Youth Camp

was a success! We had a ball. We had a great game where the guys put a 50 foot rope across the lake and the kids had to walk the rope. It was pretty hard. I tried it but only made it half way across the rope! The lake was pretty nasty though. There was a cool slip and slide though. We had an awesome teaching about the thief on the cross next to Jesus by Cathy and I did a devotion with the girls one night. Overall, it was great. Thanks to everyone who came up and helped make camp such a success!

Casual Fridays

I love where I work. We were getting to have casual Fridays and wear what we wanted within reason but then Latesha ruined it for us all. Thanks Latesha!!

Hide and Seek

We have a small basket next to the t.v where we put keys and things that I don't want lying on top of my entertainment center. I also have a 2-year-old who likes to play with keys. Her papaw gave her some keys on a keyring but she doesn't want those she wants ours. Last night Jamie can't find his keys to his work truck. We ask the girls. Of course they don't know anything about them. We tear the house apart. We look in the couches, under furniture, drawers, the fridge ( you know the usual stupid places you look for lost things even though there is no reason they should be there). Nothing. We go through the girls room and nothing. Well Hope has the "yeah I did it" smile. So we ask again....where are daddy's keys. She points to the window and says outside. Oh crap, so my husband goes to the window to look outside. They are in the window sill between the window and the screen. Hope just smiles and says.."there's your keys daddy". Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from killing them!!

Blood drive for Taylor

Taylor is doing great!! Brent & Staci are having a blood drive. Details below. Thank you God for your healing in this child.


I have a favor to ask of you.....we are having a blood drive in Evansville this week as many of you may already know about.
I am asking as many of you as possible to please come out and donate blood in honor of Taylor.
Taylor is alive today because of the literally thousands of people that have donated their blood.
We decided to have a blood drive to help out the many people that are in need of blood. After experiencing what a child needs during this process we thought is was the least we could do to help out, and we really appreciate your help with this as well.
Taylor has required hundreds of transfusions of red blood cells, platelets and of cryo (all blood products) over the last 8 weeks.....all are screened extensively and are safe, but very needed for survival.
Thank you in advance for participating in this blood drive to honor our daughter.
The drive is this Thursday, July 26th from 3pm-8pm at Crossroads Christian Church at 10800 Lincoln Ave in the gym(behind the women's hospital...almost to newburgh)
The next drive will be Saturday, August 11th from 11am-4pm...same location
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!
(FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE INDY AREA.,.THERE IS A BLOOD DRIVE ON THE 25TH UP HERE. LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED DETAILS FOR THAT!
THANKS A MILLION!
STACI

Struggling

I didn't grow up in church. I wasn't a christian until 5 years ago. Actually I was a little "wild" in high school and for several years after. I met Jamie in March 1999. Actually we met about 2 years before that and were friends of friends but we started dating in March. We moved in together in June, got engaged in October, pregnant in November and married in February 2000. Faith came in July 2000. We bought a house September 2002 and in December 2002 (New Year's Eve actually) I wanted out. I didn't want to be married anymore. I wanted to be on my own and "start over". He said no. He refused to leave and begged for anything so I agreed to counseling but I wanted to go to Pastor Aaron at Living Hope. My friend Susan had always invited me to Living Hope. She never pushed but she always invited me. So we started talking to Aaron. He saved our marriage. I look back and I know it was the devil trying to break us up because he knew we were to do good things for God's kingdom and we may not have done that if we separated. We started going to church and fell in love with LHCC. We've been going there almost 5 years now. Who knew we'd actually pray for people and read the Bible and go to church 3-4 times a week?? I know my past is scarred but it was a learning experience and I can reach others from the mistakes I made. I still struggle though with days I just want to walk away. I don't want to go to church anymore. Someone hurts my feelings or makes me mad and I want to find a church closer to home and forget the one that I made a whole new family at or I just don't want to go at all. I want to be on my own. I hate the days I feel like that and I pray and He gets me through them. He is my rock. Some days I yell at my kids and get so frustrated with them and feel like such a horrible mother. Some days I am so hateful to my husband because I just don't feel like talking to him. Some days I think why do any of it at all???????????? I just pray and He gets me through it all. I try to watch the way I talk and the things I do because I want to live my life in his likeness but there are days I don't care and I pray. All I can do is live one day at a time...and pray....and pray.

7 years ago today

at 10:11 a.m. I gave birth to my beautiful Faith. I can't believe how much she is growing up! She's still my baby though.......here she is through the years.



Faith 1 day oldFaith 3 weeks old
Faith 6 months
Faith 3 years
Faith 9 months
She is so beautiful inside and out. Happy Birthday. I love you so much Faith Renee!!!!!

We survived

the sleepover! It wasn't too bad. We had 9 little girls but only 8 stayed all night. We only had one that wanted to go home around 10:30 but by the time her mom got here she wanted to stay and then she did fine. It's 11:30 and I still have 5 left. Of course 3 are neighbor girls so they are here all the time anyway. They are playing on the trampoline and swimming. There were a few little "fights" but for the most part they got along. There's usually someone getting their feelings hurt but that's girls for you. It's definitely not something I'd want to do all the time but once a year is OK.....my house is a wreck! :/

Slumber Party!!

Faith is having a slumber party Friday night for her birthday. She invited 10 little girls over. We are going to swim, play games, do a craft, have snacks, play on the trampoline and make a big pallet on the floor to sleep on. Jamie is going to do face painting and balloon animals for the girls too. I can just hear the screaming now! I'll update after the party how it went.

Youth Camp

is coming fast. We go on the 29th to Santa Claus through Tuesday and Holiday World on Tuesday. Jamie and I are going to camp but not the Holiday World due to having to work. We have several youth going .I can't wait to bond with the kids and have some "play time". We always have a ball with the kids. Gabe & Brandon are working on the games and skits and they always do a great job. Trin, Dana, Cathy and I are the lady sponsors and Matt, Eric, Brandon, Gabe and Jamie are the guys. We have some new kids so hopefully we can get to know them better. Matt has done a great job putting everything together. He wants to get across to the youth the reality of being saved and what it really means. In fact, our title for the camp is Getting Across. We are doing mini groups on Wednesday nights until camp to get to know the kids better and really talk about salvation and it's meaning. Matt has done a great job of putting together things for us to discuss and the bible passages that relate to them. Camp is about fun but it's also a time to focus on the kids to talk about Christ and His love for us. Susan is coming up for concessions and Tom and possibly Eric will be doing the cooking (yum!). Thank everyone who will be coming up to make camp such a success! I pray that we have a good time and that the kids not only have fun but learn somethings about each other and themselves and the salvation of Christ's blood.

Update on Mom's CLUB and more....

The pregnancy resource center is still slow going but I know word of mouth will get it going strong soon. Right now we counselors are using the time to get to know each other and it's awesome! The Mom's C(aring). L(istening). U(nderstanding). B(onding) is going great. We have 3 mom to be's and another lady who have been to all the meetings. We are forming relationships and helping them through their pregnancy. I pray we can continue to be positive influences in their lives. Thank you to all the wonderful ladies who volunteer at the Abba Clinic and with the Mom's CLUB. Thank God for the wonderful girls he has put into our lives for us to minister to. Monica is starting cooking classes and she even gives the girls little recipe books. She is so awesome! The ladies are excited about the classes. I just thank God for Aaron's vision of the clinic and the Manna Market coming to life and to see how they have touched so many lives already and how they will continue to grow!! The pre-school starts this August ~ much thanks to Tina and Angie for that! I can't wait until we are in Boonville and I can send Hope there. I pray that we can get the christian school going within the next few years so my girls can go there. I know God is doing great things in our community and he's using our church to do some of them and He provides Aaron with these great visions and then the body of the church and the community bring them to life. I can't wait to see what else our body does in the future. Thank you to all the volunteers of the clinic and the market.

Update on Taylor!

She's doing good. Keep those prayers coming. Here's an update from mom and dad.


I just wanted to update everyone and let them know to continue to pray that Taylor has no leukemia cells in her spinal fluid. They did the spinal tap and the results were inconclusive, so they are doing another one tomorrow.........so please pray that tonight is our last night of chemo for this round and that Taylor has no leukemia cells in her spinal fluid.
Taylor spent the day in bed with a headache from having low hemoglobin...she is much better now (as of 7pm) and is coloring in bed with trey and daddy. be sure to check out their new picture in Taylor's pj's.
Taylor has not had any fevers, so thank you for your positive thoughts and prayers. they are working! we are so thankful for wonderful people like you and thankful to God and Jesus for answering our prayers.
We plan on having an entire day of FUN tomorrow! We will keep you posted.
Love and thanks!
Staci and Brent

Women of Faith

We stopped in Cincinnati and visited our friend Tara and her new baby Lucy for lunch
Sonya, Tracy, Susan and I outside the convention center

Our hotelMy favorite speaker! She is hilarious
Sonya, Susan and Tracy

The WOF conference was awesome. I finally got my pictures developed.

Back to work...again

I decided to take the position. I will be doing check in 8-12:30 M-F and then typing in the afternoons. I think I will like it and financially we need it. Praise God for another awesome opportunity!

What to do?!?

I really have it made. I work 2 days a week doing transcription for a neurosurgeon/infectious disease office. I work one day a week at the Abba Clinic (our church's pregnancy resource center) and 2 days I get to be home to do the transcription I do for the OB/GYN office, clean the house and be with the girls. At the Neurosurgeon part of the office they have have a check in girl that works 8-12:30 M-F. She is leaving. They have asked if I'm interested in that position and do my typing in the afternoon. Financially it would be awesome BUT part of me doesn't want to give up my time I do have at home. Faith will be in first grade in the fall and Hope will be 3. I'm really torn on what to do. It would only be about 32 hours/week. The office people are great and I know I'd like it there as I already do. I'm just praying I make the right decision.

Questions to Ponder

I've always wondered:

1) Why does the hair on your head and men's facial hair grow forever but the rest of the hair knows when to stop?

2) How come people with accents don't have one when they sing?

3) When you shave/pluck/wax how does the hair know to grow back?

4) On the Brady Bunch where did guests go to the bathroom? The only bathrooms are in between the kids rooms and Mike and Carol's bedroom (where did Alice go?)

5) What happened to Mike and Carol's spouses? Why did the kids never ask about them?

6) Did Greg have his own room before the girls moved in?

7) What did Carol do all day if she had a live in housekeeper (other than her needlepoint)?

8) On It's a Wonderful Life ~ When George goes back to his life where he was never born his brother died because he wasn't there to save him BUT if he hadn't been there his brother wouldn't have went on the ice because they were all George's friends anyway...right?

9) and Mary became a homely librarian just because George wasn't born? What about Sam Waynewright???

10) How can anyone look at a beautiful new born baby and not believe in God?

Pray for Taylor

I just found out my friends Brent & Staci's daughter Taylor has leukemia. You can read her full story here http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do and type in taylorholweger. She has done chemo and as of Friday she has 0% leukemia left in her little body!!! Praise God! She is doing great and actually eating now. They are hoping to come home soon. She's been at Riley since the end of May. Please pray for God to continue healing her little body.

80's Rock

Julie and I went Friday to meet Jennifer at Jessica's and a few of their friends. We went to Deer Creek to hear STYX, REO Speedwagon and Def Leppard. It was awesome! They sound just as good as they did 20 years ago. There were 20,000+ people there. It was great!

Faith's day at the zoo

Madison, Faith, Selena and Journee
The girls on the giant web
My angel
Dunna, nunna, nunna, nunna, nunna......bat girls!
The Kindergarten classFor the last week of Kindergarten all the classes went to the zoo for a final field trip. We had a blast!

Faith & Stasia

Faith and her friend Stasia....aren't they sweet?

My Family

Me and my sister Debi My niece Jamie and I
Debi, Jamie and my other niece Ashley
Jamie dancing with her daddy

My niece's husband had a surprise party for her 30th birthday. She was pretty surprised. Great job BJ!!

Things I said I would never say to my kids

Yet.....
In or Out...pick one
Get that look off your face before I smack it off
Because I said so
I'm the mom that's why
Shut the fridge
Don't make me pull this car over
We're not feeding the whole neighborhood
Wait until your father gets home
I don't understand whine
How many times do I have to tell you?
You're driving me crazy