"My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." - Isaiah 32:18

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Nola Josette

Well, friends -

We've made it through another year of November birthdays at our house!

~ Whew! ~

Now it's onward and upward to the holidays!

I told you in my last post that two of our children have birthdays this month. 

My Roman turned 8 on November 10th, and Nola turned 6 on November 22nd.

This is her and I on the morning of her birthday:
(You may have noticed in the title, her name is Nola Josette. Isn't that beautiful?! A beautiful name for a beautiful girl!)


She is a joy to me!!!

I really wanted to give her a special birthday!

I've mentioned to you before that I like to use my blog to record family stories and events, so today's post is about my Nola!

We began the day with presents!


Her brother's made cards for her: 


Nola really loves pink, so instead of our standard green smoothies that I tend to make a lot for breakfast, I made pink smoothies in honor of her.

(Healthy living tip: Smoothies are very easy and very healthy and kids think they are yummy! So if you're looking for a quick and healthy breakfast idea, pull out your blender and make a smoothie! This pink one was made with a banana, a good quality probiotic yogurt, frozen berries, and ice.)

Nola is still adorable in her pajamas and bed-head:


After breakfast we got ready to head out for the day.

I told you in my last post that I let my children take the day off of school and choose what they want to do for their birthdays. This year Nola chose to go to a nice cafe for a brunch and cake, and then over to the mall for some shopping/girl time.

Her grandma's, aunt, and cousins joined us!

Also upon her request, was to have her hair french braided by one of her grandma's (who Nola has decided is the best french braider in our family).

This was the result. She was thrilled!


Our time at the cafe included chocolate cake:
(The waitress was so sweet to accommodate us by bringing it out with a lit, pink candle!)


More presents to open:


And a surprise visit from dad!
(He didn't tell us he was going to be stopping in. Nola was wonderfully surprised! He even brought her a flower... It was bigger than her head!)


When our time at the cafe was through, we headed over to the mall. Nola had some birthday money to spend, so we all just basically followed her around and let her pick out toys and treats. This was actually a very special thing because my kids are used to me dragging them all over the mall according to my agenda! Haha... So, she was all smiles and giggles when we'd leave a store and say, "Ok Nola, where are we going next?"

(Nola with her little cousin, Cece, showing off their new "Best Friends" bracelets:)


In case you are wondering, my boys were with us, too. I told them ahead of time that this was a day for Nola and that I expected them to quietly tag along and not cause problems. They did great! It's good for kids to learn that sometimes it's not about them! So don't ever feel bad to run errands, meet friends for lunch, etc... and expect your kids to be along for the ride! It will teach them patience, cooperation, and that the world does not revolve around them! 

After a few hours at the mall, Nola was ready to head home so that she could play with all her new toys.

That evening we had her birthday dinner.

She chose cheese pizza and pink lemonade.

I did my best to make it special...


I set the table with pink kisses, flowers, and framed pictures from when she was a baby...


In this picture you can see the window sill behind the table is lined with birthday cards. This is one of our traditions. I line up the birthday cards so that during dinner I can point to them and say to the birthday boy or girl, "Look at all these cards! Look at how loved you are!!!"


When Nola turned one, I wrote her a short letter in the back of her baby book. It's always fun for me to pull out the children's baby books on their birthdays. 

(Me and Nola on the night she was born:)


The letter I wrote came after a series of pictures from her first birthday party.

(Me and Nola on her first birthday:)


I'll share it with you...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I think you enjoyed your first party, Nola. I really enjoyed putting it together for you. You are such a delight to me! I have really loved this first year with you in my life. You are so much fun! Some prayers I have prayed over you this past year include: 
~ That the Lord will grant you repentance at a young age, and you will come to know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.
~ That you will love Him and serve Him all the days of your life.
~ That I can be a good mama for you and have the wisdom to raise you how God wants you to be raised.
~ That the Lord will always protect you and keep you safe.
~ That the Lord will give you a heart that wants to obey and do what's right.
~ That the Lord will raise up a Godly man to be your husband someday, and that he will be a man who chases after God and seeks His ways.
I promise to pray for you for the rest of my life, Nola. I thank God for giving you to me. I consider you a precious gift. 
I love you!
~ Mama"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


Girlfriends, don't fall out of the habit of praying for your children! It's a powerful tool that we have and God is faithful to hear the prayers of His people!

But back to the night of Nola's birthday... When bedtime came, daddy doted on her...

He loves her so much!


(This is dad and Nola on the night she was born:)


What a difference a short six years makes!

It's been a lot of fun for me to watch Micah interact with Nola! His heart melts over her and I've noticed he has really softened since she was born! I just love it! 

Nola is so blessed!


And I'm so blessed by having her in my life, as well as YOU, my readers!

Thank you for reading today!

Hopefully you're all set for Thanksgiving tomorrow! I wish you the happiest Thanksgiving, friends!

We have so much to be thankful for!

I'll be back soon...

xo,

~ Courtney ~





2 comments:

  1. What a BEAUTIFUL Mother You are. What a Perfect day you allowed Nola to plan out. Sounds like you all had a Perfect time. Psalm 127:3-5
    Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate. Blessings to You and Your Family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Linda! One of my favorite verses!!! Thank you for reading! xo

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