Christmas

We wanted to share some of the pictures of Karis in her Christmas dress.

Apparently we were taking too long taking pictures. Page and I get a smile each time we see this pic. She does not do this very often, but when she does she gives it her all.

We helped Mema celebrate her 80th birthday. Karis was a little shy most of the day because we woke her from her nap to go to the party. She was asked several times by Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins for hugs and kisses but she ran around the room saying "No Hugs" "No Kisses". She has gotten a little picky about who she hands those out to.

This picture, as well as the first one, were taken at Nanna and PopPop's house at Thanksgiving. We wanted to get several pictures of her in her Christmas dress. We liked this one so much that we have been handing it out for Christmas presents.

Christmas Day!!

We had a great time in Montgomery for Christmas. We spent Christmas with Page's parents and his sister's family. I do not have any pics at this time because I could not take pictures and run a video camera too. I am apparently not that talented. Karis really enjoyed Christmas this year. She sat in her chosen place by the couch and once she got the hang of ripping open the gifts, she did quite well. She would open the gift and then say "Ooh" or "Wow". She would spend a good time making sure she knew what the gift was and who it was from and then she was ready for the next one. I think her favorite gift that day was the "puppy" cousin Jason gave her. She opened that gift first and it did not leave her side while she opened the rest of the gifts. If the "puppy" was misplaced from his location she would go get the puppy and sit it next to her and then resume her gift opening.

We had a great time watching her this year. Out time with Winston, Betty, Beth, Cliff, Bethany, and Lucas was good as well. We enjoyed getting to go to a Christmas Eve service at Beth and Cliff's church. Page gave a 5 minute testimony about Karis' adoption. He compared the gift of her adoption with the gift that God gives us through our adoption into His family. We are not only God's sons and daughters but we are also co-heirs with Jesus. We will receive all that Christ receives as the first born of God! The gift of Jesus that first Christmas morning brought so much with it. We feel so blessed that God has allowed us to experience the joy of adoption in our earthly family. We pray that each of you have experienced the eternal joy of adoption in your own lives.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Over the River & Through the Woods....

We are leaving tomorrow to go over several rivers, lakes, and streams and through several "forests" to get to the grandparents house for Christmas. We are making a pit stop in Macon, GA to celebrate my Mema's (Libby) 80th birthday. We are very excited about celebrating this definite milestone in her life. I am very blessed to have a grandmother with such a legacy. She has encouraged us to love learning, reading, and trying new food. (I remember one time she said she liked taking my brother, sister, and I out to new restaurants because we were not afraid to try the food. We still enjoy good food. I moved to a city with some of the best food in the world.) She has also encouraged us to travel and learn about places in the States and over seas as well. Most of all, she has given us a great example of loving the Lord. She is one of the most giving people I know. We are so grateful for her life and what God has done and is doing through her.

We will be spending Christmas day with Page's family in Montgomery, AL. I am looking forward to the Christmas Eve service at Cliff & Beth's church (Page's brother in law and sister), in which Page will be giving a sermonette (at least it is supposed to be :-). I will hopefully be posting pictures of Karis' second Christmas soon. We tried to have Christmas here at the house before we left, but she was not feeling well today. We wanted her to enjoy Christmas and not be too tired and cranky. 

She has enjoyed the chair Nanna, PopPop, and Mema gave her for Christmas as well as the one gift we could not wrap...the wagon. She spent all day today going back and forth between the chair and the wagon. We are not sure what is wrong, but her eyes have been bothering her. She would sit in both the wagon and the chair with her eyes closed because they were hurting her. She even ate lunch with her eyes closed. She felt around the tray for her pb sandwich and listened to Boz on the "TB". It was a pretty sad sight. We are hoping she feels better tomorrow as we travel.

We hope each of you and your families have a wonderful Christmas Season and a very Happy New Year.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas?

No, it is not Christmas yet, but we will take it when we can get it. We woke up this morning to huge flakes and snow beginning to accumulate on the ground. Some of the schools on the northshore were being closed and other parishes were declaring a "state of emergency" because of the weather conditions. We just think it is beautiful.

This if the front of our triplex. There is about 2-3 inches of snow on the ground.

Karis is out in her goulashes and rain coat. Don't worry grandparents she has a huge fleece on underneath the rain coat. We were not sure when she would get a chance to wear the shoes, but after being persuaded to put them on, she had a blast in her "new shoes".

This is the picture we awoke to this morning. Isn't it beautiful!!

Thanksgiving

We are in Tifton, Ga with the Nalls side of the family. For those of you who do not know, we have a system for our family holiday time. We alternate going to the Brooks and the Nalls for Christmas and Thanksgiving. Every other year we are at the Brooks for Thanksgiving/Christmas and the off year we are at the Nalls for Thanksgiving/Christmas. The system has worked pretty well especially since our siblings have taken on the same year rotations. We are able to spend time with not only the parents but the siblings and cousins as well.

We got to Tifton on Tuesday after a long ride in the car from New Orleans. Karis did really well in the car as she always does. We did not give her as many breaks to get the wiggles out, so she was a little restless there at the end.

We spent today resting and Karis and Anyston had a great time playing with one another. We are really blessed that they get along so well. One of the most fun things for me to do is to listen to them talk to one another and crack each other up. They get tickled at the funniest things.

Tomorrow we will be having lunch with most of the Nalls clan. Mom and Dad are hosting the lunch at their home this year, so the kids will have a large area to run around and play in (if the weather permits). It was a little chilly today even with jackets on. We are excited about seeing everyone and eating some wonderful food that Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Linda & Uncle Roger have prepared for us. 

God has blessed us in so many ways this year. He has taken care of both Page and I in the midst of National Guard Training and 4 months of separation, broken ankles, car accidents, neck issues, completing  dissertations, graduation, planting a church, deaths of loved ones, and many many other aspects of our lives. We are so grateful for His faithfulness. We look forward to spending time with family and friends as we end this year and begin the next one.

Karis has been "talking on the phone" for the past few weeks now. I (Ashley) have just now been able to get a good video of her while she is "on the phone". You will notice that she has my AT&T wireless card as a phone.

When we are driving around town I will hear her start to carry on a conversation. When I look back she has her hand to her ear as though she is holding a phone. She will ask questions and wait for responses as well as say "uh-huh" and "no-no" to correct whatever the person she is talking to is saying. We have gotten a big kick out of the whole thing. We hope you all enjoy as well. We hope that when she turns 16 she will not use these videos against us! :-)

Forks & Planes & Diapers too!

Karis loves green beans. A few days back she decided to try eating green beans with a fork. We got a kick out of watching her pick up the green bean and place it on the fork. She would hold the green bean on the fork and place it in her mouth. She swaps back and forth between her right and left hands as she holds the fork, but her left hand seems to be getting more use.

She decided to see what spearing the bean would do. She was so proud of herself. She got it to her mouth and the green bean fell off the fork. She looked up and said, "Uh-oh". She started the whole process over again. She is very patient and determined to keep going until she does what she sets out to do. Unlike her Momma, she is not perfectionistic. As long as it sort of looks like what she wanted, she is fine with it. I am very glad about that.

Our next door neighbor and friend "Aunt" Janet taught Karis how to fly on an adults legs. She now wants mom to do it with her. I have to say that I am getting great ab workouts. If there was sound to the picture you would hear Karis saying "Weeee!"

I promise that Karis is not normally just diaper clad. She does have clothes and wears them often. These two days she just happened to be running around the house in a diaper. She seems to like it.

Getting Back To Normal

Brooks' News:

I am sorry that it has been almost a month since my last post. We evacuated to SC from Gustav. While we were in SC we had to evacuate again because of Hannah. We stayed in AL for a few days before being able to get back into NOLA. The seminary was without power for many days after Gustav hit.

We made it back to NOLA on a Sunday afternoon. Page had all of a day to wash clothes and get repacked to return to active duty with his unit. They had been stationed down town to work on the levees, distribute water and food, maintain crowd control at many of the distribution sites, and work with the police to maintain order.

When we told Karis that Daddy was packing up to leave to go back to "duty", she decided she wanted to go with him. Here is a pic of what she decided she was going to do.

She decided that if Daddy has to go, she was going to go with him. She would stow away in his suite case and no one would know she was there.

Page has been released as of this weekend. He had one more "job" to do today, but he will be back at home for good starting Monday. We are very excited about Daddy being home. Please pray with us that the transition of his coming home would go smoothly. God has already been answering this request, but we can definitely use all the prayers we can get.

VINTAGE NEWS:

For those of you keeping up with Vintage (our church plant), let me update you. We had our Baptism and BBQ today. We baptized 7 people in a one of those 5 foot swimming pools. It was one of the most celebrative services I have seen. We had a service with worship and communion and then moved down stairs to an open parking lot behind our church. We baptized those 7 new believers and worshipped and praised the Lord over the miracles He has worked in the lives of these new believers. We had 109 people at worship today. We barely fit everyone in the room for worship. Many of us were standing in the back during the actual service.

This service today was the lead up service to our kick off or "launch" next week. Even though we have been meeting for almost a year, our church has not yet been established as a church. This launch will establish us as an "official" church in the Uptown community.

Prayer Requests:

1) We have nearly 14 new "Lifegroups" or small groups beginning this week on Wednesday night. These groups meet all over our city. Please pray for the facilitators of these groups. They need God's wisdom as they facilitate and lead these groups in discipleship and spiritual growth. These groups are where the growth and maturing of each member should happen.

2) Pray that these "Lifegroups" will become "communities" of believers.

3) Pray for Rob Wilton, Andrew Ogea, and Page as they pastor this group of believers God has placed in Uptown. Pray for wisdom, humility, and grace as God guides them in the way He wants us as His church body in Uptown to go.

4) Pray for the community of Uptown: a) that God would open their hearts to His Truth; b) that He would draw men, women, & children to Him; c) that He would do miracles that only He can do and that these miracles would be recognized by everyone as His Work; and d) that Satan would have not power in the Uptown area.

Evacuation-Day 4 (Sunday)

We had such a wonderful day today. We got up early and headed to Spartanburg to go to First Baptist where Page served on staff for 2 years while we were in South Carolina. We were able to see so many friends. They loved on us and assured us of their prayers and support if we were to need anything.

We ate lunch with our friends Mark & Cecilia Knight. We were able to catch up with them and visit with their children who have grown so much since the last time we saw them. After lunch we spent several hours with the Cash family. Their daughters, Grace and Annabeth, both evacuated from Covington & New Orleans. Annabeth's husband, Rob, is on the pastoral team with Page and Andrew Ogea. Both Rob and Andrew are in Covington waiting to help the city in any way they can. 

We spent some time with the Cash family doing what Page called "group therapy". We had a good time catching up with Kitty and Bruce Cash and hanging out with Grace & Annabeth. We are so grateful for their friendships. Page was able to take a nap for an hour. He said it was the best sleep he has had for a while. Of course I reminded him that he had not been in a home in almost 2 months. We have always considered the Cash's home a home away from home. I am sure the nap was a good one because he was comfortable and relaxed.

We got home around 8 pm last night. We put Karis to bed and then worked on our classes on line. We of course spent several hours watching the news. We have had a roller coaster of emotions. We are dealing with them as well as can be expected. Page is more optimistic than I am, but that is pretty normal for our relationship. He is always the optimist. I worry more than I should. I am praying that the Lord would teach me to trust Him when so much is unknown.

Evacuation-Day 3

I had a very emotional day today. All three of us were able to sleep late and have a relaxed morning. However, the gravity of everything I had done by myself began to sink in. As we watched the news concerning Gustav, we realized the great possibility of our experiencing a repeat of Katrina. Granted, we did not directly experience Katrina, but we were close enough to understand the devastation. We have also been very aware of the continuing affects of that storm. The memory of waking up and seeing the areas we knew so well completely covered in water was enough to cause me to be pretty depressed today.

Page and I had already planned to do a little shopping today. We have a dress blues formal to go to on Wednesday and I had nothing to wear. He very willingly took Karis and I to the mall where we spent several hours walking around and trying on dresses, shoes, and jewelry. We had a late lunch of chinese and explored the mall here in Columbia. The several hours spent shopping served to take my mind off the thoughts of the storm for a little while. I found a dress and accessories with no problem. Page didn't even start complaining, so I deemed the trip successful.

When we got back to the hotel, Karis was about ready to go to bed for the night. Dad gave her a bath and put her to bed while I went to the grocery store for needed groceries. After I got back, Page and I ended the night by watching a movie on TV. 

We have had many people calling to check on us and wanting to know our plans. As of right now our plans are to remain in Columbia until Friday. We are planning to return to New Orleans next weekend. Depending on what the storm does, we may have to change our plans. We will definitely keep everyone updated.

Evacuation - Day 2

Karis and I both woke up around 8 am on the 2nd day of our evacuation. We did not rush around though. We got dressed and ate some breakfast; we got Phillippe settled in his new home away from home. My sweet in-laws volunteered to keep Phillippe for the week while we are in SC. He will have a back yard and lots of attention while we are gone. He will be in shi-tzu heaven.

We got on the road again around 10:45 am. I was feeling pretty good that morning. I was pleasantly surprised that I was not tired. Karis was ready for a nap by the time we were on the road a good 15 minutes. She did not fall asleep though because she has trouble sleeping on the road.

We rode all the way to Opelika before we stopped. We ate at Chick-fil-a, of course. I do not like most fast food places, but I can usually handle CFA several times on a trip. We had a nice stop. Karis did not eat as much as I would have liked, but she did eat a good helping of Waffle Fries and some milk. No chicken for her. She stuck with the "not-so-good-for-you" food.

We got back on the road and I was doing good until about 2pm my time. My body decided to tell me that it had not had enough sleep and that it was ready to make it up. I still had a long 4-5 hours left to go. I was exhausted and almost to the point of nodding off. So, I called my Dad. We chatted for a few minutes and then he needed to go, but he must have called everyone else in my family and had them call to talk with me. I talked to my aunt, my mom, and my sister for the next 2 hours or so.

About an hour outside of Columbia, Karis (who finally decided to fall asleep after screaming off and on for about 1.5 hours) woke up with a horrible smelling diaper. I needed to go to the restroom, so we stopped at a Starbucks to take a break. We changed diapers, went to the bathroom, grabbed a small snack, and headed on the last hour of our trip.

By now, both our bottoms were hurting and my back was starting to feel the affects of the really long trip. Karis had been a trooper by entertaining herself the entire way. An uneventful hour passed and we finally made it to the Whitney Hotel in Columbia. Karis was so excited to see her daddy. Page met us in the lobby. Karis took one look at him across the lobby and she took off running (as fast as little 4 inch legs can carry you) across the floor. She has been attached to him ever since.

I have had to cut my emotions off for the past few days so that I can get through the packing and the driving. It was really great to see Page, but I can tell that the next few days of unwinding and allowing myself to feel the gravity of our situation is going to be hard. I can honestly say that I am glad that I have Page to lean on again. I don't like doing this parenting thing by myself. I will have to readjust myself to allowing him to parent alongside me. We have a lot to adjust to. Please pray with us that those adjustments will go smoothly.

Evacuation - Day 1

So, we all knew this day would come. We knew that there would be a first evacuation after Katrina, but no one really knew when it would come. The day arrived. We have been monitoring Gustav for the past few days. Karis and I were supposed to fly on Friday to SC to be with Page during his last week and graduation, so the plan to leave New Orleans was already in place. However, the mode of transportation between here and there was the new focus. As the forecast continued to narrow on New Orleans, Page and I decided it would be better for me to pack as though we were evacuating and drive from New Orleans to Columbia.

I have spent the entire week trying to put together what constitutes my life on paper and in objects. Let me try to put into words what this activity has been like for me over the past few days. I wanted to pack light, but I did not want to look back and ask myself why I brought this one item and not something else. I wanted to pack with a rational mind not an anxious one. I washed most of the clothes. I packed up one set of dishes and set them aside for a stronger person than I to take upstairs. I gathered all our important paper work, pictures, special items (handmade blankets, dolls I have had since I was 1, Karis' baby stuff, etc), things to help us take our mind off the not knowing (games, movies, etc), computers, school stuff (to teach with), diplomas, and clothes for a week (for both Karis, Page, and I). I tried to think through everything several days in advance, but on the day I knew I was leaving everything became very confusing for me.

I had some very special people stop by the house to help me take all the important stuff from down stairs up stairs. We took everything off the walls, some of the important kitchen appliances (my mixer for example), our bar stools, printer, etc and put them up stairs. Our house now looks like we have moved out. I cleaned out the refrigerator and freezer. I put drinks in a cooler and tried to put everything I thought we would possibly need without out getting too sentimental into the middle of the living room to take out to the car.

Along with trying to get everything organized to leave, I had to put 2 fruit trays together for a fellowship Thursday night and teach a class on Thursday morning. Everything got taken care of. I had some wonderful people at my house on Thursday night to help me take care of Karis (give her a bath, entertain her, wash my clothes, fold Karis clothes, etc) and help me put everything into the car.

So, at 9pm on Thursday night I was ready to go. Karis was sleepy. Phillippe was fed and almost asleep. And I had enough caffeine in me to keep me going for a while. We loaded up in the car and made our trip to Montgomery to spend the night with Page's parents. We arrived around 2am. Karis and Phillippe slept most of the way. I did not stop at all between NO and Montgomery.

I did have to turn around and go back to the house one time. I had forgotten to get Page's bagpipes out of the closet. Those of you that know Page know that me leaving without the bagpipes might have constituted grounds for divorce. So I decided that I would go back and grab the "sheeps guts" as they are so loving called by one of Page's colleagues. I decided divorce was not something I wanted to contend with right now. :-) - Just kidding.

I will keep you updated on our location and sanity as we go through the next few days. Know that Page and I are very calm and resting in the peace that only comes for our Father in Heaven. We are choosing to trust in the providential, good, and loving hand of God. He has everything under control. We know that no matter what happens (good or bad) we will see God work in a might way!

Spending time with Daddy & My first Big-girl Illness

We were able to spend 5 days with Page in South Carolina. Karis was so excited to see her daddy. She did not waste any time cuddling with him and asking him to read her books. She would grab a book and bring it to him, tap his leg for him to lift her, and say, "want to read." We spent a very relaxing weekend together.

On Sunday Karis started running a slight fever which mom thought was a teething fever because she also had a runny nose. However, on Monday night her fever spiked to 104 and stayed between 102 and 104 through Wednesday. We traveled Wednesday to see my friends, the Littletons, in Sevierville, TN. It was a good thing Eric is a doctor!! We discovered she had a big-girl virus. On Thursday she broke out with a  rash all over her little body. She looks forward to her warm baths at night because the water relieves the slight itching she experiences from the rash. I tried to get a picture of the rash, but it did not show up very well on the camera. Sorry.

She has been a little trooper through this whole ordeal. She has had trouble sleeping at night and has been a little grumpy, but other than that she has been the ideal little patient. Eric says the rash should be gone within 5 - 7 days.

Karis has enjoyed spending time with Granma Julie and Uncle Caleb during the day. She has also liked wrestling the "roof-roofs" which are huge yellow labs. She will lay down on Hobbs and growl. Hobbs just looks at her with a look of passivity. You can almost hear him say, "Glad your having fun kid." Not only is she wrestling him, but she gives him lots of hugs and pats as well. She has amazed me at how comfortable she is with these dogs that are 3 or 4 times her weight.

From here we head on Wednesday to Columbus, GA to pick up Aunt Ginger. She will be riding to New Orleans with us to spend a few days before she flies back to her home in Philly. We are very excited about getting back home. We have had a wonderful time with family and friends, but after living out of a suitcase for many weeks, we are ready to get back home. We are excited to see our  church family and friends back in New Orleans. We have missed them greatly while we have been gone.

How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?

Karis has learned so much in the last few weeks with Nanna & PopPop. I thought you would like to watch and listen to one of the new accomplishments.

Karis Decides to Sew

Yes, Ladies and Gents. My daughter, the 16 month old, decided she was going to learn to sew. Problem was, she did not want to use the sewing machine, nor did she decide to ask for any help. She decided she was going to sew with bobbins, thread, thread, thread (did I mention thread) and many, many, many straight pins. Did I mention the thread and the straight pins?

Here's what happened. We were visiting my grandmother's home on Thursday afternoon. It came time for Karis to take a nap. We set up her pack-n-play (aka. God's gift to traveling parents) in my grandparents' spare room. This room is also the computer room and the sewing room. Karis' bed was set up (unknowingly) in front of my grandmother's sewing table.

Grandma put Karis down for a nap and Karis willingly complied. She laid down immediately and acted as if she was going to sleep. She has done this many times and so I was pleased that she decided to go to sleep easily at a new place. We did not hear anything from her for over 45 minutes.

My niece, Anyston, was also taking a nap at Grandma's that same afternoon. She was having a little more difficulty going to sleep that day, so Grandma went back to check on her to make sure she was sleeping. As she passed Karis' room she heard Karis talking and playing with what she thought were some toys in Karis' bed. She came up to the front of the house and said that Karis was awake and that she was playing with some toys. I immediately told her that Karis did not have any toys in her bed.

Grandma quickly went to the spare room to find out what Karis was up to. As she walked in, Karis did not even look up from what she was doing. Grandma saw her pulling the thread off of a bobbin she had pulled out of a drawer. She saw Karis sitting in the midst of a bed full of thread she had spent many, many minutes (45 or more to be exact) pulling off of other bobbins and spools of thread in that same drawer. Karis was also sitting in the midst of a box of 2 inch straight pins that she had dumped both in her bed and on the floor.

Karis was having a grand time. Apparently, she had not been sleeping at all that hour. She had been trying to teach herself to sew with thread, bobbins, and lots and lots of straight pins. She looked up at Grandma as if nothing was wrong; as if it was perfectly normal for her to be playing with potentially deadly paraphernalia.

Grandma snatched her out of the bed after taking everything out of her hands and lap. She brought her to the front room and sat down in the rocker with her. It was not even 5 minutes before Karis was asleep in Grandma's arms. Apparently the sewing adventure had worn her out.

I am very thankful that Karis' guardian angel is so efficient at what he/she does. The angel has been working overtime for this child!!

Time WIth Family

We have finally gotten settled in one place for a few weeks, I think. Karis and I are staying with my parents in Tifton, GA for the next 2 weeks and I think that Karis is having the time of her life. She has PopPop and Nanna wrapped around her finger. All she has to do is flash that infectious grin of hers and they both melt.

Not only does Karis have PopPop and Nanna eating out of her hand, she has a 3 year old cousin whom she follows around all day long. She has been Anyston's shadow since Rebekah and Anyston got off the plane in New Orleans and she has remained so since arriving here in Tifton. Both of them still need to learn a few things about sharing, but it sure is nice for her to have someone to play with.

Karis has beaten a path through PopPop and Nanna's house. She starts out at Nanna's recliner and walks through the living room around the dining room table, through the kitchen and back to the recliner. She stops several times in the many journeys she makes on that path to admire some new item that looks shiny or that catches her eye. One of her favorite stops is her highchair seat. She enjoys trying to make safety clips fasten and unfasten. They give her hours of entertainment. I am not quite sure why we buy expensive toys when she gains the majority of her pleasure from the items we adults would find mundane (ie. boxes and highchair fasteners).

Needless to say, I believe I will have quite a bit of deprogramming to do when I get back home.

Page is doing well at training. He is learning a lot and having a good time with his fellow army chaplains. Continue to pray for him as he attends the Koran study that he would have opportunities to speak Truth. 

MRI Results

As you all know, I had an MRI done a few weeks ago and so much has happened since the results of that test. Based on the results I have 3 herniated disks and 1 disk that is either bulging or herniated. The results were inconclusive.

Because of the MRI results, I have been put on restriction from lifting anything too heavy (including Karis who is now 30 lbs). Page is still at NG training, so I have obviously needed some help. I have such wonderful family members who have so graciously stepped in to help me in the middle of this crazy time.

My mother and father - in - love (Winston & Betty) came down to New Orleans for 4 days and stayed with me. They drove me around to doctors appointments and cooked for Karis and I. We had a wonderfully relaxing time.

My sister, Rebekah, came on the day before Winston and Betty left. She and my niece, Anyston, flew all the way from GA to help me out. It was Anyston's first plane ride. We did not lay around the house with these girls. We spent some time at the zoo, aquarium, and children's museum and wore the little girls (and big girls) slap out. Rebekah drove us back to GA on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

So now, Karis and I are in Tifton for the next few weeks until I get well enough to take care of Karis on my own. The doctor  is waiting on my muscles and tendons to heal from the whip-lash before she can begin work on the disks. We are hoping we will be able to fix them without surgery. 

I will be posting some pictures of our adventures in New Orleans a little later. The girls had a wonderful time and us Moms had fun too.

Page's Chaplain Training

Most of you that know us know that Page is a chaplain in the Army National Guard. He has been involved in NG for about 6 years and has had a huge ministry with the units he has served. He has seen several salvations and ministered to many men and women going and coming to and from the Middle East.

Page left today for duty/training in Fort Jackson, SC. He will be gone for 2 months (July 5th-Sept 5th). He is very excited about the training, but rather sad about leaving Karis and I behind especially after the accident. I (Ashley) am healing, but the process is going to be much slower than we origianlly thought. I was told in the ER that I would be better within a few days, but I have now been told that I could be in pain for several more weeks and that the healing process could take up to 6 months or more. I was diagnosed with severe whip-lash. I had an MRI done on Thursday and should find out the results next week.

Getting back to Page and the reason I am writing this post, Page will be in SC for 2 months and would really appreciate any cards, letters, or care packages you would like to send. His address is:

US Army Chaplain Center & School
CH-BOLC
CH (1 LT) Page Brooks
10100 Lee Road
Fort Jackson, SC 29207-7090

He would not ask for anything specific, but I will tell you that he likes chocolate brownies and cake as well as Vanilla Wafers. Have fun supporting a soilder that you know!!

He is getting the opportunity while there to sit in on a "Sunday School" type Koran study. The chaplain leader knows the study Page has done on Muslims and has invited him in to discuss the Koran in this study. I am sure the Muslims are hoping for a new convert; however, Page is praying for a few converts of his own. Please pray for this opportunity, that he would have the words to say and the courage to say it.

We love our family and friends very much!! Have a wonderful weekend celebrating our countries independence!!

Our Sovereign God

Page and I wanted to tell you about this past Tuesday night. We decided to go on a date night because we have not been on one in a few weeks and we had been given a gift towards a dinner, so we chose to go. We had a delightful dinner at one of my favorite places to eat and we had walked around Target a little before leaving to go see a movie. On our way to the movies we were broadsided by a very truck/SUV. I am not quite clear on the type of car. I do remember it was red. 

For those of you who

 live in New Orleans, we were on Clearview headed towards Elmwood Theaters. For those of you who do not live in NOLA, we were on a six lane high

way (three going north and three going south). A median or neutral ground divides the six lanes. This neutral ground is curbed with grass and sometimes flowers. This highway also has many cross streets.

Page was driving in the left hand lane closest to the neutral ground. A car was in the center lane and had just pulled a little ahead of us. The lady in the large truck/SUV saw the car in the middle lane as well as the traffic coming behind us, but she failed to see us in the far lane. As the car in the middle lane passed her she gunned her SUV across the 3 lanes of traffic. Page and I both saw her and knew we were going to be hit. One of the aspects we are praising God about is that Page hit the gas instead of hitting the brake. As I saw the SUV coming I said "She is going to hit us" and I thought, "I

 am about to be hurt really badly." When Page sped up her SUV caught the rear passenger side door and trunk. Her bumper tore the door off the car and spun us around. Our rear spun over the raised neutral ground taking out a sign. We landed in the lane we had been riding in facing the wrong direction.

Neither Page nor I

 had a cut on us. The impact of the SUV, however, caused my neck to immediately stiffen and my back to begin hurting. I was unable to ope

n my door because the impact had also jammed it shut. We waited on the firemen to open the door and the EMTs to take me to the hospital for ex-rays. I have ONLY severe whiplash and a few bruises and burns where my seat belt held me in place. I say ONLY because I could have been hurt SO much worse.

Page and I want you to see some of the pictures of the car and hear the story as a testimony of God's protection an

d his sovereignty. We do not know why He chose to protect us in the way He did yesterday. We don't know why He allowed Page to push the gas instead of the break, why He guided our car away from oncoming traffic back into the lane we were in, why He kept our car from flipping as it passed over the neutral ground, 

and why He led us to chose that night not to take Karis on our date. We also do not know why some of our friends and family were not protected in the same way through similar experiences. All Page and I know is that we serve a Sovereign God who knows the day, hour, and minute He wishes us to come home. We know that neither one of us are afraid of death because we serve the One who defeated death when He was raised to life. We both know that if anything were to happen to one or both of us, God is in control and He will give those left to grieve, the gra

ce and comfort to do so. He will provide for ALL needs. We also know that He protected us from long te

rm disabilities in this instance and we are very grateful.

We want you to understand we do not tell you this story nor show you the pictures to glorify anyone other than our Father!! We serve an Incredible God who is the I AM!!

 In this picture, you can see where the SUV hit and the rear passenger door was taken off the car.

The SUV hit the front passenger side door and jammed it. Since my neck was injured, I could not crawl out the other side. The fire department had to pry the door open, as you can see. 

Whatever is left of the rear passenger door!  

 

Karis Walking

We were very excited in Sunday when Karis took her first official steps. She only took one or two on Sunday, but since that day she has become a little more adventurous and is now up to seven or eight steps at a time. It took her a while to let us get her on camera. I don't know if it was the pressure of performing before the camera that caused her to refuse to walk, but we finally got her around enough people to where she forgot the camera was there.

For those of you who do not know, Page is a co-pastor of a church plant in the Uptown area of New Orleans. We meet in one of three small groups once a week. While at the small group we filmed Karis taking a few steps and we thought we would show you. We hope you enjoy this video as much as we do.

Catching you up!

I am going to briefly try to catch you all up on the goings on of the Brooks' family.

Karis Birthday Party:

Karis turned ONE on April 28th. She had a Raggedy Anne and Andy party with family. Grandparents and cousins were able to attend and Karis had a blast! We grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs. She had cake for the first time and really liked it. Mom and Dad learned that sugar can really hype up a little girl. She did not want a nap that afternoon, but she did crash that night after everyone went home. Celebrating special times with family is always so special.

We weren't so sure how Karis would take to the cake. A

t first she seemed a little shy about eating it . . .

But it didn't take her long to get the hang of it:

She got lots of puzzles, toys, and outfits which she proudly wears.

On May 17th, Page and I graduated from NOBTS with our PhD's. We are very glad to finally be done. For those of you interested, be watching the Baptist Press for an article about both Page and I graduating together.

Both of our families were able to attend. I was so excited that all my grandparents could be there. They sacrificed a great deal to make such a long trip to see Page and I both graduate. I am very blessed to have such wonderful grandparents who love and support me in all that I do. 

Nalls/Scarborough Family:

Bk Row: Craig & Lester (BigPa)

Ft. Row: Johnny Ruth (Grandma), Page, Karis, Ashley, Terri, & Libby (Mema)

Brooks Family:

Bk R:  Page, Karis, Cliff, & Winston

Ft R: Ashley, Beth, Bethany, Betty, & Lucas

Now that I have graduated, my hope is to keep this blog much more up to date. We have been so blessed by the Lord. He has given us all that we have and helped us to become all that we are. We are so grateful to our Father for ALL that He has given us. He gets all the glory!!

Finally Graduating

Well, we finally did it. We finally finished writing those really long papers we call a dissertation. We finally were able to jump through the very last hoop we refer to so lovingly as a defense. We are finally able to say that we have a graduation date (May 17). AND . . . We can finally say that we are no longer in school!!!!!

Page and I have been in school since we were 5 years old. When you look in the dictionary under perpetual student, our pictures are there next too the term. We met, married, and have spent the past 6.5 years of our marriage (the entire marriage) in school. We have never known each other outside of school.

However, we are very grateful that we are both able to say that we have our PhDs by the time we are 30 and that we never have to return to school because we NEED to better our eduction. One of us WANTS to remain in school and when I say one of us, I mean Page. I have NO desire to continue my education any further. Through this experience I have realized that I am definitely more interested in counseling than research. 

We have learned a great deal through this process. We have been blessed with amazing friends and family members who have encouraged us and prayed for us through all the rough patches. They have also been faithful to cheer for us when we successfully jumped through those hoops that for us at times were on fire.

We are two of the few with the opportunity and privilege to graduate with a PhD. We do not take it for granted because we know that it is a blessing for us to live in the time, place, and era that would allow not only a man but a woman to receive such an honor. God placed us here for one purpose only . . . to give Him honor and glory. Our prayer is that we would use these marvelous gifts He has allowed us to receive for that purpose alone.

New Movie and Book List

Just wanted to draw everyone's attention to the new aspects on our blog. I have had family members complaining because they did not know what movies and books Karis owned. I have completed the list of movies in the Disney and Pixar categories as well as the PraiseBaby DVD's, which by the way moms if you have not checked these out you need too.

I will hopefully be completing the book list by the end of the week. I hope this helps everyone out.

Love to all!!!

Our Visits to Tifton & Philly

For those of you that don't know, Page left Karis and I for a month to do some training for the National Guard. Karis and I thought it would be a great time to visit with family and friends.

We started our tour in Tifton where we spent a week with Nanna, PopPop, Aunt Rebekah, and Anyston. We had a great time.


We took the girls to the park where they were able to swing side by side. Karis had never been in the swing before, but she had a great time.






It is now one of her favorite places to play.








The girls would take baths together and climb into Nana's chair to read books. They also liked to love on each other. They are sweet friends.






PopPop took them out on the porch one day that it was raining and rode them around in the wagon. It wore them both out and they were ready to come in and take naps. It was great for the Mommies.





We left Tifton and came home for a few days to rest before our trip to Philly. Mom was a little nervous about flying solo with munchkin, but she needn't have been. Karis did great on the flights. Other passengers were commenting that they wished all baby's traveled as well as she did. I agreed that I have been very blessed with an easy going baby.

We landed in Philly to snow all over the place. As our plane decended on the run way we came out of the clouds just as we touched down. Karis was turned towards the window and when we went below the clouds she could see the huge snow flakes outside. She started bouncing up and down and clapping her hands. She was excited until she was put in what she had to wear to go out into the snow.

She never looked too thrilled about the snow suit we put her in. Even when the temperatures dropped to about 10 degrees, she never complained. Her little eyes would stream tears from the wind, but she was a little trooper the entire time.


It was during our trip to Philly that she mastered....





pulling up. She scared Mom a little with the pulling up. We had an agreement that she was not to do any major feats until Dad came home at the beginning of February. That did not happen. She had two teeth come in, started pulling up, and mastered the crawling on all fours. She now is able to get around very well and very fast!!






We spent time with our friends Ginger and Adam. Karis become good friends with their dog, Sam. I am not sure Sam was excited about the friendship. Karis enjoyed chasing Sam around. Sam did not enjoy that part so much.




We had a great trip and Page did make it back safely from his month long journey to ARMY Camp. We have 2 more months to go during the summer. I am already taking applications for places to visit and people to come visit us.

Cousin Abigail

Not too long after Christmas, Chris and Katie welcomed Baby Abigail into the world. She is a very welcomed addition to our family. Karis was not too sure what to think about her though. Now she wasn't the center of attention. Or wasn't she?




Not too much changed for Karis at the hospital . . .

People still read to her












and she played with Uncle Chris' GA Bulldog hat.











She also waved bye-bye to Aunt Katie for the first time on the 1st of January. (Don't have a picture of that.....sorry).

However, she did begin to warm up to her new baby cousin.....well, sort of!

They both look a little out of it! A long day at the hospital is enough to wipe any baby out.

Christmas

I realize that it is several months past Christmas, but I thought I would start there and catch you all up on Karis' life.

We had a really great Christmas. We did not travel anywhere. My family came to New Orleans 2 weeks before Christmas to celebrate the graduation of Chris (my brother) and Katie (my sister-in-love). We celebrated Christmas with them during that time.

On Christmas Eve we dressed Karis up in her Christmas dress and went to the Christmas Eve service at First Baptist New Orleans where Chris and Katie attended. People commented that she looked like a little angel because the dress was so puffy and she was so cute.

Christmas day we opened presents before she went down for her morning nap and I got ready for Chris and Katie to come over for lunch. Karis received three gifts for Christmas. We have decided to do the "gold, frankinsense, and myrrh" gifts. So the gold gift (one that she wants) was bath toys, blocks, and books. The frankinsense (sp?) gift (one that she needs) was some cubical shelving on which to put her books and toys. The myrrh gift (one that she can share) was a movie (Dumbo). She also had a stocking with more books and a t-shirt which says "Don't tell my Mommy and Daddy, but they don't look a thing like me."

Katie and Chris came over for the afternoon and grilled out steaks. We know, it was not the most traditional Christmas meal, but they sure were good and easy. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing on Page's Wii (his Christmas present). I am not sure who was more excited this Christmas, Page or Karis.

Karis enjoyed her Christmas presents, but I think she enjoyed the boxes, bags, and wrapping even more.