2011 Christmas picture and letter.
Merry Christmas! We hope this special season finds you and yours doing well. As I sit to type our annual Christmas letter, I cannot help but to reflect with awe over the last year and the many changes that have taken place in our little family. Change. That can be a hard word sometimes. In fact, the word itself has many definitions, and you know I looked it up because I love words, and I am kind of a nerd that way. To make radically different, to replace with another, to give a different course or direction to, to become different, and to undergo a transformation are a few of the many definitions that resonated with me. I imagine your curiosity is piqued, but for those of you who have followed our family’s story over the last year, you are already keenly aware of some of the changes. Many of them are written on our blog, but all of them are embedded in our hearts.
Having four small children so close in age, we experience change every single day. The older they get, the more I wish these changes would slow down. Daily, they discover or do something new, and their little bodies continue grow and change. Also, little hearts are being molded and shaped; therefore, causing change on the inside as well. Carter, Summer, and Tilly are all attending Presbyterian Christian School and love it! We are thankful for the foundation that is being laid, not only academically, but also spiritually, as they are learning to hide God’s Word in their hearts. David and I pray that the Lord would capture their little hearts and claim them as His own. Carter is now 5 ½ (do not dare forget the ½ either). This past summer, he got to go with his daddy and our church in Georgia on a mission trip to Wyoming. What an incredible opportunity at such a young age! Currently, he is enjoying school and Awana at church. This winter, Carter will play Upward basketball for the first time. I don’t know who is more excited, Carter or his daddy! Another big change occurred for Carter just this week, as he lost his very first tooth! Oh, how exciting! Summer, our second child, turned four in July. She blows us away with her love and compassion for others, which is far beyond her years. Summer began ballet for the second year, and she just shines when she dances. Tilly, our middle one, turned 3 in August and amazes us daily with her spunk! Tilly has such a vivacious spirit and zest for life, which enables her to adapt well to most situations. We are thankful for this quality she displays. Tilly began taking tap and ballet with her big sister this year, and loves it, too! Then there’s Story, our little one, who is not a baby anymore. We can hardly stand how quickly she has changed into a toddler. She will be 19 months old this week and is just pure sweetness. With light brown hair and pretty blue eyes, she looks most like her big brother. Story loves to run after her siblings, dance to music, crawl into her daddy’s lap, eat sweet treats, and sleep. What a gift to watch our precious four grow and change each day! I could never have imagined the change that would overtake my heart upon becoming Mommy to these sweet four. Having a baby (or 4) really does change everything.
Perhaps, the greatest change of all for our family occurred this past October, when the Lord called David to pastor Hardy Street Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. While it was sad to leave loved ones in Georgia, it has been a wonderful change for our party of six. Thankfully, we were able to have some sweet time with my family and our precious friends before we left. You know, when you move everything is new, everything! David and I have moved several times before, but never with children. Boy, does that change a lot! Thank you to those of you who prayed us through this big transition, for it has been far smoother than we ever could have dreamed. We love our new town, and the slower pace of life has been a nice and welcomed change. Our new church family has embraced our party of six with open arms, and we look forward to many years of ministry together with the people at Hardy Street Baptist Church.
An obvious big change for David, aside from not being in school this year, has been his new job at Hardy Street. He has been able to film television commercials, lead our church in mission activities, launch a Sunday School mentorship program, and preach God’s Word every Sunday and Wednesday. He loves it, and I am so very proud of this man God has chosen for me. David and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in just a few weeks. We are so thankful to Papa and Gigi, who will keep the children for a couple of days, so we can absorb all of the changes in our lives and embrace all that God is going to do in the years to come, or maybe we will just sleep, ha! Wow, how fast the time has gone and how much our family has changed in the last 10 years. Who could have imagined all that the Lord would have in store for us 10 years ago when we said, “I do”? I am so thankful for the six people in our little family and so humbled at all that God has called us to and through over the last 10 years. Not all of it has been easy, but we have learned a great deal and are hopefully stronger for having been on this journey together. As for me, the biggest change I have had the privilege of experiencing this past year is being able to stay at home with my children. I love driving in car pool, going on field trips, and picking them when their day is done. What a gift! David and I have been working toward making this dream a reality since Carter was born, and I am honored and thankful to be able to stay at home. Now, it is no walk in the park, but it is the hardest, best job I have ever had. My prayer lately has been that God would just enable David and me to really enjoy the children where they are right now because we are going to blink, and they will change right before our very eyes. I am so thankful to David for making so many of my dreams come true and for helping me to embrace all these changes with grace! He really does make me a better wife and mommy.
Oftentimes, in the midst of things that are constantly changing, we are thankful for all in our life that does remain the same. God, in His Word, tells us, “I, the Lord, do not change.” Malachi 3:6a. Wow. Read that promise again, and let those words pierce down deep into your heart. Say them aloud, if you need to. God never changes, ever. Thank you, Lord! In the middle of life’s uncertainties and many changes, God stays the same. When you do not know what tomorrow will bring, God stays the same. In the darkest hours, when you cannot see the light, He is the same. When you are without any hope, God stays the same. When you are experiencing the best that life has to offer, God stays the same. Always. I find great comfort in that truth. That same God, who never changes, sent His Son, His only Son, to change the world. That baby, born so long ago in Bethlehem completely changed everything, so that we might have life, abundant life! Aren’t we thankful that He did? Our prayer for your family this Christmas season is that you will embrace the One who keeps all of His promises and never changes. That’s something to celebrate!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year with much love,
David, Heather, Carter, Summer, Tilly, & Story
