Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas!!

We hope that your days are Merry and Bright as your mailboxes are filled with seasonal treats by friends and loved ones. One of my favorite parts about this season is being able to see families grow and change; catching up with old and new friends and sharing with others what is happening with the Kings as well. So without further ado, 2011 can be summarized in three words: Trust, Delight and Olives (yes, olives).

Our whole lives Ryan and I have been taught to trust in the Lord. To this day, my Mom tells me (almost weekly) to “give it to God.” And well, sometimes it’s easier said than done. Ryan’s mom, Fely, passed away in May from a short battle with cancer. Fely will always be part of our lives – as evident by the smell of her home that now lingers in ours as we display her treasured Christmas decorations, but nothing could prepare us for her journey. I have never been more proud of my husband as he took gentle care of his Mom; as he walked Radley through the steps of understanding death by grounding his words in faith; and most notably as and his trust in Him never faltered. (Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.) And while we may never understand Him – we TRUST Him. More than anything this year we, as a family, have learned to Trust. Him. It is not always easy and there are many times that we (me and ‘ol JC) may disagree – but well, He has our trust.

And because of that trust, we delight – in Him. In all of his blessings and in each of our trials, we delight in His word and offer our praises to Him. 2011 has been such a journey in our faith. As we strive to teach Radley and Emersyn about what God has given us, as we attend church or bible studies and as we live our lives each day. And through this delight and trust, He never lets us down. (Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.) We have received so many blessings this year! We celebrated our FIFTH wedding anniversary, we witness our children flourish (more on them in a minute), we have our health and our happiness, we paid off our car and school loans, Ryan got a promotion at work, the Aggies went undefeated in conference play, we took family trips – most recently to NEW YORK CITY and we have food to eat and shelter from the storms. We are surrounded by family that is our friends and friends that are like family. Yes – the desires of our heart have been fulfilled – more beautifully than we could have imagined when meeting way back in 1999!

Now about those olives. (Psalm 128:3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, your children like olive plants around your table.) This Psalm was selected by one of our dear friends to be read at our wedding. And what a prophecy it truly was. I think about it often as I watch Radley learn something new. He continues to add delight to our lives with his quick understanding, his tender heart and his compassion for others. One of my favorite moments each day is his bedtime prayers – blessing his family and friends and never forgetting to include Lola (Fely). He is such a wise soul and we are constantly blessed by every piece of him.

Emersyn is also a beautiful reminder of this Psalm. At 1.5 years she is what I like to refer to as “asserting her independence” which is a nice way of saying giving me gray hairs. J Her vocabulary is catching up to the rest of her as she begins to talk and search for words to explain “the desires of her heart”. She is a skilled climber, runner, and destroyer of Lego cities. Radley is still her best friend and no one can make her laugh like him. To sit and just watch them play together whether it is with a box of Cars or hosting a tea party, well, is heaven.

And, let’s not forget our newest “olive” – in case you haven’t heard or couldn’t tell by that bump in the pictures of our family – I’m clearly a “fruitful vine” and the newest King will arrive in March! Our “mini amazing King” (MAK) was an unexpected reminder that the Lord, through our trust and delight in Him, continues to not only give us the desires of our hearts but to bless us beyond measure.

May those blessings be bestowed upon each of you this Christmas season and all year through!

Ryan, Katy, Radley, Emersyn and MAK