Brooks' Adventures

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

Stationery card

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Family Day: Red Bluff Farm

2011-10-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today was absolutely gorgeous and a little chilly. Our plan was to go to Red Bluff Farm in Folsom, LA which is about an hour away from New Orleans (across the lake towards Covington). The girls woke up extremely excited about going to see pumpkins and animals and pumpkins. Did I mention that they wanted to see pumpkins?

They had a number of baby animals for us to pet. Chicks, goats, noisy piglets, and lambs to name a few. The girls had the opportunity to feed a calf with a milk bottle, but both were a little too shy to do that today. Maybe next year.

We got to see a sheep being sheered.

(Which the sheep did not like very much.)

We saw one of our friends (the Wilkerson's) while we were there and ended up hanging out with them most of the day. The Wilkerson's also adopted their daughter, Bella. Our families have much in common. They are waiting to be approved to go on the mission field, so please keep them in your prayers. They have been waiting a long time due to cut backs.

We all had some kettle corn which everyone enjoyed (maybe a little too much).

The girls then picked out their pumpkins and posed with them. Thia had trouble holding on to hers. It's a wonder it made it home.

Before we left we took a few posed pics. These took the longest to get. Neither one of them wanted to pose longer than a nano second.

The girls tried to pick up the largest pumpkins they could find, but as Thia put it...

"I too wittle."

We had two tired little girls on the way home.

They were both very proud of their pumpkins.

Everyone took good naps today.

Mosaic Family Movie Night - "Boo on the Bayou"

2011-10-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a few shots of the fun night we had tonight. Mosaic decided to love on our community tonight by doing a Family Movie Night next to Bayou St. John. We have been praying for this event for several months and everything seemed to be going well until we tried to start up the generator that would run the popcorn machine, the sound system, the movie....well pretty much everything we needed for tonight. If you read my last post you know that I am very aware that Satan does not want us to be successful in anything we are doing to get to know our neighbors and of course this tonight was no exception. The thing Satan didn't expect was that no one panicked. No one was defeated. We all began praying and acting as though all would be well. The atmosphere was not "if we get this thing to work" but "when we get this thing to work" we will get started.

We called up another friend who we thought might have a generator and, praise the Lord, he did. We had that generator up and going within 10 minutes of the start time. We had a great turn out. The weather was incredible. The popcorn was delicious. The drinks were cold. The company was loving. We got to meet a number of neighbors and love on a ton of kids.

We are so excited about what God did tonight and the wonderful time we had at Boo on the Bayou! I hope this will be an annual event. Here are a few pics of the fun we had tonight.

Cool night, warm popcorn, great capri sun, comfy chair, funny movie...

what more could a girl want!

Friends all snuggled in for the movie.

Thia has her popcorn and she is ready to watch!

At the beginning of the night we had a few chairs open.

By the end of the movie, every chair was pretty much full.

You can't see this part in the picture, but off to the left are about 20 people

sitting in portable chairs, hammocks, and on blankets.

In Need of Prayer...

2011-10-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

I am very aware that I have not published on this blog since June and I apologize to you sweet friends and family members that read this blog to keep up with what is going on with us because you love and care about us so much. Again, I am going to try very hard to make a change. I think the reason I have trouble writing is because I am a pretty private person and sometimes I convince myself that writing is not really that important. I am slowly realizing that I am wrong.

I need all of you knowing what is going on with us if for no other reason than to have your prayer support. This week has been a very hard week for me spiritually and emotionally. My understanding of how evil Satan is has grown. I have faced a number of very evil things as a counselor, but this week has taken me to a new understanding of evil. It has reinforced my belief that Satan truly hates Christian families and will go to ANY length to destroy them. I have also come to the realization that the only thing Satan hates more than Christian families is Christian families in effective ministry.

I had a Christian family from New Orleans in my office this week who was seriously wounded both emotionally and physically. My heart went into shock and then completely broke for this family sitting in front of me in shambles. The phrase "all hell broke loose" would be an understatement. The question was asked of me, "I am a Christian and have tried to do everything the right way. Why did this happen to me?" I didn't have an answer. This week the Lord has had me on my knees more than any other time in my life. He made me aware of the fact that my family is being protected because people are praying for our protection. However, I was also made aware of the strength and the pure evilness of our enemy. I realized that we cannot have enough people praying for our protection. We are working in a city that surpassed its 2014 projected crime rate in 2011. These crimes are not just petty crimes. The crimes are assaults, rapes, and murders.

We are living in a city that people easily are able to throw together a party where excessive drinking and immorality are expected, but when a church or community association tries to put together a wholesome family movie night, paper work falls through the cracks and road blocks seem to come from all sides at the last minute.

So, the main reason for this post today is to ask you to begin earnestly praying for our family. God is doing some amazing miracles through Mosaic and Restoration. People are being saved and families/relationships are being restored. Churches are working together in a never before seen way. Light is being shown in this city. Satan is not happy.

This city is full of wonderful aspects. The food is incredible. The music is unmatched. The people are relational and warm. They enjoy relaxing and having a good time with one another. These aspects are not the bad in this city. The problem is that Satan has corrupted these wonderful aspects. He has taken what God intended for good and used it for evil. He has added many other evil aspects into this city such as drugs, sexual immorality, sex trafficking, drunkenness, and the like.

Mosaic has begun to pray that the Lord would Redeem the "good things" and destroy the bad. I have been made aware this week that this prayer means we are opening ourselves up to a spiritual war I never wanted to imagine was there.

Please join with us to pray for the redemption of our mid-city neighborhood and this city of New Orleans. Please pray for the success of the events Mosaic and Restoration attempt to do to minister to this mid-city neighborhood. As you pray for these things, please pray for the protection of my family and the families of Mosaic and Restoration working to minister in a city that Satan thought he had conquered. God has already won the war, but we have a number of very very hard battles to fight.

Thanks! We are very grateful for you!

Our Tent

2011-06-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I remember putting sheets over our dining room table and pulling as many blankets and pillows under the "fort" as we could find. We made it as cozy as possible and then spent hours reading and playing in it.

From that, I got the idea of giving Karis and Thia a "fort" although they do not call it a "fort". They both call the contraption a tent. On this day they both had to have their pillows to lean against and Karis had to be dressed up in her Cinderella dress. They both grabbed a number of books and then piled on Karis bed. I threw the blanket over the top and they laid underneath their tent for a while. It was not as long as I had hoped because Thia realized that when she sat up completely her head brushed against the "tent". She then realized that she could completely aggravate her sister by making the tent go up and down. After a while the tent completely fell a part which caused hysterics on the part of Karis. Needless to say, it sounded like a good idea at the time. Maybe the mixture of a 4yr old and a 2 yr old under the tent is a bad combo. Karis has enjoyed the tent for much longer by herself and during her naps. Maybe Thia will catch on to the "point" as she gets a little older. Oh well....it makes for great stories.

Bye Bye Nassy

2011-05-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

Thia said goodbye to her passy at the end of last week. Here is a video of her saying goodbye...

Page and I expected a really big fight at her next bed time. Her first nap was pretty rough, but she has gone to bed every other time with very little trouble. It took about 2 or 3 days and she has completely stopped asking for the "nassy" all together! YAY!!!!!

"I like crusts now, Mom!"

2011-05-18T19:31:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I made myself some toast for breakfast. While I was eating the toast, Karis decided that she would like some toast for breakfast as well. It is amazing to me that my girls timing is so exact. It seems that right as I sit down to eat, they have another immediate need that needs to be met. For this reason, I am not sure I remember the last warm breakfast I have had. However, this is a topic for another day. The topic I am writing about today is Karis and her overnight love for crusts.

Each time I make toast or a sandwich for Karis I usually get a very long speech about how she emphatically "DOES NOT" like crusts. I heard the long and the short versions of this speech. It usually goes something like this...."Mom, you know that I don't like the crusts on my sandwich (or toast). I have never liked the crusts on my sandwich (or toast). Even when I was a little baby, I did not like the crusts on my sandwich (or toast). You are not going to leave the crusts on it are you, Mom?"

Well, on this day I told her that I was leaving the crust on the toast because it was still hot. I have always found hot toast easier to eat with the crust on. It is less likely to burn my fingers that way. At least this is the excuse I gave her at the time. I really do find toast easier to eat with the crusts, but the real reason I left the crusts on was because I was hungry and wanted my breakfast. For some reason she decided to actually try the crusts. The next thing I hear is...."MOM!! I LIKE CRUSTS!!!

Just think, another few seconds of doing the "old way" and my daughter would have never experienced the joys of crust eating. :-) Thank goodness I was so hungry that day.

Picture of Karis eating the crusts.

MOM!! I LIKE THE CRUSTS!!

Dressing Up

2011-05-16T09:56:00.001-07:00

My girls have wonderful imaginations which I try to encourage as much as I can. They enjoy dressing up at least once a day. Here is some of the latest pictures of dress-up time.

Thia is dressed as a ballerina/bride. This costume was Karis' Halloween costume. They both have gotten a ton a wear out of it.

Karis is dressed up as an African Princess. Nana and PopPop gave her this costume for Christmas this past year.

You can see one of my shoes behind Karis. They also enjoy wearing my shoes. I can never keep them in my closet nor can I find a pair when I need them. I can usually find one but not the other. Oh the fun of having preschoolers! I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Royal Wedding Tea Party

2011-05-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

As many Brits and Americans tuned in to watch the Royal Wedding at 4am, I chose to hold off and watch the Youtube recording at 4pm instead. We made a fun time of it. The girls and I went shopping for tea snacks (little cakes, scones, and sandwiches) and then we got out my china for the tea party. Mawmaw (Vickey Tassin) surprised Karis and Thia with their owntea cups which they learned to use and during our tea.

We set up the wedding on the computer and then oohed and ahhed over the new Princess Catherine's wedding dress. We watched her walk down that really long isle and say her vows with Prince William. Then we watched as they rode through London in their "open carriage" as Karis called it.

After the wedding and festivities were over, Karis and Thia decided they wanted to watch

Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement. The movie gave Mawmaw and I time to talk, which was lovely as well!

Painting

2011-04-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Both of my girls are very artistic and enjoy painting, drawing, and coloring. They especially enjoy expressing themselves through the arts. Here is an example of some expressing that happened today on Karis' birthday. Hope you enjoy!!

Conference Success!

2011-04-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to announce the success of the marriage enrichment conference we had this past Saturday. We spent six hours talking about a number of different topics. We looked at the truths from Song of Solomon for marriage relationships. We discovered our personality types and discussed how our personalities can impact the way we think, feel both emotionally and physically, communicate with others, and relate with God. We saw how different personality types interact with one another which has direct impact on our marriage relationships. We discussed how each one of us speaks a certain love language and the need for spouses to fill up their significant others love bank by learning their language and speaking it often. We also divided up into small groups and discussed how all this information ties together to help you cultivate a beautiful marriage relationship.

The day went extremely smoothly. Each one of the couples were excited about what they learned and seemed to be motivated and determined to apply the information to their relationships.

I feel so blessed that the Lord gave me a husband whose passion for enriching marriages matches mine. I also am blessed to be able to do a job that is so rewarding. Thank you for your prayers. We definitely knew we were being prayed for. We look forward to the next Enriching Your Marriage conference.

God's in the Details: Even Green Eggs and Ham

2011-04-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

I have been praying for this day since I put it on the calendar. I was nervous for Karis. I knew that because of her personality, she warms up to new situations very slowly. In most cases, her more reserved personality is not a problem, but in this situation she would be required to warm up to her environment quickly. Going along with her reserved personality comes a wariness of strangers. She takes a little while to warm up to people and share herself with them.

I also knew how much was riding on this day. We want her to get a good education in a neighborhood school that is rated high in education, high in arts, high in languages, gives her sports opportunities, and that is community oriented. The only way for Karis to be accepted into a school with these opportunities for free at the age of 4 is for her to be assessed as gifted.

This gifted assessment was another issue. We could get the assessment for free at the Recovery School District Child Advocacy Services in the same way that our neighbors would have to do. The likelihood of her being assessed as gifted in this place is VERY low. They screen to keep children out not to allow children in. Our other option was to pay several hundred dollars to a psychologist and have her tested. The environment would be better. The psychologist would take the time to allow her to warm up to her before assessing her. The likelihood of her being assessed gifted is higher and then we would have more school options. However, our neighbors are not given this option. They do not have the money to have a private assessment. How could I begin to minister to them and understand the struggles they go through in everyday life (like putting their children into schools) without going through the same hoops they go through. They do not have the money to see a private psychologist. No, if I wanted to experience life with my neighbors I needed to choose to jump through the hoops and trust that God would take care of my daughters education.

So, I made the appointment for the pre-screening way back in January and I started praying. Yesterday was finally the day and I woke up as nervous as I got taking qualifying exams for my PhD. I began praying early that morning. One of the lessons the Lord has been teaching me of late in my prayer life is to be open to His voice while I am praying. Basically, He wants me to be quiet and listen. Normally that is not a problem for me, but when I am nervous I tend to keep talking. On this day I practiced just being still. He immediately reminded me of 3 truths:

1) He loves my daughter more than I do and wants the best for her. He also has plans to prosper her.

2) I needed to trust Him and lean not on my own understanding.

3) I needed to Be Still and Know that He is God.

As I was getting ready for the morning, a peace that I had not known before swept through me.

Karis woke up in a very extraverted mood for her. She was talkative and excited. She rarely has these moods, but this was the mood I had been praying she would have all these months.

We left the house early because I had not been to the building before, at least that is what I thought. I had read through the directions several times the night before so that I wouldn't get lost. I sent the directions to my phone just in case. When I got in the car I started in the direction that I knew we were supposed to go. I began to pull the directions up on the phone, but for some reason it wasn't working. Anxiety begin to creep in. I looked at the clock and saw that I had about 20 minutes and it was only supposed to take 5 to get there. I calmed down a little, but the phone was still not working for me. I started praying my rapid fire prayer when I was gently reminded to BE STILL. I took a deep breath and began to drive. The directions came clearly to my head from the night before and I finally made it to the office. Low and behold it was the same office of the school we really want Karis to go to. We had been there the week before to put in an application. Karis immediately recognized the school and was so excited that we were back. (Prayer request # 1 answered....it was not a new place it all. She would not require much warm up time.)

We got to the office, checked in, and then went to the waiting room to wait to be called. We sat down in a very kid friendly area. They had books for us to read and toys for her to play with. The area was freshly painted and very inviting. These aspects are very unusual for New Orleans, especially after Katrina. Most of the time the school district works with what they have, which is not much. I was pleasantly surprised. Karis immediately went to the bookshelf and grabbed a few books. She stopped as she began pulling books off and exclaimed, "Mom! They have Green Eggs and Ham!" This book is her favorite right now. As soon as she saw it, all the reservation I saw in her about being in a new place went away. She was at home because they had her favorite book. I stopped myself from crying at that point because I knew God had placed that book on that shelf for her. (Prayer request #2 answered....she was completely at ease about being in this place and talking to new people. They had her favorite book so these people can be trusted.)

We went through a hearing test and the audiologist was extremely friendly, allowing Karis to mash the buttons on the machine and giving her a sticker. We had a little moment with the nurse who wanted to test her eyes, but it worked out ok. We were taken to the social worker for the assessment and as I met her my fears were completely put to rest. She was very loving to Karis and Karis was immediately at home in her office. She explained to me that Karis would have to score in the 99th percentile for her to be considered gifted in the school district. She explained that very few 3 to 4 year olds score this high because they have to score on a 3rd grade level. At this point I was praising the Lord for all the prayer requests He had answered and I knew if she did not score that high everything would be okay. He had taken care of her up to this point (even down to Green Eggs and Ham). Why wouldn't he take care of everything else. I left Karis in her office knowing she would probably not score in the gifted range, but completely at peace.

I immediately sent out a prayer request text to a few people and within seconds got messages back saying they were "On it!" What a blessing to have friends and family members who were immediately praying for me at the drop of a text.

Karis came out of the social workers office about 10 minutes later and ran to me telling me how much fun she had had. (Answered prayer #3.....she had done her best!) Again, I stood in amazement at how the Lord had worked in the details. I walked with her back to the office to wait on the social worker to score her assessment. Karis and I talked for a few minutes and then I noticed that the social worker had stopped writing. I looked up and she said, "Well.....she did it! I am so excited for her. I rarely see children score this high and I am always so excited when they do. Karis scored in the 99th percentile on the pre-screening and she will go on for the actual screening in a few weeks."

I sat back in amazement. Not only had God worked this entire day out for Karis, but He had given her the abilities to score high enough to move on to the next "hoop". I then realized that she said Karis had scored on a 3rd grade level and realized I was in for some trouble later on when Karis realized she could use her "smarts" against me and her dad. We will cross that bridge when we come to it though. :-)

I was so proud of Karis and I was overjoyed at the way the Lord had blessed me on this day. I could not wait to share this experience with Page and with you as my friends and family. God has been teaching me to pray in faith. We have been trusting the Lord that the ministry He has led us to in Mid-city would be His. We have prayed that He would allow us to live life with our neighbors and friends, trusting Him in the process to take care of our family. I was assured once again:

We are right where the Lord wants us.

He is going to take care of our family.

We are going to see the Lord work in mighty ways in Mid-city.

God will bring racial reconciliation in this city.

More than that, God will draw many souls to Him.

Our job is to be faithful.......even in the details.

Thia's Prayer

2011-03-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here is how the conversation went:

Page: Thia would you like to pray tonight?

Thia: Sure!! (she works really hard to get a bite of eggs in her mouth before she drops the fork to grab Page's hand and begin the prayer)

Thia: Dea Lor, ....Mommy, Daddy.....

Karis: AND ME!

Thia: (looking up at Karis through squinty eyes)....Me?

Karis: Yes, .....Karis!

(Mom and Dad beginning to chuckle)

Thia: Oh!....and Kawis....

Karis: ....and Mommy and Daddy....

(Mom and Dad trying not to bust out laughing)

Thia: ....and Mommy and Daddy.... (mumbling something we did not quite understand)....

Karis: ....Amen?

Thia:....Amen!

(Dad has to get up from the table and Mom is trying hard to control her laughter so that the girls do not feel like they have done anything wrong!)

We love that our girls enjoy praying! We also love that God hears the prayers of children!

Thank you Lord for reminding us (in entertaining ways) that you desire for our hearts to be as simple and pure as our children's hearts! - Amen

Mosaic's Beginnings

2011-02-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

Some of you have been asking about the church plant Page and I are doing in mid-city. We wanted to give you some pictures of what a church plant looks like at the very beginning stages. Page and I, and a few other prayer warriors, have been praying for over a year and a half (before Page left for Iraq) about planting a church in the mid-city section of New Orleans. This area was populated with over 40,000 people before Katrina, but is now down to 27,000 people of a number of different nationalities. The top three races are white, black, and hispanic. This area has few evangelical churches and no evangelical multi-ethnic and multi-racial churches. As I have mentioned before, the Lord has placed this area of town on our hearts and has led us to have a heart of seeing worship here on this earth as it will be in heaven (every nation, tribe, and tongue worshiping together as one body).

When I began looking for a home, we strategically looked in the mid-city area. I cannot go into all the details here, but God worked a number of miracles when He brought us to the home we are living in now. We see this house as ministry tool of the Lord that truly blesses us as well. I literally wake up every morning and thank the Lord for my home. We love our home and the area we live in very much.

We have now met as Mosaic church 3 times. Each time we have come together for a meal, worship, and communion. God has blessed us with a very talented black man to lead us in worship. He and his Haitian wife have already been blessing to both Page and I during this process. They have a very sweet spirit and a desire to see lives changed in this area. We are in the process of working out another gifted black man to be on our leadership team. He and his wife are also very precious and have hearts for our community. Our services so far have included people who are Haitian, Nigerian, Cajun, Black, White, Chinese, and of Mixed Race. I mention all the races to let you know what God is doing across racial lines.

We know that because racism is a problem that is all the way down in the roots of this city and a stronghold satan would like to keep this city bound with, this type of work is only going to be done through the power of the Almighty God. We are praying even now that we would be able to stand firm against the attacks that satan will begin to launch. We are posting all this information on our blog so that you will begin to pray for this work that ONLY GOD CAN DO. We cannot do this alone and we need your prayers. Thank you so much in advance for bringing our family before our Father in prayer. Thank you for praying for our friends and neighbors that they would be drawn to what God is doing. Thank you for praying that this precious core group that God is building would be strong and courageous.

Page took pictures from 3 different angles to get everyone in the pictures. I (Ashley) am in the kitchen cleaning up a little before our service began. For those of you who are wondering, our house is a double shotgun house. The living room is up front. The hallway you see leads to the dining room and kitchen. The white doors you see off the living room and hallway are the bedrooms.

Funny Stories

2011-02-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

I know I keep apologizing each time I get on here for not posting more often. I do apologize to the friends and family members who want to keep up with us. Granparents and Great Granparents....these stories are for you!

Karis is finally completely diaper free. For over a year she has been wearing diapers just for naps and night time sleep. For about 3 or 4 months now she has been off diapers for naps. About a week ago I just decided to quit putting a diaper on her at night. She had one or two accidents early on, but they were both my fault because I forgot to wake her to go potty before I fell asleep. About 3 or 4 nights ago, she started waking herself up to go to the bathroom. She gets up around 3am every morning, walks to the potty, turns on the light and goes all by herself. She has not had an accident in over a week. Whoo!! Finally!!

We have not started the "for real" potty training with Thia yet because she is afraid of the toilet. She will refuse to bend her legs to sit on the potty unless Page or I is holding her waist and then she just looks and us and says, "No pook!" which is what she calls both of her toiletry jobs.

Our funny story with Karis was that about 4 weeks ago, the entire family were taking naps. I wake up to hear this weird banging noise coming from somewhere in the house. It took me a while to realize that it is coming from the girls room. You need to know that even though the girls share a room at night, we still separate them for their naps otherwise they would never go to sleep. Karis sleeps in her bed in their room. So once I realized the noise was coming from their room, I opened the door to find Karis standing by her bed completely naked. She has poop caked on her hands, kleenex covered in poop all over her bed and the floor, and poop stains on blankets, sheets, and a book or two. My immediate reaction was shock because she had never been the child to want to get dirty. So I said, "Oh Karis!" She looked at me with this helpless look on her face and said, "Mom, I tried to change my diaper for you so you wouldn't have to change my poopy diaper!" Of course, I couldn't be MAD at that explanation. She was trying to "help". So I picked her up and took her to the bathroom. I had her shake her hands off over the toilet to get the clumps off her hands, but she didn't really understand that concept, so she started trying to manually work the poop off like you would dough off your fingers when making biscuit. I immediately stopped that and just put her in the tub. As I was hosing her off, she looked at me and said, "Mom, I thought to myself...'This was not a good idea!'" At that announcement, I busted out laughing. It was amazing how laughing together about the situation actually made the cleanup less tedious. I did make Page clean up the bedroom, however. I figured he had missed a year of such messes, he needed the clean up experience and I wanted him to be able to tell the story first hand rather than tell about how I handled the situation. I was only thinking of him! ;-)

Alethia has completely come out of her shell. Those of you that know her will know that she has never really been in a shell to begin with, but she knows no stranger or insecurity of any form. She has rhythm in her blood and has moves that cannot be taught, nor would I want to teach them to a 2 year old. For example, both my girls love the old song "Rockin Robin" because they enjoy dancing to it. We sometimes have family dance time in the kitchen while I am cooking to keep the girls entertained. Page and I were watching the girls dance to this song for what was probably the 3rd time when Thia just took off with her dancing self. She started shaking her hips, bopping her shoulders, and cocking her head. The funniest part to us was that she placed her hands on the counter and begin to rock her hips back and forth while going all the way down to the floor and back up. Seeing as how we do not watch anything on tv but, Veggie Tales, Dora, Madeline and Diego, and realizing that Page and I could never dance like that even if we wanted to, we wondered where she was learning her moves. We still don't know. I think we need to work on appropriate and inappropriate dancing with our 2 year old. Never thought I would be saying THAT!

Anyway, hope you enjoy the update and that the stories make you laugh a little!

Help Needed

2010-11-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone-

I am really sorry I am waiting to the last minute to ask for help, but moving the week after we were gone for a week as thrown me off of my organization a little bit. Many of you have asked me how you could help, so here is my list. I am going to post this on facebook. If you think you might could help, please reply to the facebook message so that others can see what needs are being met and what needs remain.

Need 1: On Wednesday evening after 6pm - I need 2 guys to help me move the things in the attic to the second floor.

Need 2: Jason Sampler - can you still help put up closet shelving and if so...could you help tomorrow night?

Need 3: I am painting one room tomorrow night (Tues)...I need one more person to help with that so we can knock it out quickly. (Michael Hitch...if you can help with this then we have it covered.)

Need 4: I need someone to be here at the house on campus between 3:30 and 4:00 on Thursday afternoon to pick up the girls from my sweet friend, Desi, and keep them until around 6 or until the movers call it quits for the day.

Need 5: On Saturday, Dave and Chelsi are coming to hang pictures and I need a place for the girls to take their naps right after lunch. (1pm-3pm or so).

Ok, I think this is all. I really, really appreciate each one of you. I appreciate any help that you can give me this week even if it is just praying that we get moved in quickly and with as little stress as possible. I am SO blessed to have such wonderful friends!!

We Are Home Owners!!

2010-11-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

The keys to our new home!!!

How Exciting!

After 3 and a half hours of signing a HUGE stack of documents for myself and for Page and waiting on USAA to give permission to release the money, the little house on Telemachus officially became ours yesterday afternoon.

God has a sense of humor. He decided that since I had a captive audience for over 3 hours that He wanted me to share the gospel with them. I was able to share our family testimony of why we were moving into mid-city (the church plant) as well as a little of our adoption story. The part of our story that the group seemed to be the most interested in was how I have handled this house buying process by myself. The door flew wide open for me to share how God divinely led me to our real estate agent who "just happened" to meet James, the then owner of the Telemachus house. I then begin to explain how I was looking for a number of specific things in a house outside of the house itself due to the fact that we were going to be planting a church. Tammy, our real estate agent, told me when we first started looking that finding what I was looking for would be really hard. However, this house had almost everything I was looking for we got it for less than we were expecting to spend. When the house was appraised, it was appraised for $10,000 more than what we paid for it and with a VA hospital being built in the area, the market will only go up. Didn't God use His money wisely? (All you Harbor folks will appreciate that!)

We should not have been closing yesterday. The city has still not gotten their act together and sources close to the situation say that the situation might not be fixed until after Mardi Gras. Because we are only the 3rd owners of this house built in 1905, there was not much information to look up. The title company already had the information when they went through the buying process for James. Because we used the same title company to close, we were granted permission to go ahead with our closing. God worked this out as well.

After the conversation, the insurance agent told me that she was really interested in coming to our church meetings to find out more about it. From our conversation, she seemed to be interested in finding the Person that has given me the strength to make it through this year and be able to buy a house on top of it. I am not sure what I am more excited about....the house being ours or the opportunities to share that the Lord allowed me to have yesterday.

I am headed to Tifton next week to spend some time with my family over Thanksgiving. The girls and I will come back and move into the house the first week of December. Page will be home in 4 weeks!!!

Hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! May the Lord pour out many, many blessings on you and your families!!

Let me introduce you to: Our New House....hopefully!

2010-11-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

The shutters are actually closed on the house, so you cannot see the windows. The house is formerly a double shot gun home that was renovated many years ago into a single. It was recently (as in the last few months) renovated again to look like a brand new home on the inside and out.

I wanted y'all to see the new house we are in the process of purchasing. We were suppose to close tomorrow (Nov. 15), but the Orleans Parish computers crashed last week. This crash made it impossible for the titles of over 30 homes in the parish to be cleared for closing. They are in the process of getting things cleared up and we have been given a tentative date of Nov. 19th (this coming Friday) for the closing. We are praying that this date is a keeper. I would really like to go to my family's for Thanksgiving. If the house does not close until next week, I might not get to go Tifton.

This house has been such a blessing from the start. It is completely renovated. It is in a wonderful section of mid-city. We are within walking distance of some fabulous restaurants and the street car. We are street car ride away from city park and even the aquarium if it is a pretty day.

The aspect of this house that excites us the most is that it is right in the heart of the area we feel God has led us to plant a church. This mid-city area has about 40,000 residents and no evangelical church. This community, or faubourg (pronounced foe berge) if you are from New Orleans, has residents who have lived there all their lives or most of their adult lives. They accept you as one of them only if you live in their community. This fact is true for most of the fough bourges. The population is culturally diverse. There are African Americans, Hispanics, White Americans, and other ethnicities living in the area. Economically, the people are either lower middle class or higher upper class. There are very few in between. As in most of New Orleans, most of the community comes from a Catholic heritage.

We are so very excited about the number of diversities in this area. We have felt very strongly that God is leading us to plant a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-econimic church. If you are not familiar with church planting, these churches are the hardest to plant because of the number of differences. However, Page and I feel very strongly that these types of churches are the most Biblical. We want to see God's will here on earth as it is in Heaven. In Heaven we are going to be worshiping with every nation, tribe, and tongue. We would love to see a little of that here in New Orleans.

We are praying specifically that God would use this little house on Telemachus (pronounced Tell u makus) to be a light in this community. We are praying that God would show us how we can minister to our neighbors and open up our home as a place of hope, comfort, and healing. Please pray with us that God would go before us into this community and that the hearts of our neighbors would be prepared to hear the gospel. I would also appreciate your prayers as we plan to move before Page gets home. My goal is to be in the house the week after Thanksgiving. Of course, this is the second time I have laid out plans and I do realize that God's plans are much better than mine. I will try to wait patiently.

We are definitely in the last few days of this very long year. I think we are down to 32 days (this is if the Army does not change anything) and counting. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! God has been and is so faithful. Thank you for your continued thoughts, support, and prayers.

Welcome To the Family Emma Claire!!!!

2010-11-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Emma Claire Nalls

6lbs 9oz and 19 inches tall

We are so excited that the Lord saw fit to add this little bundle of joy to the family. Although we haven't met her yet (and probably won't for a long time) we are glad she is here. ISN'T SHE SO CUTE!!!

I am a very proud Aunt and Page has expressed his excitement over being an Uncle again. Karis and Thia have been talking about the "Five Girl Cousins" and all the adventures they are going to have the summer that the Nalls' family has on furlough. They are SO GLAD Emma Claire is a girl. :-)

Katie is doing well. She is still recovering in the hospital in Jo-burg, South Africa. Her mother, Carol, was able to be there to help take care of Abigail while Chris takes care of Katie and Emma Claire at the hospital. I wanted to end this post with a letter to my new niece.

Dear Emma Claire,

The Brooks' Family is so excited you are here. We are praying for you and your Mommy, Daddy, and sister Abigail. God chose your Mommy and Daddy especially for you and chose you especially for them. We are praying that they will have wisdom to know how to parent you in a way that will mold you into the young lady God created you to be. God has such a special plan for your life. We can't wait to see how God chooses to use you.

He also chose Abigail to be your big sister. You may get mad at her some times, and she may get mad at you too. However, she will always be your sister. Having your sister (or other siblings) as good friends is such a blessing, Sweet Heart. We pray that you and Abigail will be the best of friends.

We love you so much and we haven't even met you. I (Aunt Ashley) can't wait to hold you and kiss on you and tell you funny stories about your Daddy. I don't have any on your Momma, but your Uncle Russ can tell you those. Your cousins, Karis and Alethia, cannot wait to meet you either. Karis has already told me about the many adventures y'all are going to take around PopPop and Nana's Eight Acres. She wants y'all to find the foxes, deer, squirrels, and owls that hang out around there. She and Thia also like to watch and feed the horses and cows too.

Sleep and eat well for your Mommy and Daddy. We love you!

Aunt Ashley

Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman

2010-11-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

I was surfing Amazon about 2 weeks ago when I ran across this book, Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman. Steven Curtis Chapman is one of my all time favorite artists and I remembered the tragic accident involving their youngest daughter, Maria, and I was intrigued to find out what she would say. I was expecting for the book to be strictly about their struggle with the loss of their daughter. While much of it was about that loss, Mary Beth opened up about much more than just aspect of her life.

I was so blessed by reading this book. Mary Beth was very real and open about her struggle over allowing God to orchestrate her life. She talks candidly about how she had a plan for her life that did not include much of the aspects her life entails today. She talked about her struggle with anger, depression, stubbornness, and fear. She also speaks honestly about questioning God about His choices for her life.

I was impressed over several aspects of this couples life. I am drawn to the adoration, affection, and love that this couple outwardly displays for each other. I am inspired by the passion they have for orphan ministry. I am challenged as a parent when I see the type of parents they are and the children they have raised. I told Page that if I could choose any mentors in the world for us as a couple, it would be Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman.

If you haven't read this book, I would encourage you to read it. You will cry and laugh through the entire book, but in the end you will not have just read the story of an incredible woman, you will be challenged to become one yourself.

Our Ballerina and Baby Giraffe

2010-11-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give you a quick look at the girls costumes for Halloween. I am hoping to get a few more pics up here of our trip to Trunk or Treat, but I don't have them uploaded to the computer yet. This picture was taken at church on Sunday by Mrs. Meredith. Meredith's pic was the only one I have of Thia's entire outfit while she is standing still. Neither one of them have the idea of standing still for pictures quite yet. I guess I just need to get a high speed camera so that it doesn't matter whether they move or not. Maybe I'll just teach them to stand still and save myself a little cash. Hope you enjoy!

The Miracle of Time

2010-08-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Do you think it is possible for time to move slowly or stop in your life but continue to move normally in the world around you? I think I would have laughed at this question a few weeks ago, but after the 2 weeks I just had I am inclined to answer yes to this question.

Page was given his 2 week leave or R & R time at the beginning of August. We had a wonderful reunion at the airport where, once I told the workers at the airport what we were there for, we were treated like royalty. Karis, Thia, and I were given bogus boarding passes and the little girls were given stickers and told to hug their daddy real tight because he was a hero. We were allowed to go all the way to the gate to meat him. We waited patiently, or rather, I waited as patiently as I could and the girls ran around the gate area with signs saying "We love you, Daddy!" and "Welcome Home!". They also had their sweet shirts Nana gave them that said, "My Daddy is my Hero!" Everyone in that 4 gate area knew why we were there. As soon as they saw Page, Karis took off running towards him pushing people out of the way as she ran. Thia couldn't get her little feet to move fast enough, so she ran in place a few times before she took off after Karis into her Daddy's arms. After Page was able to get up and out of the way of everyone, I was able to get a quick hug and kiss as well. Mine wasn't as memorable as the girls because they were louder and a bit more demanding. Thia would not allow him to put her down, bursting into tears the moment he mentioned that he needed to pass her to me so that he could get his bag.

We made it home a little while later and it seemed that from the time we walked through the door time slowed way down. We weren't concerned about what was going on outside our home. We weren't concerned about what day it was. We got up with the girls, had wonderful dinners including Thanksgiving dinner a little early. We had date nights. We went to the beach, the park, and the zoo. We did not stay shut up in our home the entire time completely to ourselves. We saw friends and family, but somehow the entire time the focus was on family and making each moment count.

From the time Page got home, I forgot about the 7 months he had been gone. I was also able (for the most part) to forget about the 4 1/2 months left. We were just living in the moment. The girls immediately had their Dad. I had my best friend and husband. The world was right again and we didn't care about anything else. There were no transition problems. We had one or two "serious discussions" but nothing that was due to his having been gone. They were normal married discussions. It was as if he had never been gone and he wasn't leaving again.

All of that ended last night. We decided to have one last "date night." We put the girls to bed and popped in a movie that neither one of us had seen. We sat snuggled up on the couch through the entire movie and then the credits began to roll. As soon as the credits started it was if the bells were chiming on that "kill-joy clock" on the Disney movie Cinderella. You know....the one that continually wakes her up from her beautiful dreams and chimed the night of the ball breaking the spell...turning everything back to reality. It was over. The 2 beautiful weeks that had seemed timeless actually had a definite beginning and a very definite end.

Page was taken away to the airport this morning at 7:30 am. We have all had our moments of tears today. I don't really want to focus on the sadness of his leaving again, because we knew that was coming and would be something we would have to process through. I want to focus on the surprise and the blessings of the 2 weeks that far exceeded either one of our expectations. I want to focus on the laughs and screams of delight from two little girls that were thrilled beyond measure to play with their Daddy. I want to focus on the hours of uninterrupted conversation I was able to have with my best friend. I want to focus on the time spent with family and friends. Most of all, I want to focus on the feeling of "perfection" - not the perfection of being without a mistake because we are all human and know that is an impossibility. No, I want to focus on the feeling of "perfection" as God sees it.... a completeness that could only come from an Heavenly Father that loves me far beyond what I could ever understand. A Father that saw fit to not only give us wonderful memories, but went a step further to prove to me once again that He knows me so well that he met my love language in the 2 weeks of R & R. He gave me Time....Quality Time. I don't know how He did it, but He worked a miracle over the past 2 weeks when He made.....time slow down.

Barnes & Noble Outing

2010-07-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

We went to Barnes and Noble this morning. I wanted to get the girls out of the house, so we left about snack time. We grabbed a small snack and I got some coffee in the Starbucks attached to the store. Then we went to the kids section and read some books. Thia pulled books off the shelf of course, but we read about 4 or 5 books. Then they played with the train set. Karis then needed to go to the bathroom. So we got over to the restrooms as quickly as you can with an 18 month old that has her own direction that she wants to go and a 3 year old that is enticed by all the toys they have at her level right in front of the bathrooms. I don't think it should be the mom's fault if they have a child that has an accident on the way to their bathroom. They do it to themselves by putting all those distractions at eye level. We finally got in there and tried to cram into a little bitty stall. The area was not really even big enough for me to turn around good with a purse let a lone cram 3 people into. I had to keep Thia behind my back so that she would not put her hands into the toilet. I was finally able to get the toilet seat covered and Karis on the toilet. By the time I turned around to check on Thia she had crawled out underneath the door and was looking under the door of the stall next to us. Luckily the lady that was in the stall thought she was cute and the situation was funny. I got Karis dressed again and out of the stall. I put Thia up on the counter so that we could all wash our hands. Thia thought she should wash the mirror too. When I set her down to leave she immediately went back to the stalls to look underneath. She thought it was a hide and seek game. Meanwhile, Karis is trying to dry her hands. They have the automatic towel dispensers in this bathroom. When you tear off the paper another sheet is immediately spit out. Karis does not like that it keeps spitting out towels so she is yelling at the dispenser, "Stop, I don't need another towel!"

We finally made it out of the bathroom. I drag the girls back through the toys and games section where they want to touch everything and hear the sound that it makes. We walked up the register to buy the book I had intended to get:

Hey! At least we got out of the house today and remained cool. My parents thought this story was hilarious, so I hope everyone else enjoys it too!

Service Project: What a blessing!!!

2010-04-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

I am VERY blessed to be a part of a women's Bible study on Thursday mornings at a Presbyterian church plant in the Garden District of New Orleans. These women have supported me, loved on me, and been such sources of encouragement. I am so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to be be a part of this group.

This past Thursday we took a break from our normal Bible study time and did a service project. Because the church is a church plant, they do not own their own building. Their church offices are not in the building where they meet for worship. The church offices are on Magazine street in Uptown which is not even 3 miles from the building where they meet for worship. The church offices are in an older home which has been changed into office space. The back yard of this home was our assigned project. We had been told that we would be planting some flowers and cleaning up some beds. When we got there, this is what we found.

We could not see that there were actually 2 built up garden spots and one circular flower bed under this over grown mess. To be honest I felt a little overwhelmed and was not sure how much we were going to be able to do to help. But we got started pulling weeds. It was a beautiful day. It was not hot at all, but the sun was shining and we talked and laughed through several hours of work.

After 3 hours, weeds had been cleared; flowers, herbs, and a few veggies had been bought and planted; bricks had been laid around the circular flower bed; and a compost pile had been sectioned off and started. This was the end result.

We had that wonderful feeling of actually accomplishing something on this day. I was exhausted, but it was a good exhausted. Working outside in the beauty that God created for us to enjoy and maintain was such a blessing for me. I have to say that 3 hours away from being a mommy was a nice break too. :-)

Pics From Tifton

2010-03-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Karis and Thia spent several hours out in the yard with PopPop on the Friday after we arrived in Tifton. They enjoyed picking flowers with him. PopPop enjoyed that the flowers they thought they were picking were actually weeds he had needed to pull out of the yard anyway. Way to put those girls to work!!

We enjoyed a great lunch at Hawkeyes with Grandma and BigPa last Friday. The girls had a veggie plate and I had a good BBQ sandwich. As you can tell from Thia's tummy, she really enjoyed her lunch. She was also enjoying Grandma's entertainment after dinner.

The girls and I have really enjoyed Nana and PopPop's front porch swing. I think one or all of us have been on it everyday we have been here. In this picture, Karis, Anyston, and Nana are enjoying the swing even though the temperature is down in the 40's. The girls are wearing a "Nana sweatshirt" and are completely covered in a blanket. On this day they were saving their "treasures" from Swiper and staying away from all the sharks, dolphins, and other sea creatures trying to get them. Don't you see them swimming under the swing?

We also helped Anyston celebrate her birthday a few weeks late. Her daddy just got home from Afghanistan, so they waited to have her party until he could be there. Karis waited through all the presents to be able to wear the Tiana dress we gave Anyston for her birthday. She wore it the rest of the party. Doesn't she look beautiful?! I love the look.

These are some pics from the first few days. I'll try to post more pictures later. Hope you enjoy!

Page's New Address

2010-03-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

Some of you have asked me about Page's new address in Tallil. I actually was able to talk with him today for about 45 minutes which is the longest time I have talked to him since he left for Kuwait over 2 weeks ago. Karis had a good conversation with him and Thia got to hear her Daddy tell her he loved her as she woke up from her nap today. I felt very blessed today by the long conversation and the time the girls had with him on the phone.

Here is the new address:

CPT PAGE BROOKS

1/141FA 256BDE

COB ADDER/TALLIL

APO AE09331

Remember that mail you send could take up to 2 weeks or more to get to Page. If you send baked goods, the old cookie tins may be your best bet in getting things there fresh. I will keep you updated on what is working and what is not.

Thanks for all your love and support! We definitely are aware of your prayers. None of us would be doing as well as we are without them.

Funny Stories

2010-03-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

We went to Jeremy and Rebekah's (my brother in love and sister) for Anyston's (my neice) b-day party. Scott and Christy Short (friends) were there with their girls Ashley and McKenzey. We had sandwiches and cake and then Anyston opened her presents. Her birthday party theme was Princess and the Frog, so we got her a Tiana Leapster game and the Tiana dress up dress. Karis waited so patiently until all the presents were opened and then she brought the dress to me and asked if she could wear it. I told her she needed to ask Anyston first. Annie didn't care, so K wore the dress pretty much the rest of the time we were there. She came up to me about 20 minutes before we were going to go and said that she was going to take off the dress so that someone else could wear it. They watched the movie again (we had already watched it 2 times yesterday) while we were there (on the back tv so that the adults could talk).

While we were at the party, Thia decided she was going to see how much attention she could get. We were sitting in the LR and Thia kept walking from the LR to the back rooms chattering the entire time. She would walk up to the LR and say "Hey!" chatter chatter chatter chatter and then walk back to the back where the older girls were. She then came to the LR and found as many phones as she possibly could and talked on each one. She would hold it up to her ear and say "Hey!" and chatter away. We finally started to see if we could get her to say names. We started with Annie because she had said that one before. She repeated it and we shouted "Yay!" Well she thought this was a game. So we then tried to get her to say Beka. She said, "Eka" and then said "Yay!" for herself after she said it. She also clapped for herself. She then would say something we didn't understand and would just yell, Yay! after each "name". She must have done this 10 or 15 times which had us laughing pretty hard at her.

We left the party about 7pm and drove back to mom and dad's. When I got to the house I realized Dad had set the alarm and I didn't know the pass code. I started looking around for my phone and realized I didn't have it. I then remembered that I had seen Thia pick it up out of my purse while I was getting stuff together and walk away with it. I drove back over the Rebekah's house (15 minutes back into town) I went up to the door and started banging on the door. No one came to the door. I kept knocking and knocking and still no one came. I peeked in the door and saw Annie sitting on the couch playing her Leapster. I then started banging really hard. I peeked in again and saw Beka come in the LR with a vacuum. I banged even louder and she finally heard me. Rebekah asked Annie if she had heard me knocking and Annie said "um-hmm". Rebekah asked Annie why she did not get the door and Annie shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know" all the while continuing to play the Leapster (at least she was playing the game we gave her.) We looked all over the house for the phone and couldn't find it. I had left the girls in the van while I ran in thinking that the phone was in the LR somewhere easy to spot. Fifteen minutes later we had searched the van and the house and still couldn't find it. The battery was running dead, so I didn't think we would be able to call it. Beka had tried it once and it had gone straight to voicemail. She decided to try it once more and finally she heard something. She ran in Annie's play room and started searching through the closet and found it in the back of the closet.

At 7:45 we were back on the road and I started teasing Thia about hiding my phone. Karis then said, "Oh Mom, Thia didn't hide it. It was in the grocery cart in the closet. She put it in there so that I could go grocery shopping." Can you believe it? The child knew where the phone was the entire time I was searching the house and the van like a mad woman.

During the mad search, Karis decided it was movie time in the van. She took the DVD player out of its bag and turned on a movie for herself. She held the DVD player and was watching herself a movie as though nothing was wrong.

I think having a one year old that now walks and thinks she is the life of the party and an almost 3 year old who is as smart as a whip is going to keep me on my toes. I could either laugh or cry. Today I am choosing to laugh. :-)

One Leaves for Kuwait the other comes home from Afghanistan

2010-03-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Page is finally flying out to Kuwait today. I find it very ironic that on the same day that Page is flying out, my brother in law, Jeremy, is flying back to the states from Afghanistan. We are very excited about his return. My sister Rebekah and their daughter, Anyston, are the most excited though. Anyston's birthday was on the 15th, but she decided to wait to have her birthday party when her daddy could be there.

Life here in New Orleans has been about the same. We miss Page very much, but we are keeping busy. As I type, Karis is eating a muffin snack and Thia is taking a morning nap. Normally Thia does not nap until the middle of the day with Karis, but last night we had the privilege of speaking (yes...we) at an Adoption/Foster Care Awareness meeting that the Louisiana Baptist Children's home put together. Thia tried to steal my mic while Karis did a hide and seek show around the stage. All this was going on while I was trying to talk about how God led us to adoption and giving Karis and Thia's adoption stories. I always enjoy telling our stories because it reminds me of the many miracles and blessings God has done in our lives. The girls stole the show.

We are headed to the grocery store a little later, but for now we are reading books, resting, and praying that daddy has a safe trip today and tomorrow.

Nearer, My God, to Thee!

2010-03-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

I was listening to Pandora this morning and I heard this song twice in two different versions. I thought since I heard it twice I should look up all the words and read through them. Did not know how appropriate they would be for today. Here they are:

Nearer, My God, to Thee

Sarah Adams/Lowell Mason

Nearer, my God to thee, Nearer to Thee!

Even tho' it be a cross that raiseth me;

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee!

Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!

There let the way appear, steps unto heav'n;

All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv'n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God to Thee!

Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!

Then with my waking tho'ts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God to Thee!

Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!

We had a wonderful weekend with Page. He quickly recovered from the flu and we were able to pick up Monday as though he had never been sick. We took him back to the base on Tuesday afternoon. The girls and I stopped and got some ice cream on the way back to the house. We decided we needed a small "happy" to make us feel better about "taking Daddy back."

Today started off pretty well until my babysitter plans fell through at the last minute and I had to find people to keep the girls while I am counseling this afternoon. All is well once again, but I am glad my thoughts were "bright with Thy praise" this morning. Today is one of those days I miss my parental back up!

Stomach Flu-4/Brooks-0

2010-03-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday a stomach bug and took down each member of my household one by one. Karis came down with the bug on Sunday. Thia woke up sick on Monday. I was able to hold off until the girls got over the worst of there sickness and came down with the bug on Wednesday. I think the girls must have had a 48 hour version of the bug and I only had a 24 hour version. But this bug really took us out for a ride.

On Thursday, us girls took a ride up to Hattiesburg to be ready for the departure ceremony for the 256th Brigade (the brigade Page is deploying with). We spent the night with our sweet friends, the Meridas. Bright and early Friday morning we got up and headed to the base. I was still not eating very much, but I was feeling much better than before. I wish you could have seen Karis all day. She was stuck to her daddy's side. She cried during the hour of the Pass and Review. She wanted to "go march on the field with my daddy." Page had to either hold her hand or carry her the entire day. She asked him when he was coming back when he walked away from her for 2 seconds. She watched his every move. When he came off the field from the Review she told him, "We are going to take you home."

Saturday began as a beautiful day. We got up, got dressed, and headed to the zoo. We got there as it opened and had a wonderful time because all the animals were out and doing something. The weather was in the 60's and absolutely clear. We were surprised by our friends Jason and Braci who came out to the zoo around lunch time. We all ate lunch together. They stayed at the zoo while we headed home to put the girls down for a nap. After naps, we took the girls over to Jason and Braci's for them to spend the night while Page and I had an extra long date night.

Page and I went to eat at Redfish Grill (one of our favorite places to go) and then we came home to watch a movie. Right after the movie Page begin to complain that his stomach was not feeling so well. Yep, you guessed it. Somehow, someway (even through a cleaned house), that stomach bug found a way to take out Page too. He spent all last night in the bathroom. I think he may have had it worse than we did.

To be very honest with you, I spent a long time last night in tears. Even today I am up rather upset that God allowed the stomach bug to attack Page. I will keep you posted on how I am doing with that as the next few days unfold. Our Sunday plans with Page have definitley changed, but I am praying that he mends quickly and that our family time is not harmed significantly. I am posting this today so that y'all can pray with us that he regains his strength, no one else is affected by this bug, and that our time with Page over the next 2.5 days continues to be special and fun.

Mardi Gras in the Snow

2010-02-28T18:28:00.001-08:00

I decided, since Page was not here with me to go to the Mardi Gras parades, the girls and I would take a trip. I have some very dear friends, the Littletons, that I met in Rome, GA while in college. I babysat for their son, Caleb, who was 1 at the time. He is now 13.

Anyway, they are now living in Sevierville, TN. Eric, Julie, and Caleb had not met Thia yet, so I decided this would be a great opportunity for us to go see them and for them to meet Thia. The girls did great! We split up the trip by spending the night in Montgomery with Page's parents which is almost exactly half way. We left on Thursday, before Mardi Gras and got to Montgomery that night. As we were going to bed, the weather reports were predicting that we would wake up to several inches of snow. I was a little nervous about that and decided to wait to see what the next day would bring. When we woke up there was no snow, but as we were leaving it had just started snowing. I was so excited that the snow had held off until I could get out of town. Little did I know that it would snow on me the entire way up to TN. I decided that I would much rather drive through snow than rain any day. The snow kept the girls entertained as we drove.

As soon as we got to Sevierville, the girls climbed up in Julie's lap and made themselves at home. Julie has already planned for grandchildren by thinking to keep the toys Caleb had when he was little. The girls thought they were great!

The girls had some really fun opportunities while in TN. They got to see some snow. They were able to go sledding, which I did not get any pics of because I was taking a shower at the time. They were trying to get in the sledding before the snow melted and apparently Grandma Julie used it as a distraction while I was taking a shower. I do have pictures of them getting ready to go sledding.

After the sledding craziness, we realized that the girls do not have any clothes warm enough for this type of weather. So we decided to try to find them some in expensive snow gear. We were very blessed to find this outlet with really cute clothes having a HUGE sale on their winter gear. We got the girls snow suits which will last them this season and next (we got them a little too big). Karis was very excited about her suit because it had gloves and a hat that matched. I thought I had a picture of these suits, but I couldn't find it. If I do, I will put it up later.

The girls loved getting to spend time with the Littletons and their dogs, Hobbs and Louise. This is Hobbs in this picture laying on the kitchen floor next to Karis.

Grandma Julie gave Karis her first Oreo and taught her how to twist it and lick out the middle. No one realized that since Karis does not get much sugar that we were in for a real treat later that night as the sugar kicked in.

Julie also made her famous chocolate chip cookies with Karis, which EVERYONE enjoyed too many of.

Caleb enjoyed playing with the girls too. I think he enjoyed Thia the most though. She attached herself to him and forced him to walk her around the house a number of times. She started standing up by herself for the first time while we were there. She has not started walking yet, but I am expecting it any day.

We had a wonderful time renewing friendships and watching the girls get loved on by this sweet family that I love very much.

Dressing Up

2010-02-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we had dinner with a few other moms and kids whose husbands are either in class or studying on Monday nights. The moms really enjoy the fellowship and the experience is a great form of community. We all bring food for dinner and watch as the kids are too excited to eat. Here are some pictures of the fun.

Ava helped all of the girls into one of her many princess dresses she had just received for her birthday. Ava helped Karis into her Sleeping Beauty ball gown.

Here are all of the girls in their gowns. Beginning on the left, Lillian LePointe (Tinker Bell), Ava Robert (Bell from Beauty & the Beast), and Karis (Aurora from Sleeping Beauty).

After the girls were dressed, they put on music and spent a long time twirling in the living room. They had a blast and they all slept well that night.

Drew Bree's Testimony

2010-02-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

I am really sorry I have not made any posts in a while. I am taking lots of pics and have a lot to tell you about how we are doing. I wanted to share this clip with you in light of the Saints victory in the Superbowl. I am very proud of our team, but I extremely proud of our quarterback and the example he lives on and off the field. I thought that y'all would like to see this as well. I am having trouble getting the YouTube video to embed, so I am going to leave you with the URL address. Hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0buCfbFuHw

Sleeping Issues: Day 26

2010-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Overall, or family's transition to Page being gone has been smooth. Last year when Page was gone for several months, Karis acted out and expressed anger in other ways. This time, she has not had the anger, but she is having trouble sleeping by herself.

For the first few nights, Karis would wake up around 1:30 am crying out until I came in to reassure her. This would continue almost every hour. This problem only lasted a few nights....thank goodness. She quickly moved to wanting to come sleep with me. She would start out in her bed, but around 1:30 am she would wake up and either climb in bed with me or call me to come get her.

I soon gave her permission to come to sleep with me if she woke up in the middle of the night and could not go back to sleep. After I gave her permission, she quit wanting to sleep with me. I thought we were through the sleeping woes until I walked in the girls room one night to check on them. This is what I found.....

Karis is sleeping on the floor in front of the gate blocking their door. I put the gate up until I go to bed so that she does not get up and play in the bathroom or my room (which she has a tendency to do when she "can't sleep.")

A few days later I walked in the room and could not find Karis anywhere. She was not in her bed. She was not in the floor. Nor was she in my room. I finally went back in their room and looked in the bed with Thia. There they both were, curled up next to one another.

She has climbed in Thia's bed almost every night since then. On most nights Thia yells at her and I have to come get Karis out. However, somehow Karis climbs back into the crib after Thia is asleep and falls asleep next to her. I fought this for about a week and then realized... they are both sleeping well and I am getting a full nights sleep. Why am I fighting it?

Saints Championship Football Game: Day 25

2010-01-31T21:42:00.000-08:00

I will have to admit that I have not been a Saints fan for very long. We came into the fan club this season. As I have watched them play and then watched the interviews with the players after the games, I am not only cheering them on.... I am very proud to be a Saints fan. They work as a team and have done SO much for this city.

Last Sunday we watched them play in the championship game. We ate dinner with our friends, Jason and Braci Lawson. The girls were dressed for bed before I walked over to the Lawson's apartment. I knew that the night would be late, so I decided having them dressed for bed would be one step closer to getting them there when we walked in the door after the game.

Karis watched the game for the first 3 quarters. She was finished after that and wanted to have a pillow fight with Jason. They fought for about 10 minutes. Jason was amazed at how tough she was. Karis would get knocked down and come back for more.

Thia enjoyed all the attention she received as well. She went from lap to lap hugging, laying, and crawling all over each one. She cruised and crawled all over the apartment. She even talked Braci into reading her a book during the game. I don't think Braci minded due to the fact that she was not all that invested in the game. :-)

We are very excited about watching the Saints play in the Superbowl. I think this is the first time ever I have even cared about an NFL team not the mention the SuperBowl. We are headed out this week to get the girls and I some Saints outfits to wear on Sunday. We decided we were not going to be the only ones not to wear black and gold to church on Sunday. Yes, 95% of the church had on black and gold the week of the championship game. I have never seen anything like it. Different culture here, but I have to say....I kinda like it. Hope you help us cheer on the Saints this coming weekend!!

NOLA Children's Museum: Day 18

2010-01-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I took the girls to the New Orleans Children's Museum. Karis had a great time. We met some friends there and Karis, Rachel, and Foster played for over 3 hours. Here are some pics from our fun day.

The kids went immediately to the bubble room when we got to the museum. You can see the huge table filled with bubble making equipment and soapy bubbles. There was also a round truck tire that was sliced open. The ring held the bubbles and the kids could get in the middle and pull down on a lever which lifted huge ring around them to create a bubble around them. It was really cool.

They also had an area to get your face painted. Karis has never wanted to get her face painted before, but when she saw her friends do it, she decided she wanted to as well. She waited her turn in line and then told the lady painting, "I want a rainbow." She sat very still while the rainbow was painted on her face.

The museum had houses that were kid sized. This particular house was set in the 1800's with furniture, dishes, and appliances one might see during that time. Karis enjoyed sweeping with a straw broom and loved pumping the water to wash dishes.

Rachel's dad (Thomas Covington) is a contractor. He and his family (Jennifer (Mom), Foster, & Rachel) are missionaries here in New Orleans. They are working with families in the Hollygrove area to help them rebuild their homes. Here Rachel is showing Karis how to use the tools and put the piece of wood on the frame. Karis enjoyed wearing the hat and apron.

The museum was having puppet shows on the day we went, so we attended on of the shows before lunch. The show we attended was featuring stories from the Hispanic culture. My favorite was the story about a sneaky possum who tricked the coyote out of eating him. The story was very similar to our cultures "Briar Rabbit" stories.

After the puppet show, we ate our packed lunch in the eating area of the museum. The kids enjoyed sharing their lunches with each other. I took a picture of Thia so that y'all would believe she was with us.

After lunch the kids played with hoola hoops for several minutes before packing up and heading home.

Later on that afternoon we were able to talk to Page online. Karis acted a tad bit shy at first, but after the first few minutes she warmed up and started telling Page about her day at the museum. We were so glad to see him. I was glad we had a day that wore them both slap out!

Fun at the Park: Day 15

2010-01-22T18:25:00.001-08:00

I am so sorry I have not updated the blog this week. We have had a few extra things going on this week that are out of the ordinary which caused me to get a little side tracked. First, Karis and Thia started out the week not sleeping very well at all. We have had a few mornings this week that we have had to sleep a little later just to get the right number of hours in our sleep schedule.

Second, my dad went into the hospital last Thursday because his appendix was close to rupturing. The doctors removed the appendix, but he has not been able to get well. He started having fluid build up in his abdomen and then developed pneumonia at the end of this week. We have not gone to visit, but I have been on the phone with my mom and sister several times a day for updates.

Third, our schedule has not stopped just because a few other things were added in. So, we have been a little busy. We are loving this weather. I have been able to take the girls to the park several times this week. Both girls have enjoyed sliding and swinging. Mom has enjoyed that the sliding and swinging wears them both out. Oh, I wish the weather would stay like this for a LONG time. I know we will soon get to the really hot NOLA weather, but I sure am going to enjoy the cool breezes and beautiful sunshine while we have it.

Here are some pics of our fun at the park:

First Weekend: Day 11

2010-01-18T06:13:00.000-08:00

We made it through the first weekend of Page's deployment. Saturday was probably the hardest day I have had since Page deployed. He is normally here on Saturdays so we missed him more so than on the days he is normally at work. We have a very scheduled week which actually goes by pretty quickly. The weekends are usually family times. We didn't have anything scheduled this weekend (except watching the Saints game, of course), so the days went by a little slower.

The other hard part for me was that I use to look forward to the weekends because I had help with the girls. I was not the only parent responsible for the girls on the weekends. I had a little more free time to do some things for me. This weekend I found myself getting frustrated with the girls quicker than I normally do. I realized this weekend that I am going to have to be more proactive about our weekends. I will probably begin planning one or two fun activities for us on Saturdays to get us through the weekends a little easier.

We really enjoyed watching the Saints beat the Cardinals on Saturday.

We are also glad they are playing the Vikings for the championship rather than Dallas. Karis watched most of the game with me and a friend who dropped to visit for a little bit. Every time a commercial would come on she would turn to me and say, "Mom, I want to watch more football!" I am so glad she is not use to commercials. She had no idea what they were. I realized how little "real" t.v. we actually watch.

Today (Monday) we are washing clothes and planning to go to the seminary library to see our friend Gabrielle (Lolli) Walker. Gabrielle's husband is also a chaplain in the National Guard. He is still a chaplain candidate until he completes his training this summer. The Walkers are one of the couples working with us in the church plant in mid-city. Please keep this couple in your prayers as Thomas looks for a job in mid-city. They just found out a few weeks ago that they are expecting their first baby. We are very excited for them.

Thanks so much for your continued prayer support. I can really tell that I am being prayed for. God is so gracious to me and my family.

Hair Day: Day 8

2010-01-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

This morning for breakfast the girls had yogurt and cheerios. Karis was very concerned that EVERYONE get breakfast, SO, her stuffed dog got a bowl of cheerios and water as well.

Thia thoroughly enjoyed her water this morning. She is such a happy baby!

Every other week or so, Karis has Hair Day. I give her a bath in my bathtub in the morning and we wash and condition her hair. Every other wash she gets a conditioning rinse and gets to wear a cool shower cap while playing for a while with her bath toys. Today was not as in depth a process. We took down her hair (which takes a while when it is in small squares and twists like it was today) and then we wash and condition it really well. Even though this picture does not look like it, Karis really enjoys washing her hair.

After we finish with that step, we move to the living room and turn on a Mickey Mouse or Pooh and Tigger while brushing out her hair. Today we took a break to eat some lunch before we started that step.

Karis likes to have her hair in twists and braids, but she also likes to not have it in a number of what she calls "sqwiggies" (a.k.a. rubber bands) every once in a while. So, today I was happy to just put her hair in pompoms rather than spending the many hours it takes to divide and twist her hair. We will go back to that style next Hair Day.

Here is the end product. I don't know if you can see it really well, but she has 5 poms on her head. Those of you that know Karis well will be able to tell that she is tired. She has her thumb in her mouth and she is twisting her hair. This is a sure fire way to tell that she is ready for a nap! (that or feeling a little shy...you just have to read context clues) :-)

Hope you enjoy the pics of Hair Day and learning more about our hair process.

Keeping Busy: Day 7

2010-01-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesdays and Thursdays are probably our busiest days of the week. Our routine is to go to the commissary (or grocery store on a military base) every Wednesday morning. Most of the employees in the commissary know our faces if not our names by now. The girls are a big hit. It is not anything for them to come home with DumDums or other treats from our "Friends" at the store. Wednesday afternoons are when I do my counseling sessions. I have a sweet teenager named Ashley who comes and watches the girls for me during that time. Karis comment about Ashley was, "Mommy, Mommy....my babysitter has the same name as you!" She also said she had a good time.

I sing on the praise team at our church (Harbor Commumity a.k.a Lakeview - Sojourn) on Sundays. We have practice on Wednesday nights. So I come home from counseling to put the girls to bed. Our music minister's wife, Chelsi, comes to sit at the house with the girls while I go to practice. Our church community has really stepped up the challenge of helping me out and I am so grateful to them as well as to the Lord for supplying my needs.

Thursdays are also pretty busy for us. I have a Bible study I attend at Redeemer Presbyterian every Thursday morning. I am so blessed with this community of ladies who pray for me and love on me and my kids as though I belonged to their church community. They challenge me to grow spiritually and I am grateful for their fellowship.

After Bible study we come back to the seminary for Mrs. Lee's Red Beans and Rice. Karis loves them and I enjoy not having to cook a big meal on Thursday nights. We are usually still very full from lunch so a large dinner is not necessary.

Tonight we had the Student Life Fair at the Hardin Student Center. Karis loved it because she was having chocolate, king cake, and cookies shoved in her face. What kid wouldn't like it? I like it because they have churches and restaurants from the neighborhood who bring food. I am talking really good food cooked by native New Orleanians (Gumbo, Jambalaya, Po-Boys, and Corn Bisque). It was so good! I am posting a picture of Karis's face after eating one of the many cookies people handed her without me looking. As I type she is upstairs keeping Thia awake because the sugar has not gotten out of her system.

I am also posting a few pics of Thia who has started drinking whole milk out of a bottle. I am trying to wean her off the bottle so I am beginning of replacing the formula with milk. She takes water out of a sippy cup without a problem, but she has problems with the milk. Maybe we can transition her in a few days.

Karis has been watching Sesame Street every few days and is really taken with Super Grover. She has decided that she is Super Karis and put the kapalana headband around her neck as a cape and runs around the house saying "Super Karis!" Here is a picture of her right before she took off again.

Projects: Day 5

2010-01-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

So today we packed Ginger and Charlotte up and told them goodbye. Actually, Thia and I told them goodbye. Karis, who does not like goodbyes, refused to look at them and I think my have grunted bye as we walked out the door. I have a sweet friend who has volunteered to keep the girls for a few hours a week and today is that day. I left the girls at the house with her and Gin, Char, and I set out to the airport. As usual we were running a tad bit late, but I have not heard from her, so I am assuming they got on the plane okay and are headed back home. We so enjoyed having them here. They helped us ignore our missing Page/Daddy for a little while. I think it is now beginning to set in for us as I am beginning to feel the loneliness of single parenting and Karis is continually saying that she will "show Daddy my picture when he comes home" or "play tea party with Daddy tomorrow."

In order to give myself something constructive to do, I have decided to do some small projects around the house while Page is gone. These projects are things I have wanted to do to "finish" the house, but I just have not had time to do them. I decided that while Page is gone, it would be a good time to complete the projects. While I was out I went by Bed, Bath, and Beyond and picked up a new shower rod...you know, the one that curves out away from the shower so that you have more room in the shower. I also picked up new shower curtain rings because the ones we have are rusting pretty badly. These new rings are horseshoe shaped and have a hook on either end which separate out the liner from the curtain.

Anyway, I got my drill and other tools I needed out. I laid everything out on our bed. I placed Thia in the pack-n-play in our room and Karis in her bed to take a nap. I began by reading the directions which Page always laughs at me for doing. He would rather just figure it out on his own. (Such a guy thing to do!!) Within 20 minutes I had my new shower curtain rod hung and the shower curtain and liner on the new rod. I am very excited. I think it might be a little crooked, but it is definitely not coming down (like our other shower curtain rod continually would do). For some reason the old rod would wait until I was directly under it and fall right smack dab on the top of my head. It drove me crazy. Not any more. I put the abusive rod in time out (aka the closet).

I did not take a pic of the before, but here is what the new rod looks like after......

Please continue to keep the girls in your prayers. Both of them have had colds since before Christmas. Thia's is a little worse than Karis' but it I can tell that both of them are not feeling as well as they could. We so appreciate each of your prayers!!

Fun with Friends: Day 4

2010-01-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

We have been so blessed to have my dear friend of 15 years, Ginger (GiGi - to the girls), here to visit this weekend. She and her baby girl, Charlotte, flew down from Philly on Saturday and will be here until tomorrow.

We have had a wonderful time hanging out, talking, and playing. The girls have gotten along so well. Karis has been a big sister to Charlotte as well. She tries to protect both Thia and Charlotte from having their toys stolen by the other baby. She hugs on both girls and tries to soothe them when they get fussy.

Both Thia and Charlotte have runny noses, so Ginger stayed home with the little babies yesterday while Karis and I went to church. We had a wonderful time worshipping the Lord with our community of believers. James, our pastor, spoke on the difference between common grace and a greater grace that we often miss. It was a great reminder that God wants so much more for my life (as well as everyone else) than I could possibly imagine. I was so appreciative of the message.

Karis and I came home and everyone ate lunch and headed to bed for afternoon naps. Charlotte took a wonderful nap. My girls, however, decided that they did not want to take naps. After fighting with them for about an hour and a half, I gave up. Both of the girls were exhausted for the rest of the afternoon as was their mother. We all ate an early dinner and then loaded up the girls in the van for a quick run through the Cafe du Monde drive through. Ginger and I enjoyed coffee and beignets while 2 out of the 3 girls slept in the back of the van.

We got home and put the girls to bed. Gin and stayed up way too late talking, watching Friends, and eating popcorn. It was a great night.

Today Gin is going to help me hang some pictures in the girls room. We are also going to get VooDoo rolls from NO Food and Spirits and later tonight we are going to get double chocolate bread pudding from RedFish Grill. I couldn't let her leave New Orleans without at least eating a little bit of good food.

Reality of Page being gone has begun to set in for both myself and the girls. Both the girls continue to call for Page everyone morning. He normally would look on them first thing in the morning. They are missing that special time with their Daddy. Mom is missing Daddy putting the girls to bed at night and having that few minutes to myself. All of us are going to have to adjust to a new normal during this year. We are so appreciative of all the prayers being lifted up for us.

Page's Deployment: Day 1

2010-01-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

I have been planning for this day for over a year. We have been making lists of all the jobs we need to complete, activities we want to do, and things we need to get before Page leaves. We had most of those things completed before Christmas. Since the week after Christmas we have been spending as much time together as a family and basically waiting on this day to get here.

I told Page that this waiting was different than anything I have experienced before. Part of me did not want this day to get here. Another part of me wanted the day over with so that I could start the countdown to his return. Now that the day is here I am a bit relieved in a way. The dreaded day has not been a hard as I thought it would be. I have allowed myself to grieve for the past few weeks, so today was not filled with a bunch of pint up emotions. I am sad. I am sad because my best friend is not longer right here with me on a day in day out basis. I am sad because my girls will miss their Daddy. I am sad when Karis tries to explain to her friends that her Daddy will be gone for "many, many days". Nothing can really take away the sadness, but the sadness is not overwhelming. I have a confidence that God is in control and that He is going to take care of me in new ways.

We have tried to keep busy today. A friend of mine (Rebecca Smith) and I took our girls to the Monkey Room which is an indoor room filled with a bunch of things to climb on a number of slides to come down on. Karis and Rebecca's daughter, Kaylee, had a blast. They climbed up the three story apparatus and either slid down, rolled down, or climbed back down usually squealing with glee. Thia is still a bit too little for this room, but she enjoyed watching the other kids while eating graham crackers.

Tonight I am going to dinner with Rebecca and her husband, Phil. We are going to eat Mexican food at the best Mexican restaurant in town. After the girls are in bed, I may watch a movie and then head to bed myself. I know that the nights will be worse than the days. My plan is to create a routine as quickly as possible and stick to it.

I am very excited that my college roommate, Ginger, will be coming into town tomorrow. She will be here through the beginning of next week. She and her darling baby girl, Charlotte, will be a great distraction for both myself and my girls.

I am very aware of the many prayers being lifted up for me and my family. I am very grateful for them. God has already answered a number of our prayers. I am excited to see how he continues to creatively meet our needs.

Labor Day Weekend = Potty Training Boot Camp

2009-09-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

We have put Karis in Potty Training Boot Camp today. We decided since we have a long weekend that we would potty train Karis. When she woke up this morning we took off her diaper and told her she would not be wearing any more diapers. We explained that she had now graduated to wearing Big Girl Panties. We have a number of pairs of panties, but the ones we started with have Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck on them. We tried to explain that Minnie and Daisy do not like to get wet, so she needed to tell Mommy and Daddy when she needed to "TT". We did not have success with the first 3 pairs of underwear. So, Mom decided that we were just going to forgo the underwear and be completely naked. We have had 2 successful potty attempts since we altered our plan of action.

We are confined to the kitchen today and tomorrow.

We blocked off both living rooms and have plans to make a fort, read books, watch movies, and basically try to make this day as fun as possible while making potty time a routine in our day.

We have had 2 successes so far today by 10 am. When we have a success we sing the "TT in the Potty" song, throw a very big party (clapping and cheering, etc.) and Karis gets a marshmallow. She is very excited about the marshmallows. Even Thia gets all excited when Karis goes to the potty. She claps and squeals like she completely understands what is going on. Karis thinks this is funny.

I am really hoping this boot camp does not need to last more than a day or so. I think Mom might go a little crazy before Karis does.

Our Leak

2009-08-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

While we were gone to South Africa our air conditioner started leaking down through the ceiling. I had not noticed the leak until one of the maintenance crew came by the house earlier in the week to look at the leak. Because the ceiling tile that needed to be replaced was connected to a light fixture, he said he would have to wait until an electrician could come and help him.

Well, it rained yesterday. I am not sure what is going on with the air conditioner, but apparently the rain is coming in through the air conditioner and causing a buildup of water in our ceiling. I was feeding Thia yesterday afternoon when I heard this rushing water upstairs and extremely fast and steady dripping of water in our kitchen. I walked over to the table to see that everything on the table was soaked. There was also a huge puddle of water on the floor. I literally watched the water stain on the ceiling tile grow and bulge.

Now we are waiting on someone to come and fix not only a tile but whatever is causing the leak in the first place. Apparently it is not only an air conditioner leak, but it has something to do with a leak in the roof as well. Oh well, we will see when they come to fix it. Not sure when that will be since the first work order was put in over an month ago. I will keep you posted.

Water stain on ceiling tile.

Cleaning up the water on the table and floor.

"Help me Momma!"

2009-08-20T05:11:00.001-07:00

Last night as I walked into the girls' room to get Thia for her 9 pm feeding I looked over at Karis' bed to check on her. It took me a second for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but as they did I realized that she was not in her bed. I quickly started scanning the room for her. I soon saw that she had fallen asleep in the bouncy seat. I went over to pick her up and when I did she seemed much heavier than I remembered her being. I looked down and realized that she had fastened the security straps around her legs. I was picking up both Karis and the chair was coming with her. She woke up enough about that time to say pitifully, "Help me, Momma!"

By this time, I am trying really hard not to laugh because I was getting a full picture of what had happened. She has become very aware of being quiet when Thia is asleep. I can just see her getting out of bed and walking over to the chair (very quietly), sitting down and thinking that she would have herself a little rock before falling asleep, deciding that she would like to be buckled in, and then realizing she could not get herself out. She then realizes that she cannot yell down to Mom and Dad like she is used to doing because Thia is asleep and she doesn't want to wake her up. So, she she quietly rocks in her little bouncy seat/rocker until she falls asleep where I find her around 9 pm.

How funny is that?! Thought you all would enjoy the story!

The Place To Be Is At The.....

2009-08-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

LIBRARY!!!!!!!!

I took the girls to the Jefferson Parish Library today for Story Time. I will have to admit that it does not make life easy to have the "Reading Angel" for a mom. When you have grown up your whole life seeing how Story Times are supposed to be done, it makes going to "mediocre" Story Times difficult. Thank goodness my girls have not yet had the privilege of attending one of their Nana's story times yet.

Karis had a great time hearing the stories and singing the songs.

She even was able to color 2 color sheets while we were there.

Thia also had a good time listening to the stories and watching big sister color.

Cape Town

2009-08-04T02:15:00.000-07:00

I thought you all would be interested in seeing some of the sights we saw on Saturday. The pictures do not do the views justice, but they are the best I can do. Page and I spent the day on a bus tour of Cape Town. The Boone's were so sweet to watch the girls for us. We marked out the places we want to go back to with the girls. We will take them back to see the Aquarium, Cape Pointe, and the penguins (of course). Karis was able to see the seals (picture below) on Saturday. The seals were all she talked about the rest of the afternoon.

The seals are basking in the sun. It is a cold day. I would do the same thing.

Beautiful picture of the beach.

Another picture of the beach in Cape Town.

Table Mountain was a bit cloudy on the day we went to visit.

This is a picture of one of the Townships in Cape Town. People actually live in these very tiny, very simple home.

Gelato Night

2009-07-29T02:30:00.000-07:00

While Karis and I were out for one of our walks we came across a gelato shop. The shop is right down the street from our apartment. We were very excited about this find because our family really like gelato. For those of you who do not know what gelato is, it is Italian ice cream. I really like the fruit flavors, but as with ice cream - Page and Karis both like chocolate the best.

Some of you know that our family is having to take Malaria medicine to

prevent us from getting the dreaded sickness. We have had some problems getting Karis to take the medicine recently because she has figured out our tricks. We had to invent a new one pretty quickly. The trick this week was to sneak the medicine in the gelato without her seeing. A problem that comes along with the "sneaking" is to try to keep yourself looking as casual as normal so that people in the gelato shop and on the street do not think you are drugging your child.

Here are some pics of us at the gelato shop. We are really enjoying the weather and eating outside at many of the places we have gone. Karis is enjoying being out of the child seat that she is normally strapped to. Her walking around and sitting on her knees makes for a very stressful meal for mom, but she thinks the freedom is great!!

Karis is loving that she gets some of both Mom and Dad's gelato!!! We know she is ready for more when she comes up to us or leans over and opens her mouth.

Can you see the chocolate mustache??

Thia was not too thrilled that we were not sharing with her. She did have a good time just hanging out with us!!

Picnic with the Boone's

2009-07-25T08:21:00.001-07:00

Mike and Amy Boone (IMB missionaries to J-burg) took us to a park near Stellenbosch today. On the way we were able to see lots of different animals in a park near by. We saw lots of ostrich and other "deer" like animals. We also had a great view of the vineyards and mountains.

We picked up our picnic food at the deli on the Spiers land. They also have a restaurant that has great authentic food and music. We will come back at another time to visit that restaurant. Today we had a picnic.

Mrs. Amy brought some bread for she and Karis to feed the ducks and geese. Karis was not so sure about the ducks to begin with, but after a while she warmed up to them.

Dad and Karis also got to go pet the cheetahs. Spiers has a cheetah refuge on it's land as well as a place for many different species of birds. We did not get to see many of the birds, but Karis did enjoy seeing the cheetahs.
We had a great time today. We are hoping to get to spend more time with the Boone's while we are here. Page is guest lecturing in Mike's class one day next week and we are planning on visiting J-burg to see the cites there. Their daughter Grace is going to babysit for the girls next Saturday so that Page and I can do a little site seeing in places that might be hard for them to go (like on the boat to see the whales and such).

We are having a great time. Hope to post more later.

"I Lotioned Up Mom"

2009-06-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Karis has individual play time every day around 9:30 am. This morning was no exception. She had yogurt for breakfast and managed to get it all over her pajama top, so I took off her top and we went up to her room for her to play. Up til today I have not had to worry about her getting into anything she was not supposed to get into. She has played with her hair products and lotions before, but she has only pretended to squirt them and never actually opened them. Well the other day that all changed. I walked upstairs to check on her and I peeked in the door and saw this picture:

I immediately ran downstairs and got my camera and came back up ready to take lots of pictures.

Karis had completely emptied a large bottle of lavender baby lotion on herself and the floor. Luckily she had also pulled out her first year birthday poster and was sitting mostly on the poster during her self spa treatment. A good bit got on the carpet though. At least it keeps the room smelling nice and lavenderish.

"I lotioned up Mom"

"Wash the hands!"

I immediately picked her up and stuck her in the bath tub. We washed all the lotion off and got her ready to take a nap. (By the time we had cleaned her and the carpet up it was that time.) Needless to say all the lotions and hair products are put away during Karis play time.

Thia's Gotcha Day: May 15

2009-05-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

GOTCHA DAY!!!

We went on the weekend of May 15th up to Columbia, SC for Alethia's final adoption hearing. We were so blessed to have a mid-morning appointment. So we got up at our normal time and did not have to rush. We made it to the courthouse by 10 am. In adoption hearings not only do the adoptive parents have an attorney, but the babies being adopted have an attorney as well. I met Alethia's attorney on the phone, but we met him in person that morning at the courthouse. We also met with our attorney to sign some papers before we went to the courtroom for our hearing. Our judge was the Honorable Judge Donna Stromb. Both the girls were in the courtroom for the hearing. Our lawyer asked me to go first on the stand. I answered a number of questions about Alethia's attachment and whether we understood that adoption was for life and we could not give her back. (Like we ever would if we could!) My questioning lasted for about 5 minutes. Then Page was brought to the stand. He was asked if he agreed with all my answers. He then was told he was excused from the stand. His questions lasted all of 30 seconds. The Judge Stromb then said she was pleased to grant us full guardianship of Alethia. She then came down off the stand and wanted to hold her. She held her for the next 10 minutes while we took pictures and her bailiff went to go find toys for the girls.

Our family with Judge Donna Stromb immediately after the completed adoption hearing.

Judge Stromb really enjoyed holding Thia and talking with both girls. Karis and Thia had on identical dresses from Children's Place. I thought the day deserved new dresses for the girls. I like that I can dress them in colors I could never wear!

The bailiff went searching all over the courthouse for gifts for the girls. He said that Judge Stromb enjoys giving the adopted kids toys to remember their adoption days.

Judge Stromb giving Thia her gotcha day toy.

Karis decided she wanted to sit in the Judge's chair. Who knows, maybe we have an Honorable Judge in the making. As she likes to sing at the top of her lungs "I am a great big bundle of potentiality."

2009-05-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Thia has been spending time on her tummy. She does not like it very much, but she has started rolling over.

She has started sitting up in the Bumbo seat and seams to really like it.

Easter was very fun for us. We had a good day as a family. Karis enjoyed her Easter basket. She received a monkey puppet, a few books, lacing cards, play dough, and a few other fun things. Thia received a giraffe puppet, a book, an outfit, socks and a few other things. I think, Karis enjoyed the Easter grass as much or more than any of her gifts.

One of Karis's favorite meals is pancakes. Karis likes to help me as I cook. Nana gave us matching aprons for Christmas. We like to wear them every time we cook together.

Karis is a good look cook. She likes to have her own bowl and spoon so that she can stir just like Mom.

Karis 2nd Birthday was on April 28th. We had her party on the Saturday before. She is really enjoying Winnie the Pooh right now, so we had a Winnie the pooh themed party with a few family members and friends.

One of Karis' favorite friends is Cru. They had a wonderful time eating lunch, playing in the sand, opening presents, and eating cake.

Karis is eating really well with a fork. If she can't spear the food with the fork, she picks up the food and places it on the fork and then in her mouth.

All of us made hats by sticking on Pooh stickers. They were a lot of fun. Thia even wore a hat for a little while.

Karis received finger paints for her birthday. I thought you might want to see her first work of

art.

Karis is now in a big girl bed. She has been very excited about her bed. I have been excited because she has had no trouble staying in her bed. She slept all the way through the night and is taking great naps in her new bed.

We gave Thia cereal for the first time a few days ago. She rolled it around in her mouth a little and spit it out. She then looked at us with a look which said, "I don't know what you are trying here, but can we get back to the formula?"

Th pool opened this week. Thia had a great time swimming for the first time and Karis enjoyed walking around the baby pool all by herself.

I just thought this was a great picture.

Hope you enjoyed these pics. I will try really hard to get better at posting pictures and commentary.

Two Days & Counting

2009-02-27T06:27:00.000-08:00

We are so excited we had to tell you. Both Page and I have slept all the way through the night 2 nights in a row. That's right! Alethia is sleeping through the night. We do not know how long it will last (we are hoping forever), but we will take it any night she gives it to us. We went to bed last night around 10:30 pm. We fed her around 9:30 pm. She did not wake up until 7 am this morning. WooHoo!!

Another exciting thing we did was have pictures taken. We all got dressed up (sort of) and went to Sears yesterday. The lady (Melanie) who took our pictures did a great job with the girls. She had them both smiling and laughing in most of the pics. I am posting a few of the examples. Hope you enjoy them.

Valentine's Day - Family Style

2009-02-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

We decided that we wanted to make Valentine's Day a family holiday this year. So we went to the zoo. We had a great time. We saw elephants swaying back and forth to music in their heads. We also got to see one of them go to the bathroom. Karis thought it looked like a water fountain. We have been working with her on going to the potty, so we explained to her that elephants go "t.t." too. (I realize that this information might be too much, Katie, but we thought we would add it anyway. Sorry)

Karis and Page watched the animals together. I think they were watching the camels in a very unnatural environment. There was an animal that looked like deer in the camel area as well.

Karis chilled out with some juice between animal sightings.

Karis was excited that most of the railings had spaces through which she could see the animals. Here she is trying to see the camels.

Our first family picture with all 4 of us just happens to be in front of the elephant water fountain. Karis really likes that the elephants are "taking a bath".

We had a really great day at the zoo. The weather was not hot at all. We were actually a little cool. Thia slept most of the day. Karis favorite animals were the monkeys. She was so excited that they swang on the swings in their cages. We could not get any pictures because they were too fast. Some were moving around. Others were just being lazy. When we mention the zoo the Karis she points outside and says, "the zoo outside; the monkeys swinging"

We hope all of you had a wonderful Valentine's as well. Just so that you do not think that Page got off easy with the "family holiday", here is a picture of the beautiful flowers Page had sent to me at the house the day before Valentine's.

Thia Pics

2009-02-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

I got it Mom!

Thia 2 weeks.

Thia 2 weeks sleeping in Daddy's arms for the first time.

Thia one month - smiling.

She has gained 2 pounds since she was born.

Thia - 2 months

She has beautiful wavy hair and big brown eyes.

"Put'm up! Put'm up!"

Catching You Up

2009-02-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

I thought I would try to catch everyone up on what is going on at our home. Karis is loving being a big sister. She helps us in so many ways. She throws away diapers and tries to meet Thia's needs. She knows the baby usually needs milk or a "passy". So here she is offering the "passy" to "Tia"

I wanted her to know that we watched the historical inauguration. She did not really get much out of it, but I took her picture by the t.v. anyway.
Karis loves brushing her teeth. She asks every night and every morning if she can "bwash tee". We sing a song which she tries to snap too and moves her head back and forth to the beat.
We have started to introduce Karis to the potty. She was so excited to "TT" on the potty.
Because she did so well using the potty we painted her toes. She was so excited to have red toes.
I will post new pics of Thia soon.

2009-01-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

Catching Up With Ourselves

Well, we finally made it to Spartanburg for the remainder of our SC trip. I wanted you to see how small Alethia is. Here is Alethia hanging out with Mom in her bouncy seat.

Close up!

Yesterday we spent the day driving from Florence to Columbia to meet with the judge for the approval of the Interstate Transfer of Alethia to New Orleans to live with us. In trans-state adoptions, a judge from the state where the baby is born has to approve of the adoption before it can go through. Alethia went to the court house in Columbia to attend the hearing. Our wonderful lawyer, Jim Thompson, said that "by chance" we had pulled the same lawyer we had for Karis adoption in Spartanburg. Isn't it wonderful of God to relieve my nervousness by allowing me to know the judge? We do not think it was "by chance" at all. Alethia wore this sweet little lady bug dress to the hearing today.

Here she is sleeping before our big trip yesterday.

We left Columbia for Spartanburg yesterday afternoon after 3pm. Alethia slept the entire way. I was so lovingly welcomed by our friends, John and BK Vernon. BK actually took Alethia's feedings last night and let me sleep the whole night. I feel wonderful today and was able to love on our new daughter with a little more clarity of thought today. We have been treated like princesses here at the Vernon and we are so thankful to the Lord for such wonderful friends.

2009-01-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Karis and I left Montgomery this morning at 7am heading for Atlanta.

I dropped Karis off with PopPop and Grandma after eating lunch at Truett's. She had no problem going home with PopPop. In fact she told me "hug" and "bye Mom" and rolled away with no tears. I was very proud of her. I have to admit I was a little hurt she was able to leave me so easily.

I drove another 5 hours to Florence, SC. Most of you know that I am very much an introvert and enjoy being by myself. However, on special occasions like birthdays, holidays, and adoptions, I want a big celebration. I want people around to help me celebrate. It was not to be that way today. Page and I celebrated our anniversary last week because he has a workshop this week, so today was focused on our new addition to our family. I knew that no one would be here to help me celebrate and I was feeling a little sorry for myself. I was reading in scripture last night about the story of Noah and God's promise to always keep his promises signified by a rainbow. I was thinking about the promise God gave us to never leave us or forsake us and realized that I was not alone at all. I would be celebrating this day with the one person who loves me and loves my new daughter more than anyone possibly could. About 15 miles outside of Florence I realized that there was about to be a huge thunderstorm. I was grumbling to myself about how I was going to have to carry all the luggage and "stuff" into the hotel by myself when I looked up and saw this:

Granted, it might not look like much here, but this rainbow was absolutely beautiful and huge. I realized God was reminding me of the fact He was keeping His promises and showing me a visible sign of His doing so. He is with me and will give me the strength to do all things...even carry the "stuff" in the rain.

Page and I have been praying for this baby we would be adopting at the time the Lord ordained. I am very excited about her life and the plans the Lord has for her. We are so grateful that He saw fit to put Alethia in our family.

At about 5:30pm I met my daughter for the first time. Our social worker, Amy, brought her to my hotel room. I got everything on video and (Katie) I am trying to take as many pictures as I possibly can.

Since we have met she has eaten and slept.

We will be spending tomorrow here at the hotel in Florence. We have a court date on Wednesday. I think we might go shopping at the mall across the street. Can't teach a girl too soon. :-)

2009-01-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

TRAVELING TO ALABAMA

Imagine this with a suitcase and another bag of Karis' clothes and the picture will be complete. I felt very overwhelmed packing for 2 children and myself for 2 different weather conditions. It is rather cold in SC but very warm here in the "deep south". We feel so blessed to have this van. I don't know how we would have been able to pack everything into a car.

Karis is relaxing in a bubble bath

(I promise...there were bubbles in the tub)

after a long day on the road.

Today Karis and I left New Orleans with a loaded down van. We drove for about 5 hours and arrived in Montgomery, AL for the first part of our trip. We will be leaving Montgomery tomorrow morning really early to drive to Atlanta to drop Karis off with her Nanna and PopPop Nalls. She will be staying with them until Friday when Nanna, PopPop, and Karis will be driving up to Spartanburg, SC to meet their new baby sister/grandbaby.

Our trip today went really well. Karis travels so well. She slept for about an hour of the trip, sang to/talked to/entertained herself for several hours before I decided that "Boz" could be "watch" on the "DBD". We ended the car ride with, "Remember, Wherever you are, near or far, God loves you and I do too!" I could not have asked her to be any more well behaved.

We will leave really early tomorrow to go to Atlanta. I don't want to bore you with all the details twice, so I will tell you about tomorrow then.

We have been talking to Karis about her new baby sister. She either laughs and says "baby sista" or runs around the house saying "no sista, no sista". We talked about how the new baby would be riding in the new car seat that is now next to her seat. She knows a baby goes in there because she kept asking where the baby was during our trip to Montgomery. I am looking forward to Karis and Alethia meeting next weekend. I am looking forward to meeting Alethia tomorrow.

Until then....

ALETHIA JOY

2009-01-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome Alethia Joy!!

We have a new addition to our family. Alethia Joy Brooks was born on Dec. 28th, 2008. She weighed 5 lbs and 8.9 oz. She was 20 inches long.

For those of you who are surprised at the quickness of this new addition, join the club! We put in our paper work a few weeks ago and were expecting to wait several months. However, we received a phone call on New Years Eve telling us that a birth mom had chosen us to be the parents of her baby and that the baby girl had been born on the 28th of December. Our home has been a whirlwind since then.

I (Ashley) will be leaving on Sunday to begin my traveling towards SC to see our baby girl for the first time. I will be able to get her and keep her with me on Monday night or Tuesday. Karis will be staying with her Nanna and PopPop for a few days. Page has to teach a seminar this week and on Monday of the next, but then he will be flying to SC to stay for a few days and then ride back with me and our 2 children to New Orleans some time the week of the 12th.

We will put up more pics as soon as I get them.

Christmas

2008-12-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

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....

2008-12-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-12-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-10-04T18:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-21T12:21:00.001-07:00

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)

2008-09-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-07-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-26T16:53:00.001-07:00

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

2008-07-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-05T14:36:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-25T18:57:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-05-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

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

2008-02-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-28T10:45:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-28T10:28:00.001-08:00

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.

Baby Grace

2007-11-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends-

Many of you have been praying for my friends Ginger and Adam Hayes ever since I posted the blog about their pregnancy. I wanted to give you an update today.

Ginger went in for a planned c-section this morning at 10am. She delivered Grace without any problems for her. Grace lived for about an hour in both of her parents' arms.

I spoke with Ginger last night and she said that she and her family had spent most of the night in prayer with friends and their pastor. She said they were at peace going into today's delivery. Gin wanted a longer time with her today, but I know she is very grateful for the time she was able to hold her precious gift.

The family has planned for the funeral to be either Saturday or Monday depending on when Ginger is released from the hospital.

Please keep this family in your prayers as they celebrate the life as well as grieve the loss of their daughter.

Trying to Crawl

2007-11-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

Karis is having a really great time moving across the floor. I can't believe she is getting so big. We don't know what we are going to do when she actually starts crawling. She is already getting into things she is not supposed to, like my computer cord. She likes crawling towards me and her Daddy and all things shiny. Christmas should be a lot of fun!!

Gotcha Day

2007-11-10T08:53:00.001-08:00

Karis's Gotcha Day went really well. We began the day by having a good breakfast of formula and cereal and then we went to visit some friends at North Greenville University. We went back to our friends home and Karis took a nap while Mom and Dad ate lunch. We then got into the car and went to the court house at 2pm and waited until 3pm for the judge to hear our case. While waiting, we talked with the Guardian et litem and he played with Karis. He commented many times that she seemed to be a very happy baby. Mom and Dad signed a load of paper work and then we walked into the court room. The judge heard both mine and Page's answers to our lawyer's questions and was about to award us custody when he remembered that he had forgotten to allow the Guardian et litem to "earn his money". The guardian was a rather funny man and said that "who was he to tell a Marriage and Family Therapist whether she was doing a good job or not." The judge then declared that Page and I were the legal guardians and that the adoption was granted.

Both Page and I were a little choked up at that weight of the decision that was just granted to us. Most parents do not have parenthood granted to them because once a person becomes pregnant, that person is then a parent. With us it was a little different. We were chosen for this child by God and we were given the opportunity to be obedient to God by choosing Karis before she was even born. However, that obedience did not make us her parents immediately. We were very aware of the fact that our adoption was not final until the judge gave us those rights and priveledges. We were very aware that something could go wrong and she would no longer be in our home. God taught me a lesson through this process. Our children are not ours but Gods. He allows us the awesome opportunity to raise them and love them, but we are never promised tomorrow with them. We are to raise them each day as though it were the last. We may only have the few months prior to delivery, a few months after, years, or even a life time. Only God knows.

I encourage each of you parents to fight the good fight when it comes to being parents. Page and I may be new at this, but we are very aware of the fight that Satan puts up for our children. We must be willing to take the time and energy it takes to graciously raise our children for however long God allows them to remain in our home.

Soon to come.... "Gotcha Day!"

2007-10-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

Karis' adoption will be final on Monday around 2:30pm. We will take pictures and let you all know about this wonderful new adventure we will take at the court house on Monday.

We are so excited about Karis' "Gotcha Day!"

We promise to post pics soon after the hearing.

Karis's Enjoying Her Cereal

2007-10-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have tried cereal several times before today, but it never tasted this good!

This was supposed to be the last picture of me all cleaned up, but Mom is still trying to figure out how to work this thing called a blog.

I know that the cereal is supposed to go in my mouth, but is was so much more fun to smear it on my face and.....

my toes added so much flavor to the cereal, I couldn't stop myself from sucking on them.
We had a great cereal day today. Looking forward to many more days of cereal to come.

Karis Talking

2007-09-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

I taped this a few days ago. Karis has a tendency to get loud right before she gets fussy and ready for bed. This morning was no exception. I thought I would get her on tape and let everyone hear her. Hope you enjoy.

She has started doing some new things. As you saw in the video she enjoys spitting and screaming. She also enjoys playing with toys while laying on her stomach. She is rolling over from her back to stomach and stomach to back. When she wakes up in the mornings (if she has had enough sleep) she will lay in her bed and talk to her hands. I walked in one morning and she was laying with her head in the corner, on hand was hanging out the front of the crib and the other was hanging out of the side of the crib. She was facing the hand at the front of the crib and she was waving to her self and studying her hands.

She went this week to the doctor for her 4 month check-up (even though today she is five months old). She weighs a hefty 16 lbs and is only 25 inches long. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about, but that she was in the 90th percentile range for her weight. We are so proud!!! We are saying that she needs to grow into all those rolls. She is a very healthy baby.

She is also extremely happy. During her awake times she laughs and plays, talks and sings. She likes to read with me while we read her books. She will make what I call the "uhhhhh" noise in different pitches while we read. She sometimes does this while we are singing too and it is absolutely precious. The first time she did it I cried because I realized, in her own little way, she was singing with me. I kind of wonder if that is how God feels (in a small way) when we sing to Him. He must have this amazing voice which makes our voices seem like "uhhhh" noises to Him. It's just a thought. All I do know is that it touched my heart in a way that nothing else has.

Okay, this posting has gone on long enough. Hope you enjoy the update on our munchkin.

NEW PICS

2007-09-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

I help Dad with his dissertation. He sure can use it!!
I get a little bored though! :-)

I am a very strong girl. I am scooting all over the place.

These cousins love each other very much! They are also big Georgia fans!!
GO DAWGS!!!

Karis slept at the beach. She had a good time though.

I am such a big girl sitting in my bumbo seat!

Karis and Mom getting ready for bed!! We enjoy cuddling!

I am finished writing!!

2007-09-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

I am writing to let everyone know that I have finished writing my dissertation. I have a few revisions I need to make, but for the most part I am done. I cannot tell you how good it feels to not have that thing hanging over my head. I will turn it in on October 1st and hopefully defend sometime in the later part of October.

Page will not be graduating this December so I will actually get to be a Doctor before he is. I will be enjoying the title of Dr. and Mr. Brooks!! I think it will be the only time I will be first in the title.

We are getting adjusted to living back in New Orleans. I am sitting here watching the Saints play. I enjoyed watching the Dogs beat Alabama on Saturday better. I have really enjoyed being able to watch a little football rather than being so busy writing.

Karis is doing really well. She is getting so big. She will be 5 months old on the 28th. Her mother can't believe she is so big. We will be going back to SC for the final adoption hearing on the 29th of October. Please keep all of that in your prayers. We are expecting everything to go well, but Satan likes to play with things that look easy sometimes.

I am adding some new pics of Karis. I hope you all enjoy them.

Pictures of Karis

2007-08-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have had many of you wonderful friends, who shall remain nameless, yelling at me because I have not posted any more pictures of our precious little girl. In my defense, I have been a litte busy trying to unpack, work on my dissertation, entertain family and friends who have come for a visit, and be a mom. I realize that there is no excuse, because she is so cute. Everyone should be able to see pictures any time they want to. I do apologize. :-)

We are doing well. We are all adjusting to this incredibly hot weather. If I was in the mountains I would be much cooler at this moment. However, I am not. I am in what feels like 110 degrees of moist air. Don't all of you who used to live here want to move back and join me in this sauna?

God has been very good to us. We have seen Him answer many prayers. Page and I are finally adjusting to our new roles and Karis is making my job as a Mom easy. She sleeps through the night. She is so happy when she is awake. She talks all the time and is content to play by herself when Mom needs to fold clothes or work on something. If I knew that I could get a bunch of babies like her, I would have a house full of them. She is wonderful.

Thank you all for praying for us.

I do have a prayer request, not for me, but for one of my dear friends. My college roommate (Ginger) and her husband (Adam) are 5 months into their first pregnancy. She found out a little over a week ago that the baby (Grace Elizabeth) is not developing correctly and will not survive for very long once she is born. I know that many of you are prayer warriors and so I am asking that you lift up this precious family to the Lord. Ginger told me as soon as she found out she was pregnant that she gave the baby back to the Lord and prayed that her baby's life would be used to honor and glorify Him. She is continuing to pray that same prayer and is adding that Grace will not suffer. They have hope that God can heal Grace because He is the Great Physician. They know, however, that God's will is perfect and that He will allow whatever brings Him the most glory. God told us to ask for anything in His name. I am asking all of you to pray that God would heal baby Grace. Thanks for the prayers I know that all of you will lift up.

Has It Been A Month?

2007-07-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

Wow! I cannot believe it has been a month since my last post. We have been so busy that I feel as though I have been trying to keep my head above water.

Karis and I moved to New Orleans 4 weeks ago. My father and I painted the top three rooms in our new home during the first week that we were here. My mother had the wonderful experience of taking care of her new granddaughter for the week. I think she thoroughly enjoyed it.

The second week our furniture came and we begin the incredible task of unpacking all the boxes. We have decided that having someone else pack our stuff is great in ways and really frustrating in others. We don't know what is in each box and sometimes the labels are a little missleading.

The third week Page, Karis, and I went to Ridgecrest so that Page could teach a class on Islam. We went to get a lot of work done on our dissertations, however, God had other plans. We did get work done, but God gave us some really great opportunities to share about Karis' adoption. We had many conversations with parents who were wanting to adopt and wanted to ask us questions about the process for us. We were so greatful for the opportunities God allowed us to have during this week.

We finally got back home during this last week. We have continued to unpack, hang blinds, move furniture around (because you know us girls, we have to see it in order to decide whether we like it :-)), and just get settled. We are very glad to be back in New Orleans. We feel, in a way, that we are back home. The only large adjustment that we have had is our home roles. Page and I are getting use to me being the stay at home wife and mom and Page working only 30 to 40 hours a week. Please pray that we see these new transitions as ways that molding us into His image. It is very easy for us to take out our frustrations on each other rather than working together to move through the change.

Hopefully, I will have new pics for you soon. My camera battery went dead and I have not had a chance to hunt down a new one. (special kind..of course) Karis is now sitting up pretty well in her bumbo seat. She is smiling all the time for people that she recognizes. She will smile a little for people she does not know. She is sleeping through the night and being a complete blessing to her mom and dad. We are having so much fun! I promise to upload pics soon.

Life in Limbo

2007-06-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

Have any of you ever felt like you were living in between two or more places? Have you ever felt like you have finished your life in one place and you want to begin you life in another, yet you are still stuck in the first place? I am in this position at this moment. Page and I call it limbo, living in two different places. Your body is in one place, but your mind is in another place.

For those of you who do not know, Page, Karis and I are moving back to New Orleans this coming week. Page is taking a position at New Orleans Seminary as a Professor of Theology and Islamic Studies. I am taking a position as Mommy. We will both finish our PhD's in October and graduate in December.

I do not have to pack up anything in my house because the wonderful moving company is doing that for me. I look around this living room and thank God that I do not have to pack any of it. I do, however, get the blessing of traveling with my 2 month old down to New Orleans. I am very fortunate to have my mother traveling with me for at least half of the trip. My car will be packed to the gills with baby stuff. How do they acquire so much stuff? It is amazing to me that they need all this stuff, but all the "experts" tell you they do, so here we are.

So, I leave Sunday to travel to AL and then on to NOLA on Monday. I feel as though I have been living in NOLA for the past few weeks. My mind has been traveling down there quite often. I wonder how my life will be different from the last time we lived there. I also want my life, in a way, to have some of the same aspects of life that I remember so fondly from before. I wonder if the whole situation will be similar to seeing friends that I have not seen in a while. I get a little nervous everytime I spend time with a friend I have not seen in a while. Will she be the same as I remember her? Will we get along as well as we did before? Have we both changed so much that we do not have anything in common? I go through this litany of questions over and over in my mind making the slight nervousness I had before turn into full blown worry. Then I meet her at the airport and we begin a conversation that lasts the entire time she is here. There is no awkwardness nor is there any pretension. Our friendship is the same, but we are in a different time and a different place. I have a feeling that my relationship with NOLA will be the same. We are old friends. We may have some bumps in the road, but with the Lord's help we will get through whatever hurdles (or potholes) are before us.

New Orleans, Here we come!

Family Reunion

2007-06-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Page and I have had the pleasure of learning a lot about babies over the past few weeks. Karis is teaching us so much. I am going to have many new things to share in my Human Growth & Development class, if I ever get the chance to teach it again.

One of the things that I have learned is that babies fix their eyes on a person in order to get to know him or her. Page has been gone for the past two weeks to Annual Training for the National Guard. He came back on Friday, and Karis has had eyes only for her Daddy. She has been watching him and listening to him as he feeds her and plays with her.

Again, God has reminded me that we should do the same thing to Him that Karis is doing to Page. Karis learns more about her Daddy by watching him and listening to him. She is learning about his personality as well as his character as she spends time with him. The same is true in our relationships with God. Many times we miss our time with him or we neglect our time with Him. By spending time with Him and fixing our eyes on Him we are able to rekindle that relationship and get to know God even more. We are able to get to know His character and His faithfulness. The more we stare the more we know. I guess this situation is the only one in which staring would not be impolite.

Dedication

2007-06-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

We had the wonderful pleasure of dedicating Karis back to the Lord yesterday. Page was able to come home from drill for a day so he came back Saturday night and was able to go to church with us on Sunday. We went back to First Baptist Spartanburg for our last service with this precious congregation that welcomed us and has loved on us for the past 2 years. Karis slept through the service and was very good. She worshipped God while dreaming. ( She likes to raise her hands while she sleeps).

At the end of the service Dr. Wilton called us up on stage. He prayed for both Page and I as parents that God would lead us and give us wisdom. He then took Karis and prayed blessings over her as she grew. He prayed that she would come to a saving knowledge of God at an early age and that she would have a heart that seeks after Him.

For you women out there, Karis wore a very pretty white dress with while booties and a white hair bow. I can actually clip it in her hair. No toothpaste needed for this girl. She was so cute.

Page and I realized back at the beginning of this journey that Karis, or any child that God blesses us with, belong to God. We have been give children to disciple and raise for the Lord. They are not and never will be ours. We have them on loan for the time that God sees fit to loan them to us. He has created them for a purpose and has given us the opportunity to teach them the things He has taught us. We are very excited to see the plans that God has for Karis. He has many plans to prosper and give her hope and a future. Aren't we the blessed ones to be apart of it all.

Going Home

2007-06-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

Karis and I have spent the last week in Tifton, GA. For those of you who do not know where it is, think way down south. A place where the temperature stays around 100 and the gnats are plentiful. A place that is completely flat and the landscape is rows and rows of cotton, tobacco, and peaches (and maybe a few peanuts here and there). A place that hales sweet tea as its drink of choice and bar-b-que as a staple.

My parents have called Tifton home for well over 10 years. It is the place I grew up and graduated from high school. Karis has spent the last week getting to know her family a little better. She spent a great deal of time with her 2 year old cousin Anyston who thinks that Karis is her baby. She wanted to "hold the baby" most of the time and loved kissing Cousin Karis. We also spent time with her Great Grandma and BigPa and Mema as well as her 3 week old baby cousin Jason and his family. We had a wonderful time.

We head back tomorrow on the 6 hour trip that will probably take 8 or more. It is amazing how much more time it takes when you are traveling with an infant. If you think about it, please keep us in your prayers.

Daddy (Page) has been at annual training for the past week, but is on leave for Saturday and Sunday. We are very excited about seeing him. He will go back on Sunday afternoon for his second week.

God is so good about slowing me down. Karis has brought many joys and lessons into my life. One of the lessons she is teaching me is that I need to slow down and enjoy the ride. If I try to hurry I will miss her smile or coo or cute facial expression. I have found that my relationship with God is like that many times. He is not so much interested in me getting to the destination as He is me slowing down and learning what He is teaching me on the way. This week I have spent much time with people I have not had a chance to ever sit down and talk with for an extended length of time. If Karis had not been taking a nap or needed feeding, I probably would not have taken the time to sit and talk with these individuals in the way I needed too. Isn't it just like God to use a baby to teach me a lesson. I have a feeling I am in for many more of those lessons through this child. Oh may my prayer always be as Samuel's was, "Speak Lord, Your servant is listening." I hope your's is the same.