Kara's 2nd Birthday Party

A little over a week ago we celebrated our neice Kara's 2nd birthday. Wow, how quickly time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital holding her just hours after her birth. Cade is growing up right before our eyes & it's scarry! Here are a few fun pics from the party. My sister did a great job on Kara's cake. I know she worked hard & it was worth it. It tasted great too.
Kara's attention span was short. 2 year old's get something they like & forget about the rest of the gifts. I spent most of this time trying to get the toys & dolls out of the packages. Why does it feel like trying to break into Fort Knox just to open a toy (frustrating).
This little stroller had many intricate parts, but once we got it put together it became the toy of choice. She strolled her doll around all over the park until it was time to go home.
Whew! These birthday parties are tiring! Cade was oblivious to what was going on around him, nonetheless he was in the spirit of the party. Maybe he'll be satisfied w/ these Mickey ears until we can go all the way to Orlando some day to get the real ones. In case your wondering, his outfit says "My Heart Belongs to Grandma" - one of the many early attempts to spoil our son.

Speaking Portuguese in Arkansas

Yesterday we had Pastor Gomez & his wife with us in worship. Though he spoke in his limited English we welcomed them in Portuguese & our Worship Leader Brian sang a chorus for them in Portuguese. It was a great service as we heard his wife sing 2 familiar hymns in their language & Pastor Gomez shared his testimony. He was in the seminary at the age of 17 studying for the Catholic Priesthood. His brother was a Christian & he went to convert him to Catholicism. Long story short, it had the reverse effect & as Ildeu began reading God's Word it came alive in him & he accepted Christ as his Savior & Lord.
He also shared how the mission trip last October that I went on had impacted his church & his brother's church in Campinas, Brazil. Since the distribution of the 25,000 Bibles these churches together have baptized 48 people w/ several more waiting to be baptized. That's a person a week since the trip. What would happen if our churches were baptizing that many per year? No one will ever convince me God's Word is not powerful & life-changing.
Let us not forget God is still at work all over the world changing lives.

From Brazil to America

This week Pastor Gomez & his wife from Campinas, Brazil are here in Texas & Arkansas preaching & visiting friends. I had the privilege to go to his church last October on a mission trip. With the help of several churches we were able to bring him to America for the 1st time in 8 years. He will be preaching for us this coming Sunday at Central & we expect it to be a great service.
Erin & I took he & his wife out to lunch on Monday in Texarkana & we hope to spend time w/ them again on Friday. Though he is a small guy he has a booming voice. God is using him greatly in Brazil & we're honored to have him with us this week. It's great to have a direct connection to a pastor in a foreign country & know him personally. We're excited about what God is doing in Brazil & hopefully next year we'll have the chance to go back & continue the ministry there. I'll blog more about Pastor Gomez & his testimony after the weekend.

Son of a Preacher Man

Cade didn't go to church w/ me yesterday but stayed home w/ Erin instead. When I came home he was wearing his "Itty Bitty Baptist" onesie he got from Pops & Mimi. I guess he was supporting me from home yesterday.

Erin's mom has gone home & now it's just our little family. We are having a good time & enjoying the life of parenthood. We have gotten a bit more sleep at night than we expected & pray that doesn't change for the worse. Cade is growing & goes to the doctor on Thursday. We can tell he is gaining weight & growing each day. He's a good natured baby & we look forward to what each new day holds.

Settling In At Home

We're settling into this dream-like world of having a new child at home. It doesn't fully seem real yet but we're having the time of our lives. We could never imagine the blessing from God resulting from a new child. We have SOOO many pics, but I'll only share a few from the last 2 days.

We arrived home safe & sound. Whew! That was the most nerve racking experience of driving a car in my entire life!
Just chillin' out on the bed after getting cleaned w/ a bath wipe & fresh diaper & onesie (which most are way too big).
The Carozza's, Donnell's, & Petty's arrived at our house about 30 minutes after we got there on Sunday. We had a great afternoon visiting & sharing in the excitement. Little Rock Crew, please know how much this meant to us for you to come spend time w/ us.
Molly met her new little brother for the 1st time yesterday morning. This was a major concern for us b/c Molly is queen of the house & spoiled rotten. She is doing good & really curious as to what is happening w/ Cade. It won't be long until she is trying to play mother. (By the way, like the deep bathtub converted to a "Moses Basket"? - That's how we do it in Arkansas)
Sunday afternoons in the Fall wouldn't be complete w/o some NFL action. Cade & I spent our 1st day home together watching the Cowboys! He will hopefully love sports as much as I do (sorry mom, guess you will have to tolerate more sports).Oh boy, free fingers! We can't keep the gloves on him b/c he always wants his hands in his face & mouth & will scratch himself.

Our Son Has Arrived!

Cade Christopher Wright

9/4/08 - 11:58 P.M.

6 lbs. 6 oz.

20 in.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children like a reward from him.

Psalm 129:3

Labor Day

Here's an update for all who have been asking about our upcoming baby. The whole country celebrated Labor Day yesterday. Erin & I will celebrate a different kind of "Labor Day" on Thursday. The Dr. scheduled an induction for Thursday morning so we will hopefully have our son sometime on Thursday. We are nervous & excited. We will do our best to keep everyone updated through the blog, facebook, email, & text messages.

2 more days & we will be parents! Wow, God is good!