"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Ashlyn! Happy birthday to you!"
We begin each birthday day with the song from YouTube "the best birthday song ever"! We jammed on that song this morning as she came walking out to the kitchen with sleepy eyes and a grin on her face! Ashlyn couldn't wait for today to arrive! She's a dreamer and has been planning her birthday party for a long, long time. She knows by now that I won't listen too intently about the details until it's March! :)
Ashlyn's gift/wish list goes from one thing to the next but something that has been stuck on repeat were three things. 1.) Ears pierced. 2.) A pony or horse. 3.) A Polaroid camera. You may guess which one she actually received this morning ever though the other options aren't that bad! :) Piercings will have to wait till she's a bit more mature maybe??? The pony or horse has always been a dream but mostly because she envisions herself riding and galloping around on a horse like Spirit Riding Free does on her movie. Reality is that she would probably be so scared to actually ride that fast on a horse but maybe after much practice she could turn that dream into real life. But, we don't have a horse barn or meadow so that option isn't reality today. The polaroid camera was doable and she was tickled pink with capturing her first photo this morning!
Ashlyn has a few nick names. We call her "Sweets" a lot. "Ashie" is something her little friends call her sometimes. "Ash" is common at school. I love her name Ashlyn Marie! She was cute as ever when she was born and her daddy said at least a hundred times while holding her in the hospital, "She's just so cute. She's just so cute!" We were smitten with a baby girl and never for a moment did we ever just think that she was just another baby added to this world. We prayed for her! A LOT! Hadassah was ten years old and Matthew was almost six. Both were in school. We thanked God for our two healthy children but really prayed and waited and prayed some more for another baby! When I got pregnant with Ashlyn, she was a direct gift from God! All our children were, really, but after six years, it felt so good to have a newborn in the house again!!!
Ashlyn is now in fourth grade and loving her teacher! Miss Krieder knows how to make learning be so fun! I appreciate that! Ashlyn is our strong willed child. Not rebellious. Strong willed. When she's determined, she's determined! She can run this household for a little bit if need be. (Like when I was in Florida for a few days last week!). She's confident. She's so sweet to her cousin Zayla and she loves her to death! She loves babies and thinks we should have another baby. She's crafty but not a book worm by no means. You can tell where she's been around the house. She makes a small mess here and then there but she really is my best cleaner upper! She can pick up and clean up in a hurry if needed! We love her so much and pray that God will protect her, work through her, help her fight through battles in life in victory and more than ever love Jesus with all her heart, mind and soul!!!!
Ashlyn loves a party! Last year, she was planning this birthday party and then COVID hit and we had a shutdown and it literally shut down our birthday plans around here. This year, it's going to happen and she's so excited! I made some cupcakes for her little party after school!
