Singing about Jesus

When I was about 20 weeks pregnant with Riley, I began singing to him when I laid down in bed at night. I knew he could hear my voice, and I wanted to begin teaching him the love of Jesus at a very early age. I would sing whatever song(s) popped in my head, but every single night I always included Jesus, Name Above All Names. It's such a simple song, but it's always been one of my favorites and it covers so many attributes of Jesus. Here are the words in case you're not familiar with the song...

Jesus, name above all names

Beautiful Savior, Glorious Lord

Immanuel, God is with us,

Blessed Redeemer, Living Word

After Riley entered the world, Daniel and I both continued to sing this song to him at night but added a couple of others, too. There's Just Something About that Name and Sweetest Name I Know entered the mix. So, for the past 2+ years, Riley has heard these songs over and over and over. I call them our "Jesus Medley," and friends, there is SO much POWER in simply speaking or singing the name of Jesus! I cannot tell you how many times Riley has been throwing an uncontrollable fit, one of us begins singing about Jesus, and he calms down in seconds. I love that I serve a risen Savior whose NAME causes evil to flee!

A couple of months ago Riley began requesting to sing his own "Jesus Medley" at nap time and bed time. After we finish praying, he immediately says, "Let's sing Jesus Loves Me." Once we're finished with that one, he wants Jesus Loves the Little Children and then we always end with Oh, How I Love Jesus. How precious it is to sing these songs with my 2-year-old! 

This morning I was working on our halloween costumes (another post about these to come...) when he grabbed his Bible (the one given to him when he was dedicated at our church in New Orleans), sat down in his chair and began singing song after song about Jesus. Thank goodness my camera was nearby! I quickly turned on the video and caught him singing Jesus, Name Above All Names, Sweetest Name I Know, and Oh, How I Love Jesus. 

Reading

Riley loves to "read," and his book of choice right now is The Little Engine That Could. Hopefully you'll be able to somewhat understand him in the video. Usually he starts at the beginning and "reads" through each page, but this day he kind of got caught up on the same part..."all the little boys and girls won't have any toys to play with or good food to eat!" He's very concerned about the boys and girls...too sweet. I told Daniel it's going to be hard to tell when he actually begins to read because he memorizes books so quickly and can recite them just about word for word. It's so fun to watch him learn and grow on a daily basis!

A Girl's Weekend

A couple of weekends ago I was able to fly to Jacksonville and surprise my best friend, Kristen. I've known this crazy girl since 2000 when we met at Florida GA/Acteens Camp. She likes to tell people I hated her at first (not true!), and it did take a few weeks for us to become friends, but once the friendship formed we were inseparable. In fact, I convinced her to leave Florida and transfer to Baylor (ok, maybe the LORD had a lot to do with it, too). We were roommates my 2nd Senior year (yeah, it took me 5 years to graduate), and I loved just about every minute of it...lots of GREAT memories! So, when the time came for me to marry the man of my dreams, I didn't have to think twice about who I wanted by my side. She claimed she had no clue what it meant to be a maid of honor, but she did exactly what I needed her to do...kept me laughing and asked me right before walking down the aisle, "Are you sure you want to do this? I have the getaway car out front!" :)


About 5 months after I became Mrs. Daniel Bramlett, I graduated from seminary in New Orleans. I begged Kristen over and over to come to my graduation, but she kept telling me it was impossible. I finally gave up and decided it wasn't going to happen. My parents arrived on a Thursday afternoon, and after seeing them for a short time, they claimed they were going to their room to "rest" before dinner. Little did I know, but they were heading back to the airport to pick up my surprise...Kristen! I was so shocked and excited to see her! So, 3.5 years later, it was my turn to surprise her! Even though we both always thought she would get married first, her time has come and she's going to become Mrs. Richard Robinson in a few short weeks! Guess what the only problem with this is? I can't be at the wedding!!! I will be 36 weeks pregnant on the day she says, "I do," and my doctor said, "You can't!" :( I still tear up whenever I sit down and think about this fact. BUT, God was gracious enough to provide a way for me to fly in for her bridal shower! If I can't be there for the BIG day, at least I could take part in this way. I'm not the best at surprising people because I can't lie worth a flip (which I guess is a good thing?!), but I think she was genuinely surprised!

Blindfolded by our great friend, Rachel, and waiting to see who she's come to pick up at the airport

The beautiful location of the luau shower

Such a fun night!

The happy couple - Richard & Kristen

My matron of honor and fellow prego friend, Anne (she's having a little boy at the end of January)

The crazy parents of the bride!

Great times catching up with friends

An added bonus to the weekend was I got to spend some quality time with another of my closest friends, Liz. I've known Liz all of my life (literally - our dad's are best friends). I was able to go to church with her on Sunday and then spend the rest of the day and night with she and her precious family.

 

Liz, Summer and I - best friends from high school

 

I know with sweet Ella coming it's going to be a long time before I'll get to have a getaway like this one again! I'm so thankful the Lord worked out all of the details for me to go to Jax. for the weekend. It was a much-needed break, and He reminded me of all the wonderful friends He has placed in my life over the years. Friendships that last over distance and time are rare, and I'm so grateful for the ones He's blessed me with. 

Learning how to blow

A few weeks ago, we took Riley to one of his friend's birthday parties. As we were leaving, we were handed a small box with fun prizes in it as a thank you for coming. One of the prizes was a party horn. Riley liked it, but really had no clue what to do with it. A couple of nights later Daniel decided it was time to teach him. I was able to get it on video, and as you can tell, we laughed a lot and loved watching our little guy learn something new!

31 weeks

Yes, I know - I don't "look like I'm in my 3rd trimester," but believe you me, Ella is alive and well, moving day and night! :) It's hard to believe we'll get to meet her in just 8 short weeks! My actual due date is December 10, but since I'm having another c-section, she will be entering the world December 5.

I am really missing the energy and happy tummy I had during the 2nd trimester! I'm back to feeling nauseous and have absolutely no energy. I'm hoping it's just a 31 weeks thing and next week will be better! Currently my house is a wreck and I only cooked one night this week. I'm so thankful for an understanding husband who is willing to eat cereal and sandwiches a lot right now! :) Needless to say, blogging isn't high on the priority list right now, either. Praying for a restful weekend and a brand new attitude and burst of energy next week!