Birthday Girl!

Wow! Aubrie, our firstborn, is seven years old today! What joy this sweet girl has brought to our lives. God gave her to us on a blustery afternoon in March and Sam and I have not been the same since. We suddenly became people that knew what it felt like to fall head over heels in love with a tiny person and be ready to lay our lives down for her.



As first time parents, we did all the things I laugh about now. We hovered and over protected, nervously swimming the currents of a river we had never ventured down before. We made some mistakes, did some things right, learned how to work together as a Mom and Dad team, and proudly watched our little girl grow. We were, and are, so proud.



I love how Aubrie is such a deep thinker...how she remembers pretty much everything you tell her...how she loves Jesus fiercely with a passion I've not seen in many her age...and how she is so determined to do things right. I love her constant (and I mean constant!) chatter and how she is so full of questions. I love her compassion for others and her willingness to share things with her younger siblings. I love the grace she extends when she has been wronged and her willingness to quickly forgive. I love that she loves to read, just as I do, and that you can often find her up on her top bunk, hunched over a book (often her Bible).



When God gave me this gift, wrapped up in a chubby little blonde haired blue eyed package, I was so grateful. I could hardly believe I was being entrusted with someone so special. Sure, those first weeks and even months were tough at times. She cried more than I had ever expected a baby to cry, she ate around the clock, and she didn't sleep much. But, it has all been so worth it.



What fun it has been to watch her grow and mature into a lovely little lady. Seven years! I can hardly believe it...Happy Birthday Miss Aubrie Brooke. Daddy and I love you so much!