We love going to Ms. Ann's pool. It just so happened that we were scheduled to go to Ms. Ann's pool on Ivy's birthday. I thought it would be fun to have cake and ice cream a the pool. Ivy decided she wanted a cookie cake and icy pops. Ivy baked her cookie cake and decorated it too. She is getting good at baking and decorating and of course telling me what she likes and doesn't like. She has such a great imagination and her daddy says she is a natural planner/organizer like her mom. We enjoyed swimming and celebrating with our friends.

Mommy Lesson.....God is still teaching me! Praise Him!!!
I'm thankful for my husband. I'm thankful that God teaches me so much about Himself through our marriage. I see every day that I am a sinner, I see that Jesus had to die for my sins. I see how precious forgiveness is. I really am so thankful for Brent.

As soon as we got home from Ivy's party on Monday night, Brent reminded me and Ivy that birthdays are fun but we should always look to God first and Praise HIM!
Last night, I was processing and thinking about how I love birthday parities and celebrating and well Brent doesn't. He loves Ivy more than anyone I know. He tells her and shows her that he loves her. BUT just totally didn't get "into" the party. He never has and it has aggravated me many times. He isn't ugly or mean about it but he just doesn't get "excited." We have talked about how Brent just doesn't want to make our girls think it's "all about them!" I understand but many times my flesh/sin nature is just so apparent. I didn't realize that I was more than a little aggravated at him until last night when I realized I had lots of frustration towards him. We talked through it but I still was not totally forgiving towards him for his lack of excitement.

Well, this past weekend, Lauren was kind enough to give me a new book. Yesterday, I text a totally unrelated prayer request to Ms. Tamme. She text back and told me she was praying and then suggested a new book. It just so "happened" that she suggested the same book Lauren gave to me.

So, I thought I should read it. As I was reading the book this morning (Matt Chandler's new book...Explicit Gospel.) I was reminded of how Awesome our God is. God created everything out of nothing. God created Ivy and therefore when I want to celebrate Ivy, I should fall to my knees in worship for the one who made her!  God made Ivy and all of us so that we would see how glorious HE is.  The whole first chapter of the book pointed me to scripture that reminded me that "Every beast in the forest is his. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to the Lord. This means he owns all the cows. And all the hills. He made them both. He did this to reveal His Glory.  Deut. 10:14 "Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it."  Nothing that exists belongs to anyone else other than God. Chandler says, "We worship God when, while we partake of His good gifts, something occurs in the deepest parts of our soul that forbids glory terminating on the gift itself or on our enjoyment of it but that runs deeper into and extends out to the Giver."

So, I have much more to process but right now I  am just so thankful that God made Ivy and is allowing me to enjoy her.

Brent, thank you for gently reminded Ivy and I of how amazing God is! That He is the creator and deserves our worship. Oh, and I will probably need you to remind me again in two weeks when it's Hayley's birthday.