Hello Bella!

When we first moved here, we noticed this cute English Bulldog that lived down the street from us. She was always sitting on the porch and we would always speak to her b/c she was just too cute to resist! Well, Matt was out working in the yard the other day and the bulldog & her owner walk by. Matt tells the owner how cute her dog is and that is his dream dog. The owner then says that she has been thinking about giving her away because she just doesn't have time for her anymore. Matt lets her know that we are VERY interested! So, last night the bulldog & her owner are on their walk and Matt is outside working again. The lady states that she is not fully ready to give her up yet, but she goes out of town a lot and would love for us to dog sit for her. So, she brings Bella by today and we are LOVING her! We're going to dog sit for a while and then hopefully get to keep her! And the best part is, she is great with cats, people, and kids! And she is trained to walk with her owner without a leash! Here are some pictures of this cutie pie that we have fallen in love with!

It's been awhile...

So, it's been a while since I last blogged (well, 4 days is a while for me). Matt & I are staying busy, but nothing really noteworthy to write about.

I'm definitely dealing with the morning sickness junk. And it's lasting all day. I'm trying hard to eat balanced, but it's hard when all I feel like eating is crackers. I don't really like to eat meat right now or even look at it. So, most of my protein is coming from peanut butter and nuts. It's a really weird feeling to be so hungry but not feel like eating anything because my stomach is so queasy. It's all worth it though!

Matt & I have this weekend off. Praise the Lord! Two days off in a row and one day that I can sleep in! I'm very excited (and Matt is too).

I would like to conclude this post with birthday wishes to my dear friend Karina. I treasure our friendship (even though thinking about it makes me feel old). And thanks for introducing me to the city that I love and have a passion for. Happy Birthday Karina! Thanks for being such a wonderful friend!

Sleepless night

Matt had his second sleep study last night. He said it was horrible. You have to sleep on your back, so every time Matt would turn over this lady would yell at him over the intercom and tell him to turn back over. They put an oxygen mask on him and he said it was so tight that it hurt him. He asked the lady to loosen it and she did but it still hurt. So, he didn't get any sleep. Poor guy. Now we're just waiting on the results from the doctor.

Announcing...

...Baby Parks is on the way!!!! Yes, Matt & I just found out that I am pregnant! We have known for a couple days but went to the doctor today to get confirmation. We are extremely excited and couldn't have planned it any better! God is good! Right now it looks like the estimated due date is around May 21st. I'll keep you all updated!

Update: Bullet style

I am too tired and lazy right now (yes and it's only 1 pm) and don't feel like putting thoughts together, therefore this update will be in bullet style.

*Matt has to go for ANOTHER sleep study. During his first sleep study they concluded that he never enters REM sleep (and therefore never really falls asleep). So, they have to do another sleep study to figure out why he doesn't sleep and how to help him. He's also been sleep walking & talking lately. Hopefully they will schedule his next sleep study quickly, so we can get this solved.

*Our poor kitty, DJ, has a UTI (and has had a fever). Last week he began to urinate on our bed during the night. We took him to the vet & he is on antibiotics, but it's not helping. It's a pain to get up in the middle of the night every night and change the sheets. And we had to go buy a waterproof mattress pad for fear that he would ruin the mattress. We will take him back to the vet on Monday and they will do a urine culture to see what the deal is.

*We are having a birthday party for one of our girls tonight. Her family is coming and it's going to be a big deal. We're having steak & baked potatoes. Yum. And we have pin the tail on the donkey & a Spongebob pinata! It should be lots of fun!

*I sent in my application for seminary, so now it's in God's hands. We'll see where He leads.

*Lately I have felt the need for a good devotional/Bible study. I wanted one that would encourage me to read Scripture and then have questions about it. I just don't get that much out of devotionals you just read. I went to Lifeway & after 45 minutes of going back and forth, I ended up buying David: 90 Days with A Heart Like His by Beth Moore. I'm enjoying it so far. Digging in the Word is always good.

Guess that's all for now.

Pictures

Daddy likes to play around and make the girls laugh (and they sure laughed at this)!

Mommy loves her sweet Peaches.

Peaches likes to keep herself clean.

And DJ loves his new cat tower.

Comfort foods

Last night, Matt & I went to Chili's for dinner. We hadn't been to Chili's here in N.O. yet, so it kind of made me feel like we were back in Rock Hill. We got our usual appetizer of chips & salsa. They were disappointingly stale. I usually get a turkey sandwich, but decided to venture out and try something new. I got the Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers and they were delicious! Definitely my new Chili's favorite. After we left Chili's we went to Marble Slab (which was conveniently located next to Chili's) and got some cheesecake icecream with graham crackers mixed in. Yum! It was definitely a night full of comfort foods. We all need that every once in a while, right?

Pray for the Friddles

Just wanted to ask all of you in blogland to lift up some prayers for a sweet family, whose four year old daughter, Riley, just passed away after battled brain cancer since she was 5 months old. While I did not know Riley or her family, many of our friends did. Riley's story impacted the entire community of Rock Hill and we have been praying for her for a long time. Pray for her family and friends to be comforted in this time of loss. Pray that they will know that she is cancer free in heaven! If you want to know more about her story, go here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rileyfriddle

*Update: Here is a wonderful article The Herald put out about Riley: http://www.heraldonline.com/front/story/114335.html

Priceless

Food for 5 girls and two adults: $400/week

Fuel for 15-passenger van: $75/week

Toll-tag for van: $40/month

Bus fare for girls to get to school: $1.25/ride

Eating meals out on our days off: $50/week

Venti Coffee light frappaccino from Starbucks: $4.34/day

Rent & utilities for family-teachers: Free

A thin piece of metal with 3 letters & numbers on it (that you attach to your car): $933

Living in New Orleans: Priceless!

Fall

Fall is coming and one of my favorite things that this season brings is Pumpkin Spice Lattes & Frappuccinos at Starbucks. Yes, I may be a little vain saying one of my favorite parts of Fall is coffee, but it's true. Yes, I love the leaves changing colors and falling, but apparently we don't get that here in New Orleans. So, I'll just have to enjoy my pumpkin spice flavored coffee. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed my first one of the season today. :) And I'm going to confess the sin that I also enjoyed a piece of banana chocolate chip coffee cake. Don't judge me, you wouldn't have been able to resist it either!