The Young Family Farm

You MUST scoot over to my friend Kristi’s blog and see the cuteness for yourself! How CUTE are these two cruisin’ Publix?! Go HERE to see for yourself! I could just GOBBLE them both right up!

Happy Tuesday!!!

One of the new challenges with another little one–is finding time to spend time with the Lord…reading His Word, reflecting on it and praying. I never want to get too busy. If I become too busy for Him–then…I am way too busy. I am thankful that I have a little man who wakes up a lot in the middle of the night and has my body clock completely off. And that this morning I couldn’t sleep…and I had time to read and reflect this morning.

I am reminded that I can read inspiring books like David Platt’s Radical or spend time pouring into orphan and widow care or spend time pouring into the calling of mommy…all “good” things…and many more of them that I do through out the day. BUT if I do them out of my own strength–then 1. I’m really tired at the end of the day and 2. They are fruitless and empty.

Two chapters that spoke to my heart this morning…Psalm 63 and Psalm 86.

As a busy American/busy mommy/busy lady/busy whatever…what do you do to help you stay daily in the Word? Do you already have someone to meet with–an accountablility partner, a mentor or a small group? Where do you draw your strength from in the morning and throughout the day?

Psalm 63:1-4 “Oh God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; (am I EARNESTLY seeking my Savior?) my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (am I THIRSTING? am I LONGING? It’s definitely a dry place we live in…we have plenty of water in a literal sense…but I think of believers in Zambia…how they TRUST in the Lord and even DANCE before Him with joy and thanksgiving…am I THIRSTING and LONGING for more of Him?) I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and glory (oh believers, haven’t you experienced His goodness and power?! Remember how amazing it is to be in His presense?!) Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands…”

Truly, nothing is better than His love. Nothing in this life. Even life itself. But…for someone reading today–I might sound crazy. If you haven’t experienced and known His love…I look loony. To know and experience Him–isn’t complicated and you don’t have to go to seminary or even have been active in a church for years. You can pick up His Word right where you are or just go here and just get to know Him through scripture…your heart just might be led to worship and see Him in Psalms…and then you can start in John and read about who this crazy man who says He is the Son of God is. Set out to just see WHO He is…ask Him to show you Himself if He really is who He and many say He is…or maybe you just have gotten busy—and you need to regroup and let your heart down to rest at the cross all over again…and again…and again each day. I know I do. And it’s not about some prayer to recite…but it’s about just following Him. But it’s hard to follow if we aren’t in the Word. Praying for all you mommies out there who are like me and find yourself busy throughout the day–each day. May you experience Him, know Him deeper and be led by His hand as you serve your sweet ones today.

Rico Suave (aka: Richard, the hubby) packed up the THREE older kiddos this morning to head to the lake with the Young side of the family (I’ll have to beg the cousins for pics to share with you all!). LOTS of family would be there and normally our family packs in a room–and we knew there was no way ANY ONE would sleep if Isaac Temesgen and I joined them…SOOOO…instead of staying home along–Isaac T. and I loaded up and headed to TENNESSEE for his first field trip out of the cocoon! We stayed with our sweet friends, the Johnsons…and not only did Lucy Lane keep us entertained–but the rest of the Johnson crew had fun loving on Isaac Temesgen! They were such a big help! Our agency’s big weekend called “Celebration of Hope” was being held in their town…so it was a perfect opportunity for us to go there for our first outing and be with other adoption families whom we have grown to love! SOOO…off we went–and the baby boy slept for 90% of the 4 hour drive!!!

We took off on Friday…and scooted in town just in time for lunch with Kristi and her crew to talk adoption with our friend Bobbi…

Then we scooted home for ITY to have a good nap. AND then it was time for the AGCI benefit dinner at the Marriott where Kristi shared her heart for adoption and her journey. It was AMAZING!!! I forgot my camera in the car for this event–I was too scattered like I was a first time mom all over again trying to remember everything I might need to keep little Isaac Temesgen happy…stroller–check, baby food–check, carrier–check, bib–check…so the only picture I have from the night is this one that Karen Halbert took for me with her phone! Here is Karen’s hot date to the dinner…

THEN…on Saturday—we geared up for the AGCI family day picnic!

I didn’t take really any pictures…it was incredibly HOT and I was busy making sure Isaac Temesgen was cozy and cool–so THANK YOU sweet AGCI family for sending me these to share!

Loved meeting the Darlings!(Sara, on the way home I kept thinking, “Wish my last name was something like Darling and then I could pronounce it Darlin’…and that would just be too much fun. Sara–you are officially Sara Darlin’ to me now;).

Here is Isaac blowing kisses to Sara Darlin’…Seriously–couldn’t you just gobble him RIGHT up?!

Another family that I have grown to love–Tony and Carrie Given crew…they have been such an encouragement and such a neat family…(what I love about our agency…so many amazing families!!!)

My sweet friend Betsy who you might remember meeting a few months ago when she came by to visit us at the park…LOVE Betsy and all her boys…and can’t WAIT until she gets that call for a baby girl or siblings! Betsy is one of those mommies that I feel like I’ve known forever and she is so REAL and down to Earth…just love her!

And loved meeting a few new families…I’m going to have SO MUCH FUN cheering on families like the Smiths who are in the midst of their dossier…love passing the torch and getting to watch the journey unfold for others!

And Melanie (who I got to meet at Lucy Lane’s 1 year celebration…so fun to see you again!) and Alisonwho I have just LOVED getting to know in the blog world…oh my she is just PRECIOUS (AND we discovered she and one of my bestfriends and old college friends!!! How fun and what a small world!)…(ok…I look scarey after the long day, no sleep and sweat here–but I ONLY got 3 pictures on my camera so I have to share what I got no matter how rough I look! This is real life people;)

There were just SO many families (send me any pics ya got with us sweet friends so I can share!)…and I mean SO many precious families!

Here are all the kiddies…can you find us?! Isaac Temesgen was OUT!

And then it was back to the Johnson’s house…where Isaac napped and then the Johnson kids played dress up with my baby boy…

Finally Isaac Temesgen and I joined the crazy Johnson crew for dinner and dessert…and then back to the Johnson house to let our kiddos be crazy with Lucy Lane leading the way! Ok…so you have to crack up at Kristi’s crazy self in these…I LOVE this momma and it’s almost scarey to me how much we have in common (both used to be teachers…both of our hubbies are the neat/organized ones…even how we started dating our hubbies is almost identical–AND we both have Southern accents as you will hear in this video…HOWEVER…home-girl…you got me beat on that one!) Seriously–I can’t say enough about this sweet family and I just adore their love for family and passion for adoption and orphans! So…without further adeu…let me show you what life is really like in the Johnson home;)…[pause music up top if you don’t want a headache and you’d like to enjoy this funny show…]

Next time we’ll have to take our ENTIRE crew and then we’ll show y’all some REAL craziness!!! Hope you all had a GREAT weekend…and if I get more fun pics from the weekend from my AGCI family…I’ll be sure to share! OH—and I have to tell you—Isaac Temesgen did GREAT for his first weekend away! We even shared our Wiphan and adoption stories with Kristi’s Sunday School class…and he was just a trooper for every single event. Now…back to life with 4 kiddos and craziness! And truly–I wouldn’t have it any other way!!!