My Family

My husband, Rhys has been my biggest supporter and driving force behind much of the growth I`ve encountered over the past decade. We`ve clashed, we`ve argued, we`ve gone as far as separating a few times, but he has always been faithful, loyal, loving, and strong. I`m extremely grateful to my Father God for placing him in my life!

Abigail isn`t legally part of our family yet, as she doesn`t share our last name, but she`s been part of our lives since before she could walk. Our battle to keep her has proven beneficial in many ways, but the most delightful of all is that she is here with us! We`ve struggled for many years to get to where we are with her now, but every step, every tear, every heartbreaking moment, every bit of ground gained has completely been worth it. We continue to hold on to the promises that God has placed in our hearts, believing that one day Abigail will be a Johnson, part of our family, bound to our hearts, and finally be able to see on paper that she belongs here with us!

Our trials in conceiving Evan took years and much heartache, but the end result has been extraordinary. We had no idea that once we opened the door for God to take control over whether we had children or not, we would be so blessed and overwhelmed with His love... a love we still can hardly imagine! Evan came along and changed our family dynamic forever. He`s changed the way we view each other, the way we view ourselves, and the way we view God. The love we have for him (and now his siblings) is so great and immeasurable and yet God`s love is FAR greater than that!

Tristan arrived 19 months after Evan and the two of them have been inseparable ever since. Both boys are so very much a like and yet so very different. Watching them together has given us insight into how God views us as He parents and guides us through life`s trials and blessings.

One of the most amazing things about our family is that we`ve had more children than the doctors expected us to have.... which was ZERO. Evan was the first blessing and we were so thankful just to have him, but the Lord saw fit to bless us with a second... which was unimaginable to us at the time, thinking we`d only have one. Then after Abigail joined our family, we found ourselves welcoming another life into the world! Arkin arrived and the transition was so effortless that it was as if our family had always been this way. The only worries we had while expecting him was whether we`d have enough space in the van and if we`d have enough beds for all the kids. His birth was also miraculous and wonderful, as well as the transition into our lives when we brought him home from the hospital. After he was born, someone came up to me and said that I looked like I had just gotten married. The funny thing is, that was exactly how I describe the way I felt after Arkin came... like I had just gotten married. That feeling of joy, peace, union, happiness, overwhelming love! What`s funny is that people seem to think that having 4 kids is stressful and scary. I say, the transition was as easy as breathing. Don`t allow feelings like that to stifle God`s blessings!

Now we have added yet another blessing to our family. Hadessah was born just a few weeks before Evan's 5th birthday at home.... yes, there's a story to go along with her birth that you may enjoy reading, I just have yet to write it. Her arrival has welcomed what I will call an "awakening" spiritually. Her name had been set aside for 8 years, with meanings I've only just begun to discover hidden within. Her personality is so unlike the boys' and Abi's, but she's still very much like them all. She's brought out a side of Rhys I've never seen before. But most intriguing is the transition our family has made in our walk through Christ and our understanding of God's perfect plan for redemption. I hope to have more to share with you sometime soon about these things, with pictures of my family as well.... be patient, I'm a mother of 5 very energetic children. :D