Forks & Planes & Diapers too!

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

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

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

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

Getting Back To Normal

Brooks' News:

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

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

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

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

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

VINTAGE NEWS:

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

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

Prayer Requests:

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

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

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

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

Evacuation-Day 4 (Sunday)

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

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

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

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

Evacuation-Day 3

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

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

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

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

Evacuation - Day 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evacuation - Day 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spending time with Daddy & My first Big-girl Illness

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

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

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

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

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