thought after the blessing of Stella our family might be complete, but the Watcher had better plans.

I’m only in the first trimester but already much bigger than I was with Stella (who, by the way, can’t wait to be a big sister! Even though she’s only a few months old and has no idea what’s going on).

[sims-and-counting]

The triplets have arrived and our little house will never be quiet again! I love the chaos though, it reminds me of home in Sulani.

We had such a hard time picking three names at once, but we finally decided that our triplets are Summer (pink), Seamus (green), and Sydney (blue). Seamus was born first (I bet he’ll be a future leader in the church!), then Summer, then Sydney is our youngest sweet triplet!

Stella Grace is enamoured with her little siblings. She’s going to be the best big sister! I can’t say the same for Sadie though - she poked one of the babies too hard so I had to send her to sit in time out in the living room. I’d really hoped she might be a good helper with the children, but I may have to rethink that plan. Thank the Watcher for Stella Grace! It’s such a blessing to have a daughter for your oldest child - she’ll be a big help once she ages up!

[sims-and-counting]

We got our maternity portraits back today! Sam thought portraits were an unnecessary extravagance when we had Stella Grace, but for something as special as triplets, he thankfully agreed. We took them in the same park we got engaged at, which makes it extra meaningful! I can’t wait to show these pictures to the children when they’re grown up.

I would be perfectly happy right now, but unfortunately Sadie continues to be a problem - her true nature really began to come out when she became a toddler! Now that we have our own children, I talked to Sam about giving her back to the church, but apparently that’s not permitted. I’ll just have to be firmer in correcting her, I suppose, but it takes so much extra energy with such a wilful child. She was bothering sweet Stella Grace while I was trying to feed her today, so I had to send her to her room.

Stella Grace is such a sweet little thing, and I’ve been trying to give her lots of special Mama-Daughter time before she officially becomes a big sister! Tonight we had bible time together. She coos and smiles while I read the bible - she truly has a heart for the Watcher already, even at such a young age!