Hey friends,
We recently came across my mom’s Christmas letters she wrote almost every year. My sweet sister-in-law made us all copies and put them in a binder for each of us. The sweetest gift! My mom has been with Jesus for 12 years, but I can read those letters and simply get a sense of her. Most Christmases, my mom would stuff those letters in an envelope with our Christmas card. Well, it’s December 18 as I begin to write this, so that won’t be happening. However, because my mom’s letters are such a gift to me now as an adult, I wanted to pick up that tradition, but internet-style. Maybe one day, we’ll get to look back on these and laugh about how my kids have changed, or most of all, rejoice in God’s faithfulness.
In some ways, 2024 was another tough year for us. We experienced 2 more miscarriages. It has been devastating, but we’ve also seen the faithfulness of the Lord and the gift of the Body of Christ. We also had a lot of wonderful moments in 2024 too. In June, we took the whole family to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. It became a family trip so we could visit with dear friends we made while in India. We also enjoyed lake days, our annual Blanton beach trip, a house full of friends on Halloween, a Gamecock football game, and more.
Hunter turned 10 this year. We can’t believe we have a kid in double-digits and in his last year of elementary school! He chose to celebrate his birthday by taking a few friends to Top Golf. His absolute favorite thing right now is baseball. He can and can’t wait for little league, MLB, and college baseball season to start back again. He was invited to join Beta Club this year and is doing so well in school. He has a heart for God’s Word and Jesus, and it’s a joy to watch him grow in the Lord.
Isaac is 8 and is the life of the party. For his birthday, he wanted a Flamin Hot Cheeto cake. That was a new challenge for me! He also loves baseball, but honestly, his greatest love is Diet Pepsi and snacks. He always makes us laugh with his funny comments and Christmas musical performances. He’s doing awesome in 3rd grade! Also, he has such a kind and servant’s heart. It’s a joy to watch him grow in the Lord and watch him look for ways to serve both our church and our family.
Faith is 5, and we celebrated this year with a Frozen party. We haven’t gotten snow in SC in over 2 years, so we had to make our own! She loves all things girly- makeup, clothes, and shoes. Her favorite is when her daddy turns “Let It Go” up really loud for her in his truck. She’s in 5K and is absolutely thriving. She even practices her sight words in her free time and is always coloring or drawing something. It’s a joy to see all the ways the Lord has answered so many prayers for her!
As far as Jack and I go, we stay busy chasing these three crazy kids around. Jack is still the senior pastor at State Line, and we absolutely love our church family! I teach high school part-time at SCA. Jack loves golfing, and for me, it’s a toss up as to whether baking or reading is my favorite. We celebrated 13 years of marriage in August!
Friends, I hope you have a merry Christmas. I’m sure like us, 2024 held a mix of ups and downs. I pray that no matter what, you lean into Jesus. I can tell you, he’s good even when life doesn’t feel good, and no matter what, he’s faithful. All glory to God!
Love,
The Pattillos
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