2016. It's been a year of learning and growth, ups and downs. "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:14) has been the verse that has sustained me. Through it all, I've seen God's love, faithfulness, mercy and grace .
January - We started the year with news that a sweet baby we loved and prayed for hadn't made it. We ended the month at the happiest place on earth - Disney World.
February - The Lord continued to heal us from the disappointment of the month before and fill us with hope.
March - We celebrated Kevin's birthday and spent some time at the beach.
April - I turned 30 and Kaden turned 7. I started racing again and little did I know, there was a baby in my belly during my fastest race in about a year.
May - We found out we had a baby on the way Mother's Day weekend. To say we were surprised and grateful is an understatement. Danny Gokey's song, "Tell Your Heart to Beat Again," became my theme song and I felt God's presence and assurance every time I heard it.
June - The boys finished third and first grades. We spent time at Sapelo Island and went to Garden City Beach for a week.
July - We found out our baby is a boy! We celebrated K.C.'s 9th birthday and spent another week at Garden City. K.C. and Kaden both made public professions of faith and joined our church!
August - Our nights were spent watching the Olympics and Michael Phelps make history. K.C. started fourth grade and Kaden started second.
September - We got started on the baby's room and other projects around the house. The boys began playing soccer again and Kevin continued his softball season.
October - We spent a long weekend in the mountains and watched Clemson beat NC State. We had a fun Halloween with family.
November - Celebrations for the baby were in full swing with two showers. We feel so blessed to have the family and friends we have. We celebrated Thanksgiving and counted our blessings.
December - The highlight of this month was when the boys were baptized. We're so thankful that they've made the decision to follow Jesus and pray that they'll always be beacons of light for our Savior. We also had two more baby showers and ended the month by celebrating our Savior's birth.
When reflecting on the year this morning, K.C. and Kaden agreed that the highlights of their year were getting baptized and finding out about baby Caleb. I'd have to agree with them. There's nothing greater than serving our Lord and Savior and nothing sweeter than this baby who will join our family.
Here's to 2016 - the lessons, the upsets and happiness, and the faithfulness we've felt. God has been good to us! I'm so excited about the year to come!