Rest...

Not something I am getting a lot of these days. In all honesty, becoming the mother of two children is one of the hardest things I have ever done. 

When one is satisfied, the other is needy. 

I have been impatient, and at times- too many times- I have been less than merciful or kind. (Galatians 5:22)

I have been broken by my sin.

My heart has been broken over the... shall we say- less transformed or conformed areas of my life. (Romans 12:2)

 I have wept over my lack of rest.

And then, I have been reminded:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29

" "... and I will give you rest" - that is, "I will sustain you, causing you to stand firm". He is not saying, "I will put you to bed, hold your hand and sing you to sleep". In essence, He is saying, "I will get you out of bed- out of your listlessness and exhaustion, and out of your condition of being half dead while you are still alive. I will penetrate you with the Spirit of life, and you will be sustained by the perfection of vital activity." Yet we become so weak and pitiful and talk about "suffering" the will of the Lord! Where is the majestic vitality and the power of the Son of God in that?"  (Oswald Chambers)

I am reminded that I must shine with the love of Christ, in order for my children to "shine as stars". (Philippians 2:15)

I am reminded that I must be filled by Him in order to do so. (Galatians 5:16)

And then, I am filled and revitalized by His presence and resurrection power. 

I am rested.

I am satisfied.

I am grateful to be the mother of two.

I am dependent, moment by moment, on His grace. 

My Boys

These are some amazing pictures taken by an amazing photographer and godly woman. We had the pleasure of staying with The Moore family in Murfreesboro a couple of weeks ago and had a wonderful time. Lisa also took our wedding pictures and has been a huge encouragement to us over the years. I was inspired as I recently watched her in her home~she is a spiritual giant and I look forward to her future influence on my life. We love you Moore family!

These were actually at 4 weeks, which was almost 3 weeks ago! The time is flying by and he has changed already. But he is a big boy!! At his 4week check-up he was almost 11 pounds and is almost too big for 0-3mo clothes. I love it!

Here they are, my precious boys.

3 Weeks Already!

Well it seems that I can't figure out how to turn off the underline deal. So I will keep this short.

The first week home was difficult and full of unexpected pressures and adjustments. But by week 2, things began to level out and everyday is better and better. Aslan is amazing and loves his baby brother! I couldn't be more proud of him, thanks be to God. We have been praying for his adjustment for the past 9 months and the Lord has been faithful to answer our prayers.

So here is our precious Abraham over the past few weeks.

Of course (notice no underline... weird), we are using the swing and he loves it.

Look at how cute his chubby cheeks are!

The three most important people in my life being incredibly sweet. I love being the mother of boys!

My beautiful Aslan. 

Abraham visits Abraham!!

We are blessed with some really amazing friends. They are the kind of friends that make life richer and more full.  They share our life's joys and trials and enrich some of our most precious moments. 

As we have gotten older, our friends have spread out and moved away. So when we get a chance to spend time together, it is so precious. About a week after Abraham was born, we got a call from a most precious friend! 

 Abraham McIntyre is a long time friend of Clint's from Clarksville. He and his family have been steady and consistent friends to Clint throughout the years. I'm blessed to say that since Clint and I have been together, he has been a good friend to me as well. And just to state the obvious, he is part of the inspiration in our decision to name our son Abraham :) 

We were so excited to have him come to see us and our boys! Here are a few pictures.

Sweet.

Aslan was excited too! He loved big Abraham's hat.

It was such a good visit. He brought little Abraham some cute little outfits from his family. And not to forget moma, he brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers!  We were so thankful that he drove 3 hours to spend some time with our family. 

Hopelessly and Gloriously in love with this boy!! (1)

Hopelessly and Gloriously in love with this boy!! (2)

Hopelessly and Gloriously in love with this boy!! (3)