The K. Beneventis
2022 has been a very full year for us!! Our schedules were full, and our hearts even more so!
The biggest source of fullness, in both categories, came from learning how to navigate the 1st year of parenting our little Lawson:)
There were difficult and regrettable relational moments, as Hill and I came to the end of our natural capacities to be “good,” driven by pure exhaustion. We had to face new depths of sin in our hearts and seek new depths of grace and forgiveness. It’s crazy how we took sleep for granted, and crazy how a nap can so dramatically change our perspective :,) But more importantly there were the sweetest and most incredible moments, where we were filled with awe and wonder at the miracle of birth (not to mention the strength God gives women to go through that process..!), and the deepening of our capacities to love this new family member. Through all the ups and downs, we felt God’s tangible help and the healing love.
We both recount middle of the night moments of tearful gratitude, that God would bless us with not just a baby, but a future man that God has good plans for, yet to be revealed! And at Christmas time, humble awe that God Almighty chose to enter the world as one of these helpless creatures. Psalm 8:1-2 ESV
The biggest source of fullness, in both categories, came from learning how to navigate the 1st year of parenting our little Lawson:)
There were difficult and regrettable relational moments, as Hill and I came to the end of our natural capacities to be “good,” driven by pure exhaustion. We had to face new depths of sin in our hearts and seek new depths of grace and forgiveness. It’s crazy how we took sleep for granted, and crazy how a nap can so dramatically change our perspective :,) But more importantly there were the sweetest and most incredible moments, where we were filled with awe and wonder at the miracle of birth (not to mention the strength God gives women to go through that process..!), and the deepening of our capacities to love this new family member. Through all the ups and downs, we felt God’s tangible help and the healing love.
We both recount middle of the night moments of tearful gratitude, that God would bless us with not just a baby, but a future man that God has good plans for, yet to be revealed! And at Christmas time, humble awe that God Almighty chose to enter the world as one of these helpless creatures. Psalm 8:1-2 ESV
Lawson
Lawson is truly the best little guy :) He naturally has a very sweet and content demeanor. He loves to be silly when he is at home, and he is incredibly observant and contemplative when he is out. He loves trucks and books, and will pick out the book he wants to have read to him and crawl it over to us. It’s so fun to be at the stage where he can demonstrate to us how much he understands, and nothing beats hearing him say “amen” at the end of prayers. We are so excited to continue getting to know Lawson as he grows!
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Hilliary
Hilliary’s main focus for most of 2022 has been caring for Lawson; and we thank God often for providing for us because caring for a new baby is beyond a full time job!! She has been an incredible mother, approaching each new phase of Lawson’s life with thoughtful intentionality, preparing meal plans, and just spending time playing with him during the days. It is evident that Hilliary’s peaceful and joyous personality is rubbing off on Lawson!
In addition to full-time mother duties, Hilliary has recently started working again! She is now applying her graphic design and creative direction skills towards a very worthwhile cause, working part time for a non-profit organization called Many Hopes! Founded by our good friend, Thomas Keown, Many Hopes works in third-world regions, rescuing children from injustice, building or partnering with schools to provide education, and sharing the love of Christ, so that these survivors eventually return to their traumatic past to rescue more children, and pour back into the communities around them. She loves her work, and loves the organization! We look forward to seeing how God will use Hilliary’s gifts in 2023! |
Kyle
I am still loving my job at SPD, still learning a lot and getting to work on very exciting projects. This job has been a true blessing, as I am able to take advantage of a hybrid work model, and help Hilliary with Lawson as needed. In addition to my day job, I have spent the last 10 months getting a new company off the ground! A friend from grad school and myself co-founded a prop-tech startup which aims to bring transparency to the opaque commercial development and construction industry, digitizing the complicated paper trails into a scalable and searchable database, and enabling investors to make better, faster, and data-driven decisions. User feedback thus far has been overwhelmingly positive and we have high hopes for this new company in 2023!
Travels
In May, Hilliary and I traveled the Atlantic to Northern Ireland for the wedding of Hilliary's new employer, Thomas and his wife Yuri! We brought six-month-old Lawson, and Hilliary's mom was able to come help watch him, and we were blown away by the beauty of this "thin place."