Where has the time gone? Has it really been 10 years today since they placed my beautiful baby in my arms? My sweet Ainsley…I loved her instantly, fully and completely the first moment I saw her. There is a special thing that happens when you have your first child…I think it is because a baby is born at the same time a mother is born.
I feel beyond blessed to be the mother of this precious girl. A girl who teaches me as much as I try to teach her.
The girls are always giving me acrostic name poems, so I’ve decided to write one up for Ainsley. Happy Birthday my sweet girl!
Amicable – She is friendly. I am proud of the friend she is and the friends she wants to surround herself with. I know she will make wise choices which is so very important as she grows into a young woman.
Imaginative – Ainsley is an avid reader, writer of great stories, and illustrator. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a published author one day. She is rarely the child who comes up to me and tells me she is bored, she can always find something to do.
Night Owl – Ainsley has always been my night owl (she comes by it honestly as I type this at 1:00 AM) and snuggle bug.
Spiritual – She has a deep love for God and is a bold witness for Him, often inviting friends to church or teaching them stories from the Bible. God uses her over and over again and it inspires me. She wants to be Esther for Halloween this year, her very favorite person in the Bible, and she will be a perfect Esther because she shares many things in common with her.
Laughter – Ainsley loves telling jokes and being a jokester. She makes us laugh and lightens the load. An Ainsley Original – “Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road?…He didn’t have any guts.”
Encourager/Teacher – Ainsley has a teaching heart. She likes to play school, but she has a natural talent for teaching others. I remember overhearing her read a story to Daisy, but she would stop along the way and let Daisy read the parts she remembered and then say something encouraging like “Great Job, Daisy…see, you’re reading!”
Yummy – Ainsley loves cooking and the cooking channel is one of her favorites. She even had a Rachel Ray birthday party a few years ago. She doesn’t know for sure, but she thinks she may want to be a baker when she grows up (or a teacher, or a missionary, or a vet…she’s keeping her options open. J )
There are a lot of times in our family where I have called on Ainsley to be the bigger person (even as a little person still) and she, more often than not, rises to the challenge. It’s not easy having a special needs sister and life doesn’t usually equal “fair” around here, but I have always felt especially blessed that Ainsley was Jerilyn’s sister. Her willingness to be a peacemaker and give allowances to her sister has been such a Godsend. God knew we needed an “Ainsley” in this family and I am sooooo joyful she’s ours.