Countdown to Passion::Paris

It's hard to believe, but we leave next Thursday for Passion::Paris for our third and final trip in 8 months. We are praying hard that this building will be filled with university students from across Paris and France, united in worship of our Heavenly Father. There are still many obstacles to overcome in a short time, but we are trusting God and expecting great things. A few things to be praying about, if you don't mind:

- that registration will increase...and that if it doesn't, we won't be anxious
- that the staff and bands (who are in Brazil right now and Uganda next weekend) will have safe travel and smooth entry into the country
- that the crazy logistics of the day - and the many unknowns that come with doing this in a foreign country - will all work out
- that plenty of volunteers will show up... with servants' hearts and ready to work!
- that our partners and volunteers will be encouraged through this event
- that the students will see Jesus in a fresh way, and that this movement will grow and spread throughout Paris and France
- that we as a team will remember Whom we serve and why we are doing this
- for our families back home, and for Beth Fortner (one of our team leads who is 8 months pregnant and having to stay home); pray that her baby stays put while her husband is in Paris

Thanks in advance for your prayers and for being part of this with us.

(check out our facebook page)


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King and Queen of the Kitchen

I know I've posted a lot of pictures of Holly and Matt lately, but these were too cute not to share (plus, who else but Mom will take the photos?).

Holly is obsessed with cooking lately. She wants to stir everything on the stove, and constantly points to the pots and pans cabinet and says "cook!" It totally makes her day when I throw a piece of bread in her little pot that she can stir around.

A Happy Mother's Day it Was!

A big thank you to my sweet husband for a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. This was our only weekend home as a family in recent weeks, and the only one we will have until after Passion (we return from Paris June 6th). We promised ourselves we would enjoy every minute of it, and we did.

All weekend Matt took care of as much cooking, diaper changing, and Holly-feeding as he possibly could. We had an early Mother's Day dinner Saturday night at our favorite place, The Brick Store Pub in Decatur. Holly was perfect at dinner (you never know when you eat out...) and as we left to walk back to the car, we passed a concert in the square. Holly got a balloon which brought endless smiles (until she popped it), and we stopped by Jake's Ice Cream for some Brown Shugah Vanilla and Chocolate Slap Yo Mama scoops.

On Sunday we heard a great message on faith at church [to watch go to http://buckheadchurch.org/site/messages, click on the series Faith, Hope & Luck and select the message on May 11th]. We spent the afternoon playing outside with Holly's cool water toy from Nana and Papa. And I even got to take a nap! My first nap since Holly was a newborn.

They say motherhood is a thankless job, but I felt pretty loved and appreciated this weekend. I also thought a lot about our own moms, how much they do for us, and how thankful I am that we have them. So Happy Mother's Day Mom and Sandy!

Now I have a lot to live up to when Father's Day rolls around...

*a couple of videos from the weekend

Nashville Bound

Last weekend, Holly and I traveled to my parents' new hometown of Nashville to visit family. As I was driving, I heard Holly repeat "Heed" over and over. I couldn't figure out what she meant until I looked in the rearview mirror. She meant "Head." She proceeded to show me what each of her dolls and toys looked like atop her head. Don't ask me how I got this picture...

Here are some fun pictures of Holly with her cousins (third? fifth? I can't keep up). She's in the sandbox with Jordan, on the couch with Blake, and in the bath with Laura. Needless to say, these kids wore her out. She had a blast!