Three years old

Our precious Ansley Grace,

For three years you have grown and blessed our family more than I could have ever imagined. You are such a joyful and loving child and I thank God every day for the love you have brought into our lives and the privilege of being your mother. You have changed so much over the last year and the time has flown by, and here's more about you at three years old:

-You LOVE playing dress up. Your princess dresses are easily your favorite possessions right now and you have quite a collection. Every day is spent changing from one Disney princess to another and waltzing around the house or visiting the "princess castle." Your imagination is incredible and it's so much fun watching your eyes light up when you talk about the princesses.

-You are the most loving child I have ever met. You tell your daddy and me that you love us several times a day and love to be hugged, kissed, and snuggled. I hope this never changes.

-You are so comfortable around people you've never met before and make friends easily.

-You are so sweet to your little sister and have never really shown any jealousy toward her. You are always eager to help me with her when I need it, and even when I don't. I can tell that you two are eventually going to fight about your tendency to boss and mother her.

-Funny things you have said: "Is that Heidi's Chick-fil-a?" (you asked when I was nursing her) and "I'm three. Now I can have coffee!" Not sure where you got that, except that I say you can't have coffee until you're bigger.

-Your favorite book to read is the Bible. You are so interested in the stories, especially about Jesus and ask that we read them to you constantly. Your memory is incredible and you have memorized several scripture verses. It's so sweet to hear you recite them and to see your eagerness to know Jesus more.

-You love your friends and ask to play with them all the time. It's such a blessing to have such a close group of friends that all have children the same age. Your group of friends have been together all of your lives and the Lord is blessing this group each year by letting it grow larger with more siblings. We see your friends many times a week at workout at the church on Mondays and Wednesdays, playgroup on Thursdays, church, Hope Group, and other times throughout the week. They are our sweet church family.

I cannot put into words how much I love being yours and Heidi's mommy. This is the most wonderful job I could have ever imagined and it's funny to think about how different my plans were for my life. I always wanted children, but I had plans of teaching and building my career, and having a big, brand new home and nice things, too. Since having you and your sister, the Lord has taught me that He has a much bigger and better plan for my life. He has taught me that simplicity is a great blessing. He has taught me to serve my family and church before I serve myself. He has taught me that life is not about chasing after things, but about enjoying the sweet blessings He gives us and seeking greater intimacy with Him. And, I now understand that my greatest responsibility as a mother is to teach my children about Him and His love for us. Ansley Grace, here is my prayer for you:

I pray that you will continue to have a hunger to know Jesus more and that you soon come to understand that He is not a fictional character like one of those in your princess books, but is our real Savior, who bled and died to pay for ours sins. I pray that you will continue to learn to love others well and that you put them before yourself. I pray that you would desire to obey God's commands and understand that these commands are intended for our protection by our Father, who loves us very much. I pray that God blesses you so much, sweet Ansley and that we have many, many, many more birthdays to celebrate with you!

We love you so much!