Today is my parents' 41st wedding anniversary. Here is a picture taken in Hawaii of them last year on their 40th anniversary:
In their honor, we purchased onil stoves for the families of the students we sponsor in Guatemala. The indigenous people of the Guatemalan Highlands use wood for cooking. Their kitchens are usually small outside structures with dangerous open fire pits. Kitchens typically do not provide for smoke ventilation. After food, firewood is the largest expense for families who are unable to gather it themselves. They typically pay 5 days wages per month for a supply of firewood which lasts less than one month.
These fuel-efficient wood stoves have financial, health, and environmental benefits. The stoves which are 70% more fuel efficient than traditional open-fire methods. Through hundreds of installations, significant reductions of monthly firewood expenses, reduced incidents of respiratory ailments, as well as reduced deforestation impacts have been observed. Forestation is very important in the Guatemalan Highlands to minimize fatalities caused by mudslides.
There is also a very nice congratulatory note for them on the Mayan Families website: http://mayanfamilieshonors.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/congratulations-ted-and-sandy-shooman/Nathan and Sela decided to give Mom and Dad a surprise of their own this morning, and wanted to bring them breakfast before going to school. Unfortunately, my kids were so excited that ran in the house and right into the bathroom where mom was, and she was really surprised!
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! May you have many more happy and healthy years together!! We love you!!!
When we arrived in Lake Charles, the kids immediately hit it off and played so nicely together.
That evening, we went out to a restaurant and while waiting for a table, the kids got their faces painted.
And, after baths, the girls got their hair done while the boys played waiting for their turn in the tub...
The following morning, we had some down time and watched movies and played.
That evening after we had dinner, we went to the local mall to visit the playground there and do a little shopping! 
No, Sela did not fall on her head, she was trying to do some tumbling...
Here are our beautiful girls together. I was so pleased how well they got along and shared toys!
That evening, after the best dinner ever, we went to the park, watched the sun go down and the kids play.
When we arrived back in New Orleans, the kids took another dip in the rooftop pool after posing for a picture.
Nathan learned how to take pictures, and although there were several closeups of his face and feet and various body parts of other people, he did manage to take some great pictures of the homes and architecture of New Orleans.
The kids loved to see the beads in trees as we went down St. Charles Street, the parade route for Mardi Gras.
The saddest part of the tour was visiting the lower 9th ward, where most of the damage occured from Hurricane Katrina. This area was desolate and almost completely vacant. We learned that so many people left New Orleans after the Hurricane that even the police force is 400 people short! The rebuilding that is happening is wonderful, but not enough and not nearly quickly enough. Although, the homes that are being rebuilt are being built higher, stronger and hopefully more restistant should the city incur such a horrible hurricane again.
We were sad to leave Louisiana, but we all agreed that this was one of our best vacations ever!! 
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