Emmanuel (God with us)

I bundled up and took a quick walk to the mailbox this evening, about a 1/4mile down the street, and spent some time contemplating. I thought about all of the 28 Christmas' I've shared with my family. All of the sacrifices that went into every present, every dinner, every EVERYTHING! I thought about my parents staying up all hours to get everything laid out just right so that when we got our "Santa" gifts, they would be perfect. I thought about calling Doug and Susu at the crack of dawn to get them over so that we could come out of our rooms and they could video tape it. I thought about sharing Christmas morning with my brother, the closest person I know to Buddy the Elf and how much fun he has around the holidays. I thought about mine and Liz's first few years of marriage making the long, but well-worth-it trip home to see everyone. I thought about caroling with my crazy family in our antlers and Santa hats. I also thought about my last Christmas'; my last Christmas with Grandma Sara, Paw-Paw Ham, Aunt Trish, Paw-Paw Ed. I thought about so many things...and then, as I was walking, I looked up and saw a bright star and immediately thought about firsts. About OUR first Christmas...and I wanted to share...

"Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son and they shall call his name Emmanuel meaning 'God with us." Matthew 1:23

The beauty of Christmas to me is the reality that God didn't have to do what he did. He didn't have to be confined to the flesh and be born. He simply could have left everything as it was and avoided the pain. Or could he? You see, he could have let us be, but he didn't. He didn't because he made a promise. A promise to his people that he would provide a way for them. A way to shed the stain of sin and live freely, without blemish. You see, the birth of Jesus is so beautiful because it speaks so LOUDLY of God's love for his people. It was the ONLY way we could be made right. With his birth, we were given hope of a life free from sin and death. He came down to walk with us - how awesome is that!

One of my favorite Christmas songs was originally composed in the mid-1800's. O Holy Night is a beautiful song that builds as it recognizes our sinful state and how divine when Christ came to break the chains of sin and death that held us down. I encourage you to read the lyrics and think about Jesus' birth.

Oh Holy night the starts are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pinning
'Til he appeared and the soul felt it's worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night, divine Oh night, when Christ was born
Oh night, divine, Oh night, O Holy night

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name."

I had a realization tonight that this is my first Christmas as a father. You see, I've known this was coming since Matthew was born in August, but I guess it never settled in. I just went into Matthew's room and kissed him on the forehead and told him Merry Christmas. I know he doesn't understand it all, but this is his first Christmas. I think about all of the exciting years to come. Whereas my journey of childhood Christmas' are over, his are just beginning. However, I pray that in the middle of all of the presents and trees and lights and parties and caroling he comes to know the story of OUR first Christmas. I hope he comes to know the beauty of the birth of Jesus. I hope he accepts it as truth and lives freely in the promise that has been given. I hope you do as well.

Hear the good news, "Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Messiah, The Lord." God is with us so let's raise our voices and sing a song of praise. Better yet, live a life of praise. As the old story goes...Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Eddie and Catherine from Christmas Vacation

"That there is an RV...Don't you go falling in love with it, we're taking it with us when we leave here next month."

Jesus the Bread of Life

I read a great passage in John today that I wanted to share this holiday season. As Christmas is right around the corner, we spend our time at Christmas parties, shopping and running around crazy. But let me encourage you to take a moment and praise God for sending His son Jesus, who gives us eternal life. Fill your plate with Jesus, the bread of life, let him alone satisfy your appetite!
28Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
Then Jesus declared this, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son(Jesus) and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up the last day!"

This will be my first Christmas as a mom and I look forward to sharing the joy of Jesus with all of my family. I know Matthew doesn't "get" Christmas yet, but when he does, I pray we will teach him the true meaning of it. Of course, there will be gifts and lots of good food but we can't wait to spend quality time with family and praise our Heavenly Father for all of our blessings!

What is it with No shave November!

Matt decided he would let his beard grow out for the month of November and I acutally thought it looked quite handsome. He decided to shave it off because he said it was getting itchy and this is what he came out of the bathroom looking like. SO I had to post it on and show you all how awful this mustache is. My brother and one of my best friend's husband did it too- what is it with men thinking it's funny- ewww- gross- please know that most women do not like mustaches and they are not flattering!

On a lighter note, we are having a relaxing December and I will post some new pictures soon. Matthew has turned the corner with his colic and is so happy to be around. He is getting such a fun personality and babbling all the time. We thank God everyday for a healthy baby!

We went to pick out a christmas tree on Monday and we snapped a few great photos. O

Matthew's first flight!

We had great flights to Nashville, TN to be there for McDowell's wedding. Granted, I had 5 other people helping me take care of Matthew- we made it through all 4 flights with no major breakdowns or bad ears:) Something about the noise of the plane and the vibration put him right to sleep. I nursed him on most flights or gave him a pacifier and he seemed to cope just fine. The wedding was beautiful with amazing music performed by some incredible singers. We all enjoyed the reception and shared plenty of laughs at Matt, Trey, Ryan and Jason breaking it down on the dance floor. We finally made it to downtown Nashville Saturday night. It wasn't as nice as I expected and a little bit trashy so to speak. Maybe it was the comments from some redneck men about why I had a baby out and about that late at night. We finally settled at a restaurant/brewery and had a really good time catching up with our college friends. We flew back on Sunday and we were all glad to be back home!

Headed to Nashville

A good friend of ours from college is getting married this weekend in Nashville Tennessee. Matt is actually in the wedding so we decided to make it a family trip. This will be Matthew's first flight and first time out of NC. I'm sure he will do fine and I hope his ears will be fine on the plane. We'll post pictures when we get back!

He gives strength to the weary!

After the night we had last night, up and down every single hour with Matthew's gas pains, I've decided to get completely serious about my diet. His screaming and shrieking last night just broke our hearts. I had to have Matt's help or I would have gone crazy. I really pray that he will grow out of it within the next few months. But for now, I'm committed to breastfeeding so I must change my diet. I am cutting out all dairy- which is so hard. I love milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and everything else made with cow's milk. They also say to cut out gassy foods like beans,cabbage, brocoli, etc. So what else can I make for dinner? I went to the health food co-op today and felt a little out of place! Have you ever noticed how skinny everyone is in those stores? They also all wear skinny jeans- anyways- I spent alot of money and got about 6 things! But I'm desperate and hoping this helps. I have lentil soup brewing right now so let me go check on it. We appreciate any prayers because having a 3 month old with colic is very challenging! Let me end with a bible verse I'm clinging to-"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary ,they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31

Matt's Transformation

When Liz signed me up for the Wrightsville Beach Tri on my birthday last year, it was the motivation I needed to get myself back in shape. As most of you know, I've been pretty committed to working out this year. The season is pretty much over minus a few remaining runs and I just wanted to reflect and hopefully provide some motivation for those of you where I was a year ago. This year I have done 4 5k's, 3 10k's, 1 Duathlon and 2 Triathlons. My journey has taken me from 238lbs down to 213lbs and in probably the best shape of my life. However, it didn't start so well...

I started running a few times a week and my first runs actually started out as walks with Liz when she was early in her pregnancy. The walks turned into slow runs of about 2 miles. My first 5k was around 28 minutes so right at 9min per mile. My running schedule is now 3 days a week with my longest run to date being 9 miles. I just set a personal best in a 10k race this weekend with a 49:15, close to 7:37min per mile!

Leading up to the Triathlon, the swim made me the most anxious. I'll never forget my first swim. I was completely winded after 1 lap (50yds) and I thought, "There is no way I'm going to be able to swim a mile!" My last big swim was a 2500yd workout and my 1500yd time in the Wrightsville Beach Tri was just over 20min. To be honest, the swim is probably my favorite now...funny how perspectives change when you give them a chance.

My first bike ride was about 8miles averaging about 14mph and I was shot, no chance of running after, I could hardly walk! Needless to say, my bike built up to a career long of 32miles and my top racing average was 21mph.

Some might look at this as a chance to brag and if that's the way its taken, please understand that's not the way it is intended. Honestly, in the world of competition, I've never won a thing and am not that fast! It's not about that really and that's my point. So many people out there look at their situation with their health/work/marriage, etc and think, "I could never do that" or "That won't work for me." I promise that when I first started, I would get so ANGRY after every workout that I almost quit a number of times. Looking back, I'm trying to figure out what actually helped me tackle that mental hurdle b/c that's the hardest one. I started with small goals and made a commitment to myself and to Liz. Secondly, I publicized it...many of you are probably tired of hearing about it, but thank you because that was a HUGE help knowing that I had to answer for myself even if ya'll weren't holding me to it ;) Thirdly, I had a group of friends that walked through my goals with me, even if they didn't know it either. So, in the end, set goals, tell people about those goals and ask them to keep you honest and lastly, walking by yourself is never fun, so find someone to walk with!

Here's to whatever goals and dreams you might have! As my friends at TrySports say, "Believe, Acheive"

MVP of the month

So my MVP award goes to my wonderful husband Matt! We couldn't have made it through the last few weeks without him. He is sacrificed so much of his time to take care of me and Matthew. He has stayed up many nights helping me with Matthew and then going to work in the early morning. And usually when he walks in the door, I'm so exhausted that I have to hand the baby over to him. I'm sure he would like some time to relax and watch sportscenter but instead he has put himself aside and chosen us. I am thankful for a Matt leading this family and being so sacrificial! Let's pray that he doesn't get mono too- it is called the "kissing disease right"?

Mono, myrtle beach and more help from Libby and the grandparents

Mono with a 11 week old? Really- am I ever going to get well! I'm trying to stay positive, having to put my pride aside and finally let people help me. So where did I get mono, who knows, but I will say it has been terrible timing to get it having a young baby! I have been forced to stay in bed the last four days and dreaded the fact that Matt was going to be out of town for 3 nights. He won a trip to Myrtle Beach to golf, play in a cornhole tournament and enjoy some sunshine. He didn't want to leave us with me being so sick, but family to the rescue to help me and baby out:) Libby and Ruffin came down for two nights and Mary Grey and Derrick let us stay at their house for one night. I'm so thankful for these wonderful servants that have been placed in my life. I never knew it would be so tiring to stay at home with a baby. Matthew has several little ailments that cause him to be fussy several times a day. Don't you wish babies could tell you what is wrong with them. We do know that he has colic, reflux, infant eczema, an umbilical hernia, cradle cap,etc. We are so blessed that none of these are life threatening so we continue to stay positive and hope that they pass very soon. I want him to stay little:) but I can't wait until he can tell me why he is crying! I guess blogs are just ways for mom's to get out frustrations- so thanks for reading and for any prayers! They are much needed right now:)

In Memory of Nanny and Sunday night dinners

My grandmother Nanny (my dad's mom) passed away this morning in Raleigh. I am so glad that we got to visit with her on Thursday and say goodbye. My sister and I took our newborn sons to meet her. Matthew is 9 weeks old and Cooper is 5 weeks old. They got to hang out in bed with Nanny and even though she was very weak- I think she knew that we were there. You never could slide one past her:) During most of our visits over the last two years, we would think she would be sleeping and she would pipe into the conversation like she hadn't missed a beat. She was always on top of things and had the best memory of anyone I know. Her mind was so sharp and she remembered names, numbers, dates and really anything important along her 85 years of life. She probably even remembered stats of ballgames because she spent many years going to them. Nanny came to almost every single one of our high school games and attended everyone of my home NC State games. When I think of Nanny though, I think of her standing in the kitchen of her home on Cowper Drive. Every single Sunday night for 22 years of my life, we gathered to eat with the Bailey's. I did the math, that means she cooked almost 1,144 meals! Being a wife and mom now, I appreciate all the grocery shopping, planning and cooking that she did. And those rolls,yummmm! I could list a million memories of Nanny, from sledding in her front yard to watching fireworks on top of the van. I was so blessed to have wonderful grandparents and hope that one day I live to be a grandmother and continue on the Sunday night dinner tradition.

As far as sports go, things are good around the Ham house. I, of course, love the Wolfpack; good, bad or ugly. Over the last few years, it's been more bad and ugly. However, the Pack has started off 5-1 this season and made things very fun for a change. Because of Liz's former athlete status, we are members of the Varsity Club which gets us discounted tickets and preferred parking. Last year, we had 4 tickets, but this year we dropped it down to 2. I missed my first home game this weekend because of my 10-year high school reunion, but have watched every second of every game all year. This week, Matthew and I hung out at the house while Momma ran errands. State won big, 44-17 over Boston College. Needless to say, Matthew and I were very happy. It was awesome! After every big play, I would cheer and Matthew would laugh. It got to be so funny to me that I put this embroidered burp cloth on him and snapped the picture above. State travels to ECU next weekend to hopefully go 6-1 before their bye week and a big Thursday night matchup with Florida State on Oct. 28th. GO PACK!

My best friends light up my life

"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me."
- Henry Ford

6 weeks and smiling!

Every good and perfect gift is from above... James 1:17

Wolfpacker in training

Do you think a one month old baby can make a Wolfpack sign with their hand? We joked that Matthew was trying to make the sign as he was fidgeting around. I know he isn't that coordinated yet, but we do know that he is growing so fast. He weighed 11 lbs. at his one month check up!! Matt can't wait to take him to a NC State football game. He has already dressed him in NC State red, as you can see.
He has also developed seborrhea dermatitis. It's a skin condition that is fairly common in newborns. It is pretty bad behind his ears and we were told to basically let it takes its course. It's hard to leave it alone, because it looks so infected. We hope it heals soon.
We continue to thank God for a healthy baby and pray God will continue to shape us into the parents he wants us to be!

Splish Splash

I didn't like my first bath so much, but I loved my 2nd one! All clean and ready for the night!

2 weeks old!

Matthew is growing so fast. He is becoming more alert and staying awake for longer periods of time. I wish you could bottle up this newborn stage because they are so precious and tiny. On the other hand, Matt can't wait for him to talk and walk- so he can rough around with him:) We are both enjoying being parents and thank God everyday for our gift!

Welcome Home!

Matthew Derrick Ham Jr. was born on August 4th at 5:29am. After 20 hours of labor, and 3 hours of pushing, our precious child made his debut into the world. . Matthew means, gift of God, and we truly see him as being a miracle child and a gift from above. The Dr. found a "true knot" in his umbilical cord which is very dangerous. Against all odds, from conceiving him, to Liz's big fall onto the concrete, we thank God everyday for a healthy baby boy. We are so in love!
It has been one week and we are getting into a routine with feedings and sleeping. Nursing has been a lot tougher than I thought, but with patience and determination, we will get the hang of it. We have been blessed with many visitors and support from family and friends. I haven't even had to think about cooking/cleaning/laundry, because my mom, Mary Grey, Libby and friends have been preparing amazing meals and doing all my laundry.
Matt has been so encouraging and helpful through it all. He was incredible during labor and worked so hard with me that he passed out at one point:) He has changed more diapers than me and watches Matthew every afternoon so I can nap. I am more in love with him than ever before and can't wait to sneak away on a date with him. I pray God will give us the strength to be the parents he has called us to be.
We'll continue to post pictures and allow you to watch little Matthew grow up!

We're ready!

All we need is one precious little baby for that crib!

Matt playing downtown sundown music

Matt opened up for the Bon Jovi Cover Band- it was awesome.

Matt's first duathlon

Finished in 31st place! Go Matt:)

Liz(30 weeks pregnant), Stella and Baby Ham

Airle Garden Concert

Liz, Jillian and Lyndsey (just a few days before Jones arrived)

"girls become lovers, who turn into mothers..."

So with tomorrow being Mother's Day, I wanted to take a minute to give thanks for the "mothers" in my life.
This is a extra special Mother's Day because of our new addition on the way. I'm not sure, but eventhough "Doc" isn't born, Liz is still a mom. I've felt him kicking and I've seen/felt him bumping around in there. In fact, if he were born tomorrow, he would be over 2lbs! Here's a cute picture of Liz and "Doc" this week.



Most of you know my Mom. Some of you know her as Mary Grey, some of you know her as May May, some of you know her as Aunt Grey...no matter, she is truly one of a kind. Mom has this huge heart and she extends it to all of those she encounters. For Mark and I, she has a special spot and she has always gone above and beyond any expectation to show us that. Just recently, while we were out of town, she came over to the house and did a day of organizing; she has an incredible talent for that. I can't begin to give every example, but her love goes beyond expression and I am forever grateful for it
For 28 years, she has been keeping kids, so she has a number of scattered "seconds" out there that have another part of her heart. She has them scattered from 1 to 31 - she loves them as her own and takes very good care of them. I'm thankful that she has them in her life.
Here's a great picture of Mom from her recent trip to St. John



Another "mom" in my life is Susu, Susan Treadway. When Mom and Dad first got married, they became very good friends with Doug and Susu and when I was born, they became my Godparents. Over the years, Mark and I have had a very special bond with Susu. Doug and Susu don't have any children of their own and on a number of occasions, we have talked about God's purpose for allowing them to be such an amazing parts of our lives. There could not be a better description of Godmother than Susu.



I hope you take the time to tell the "mothers" in your life how much you love them and how thankful you are for them!

Oh what fun!

Each week or so we try to take a picture of my growing belly. Although, I am terrible about posting them on here, it makes it a little more fun to see the big difference from even 4 weeks ago. We should have been taking them of Matt each week because he has lost as much weight as I have gained. Each week, his goes down a pound, mine goes up a pound:) Matt is getting really into the triathlon training and it's super fun to watch. He wakes up around 6am each morning to either, bike, swim or run. Now he is combining them together, biking 15 miles and then running a few miles. Not to mention that he walks with me almost every other night. Go Matt!

Enough bragging about him and on to our precious baby growing inside of me. This little boy will not sit still. He rolls, turns and kicks so much that it almost takes my breath away at times. Especially at night- I think he has a dance party! (Let's hope he has rhythm likes his dad)

This is a special Mother's Day! My mom has always said, just wait until you have child of your own one day, you'll understand how much I love you. The journey is just beginning and it already puts so much into perspective. I am so thankful to have a wonderful mom who has raised me with such love. She is the most generous, kind-hearted person I know. She always let us be kids- we played soccer in the hallway, did basketball drills in the kitchen and wrote all over our bedroom walls. (Oh, I forgot to mention, allowing us to throw noodles on the ceiling to see if they were done.)Our house was the most popular in the neighborhood because all the kids wanted to come play at the Bailey's. Thanks mom for being so fun and lighthearted. Most of all, my mom instilled in us good morals and a faith. After my dad died, she held family devotionals with three teenage kids. We used to roll our eyes at her, but how thankful I am now for the sacrifices she made. I could go on and on, but Happy Mother's Day to you mom and all other mom's out there! (I will let Matt write about his mom because she is just as great).