the joys of raising jack, jovie & judah: Special Birthdays

i love birthdays. they are just fun. no matter how old, or young you are, celebrating a birthday is a blessing.

March is fun in our family b/c there are 3 birthdays in my family. my grandmother, turned 78 on March 4. she is such a blessing. and such an inspiration. she is healthy as a horse, still working part-time, driving her own car everywhere, cooks delicious made from scratch meals & her mind is sharp as a tac. she loves the Lord, honors Him & has given us a godly example of how to follow Jesus, even when things are hard, desperate & gray. she is a beautiful lady & i'm so proud to be her granddaughter. i'm named after her (we share the same middle name, Ramell) and i hope to honor her by loving the Lord as faithfully as she does. my Nanny rocks. just trust me.

here is Nanny with 4 of her 6 great grandkids. Jovie Claire & Luke have been added since this photo! (Jack is the teeny baby on the right, i miss those days!) but i love this picture, b/c she is SO proud of her babies!

March 18 is my momma's birthday. and March 25 is my daddy's birthday. i can't say enough wonderful things about my parents. they aren't perfect, i know that. but they are perfect parents for me.

my momma is nutty, loving, loyal, concerned, strong, full of conviction, determined, stubborn (i get this from her! ha!), godly, fun, self sacrificing & creative. she is a fantastic cook, wonderful home maker, faithful mother, submissive wife & prayer warrior. she loves Jesus. we don't always agree & we have had hard days. but now that i am married with my own children, i have a new appreciation for her job in raising me & my 7 siblings. i genuinely respect her & i am so thankful my kids have such a precious Lolli.

my daddy is everything a man should be. if you know him, you love him. and you respect him. growing up i knew i wanted to marry a man that possessed many of the same characteristics as he does. and i am so thankful the Lord gave me Ben. he reminds me of my dad b/c he is gentle & humble just like my dad. my dad is: sweet, funny, determined, a perfectionist, loyal, strong, faithful, tender hearted, gentle spirit, slow to anger, quick to forgive, apologizes when he is wrong, he can fix anything, works hard with his hands, provides for his family & follows his Lord. he is a hard worker. he never complains, he trusts the Lord & leads by example. i really could go on forever. i am one of those girls who adores her daddy. i am so thrilled that Jovie will have the same type of precious father. my dad loves my mom & i have never seen him treat her with disrespect or harshness. he loves his kids. and he goes out of his way to do things for us. and good grief does he love his grandkids. Jack & Jovie are so blessed to have such a sweet, sweet Poppa. can't wait for my siblings to have babies so they can love their poppa too!!

i am so thankful for my parents. so thankful to come from a godly home, that is full of love & fun. i had the best childhood. i look back on it fondly. i love my siblings & treasure their friendship. and i know its because of the way my parents raised us. i pray that i love Jack & Jovie in the same way.