Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas!!

May the joy of the season be delivered to your door time and time again! As I sit to type our annual Christmas letter, I pause to think of all the blessings that have been delivered to us this year and I search for the words to summarize those big and small moments that create our fairy tale.  

2012’s most notable special delivery was obviously Miss Lillian Landry King! (1Samuel 1:27- I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.) The Lord definitely granted what we asked of Him in Landry, giving us a healthy, beautiful baby to love. And while she made her appearance one day late, she did bring much joy and peace with her arrival. Landry may be the world’s sweetest baby (or just your typical third child) always willing to share a smile and content in all the chaos we create.  She is adored by Radley and Emersyn and we are pretty big fans, too. We never knew what we were missing until she was placed gently in our arm and she fills our hearts with more love than we could have imagined.

Juggling life with three may create a delivery to the nut house! (Just kidding!) We are extremely lucky to have 3 healthy, happy and well-behaved children. (Most of the time any way) Radley is the world’s best big brother. His tender heart grows bigger each day and he possesses such a strong desire to please others. In his last year before kindergarten we are witnessing him growing up – just the small things that prove our baby boy is moments away from being “big”. Emersyn is definitely our middle child – she has a mind of her own and will let you know it. She loves all things “pul-ple”, has a killer taste for shoes and is pretty good at figuring out how to get her way. She adores Landry and still thinks Radley is amazing, too. I already told you how wonderful Miss Landry is – but it is worth repeating that we are beyond smitten with our tiniest princess.  We never cease to be amazed at what we learn from each of them. Whether it is something new about dinosaurs or the solar system, the correct way to count to 10 (by skipping 4 according to Emmy) or what a few extra moments of cuddling can do for your day, we must pause to give thanks for the blessings that we surely can’t deserve.  (Romans 1:8- ... I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you ...)

In case you missed it, Ryan works in the shipping industry- he is responsible for many deliveries each day. And while I have no idea how UPS really works, I count myself as a major contributor to his success because of my online shopping habit J. We are both very grateful for the work that God has lead us to. I get to spend my time investing in young people and Ryan invests his time in making sure that a need is being met. Together we strive to do our work by remembering that we are HIS work. I came across Ephesians 2:10 in a book I was reading (For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.) and I reflected deeply on those words. In all of our work – as employees, as volunteers, as parents – our work is HIS work and we hope that our family makes him proud. 

Suffice it to say that 2012 delivered blessings big and small. From our own 7lb miracle to the GIANT miracle of the Aggies going 10-2 in their first SEC season. We are overjoyed. We are humbled. We are grateful for what the delivery of Christ means to us all. (2Corinithians 1:10 - On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.)

May the delivery of Christ’s love brighten your home this Christmas season and all year through!

Ryan, Katy, Radley, Emersyn and Landry