merry christmas!

I think I‘m still getting used to saying 20-10, I can’t believe the year is coming to an end already! We rang in the New Year with about two hundred high school students on our winter retreat and we end the year with a new little boy. A year filled with many different seasons of life but all encompassing one common theme: trusting the Lord yet again as our strength.

Carter Jude turned one at the beginning of the year and we jubilantly celebrated with Cookie Monster as our host. Carter didn’t know his love for the big blue monster at that point but has fully grasped him literally as one of his best friends. I think he could talk all day about his love for Elmo and Coooo-kie. He went from being a massive eater to now a “I love ‘nini’ (a.k.a. candy) & will only eat what I like today” kind of eater. Yes, from day to day his desirable menu changes but macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets tend to be favorites. We have taken on the challenge of discipline and yes, overnight it seems that he turns two years old and then next week he’s back to our sweet little Carter. His furious crawl turned into walking and running… it’s hard to remember last Christmas when he was only on all fours rather than running at full speed. Many Saturday mornings when Luke let me sleep in due to ‘cooking the next little one’ I would wake up to the pitter patter of his little feet on the first floor. One day I’m going to miss waking up to that sound. Needless to say we enjoy putting him to bed and reading him his favorite story so that we can have a few minutes of ‘down time’ otherwise known as getting the house and our heads in order for the next day. I think that’s why God made them cute and their bed times early… so you can wake up the next morning and think, ‘wow, I’m so glad you’re my child again today.’ Grin.

Reid Isaiah taught us from our thirty-two week ultrasound on that he was going to make his entrance to the world in the way that he wanted to and in the timeline that he desired. Since then we have realized that’s kind of how he’s going to do life… we’re along for the ride… well until he’s old enough to be on a schedule, we’ll give him a few more weeks of calling the shots. Wink. The coolest story so far about Reid is that he has been prayed over a lot. At our 32 week visit & ultrasound we found out he was breech and that there was only a certain percentage that he would flip otherwise we would be having a c-section delivery. We prayed and prayed and prayed and God enormously stretched our faith. As the 6 weeks until the ultrasound became fewer our hope dimmed even as we kept our eyes on the Lord. We knew that even if God didn’t choose to turn him that he had better reasons than we could dream up in our finite minds. And lo and behold at the 38 week visit we found out he had flipped on his own. We see this as a testament of growing in our walk with Christ and as praise and honor to Christ, we are so thankful to him. Thank you again for your prayers for this special young man of ours.:) I also find it a miracle that my water broke exactly one and a half hours before I was supposed to be induced. I got to go into labor on my own and he made his arrival just about five hours later. He has won all of our hearts, even his older ‘brover’ Carter’s, so much so that he laid on top of him and Reid wasn’t even phased. Maybe a sign of what’s to come?! Oh dear…

This year was also eventful for Luke and I. We were given a weekend away at a marriage conference by my parents so we took advantage of that in March and although many of the concepts were ones we’d heard before it was good to freshen up and remember sayings like, “your husband (or) wife is not your enemy.” I mean we have never thought that before…. Wink, wink, & wink again. Luke and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary this June and soon after found out we’d be adding another boy to the mac team. Luke continues to lead the high school ministry and I am thankful that I get to minister alongside him especially to my high school senior girls. Having done high school ministry for five years now we have really seen that when high school students make their faith their own it is really an amazing sight to see. I have seen these girl’s lives’ changed and their testimonies are powerful to say the least. I can now clearly recognize what a huge influence the leaders in my high school youth group had in my life. It is our privilege to serve these students and to learn from their faith that is hardly tainted by the world; the innocence of it is inspiring.

This year we find such hope in the story of Christ as he has built our faith (especially in these past few months) and knowing the miracle of the recent birth of Reid. You think of the fact that Jesus was fully God even as a babe and that he was used to pay the sacrifice of our sin. We have found that at both high points of our year as well as our darkest most defeating days that we can trust in God and his promises. May you find that hope too this holiday season. Be blessed by the baby Jesus.

Love & Joy from our home to yours,
Kristen for Luke, Carter & Reid Mac:)