It's a...

GIRL!

Yes, we are having a girl! Emma Grace Parks will be here name. We are SO excited!

my sickly husband.

Matt has been sick for over a week and a half now and finally, I convinced him to go to the doctor (only because it got so bad he thought he was going to die). Turns out he has a sinus infection, upper respiratory infection, and bronchitis. Poor, poor Matt.

Make It Right 9

How many of you have heard about Brad Pitt's "Make It Right 9" efforts? I watched the special on CNN with Larry King the other day and was intrigued by this campaign. Basically Brad Pitt is making huge efforts to rebuild the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans (one of the hardest hit areas by Katrina). His efforts are to build economic, green, affordable housing and incorporate innovative design into these homes. Brad Pitt has donated millions of dollars towards this effort and is asking others to donate as well. To publicize this effort, pink tents have been put up in the area to be rebuilt to draw people to come see what this effort is all about. Each tent represents a home that will be rebuilt. All of the tents are made with economic friendly materials (some even have solar panels) and the materials will be reused in building the homes. Matt & I drove down there the other day and got a look at it all. No words can describe what we saw. Each time I visit the Lower 9th, my heart becomes burdened in a new way. To see the devastation and destruction that still exists hurts my heart. There is such a dramatic difference between where we live (uptown) and the Lower 9th. It honestly is like traveling to a different country. My heart is burdened for those who lost their homes, family members, and basically their entire lives in this tragedy. I urge you to continue to pray for those affected by Katrina. And don't just pray, come make a difference in this city. It has been almost 2 1/2 years since Katrina hit, yet many are still suffering and in pain. Think about coming to this city and joining the rebuilding efforts. As my pastor says, "We are called to move toward the pain". This city is in great pain.

Here are some pictures from the Make It Right 9 project. You can get more information by going to their website www.makeitrightnola.org

Pure excitement!

Today I found out that V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, is having their 10th anniversary in New Orleans in April! This includes a performance of the Vagina Monologues with Calpernia Addams, Rosario Dawson, Ellen DeGeneres, Eve Ensler, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Hudson, Ashley Judd, Julia Stiles, Marisa Tomei, Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey and musicians Common, Eve, Charmaine Neville, and Joss Stone. And tickets start at $25! Of course I (well, Matt) hopped right on the internet and bought two tickets! I am hoping to bring a friend of mine and make it a "girls night". I am SO excited! Oh man, how can I stand this excitement for four more months?!

Christmas

I love Christmas. And I love the season of Advent. This season reminds me of what life is all about. It is all about that baby boy that came so many years ago, to rescue His people. So many times we get so busy and wrapped up in parties, programs, shopping and such, that we forget the true meaning of Christmas. I pray that each of you will take the time to look back and remember. Remember that baby boy so humble and perfect that He came for you and me. I will leave you with a few quotes and some Scripture to emphasize this truth.

"...in this child, in the man he grew up to be, there is the power of God to bring light into our darkness, to make us whole, to give us a new kind of life to anybody who turns toward him in faith, even to such as you and me.

This is what Matthew and Luke are trying to say in their stories about how he was born, and this is the truth that matters, and the wise men, the shepards, the star, are important only as ways of pointing to this truth. So what is left to us then is the greatest question of them all. How do we know whether or not this truth is true? How do we find out for ourselves whether in this child born so long ago there really is the power to give us a new kind of life in which both suffering and joy are immeasurably deepened, a new kind of life in which little by little we begin to be able to love even our friends, at moments maybe even our enemies, maybe at last even ourselves, even God?

Adeste fidelis. That is the only answer that I know for people who want to find out whether or not this is true. Come all ye faithful, and all ye who would like to be faithful if only you could, all ye who walk in darkness and hunger for light. Have faith enough, hope enough, despair enough, foolishness enough, at least to draw near to see for yourselves." ~Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark

"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." ~Luke 1:76-80

Just felt like sharing...

I am sixteen weeks today. :)

Christmastime in The Big Easy

Matt & I finally got our Christmas decorations out today and had fun putting up the tree and decorating. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.


Our stockings.

Our Christmas tree.

Of course DJ & Peaches have their own stockings.

Nativity.

DJ playing under the tree (notice we can't find our tree skirt).

And this is our Christmas present from Paul & Kelly!

Etsy

I have recently discovered Etsy and it is the coolest website ever! It is a website where people make homemade stuff & sell it here. And there is the CUTEST stuff on there! I have been looking at the children's stuff (duh!) and found some stuff I love. One more month until we find out what the sex of the baby is and then I'll be hitting Etsy up! I am especially loving these items...

Happy Thanksgiving!

This was the first Thanksgiving that Matt & I have ever been away from our families. It was hard, but we had a wonderful day. I woke up at 6 am to start cooking (man, do I feel like my mom or what?)! Everything went smoothly and I had finished cooking by 10:45 am and we had eaten and cleaned the entire kitchen by noon! I was pretty proud! Here's what we enjoyed for our Thanksgiving meal: Coca-cola ham (by request of the girls), homemade cornbread stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy (NOT homemade!), green beans, chocolate chip pie, pumpkin pie, and sweet potato pie. Mmmm! It was all very delicious! We only had two girls here for dinner & then one left to be with her family after dinner...so we've been hanging out with just one girl. It's been really nice and peaceful. We went to see the movie, This Christmas, after dinner & then ate at Shoney's. And when we got home tonight Matt started getting the Christmas decorations out! Joy joy! What a wonderful day it has been! We sure have a lot to be thankful for!

The Future.

The last few weeks have been extremely hard in our job. So hard, in fact, that Matt & I briefly contemplated moving back to South Carolina. After praying and discussing everything, we have decided that we are going to try to hold out here for a year (which means until June) and then see what happens. There are many changes happening in our home right now and we pray they are for the better.

Continue to pray for us as we struggle through each day with these girls.

Carolina Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend in the Carolinas last weekend and got to spend time with lots of friends and family. Here are some pictures from our visit. Next time we'll have to do better about getting more pictures of family!