Two Years

I have been itching to post an update on here for weeks. But I really like to have a nice chunk of quiet time to commit to it and that has been a rarity as of late. Never mind the fact that I'm taking care of my (nearly) 2.5 year old daughter and her 5 month old baby brother, we have also had an influx of visitors over the past month since the birth of my beautiful niece, Emaline Mae.

Emaline, April 2011

It was quite exciting to be at the hospital with my brother and sister-in-law for the birth of the first child, and also to spend so much time with them in the days following. Emaline is now 5 weeks old. 

Two years have passed since my dad went to be with the Lord. I reflect upon that here because that is the reason I originally started this blog - to give me a place to deal with the memories, the emotions, the changes I was dealing with at that time. My dad passing away was by far the hardest thing I have had to deal with thus far in my life. I must say, as difficult as it was (and still is) I feel blessed to look back and see how God brought me through it. We had just moved to New Jersey and were feeling quite alone in our new environment with Ben's new job and our lack of a church home. Maybe God brought us to that place so He could receive the glory for my strength. So many times we thought how wonderful it would have been to have remained in Nashville and had our friends and church there to lift us up, to walk with us through the difficult struggles. But there is no doubt about it, God is the one who lifted me up and gave me the strength to get out of bed every day. There were many, many hard days. Those many days gradually became fewer and some days became easier. I was also daily reminded of life, rather than death, as I watched Adelaide grow up.

Adelaide with me, May 2009

What joy Adelaide has brought to our lives. She is still such a joy and gives us a good laugh every day. She is quite smart but in an innocent way. I love the fun stage she is in of being a toddler, even though some days are quite testing. We have been going through a rough patch at nap/bed time for the past few weeks as she has finally decided to test mum and dad's word. Thankfully, tantrums are few and far between and most of the day is filled with endless conversations, many laughs, and singing lots of tobyMac songs. We love to dance together and play doll house and 'pick up Thomas from the train station.' She has been the best little 'mum' to help me with Charlie and loves to take care of her 'little' brother.

Adelaide Rose, March 2011

The week after we moved to Virginia is when we found out we were pregnant again. God sure does like to keep us on our toes! Charlie was born in December and is, quite fittingly, named after my dad, James Charles. He has the "Hammett" genes as he seems to look a bit more like me than Adelaide did as a baby, and it's still hard to tell at 5 months old but I think he will have dark hair and eyes as well. Charlie has been nothing but smiles since he was born. At three weeks old he was smiling and laughing shortly thereafter. Although it took a bit of work to get him sleeping good at night, he has been a beautiful napper and is nearly always happy when awake.

Charlie, April 2011

He rolls everywhere and it has been quite fun to get a video monitor in his room so I can watch him in his crib :) He's a very active boy and much bigger than Adelaide was as a baby. While most of my days are consumed with my kids - feeding, changing, playing, and getting them to sleep - I wouldn't change a thing about it. I love to do housework - cleaning, cooking, organizing - but try to put those things aside as they will be there tomorrow but my kids are only growing up and some day will not be in my house anymore. Every day isn't a walk in the park. Some times I retreat to my room to read some devotions and rest in my bed and remember that God has equipped me for the task at hand - raising my kids - even when I don't feel adequate. 

Charlie and Adelaide, April 2011

The verse in my devotional yesterday was John 16:33: "You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world." I love Jesus' reminder here. We shouldn't be surprised when bad things happen that don't make sense to us. We live in a fallen world. But the thing to remember is that we can have hope. We don't have to remain in the hurting state we are in. There is good news! Christ has already come and overcome this world. It is a temporary place. How glorious that I no longer need to weep that my dad is not here with me, for he is in a much better place than I could ever imagine. 

Dad and I, 2004

Hard days still come and go. I will forever remember my dad that loved me so very much. He left so many wonderful things in my life that will continue on. My children won't grow up to know my dad personally, but they will never cease to hear funny stories about him, or to eat his cooking, or to know the way their mum loved her daddy so very much. And I hope that through my struggles I can lift up someone else, as in 2 Corinthians 1:4.

"He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us."