Happy New Year everyone!  We hope your Christmas celebrations were special and joyful this year.  Time always seems to go especially fast this time of year as we try to fit in as much family time as possible with our loved ones.  We were blessed to be able to see most everyone in our families this year.  Next year will be even more special for us as we will get to see Andy's sister and family from Canada.  They make the trip every other year for Christmas.  We will also have a new little nephew for them to meet!  In all of our Christmas traditions this year, we couldn't help but anticipate next year as we look forward to doing everything with our little boy with us.  We continue to praise the Lord for a healthy pregnancy.  On Christmas Day we officially passed the point gestationally that we were at with Collin, our first son, when he came too early.  We are celebrating that I have now been pregnant longer than I ever have been before!  Thank you Lord!

Well, this weekend Andy will begin traveling for meetings again.  I am regretful that I cannot be with him, but we both know it is best for me and the baby that I stay home.  We pray that the churches will understand.  During the last month of pregnancy, and especially during this holiday season, I have been battling a desire to be more active and involved in everything I want to do, but my body has made it more than obvious that I just can't do everything that I want to do right now.  It is a small sacrifice to make in light of keeping the baby safe inside me for the next four months. 

In this new year I am starting a new personal Bible study on John, the disciple of Jesus.  I find it interesting that we are first introduced to him in Matthew as the brother of James.  How many times have I been introduced in relation to someone else?  Growing up with a twin sister, I was always "one of the twins" or "the older twin."  Growing up with five siblings, Andy and I both were known as one of the Smith or Brant kids.  The first lesson that I have learned from the life of John is that no matter how the world knows us, Jesus knows us individually.  Even though John was known as a younger sibling, he became one of Jesus' beloved disciples.  Jesus loves us for who we are, and our love for Him can be just as special and individual in nature.  This year I will work on making my love for Jesus special--just between us!  With His help, I hope it will develop to be something individual to me and not based on others around me. 

Have a wonderful New Year in the Lord!  Make this year special!