some extra cute kids for the week

Julie's kids came to stay while she and her hubby had a get-away.  I got 4 of the 5 and we had such a good time.  Each of the kids had a cousin to play with and I got to have the baby.

They sifted through the gravel, found the pretty ones and set up shop.  We played and played in the back yard.  They were great help in harvesting the garden.  (Anyone local?  We have extra zucchini and cucumbers all ready! come and get them.)  They gathered eggs and usually dropped some on the way in.  Despite that I let them do an egg toss.

We went to the river and played in the water catching bugs, throwing rocks and building things with logs.  They also built most of a go-cart, chopped wood, rode bikes, played in the water/sprinklers and did dishes together.

The trampoline got a lot of use also.  

This week I also got to read a book by a dear friend of mine.  She always makes me wonder  if there is more I could/should be doing with my life.  She lives by the spirit and courageously moves forward as she feels compelled by God.  I have known her for nearly 14 years and kept in touch through many moves.  

I highly recommend her book.  She shares her experiences in gathering her family from around the world.  She has adopted 19 children.  Her book is all about the journey of adopting these great kids but it is also about listening to the whisperings of the spirit, following those promptings through whatever Satan may throw at you, recognizing the tender mercies along the way, and rejoicing and glorifying God all along the way.

Annie Laurie was my surprise in Nauvoo.  My dad met a few of her children doing baptisms in the temple.  As he told me about their family I knew it was my friend.  I found her at her booth on the street promoting her book.  Seeing her again was a tender mercy as she now lives in Missouri and I had no idea how to get a hold of her.  She has had some amazing adventures in between our visits and I am so grateful to be able to read about them and to get a glimpse into her heart.  It is pure and full of love.  Her life is a testimony of her love for God and all his children.  

Her link is on my side bar but unfortunately when you are busy raising 25 children you don't update on the internet much.  Please buy her book and enjoy her story.  Let it inspire you to seek out your own purpose and mission in life and then have the courage and determination to truly receive the call and go forward.

A few quotes from her:

Either I believed in God's mighty power and trusted that he truly was involved in my life, or I didn't.

I started pleading for the strength to joy in his plan, in his timing, and in his understanding of what we all needed.

It is easy to be obedient to a whispering that has a happy ending.  But it is refining to be obedient to a whispering that seems to make no sense at all.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.  It certainly even helped me make the most of this week with extra children, helped me to want to open my heart to others and to give more.