Happy 3rd Birthday Aubrey!

My baby girl Aubrey Charlotte will be 3 tomorrow.  It seems like yesterday she was born but her three years of life have been a whirlwind.  I watch her ride down our street in her little red sports car with her friend Ella and I know that will be reality sooner than I would like to admit.  Okay let me clarify, not the red sports car part but me standing on the driveway watching her drive away.  Trying to capture every special minute.

Her only requests: Take me to Chuck E Cheese. This is a labor of love I seriously do not like Chuck E Cheese. And #2 buy me a Baby Alive Walking baby doll.  Grandma Kneisley delivered on that one so needless to say my baby girl will be thrilled tomorrow.  We are shooting for Chuck E Cheese early because who wants to be there on a Saturday afternoon?   Yikes!  Pizza for breakfast anyone;)

Caroline and I picked her out a pink tricycle.  It said ages 1 to 3 but honestly Aubrey is about the size of a 1 year old so it should fit her perfectly.  Caroline is scheming as I type the best way to wrap it.  I suggested a big bow but she didn't like that idea.

Some of the unique things I love about my Aubs. She is the smallest person in this family, however, her courage and confidence abound.  She is never afraid to tell how she feels.  As a mother I am trying to teach her to speak kindly, and season her speech with grace.  You get more with sugar than with salt, sweetheart. She is a mother to the core.  We cannot even run to the grocery store for milk without taking our baby dolls. Dad tries to discourage but I think he has given up on that battle.  Babies must come with...always.  She is constantly comforting, bouncing, feeding and swaddling.  I say she is getting some good practice for the journey of motherhood.  Not for the faint of heart.  My sister and I swear she will be the next Michelle Duggar.  I love Aubrey's eyes and how expressive they are.  She will use those baby blues to her advantage one day!  I truly could sit and watch her all day long.  Her facial expressions are so over exaggerated and dramatic it is very entertaining.  Her smile lights up a room.

On her birthday I am choosing to forget that she writes on everything with pens, empties cabinets, floods the bathroom daily, waits too long to potty, tips over the Christmas tree and is the messiest eater I have ever encountered...well there is always Anna.  So I don't know if that is true but I wouldn't trade Hurricane Aubrey for the world.

My absolute favorite thing is when she puts her face up to mine, looks me right in the eyes and says, "It's me and you Mama, it's me and you." Be still my heart, love overfloweth for that girl!  At that moment that child could flood my entire house and I wouldn't care.

It's me and you Aubrey. Always and forever.  Don't you forget it.

My prayer lately for my daughters is that I trust God enough to let them live their lives.  I don't want to be a "hover" mother always worried about what will happen.  That is not God's will for us Mamas!  He entrusted us with His children.Think how much you love them...He loves them more!  May we fully depend on Him to give us wisdom and insight to parent them. He does not want us pacing the floors, wringing our hands, worrying.  That's hard. I am a "what if", "worrier" to the core.  May I not get in the way of God's plan for their lives.  May I be prayerful enough to know when God is opening and closing doors for my children to walk through even if it would not be my choice for them.  And whatever they do, where ever they go, may their lives point to our Savior for all blessings come straight from above.

I have been working lately on rising earlier than the littles to get my quiet time in and myself together before duty begins.  It has made a difference.  When I ask Jesus to fill me up and I give Him my day right from the start everything works better.  Praying I can keep this going.  I used to do my Bible study at the end of the day but when do we really need it?  Throughout our day. It's better in the morning!    

I love my little peanut so much and I cannot wait to celebrate her life tomorrow.  She was an unexpected, added bonus to our family.  A true gift from God and I give Him all the Glory.

Ohh there is the doorbell.  It is the UPS man delivering my 100th grand baby..the walking Baby Alive doll.  Gotta run.

Aubrey Charlotte Kneisley I love you to the moon and back.  Happy Birthday.  Happy 3rd birthday!

Holy Roller.

I have contemplated writing this post for a while and just have never done it.  But today I am.  I was asked a couple of months ago to share my testimony and it made me think about my Christian walk and how it has changed over the years.

I accepted Christ as my Lord an Savior at the young age of 8.  I remember praying every night before I went to bed.  I was raised in a Christian home.  We were always involved at church.  I believed in God.  But one thing I realized about 5 years ago is that although I always believed that God was real and the Bible was the ultimate truth I didn't really "get it."  I followed my mother's example but I hadn't really figured out anything on my own.  Why did I believe what I believed?  Did my life show a dramatic difference because of what I believed? I have to admit no.

Yes, I was a good person, I even tried to point others to Christ but what I have come to realize is that is not enough.  Did my life really show that God had infiltrated every part of my being.  Did receiving the Holy Spirit really effect the way I thought, talked, treated others?  Did I really find the importance of having a daily devotion time? Did I hunger and thirst for the Word of God and want to seek it out?  No.  Plain and simple.  No.

We have all seen the wear Christ on your shoulder and put him in your purse when it is not convenient for Him to be there example.  That was me.  Without even purposefully doing it.    I have been struck lately by how many people do that on a daily basis.  Do you sit in church on Sunday to check it off of your "To Do" list or do you really desire and have a personal relationship with the Lord?  There is a difference.  It is not about religion people.  It's not about rules, and who can do good deeds...it's about a relationship.

You cannot have a relationship with someone you don't invest time in and communicate with.

Being a "good" person will not get you to Heaven. I cannot stress this enough.

A verse that really hit home when I heard it a few years back is

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

 

I didn't get it.  So many people don't get it.  It's not about going through the motions.

 

I have been bombarded lately with scripture about living in the spirit.  I have been a Christian for so many years and I haven't heard  a lot of people preach on this topic or explain what it means.  I had been trying to live the "Christian life" by my own human power in my flesh instead of letting the Holy Spirit fill me and take control of my thoughts, my mind, my tongue and my actions. When I finally surrendered it became so much easier.  God can accomplish what my flesh cannot if I just let him.  What freedom there is in letting him take the reigns and lead.  Truly lead...be in total control.  But in order to do this I must die to myself and my selfish ways. 

 

Call me Baptist, a holy roller, Bible thumper.  That I am. The only reason I exist is for my life to point to Jesus Christ in every aspect.  And let me tell you many days I fall way short but it is my life's desire. 

 

So thankful to be enlightened by the truth of God's word.  

 

Do you live in the flesh or the spirit?

 

Proverbs 30:30

 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.