Nikki

Helloooo Everyone....

2011-07-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on here in a few days. Boo on me, I know. Im sure you all have been checking constantly for my posts. ;) Anyways, I have done pretty well at getting up this week. It has been quite a blessing to get up, get some coffee, and read God's word without interruptions from children or anything else. I have to say though, today, my husband was off and didn't have to get up early from work, and I totally slept in. Til almost 8. Then I got up and made pancakes and turkey bacon. Yummy!

I had a pretty eventful day today. I had a doctors appt. I have no health insurance, so those are few and far between. I have a Chiari 1 Malformation.

http://www.asap.org/index.php/disorders/chiari-malformation/ (Just in case you are interested..)

This causes me alot of pain and headaches, and may end up in surgeries. Having no insurance, though, I haven't been able to see a neurologist or get any treatment. Ive just had to deal with it. About a month ago, I developed some blurry vision (I could see clearly with 1 SIDE of my eye..It was CRAZY) and got hot, then got a MASSIVE migraine like I have never had before. I was scared to death that something was going on. I went home, went to bed, and it went away eventually. The headaches have seemed to worsen in the last month or so, so I decided I had to suck it up, pay the $100, and go see my primary doctor and see if he had any ideas to help me maybe find a grant or something that would help me get treatment. He didn't know of any grants, but the doctor that he is partnered with said he gets his insurance through an agency through the State of North Carolina that is just for high risk people, who have preexisting conditions, and have been denied elsewhere. This may very well be the answer to my prayers! I haven't been able to look into it yet, but I will update when I do. He also thinks it is income based, which would be even more amazing, considering we are a one income family with 4 people, and 2 of us (Rodney and myself) in college. I will be graduating in December of this year, and have an internship lined up for the fall, so Im praying for God to provide a full time position there with benefits. Its sad how I always took health insurance for granted, until I was diagnosed and unable to get coverage anymore.

Thats a super long post, but please keep this situation in your prayers. I would love to be able to be headache free! :) God is my ultimate Healer. I believe He will do it! :)

How He Loves Us - Kim Walker / Jesus Culture

2010-11-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

How He Loves.....

2010-11-09T08:12:00.001-08:00

Music is about as vital to me as oxygen, it seems. It's amazing to me how God can work through music to speak to hearts and show His love. Even through bands who play unconventional "Christian" music. :) Our praise band has decided to do "How He Loves" as a Christmas song this year. Not the norm, I know, but it speaks of his amazing love and how very undeserving we are. This song is so encouraging to us, as followers of Christ who have to fight in this world to see Jesus. I know for me, I fall short daily....maybe even hourly. How amazing is it that although we are completely flawed, and we dishonor Him constantly, that He still loves us so much? This band singing this song is called Jesus Culture. They are INSANE. I have fallen in love with them, and I go to Youtube daily and just worship with them. It's like you can feel their passion through the screen. I want to have that passion all the time. When Im on stage leading music with my husband and our awesome band, I never want to "go through the motions." I want God to be tangible. I want to feel Him all the time, and just experience His presence. I want to feel His love and know that although I am nothing, He is everything and He loves me all the time, just as I am.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

What a terrible, horrible, no good week....UNTIL TODAY! :)

2010-11-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

So, this week sucked. i hope no one is offended by that word, but its the best descriptive word that I could think of. We had drama at church, which no one likes, but I think that if we can all move past it, it will be a great thing. A staff member was let go, due to conflicts with the pastor, amongst other things that our pastor was gracious enough to not smear around. He felt God's leading to go ahead and do what needed to be done, and he did it. The response was insane. Our youth leader was a nice lady. To our youth, she was "cool." Now, needless to say, over half of our youth and their families no longer attend our church. I understand that it was sad that she had to go, but really. Are you following her or Jesus? Do you not trust your leader to follow Jesus to make decisions? This was the situation that led to my deleting my Facebook. I may return to it after this, but after I "clean" my friends list up. The comments that have been made against my pastor and my church are some of the most disrespectful, hateful, vengeful things that i have ever seen. Sadly, I do believe that God will deal with them because of it. I do believe in a God who casts judgment where it is due. I do believe that He uses it for correction, of sorts. Ministry is NOT easy. It is one of the hardest things that a person can do, because the spiritual attacks are horrid. My husband is a worship leader, and the attacks that he experiences are terrible. I can't imagine what all the pastor goes through, aside from all the other things that he has on his plate. I just want to take a minute though, and say that I am proud to have a pastor that follows Jesus, even if it causes him pain and persecution, which is what he has received this week.
I have also had drama with the person that i have felt for the last year was a great friend. Im not even going to go into those details, but we can just say that it turned out to not be much of a friendship at all. It makes me very sad, but, honestly, I want friends around me who love me and encourage me. Ones that can support me in my walk with Christ, and who have the courage to correct me when I fall short (which i do often). Thats the kind of friends that I need. I am praying through this, and just trying to refocus on the one that matters...Jesus. Its all about Him, anyway. Why should I waste me time on things that don't even matter?

Now, to the GREAT FINALE of a terrible, horrible week! Service this morning at New Life was nothing short of amazing. I have never seen people worship like they were this morning, and after the week I described above, it was well needed for many of us. Our pastor brought a very difficult message, but did amazing as always. I will figure out how to post a gadget on here that connects to our website so that anyone who wants to listen to his messages can. He is very real and relevant and easy to understand. He is also extremely funny. :) Well, I guess that is all for now. Ill check back in later.

Ahhh, Im back.

2010-11-06T10:18:00.000-07:00

So, once again, I most likely have no followers at this point, since I haven't posted in forever. thats ok. maybe this should be my personal therapy anyway. Kinda like a journal of sorts. So much has happened lately that has put me in a funk. Here, I can vent, share thoughts, all while keeping situations and people anonymous of course. I can share life with others who have common interests with me, and just have fun meeting new people. :) I made the decision to perhaps temporarily, perhaps permanately delete my Facebook page. For one, I spend far too much time on there, just "seeing what other people are doing." Who cares, really? Not to mean that in a negative way, but I have a full life, school, church, yada, yada, yada, and somehow, I can find tons of time to just hangout on FB. It can be a great tool for keeping up with people, but it can also become a dangerous addiction. So, I deleted it. We have some dramas going on right now that need prayed through, so thats my plan. Im reading a new book, "Secondhand Jesus," that discussed the "rumored" version of jesus as opposed to who He really is. Not the watered down, "cool" version of Jesus, but the Holy, Glorious Jesus. Thats the one that I want to know and have a close relationship with. :)
In addition to returning to the blogging world, I have joined a few forums, which is new to me. In the last year, I have become a couponer, at the grocery store anyway. I want to learn to be like those insane ladies that can get tons of free stuff when they go anywhere; Walgreens, CVS, Haris Teeter, etc. :) I like free stuff, and now I have a little extra time to be productive. I'd like to use this blog too, to share info with other Mommas who like bargains. I also like easy, healthy recipes, and at times, may post new ones that I like. :) I will try to update daily, but we shall see how that plays out!

PLEASE WATCH BOYS VIDEO! :)

2010-10-25T13:30:00.001-07:00

I am ashamed at how long it has been since Ive been on here! Good grief! Over a year! Anyways, if there are any of you who stuck around regardless of my absence, the boys are in a contest for Elevation Church in Charlotte and could seriously use your support. We were leading the contest until recently. They are getting beat by over 300 views. All you have to do is watch this cue video, and repost wherever you can. FB, your blog, Twitter, Myspace, email, anywhere. They are so excited and it's their first contest! :)

Here is the video...Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIlByOjNeNM

Here he is!

2009-05-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

The baby is here! Kaidan Lee was born last night around 11:30. He is 6lb 2 ozs and 18.5 in long. Miraculously, he is alive and seems to be doing pretty well. He hasn’t taken anything from a bottle, so they are looking at possibly giving him a feeding tube. (Update---Robyn just texted and said they are not doing a feeding tube) He is beautiful! His face and head look perfect! That’s an answered prayer right there. A lot of babies with this condition have mis-shapen heads and abnormalities to the face. He doesn’t though! I have prayed for God’s will in this and for Karee to be safe and healthy, and she is! Who knows what God’s plan is for this? He is very capable of performing miracles, what’s one more? If it is in His plan, he could heal this baby and reveal himself to so many. Everyone please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Robyn says that they (Karee and baby) may come home on Friday. That was unexpected. No one had really planned for that. I will post more as I know more. Keep praying like crazy!! God is able to do miraculous things!! 

Goodbye for now, sweet Kayleigh...

2009-05-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

My heart is broken as I sit to write this blog. You guys should all know about Kayleigh Freeman, the baby girl at CMC in Charlotte that was a preemie. I’ve written about her a lot. I’ve talked about all that she has overcome, and how amazing she is. Well, now, she is absolutely perfect and resting in the arms of her Maker. Even though that is the best place for her, we can’t help being selfish and being upset about this outcome. Her family is devastated, but remains steadfast in their faith that God will see them through this. Not only has her family lost their daughter, but, due to medical bills and other financial issues while Kayleigh was in the hospital, they are losing their house this month as well, to foreclosure. They have had so many amazing people to help support them financially. I’m not sure why there wasn’t enough money raised to help them save their home. I don’t know how far behind they were. Anyways, please keep Adam, Aimee, and their other 2 children in your most sincere thoughts and prayers. It’s going to be a hard road of recovery, but Jesus will see them through every step of the way.

Also, I have a friend who is going in today to have her labor induced. She is very young (19) and is already the mother of a precious 1 year old little girl. The new baby is going to be a boy, but, sadly, he is not healthy. He has a condition where the majority of his brain is missing. The doctor said that he made have suffered a stroke in the early stages of development. His other organs are fine, though. He is not expected to live very long after birth. Our church family is giving her all the love and support that we can. I pray, above all else, that she feels the love that God has for her. I pray that she is completely overwhelmed by how amazing He is. She doesn’t have a relationship with Him right now, but I know that she will, because I believe that my God answers prayers, and she has had many sent up on her behalf.
Please pray today and in the days to come that God completely wrap her in his love, peace, and comfort to help her through this. Also, pray that He help us to know what to do and say to help her and show her the love of Christ. I’ll update as soon as he’s born and we know more about the situation.

2009-04-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

This is an online devotion from Crosswalk, which I though was not only amazing, but very appropraite for everone's financial situation. ((HUGS))
April 30, 2009

God’s Provision – Part 1
Lysa TerKeurst
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God who richly provides us with everything ...” 1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV)

Devotion:

It seems you can hardly turn anywhere today without seeing reminders of economic hardships. A couple weeks ago the news reported we are experiencing the highest unemployment rate our country has seen in 60 years. Friends and family members are suffering due to the loss of jobs, investments gone bad, and cutbacks that seem to be everywhere.
I have a friend who has owned a thriving car dealership for over 30 years. This man and his family have been pillars in their community who are known for their generosity and kind Christian spirits.
This week he declared bankruptcy and has literally lost everything - including their cars. If that isn’t cruel irony, I don’t know what is.
So, I’ve had to have some discussions with God about the absolute heartbreak of this situation. I know God is the great provider, so why isn’t He providing for my friend? God is a miracle worker, so why isn’t He working a miracle for my friend?
These are fair questions about what seems like a terribly unfair situation.
Whenever I face situations I am having a hard time understanding, I have to park my mind with what I know to be true. Keeping my mind saturated with truth keeps Satan from being able to whisper dangerous assumptions, false accusations, and faith-eroding perspectives.
So, what is true in this situation? What is true no matter what situation we are facing?
God is a good provider.
This is true. This is where I must park my mind. This is the reality that must saturate my thoughts. This truth rises above our troubling circumstances and calls us to see life from a perspective outside our screaming realities.
God richly provides us with everything we need. Therefore I must trust that God is providing for my friend. What is in front of my friend is God’s provision. God hasn’t stopped providing just because my friend is in financial turmoil. This situation hasn’t caught God off guard. God hasn’t somehow run out of resources to help my friend.
Part of God’s perfect provision for my friend is to walk through this. I may not like it. I may not understand it. But, because my friend knows and loves God, I have peace that he will make it through this.
The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8-9 that if we think on what is true, the peace of God will be with us. And ultimately, isn’t peace what we want? That’s what I really want for my friend. I want this precious man and his family to have peace more than I want their dealership to be saved, their finances restored, and their old life to suddenly come back and settle into place.
Praise God, His peace is but an utterance of truth away. So, sweet sister, park your mind with His truth today. And watch God’s perfect provision of peace flood whatever dry and lacking ache you are experiencing right now.

Dear Lord, thank You for being my provider each day. Help me not to fear these times of hardship. Rather, help me to trust in You and Your ways more each day. My desire is to focus on what is true and believe that You will make the rough places smooth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

Every time a discouraging thought comes into your mind today:

▪ Replace it with a verse from God’s Word.

▪ Replace it with the truth that God is a good provider and that His unfailing love for you will not be shaken.

▪ Replace it by seeking Him and calling on Him for He is always near.

Reflections:

How can God’s peace restore your faith today?

How can God’s provision restore your situation today?

Power Verses:

Psalm 84:1-2, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (NIV)

Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (NIV)

Alright. I've neglected this...but PLEASE READ!

2009-04-28T07:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I hope that I haven't lost every one of my few followers. :) I have very sad news, and I need your help. Most of you have heard me speak of Kayleigh Freeman, daughter of Adam and Aimee in Charlotte. Kayleigh was a preemie, born weighing just a pound. She is currently 10 months old, and is still in the hospital at CMC, where our Carly poo was. Kayleigh has been a fighter. She had heart surgery a few months back, and was the smallest baby to have this surgery successfully. She has fought off illnesses, overcome prematurity, and just been simply amazing during her journey. Sadly, she had some procedures done last week (G-tube, Nissen, and hernia surgeries). She did not wake up from them, and now she has no brain activity. God is so much bigger than this, however, and I am very aware that He has healed the sick and raised the dead. I also know that His will will always be done, and it will be the right thing, always. I trust in that. I do pray for miraculous healing. I pray that He touch her right now, and that she would wake up with no damage at all. If that's His will, that will happen, and He will get all the praise for it. If it's His will to go ahead and bring her home, I believe that that's healing her completely.
Her family is devastated, as you can imagine. This has been such a roller coaster. It is so similar to the journey with Carly, except that Carly didn't have to fight quite so long. Her parents were looking so forward to bringing Kayleigh home soon, and I think are still planning to. They will bring her home for the last little bit of time that she's here on Earth. Please constantly keep them lifted up in prayer that God will provide them with the comfort and peace that only he can provide.
Along with all of this devastation at possibly losing their daughter, they are up to their eyeballs in debt. The horrid economy, and the fact that they are Real Estate agents have left them in a mess. They have been paying close to a thousand dollars a month for medical insurance, and, because of that, they are in foreclosure on their house, they have had 1 vehicle repossessed, and the bills continue to stack up all around them. Now, unfortunatley, they may have a funeral to pay for as well. Jesus commands us to take care of each other. You can pray, and that's awesome, but if you have the ability to help, you should help. If we could pass this along, and get 250 people to donate $20, that would be $5000! If we could get people to donate $40, that would be $10000! This really isn't hard. How many times do we go to Wal Mart and spend $20 dollars on absolutely nothing? I do it all the time. All you have to do is click on the "Help Kayleigh Freeman" link at the top of this page to give a monetary donation. Please help them take some stress off. Keep checking this page, too, because I'm currently trying to come up with ideas for fundraisers to help. If you have any ideas, please let me know! Thank you guys! God bless! :)

Rachel's getting MARRIED this weekend!!!!!!!

2009-02-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

YEA! I'm so incredibly excited!! I get to be the matron of honor in Rachel and Rhino's Valentine's Day wedding! It's gonna be amazing. I am so happy for them! I love to get all dressed up, so I'm super super excited! Also, update on the Preemie Drive...AMAZING!!!!!!! Agghhhh! Rachel and I never thought that it would be this HUGE! I don't even know the total number of onesies, but it's got to be past 1000 by now. That doesn't include hats, booties, and blankets. People have been so generous, so if you are one of the many generous people supporting Levine's Children's hospital through this drive, thank you, thank you, thank you!! You are so very appreciated.

Also, check out Miss Kayleigh's blog.. www.kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com
She is doing so great! She received her trach, and seems to be tolerating it much better than the vent down her throat. She's so beautiful. That whole family is just amazing. Would you believe that people have been leaving hateful comments on their blog? It was only 1 or 2 bad apples out of about 1000 followers, so whatever, but still. People never cease to amaze me on how mean some can be.

Anyways, i haven't updated in a while, so there ya go! Also, tell me what you think of the dress! :) It's actually in apple red, but this was the only pic I could find. It has a beautiful sash in the back that hangs down to the seam of the dress. THis pic doesn't do it justice. Its amazing!!

Most Beautiful Baby Contest

2009-01-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

So, Rodney entered Micah in Kelly and Regis' Most Beautiful Baby Contest! This is the picture that we entered! Tell me what you think about the pic. My brother, Alex, who is an awesome photographer, took it last summer.

Also, the Onesie Drive is going so great! Thank you to everyone who is helping us with it! My kids in my class are holding a Onesie Drive as part of their service project for Cub Scouts! It is gonna be great!!

Donate Donate Donate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Micah has a GIRLFRIEND!!

2009-01-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

So, this is, by far the sweetest thing ever!! Micah man has a lady friend named Sarah! He's totally smitten with her. She likes to play hard to get sometimes, but today at the park, she was content with their relationship, letting him lead her to the swings!! :)

Updates on some REALLY cool stuff!!

2009-01-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

So, God continues to amaze us with all the response that we are getting in regards to the Onesie Drive. We have had so many people offer to help. Go to Rachel's blog preemieonesiedrive.blogspot.com for details on some AWESOME stuff! I am so excited right now, because I'm a little star-struck. I sent several celebrity singers Myspace messages regarding the drive, not really expecting any response. Well, Fireflight, who happens to be my FAVORITE Christian alternative band responded today!! Wendy, the bass guitar player, and one of the vocalists sent me a message sending her support to Rachel during this time in her life. ;) WOW! Not only am I star struck, (I am aware that they are just normal people like you and I, only with much more opportunity to help ;) hehe) they really could do some great things for this drive, if they can. I replied back asking what they might be able to do. I asked if they could put a link on their website to our site. Who knows? I had to try. I also want to say thank you to someone very special to Rachel and I. Carly Dudley from Australia has been such a support to Rachel and our family since we lost Carly (baby Carly), and her care and support has really meant the world to us. She lost a beautiful baby herself, and through that, she helps others grieve their lost babies through "Names in the Sand", where she goes out and writes their names in the sand on the beach. It is amazing, and so comforting. Go to her blog at scarletriver26.blogspot.com and look at all that she has going on for others. It will amaze you. She is such an incredible person, and we have been so blessed to have her throughout this year. :) We love you Carly! XOXOXO

Micah Man in the TUB! So cute!!

2009-01-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

He's taking a bath at Aunt Rachel's and Uncle Rhino's...

WBTV Charlotte News Channel 3

2009-01-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Here's the newscast of WBTV helping us promote the Onesie Drive!! Yea!!! :)

Here it is!!!!!

2008-12-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

Annual Preemie Onesie Drive!

2008-12-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

Scroll down to my previous blog to see the video of my angel baby niece, Carly Nicole. She passed away in March of this year from a heart defect at 4 months old. She was born at 28 weeks, and was only 13 ozs. She was such a fighter, and we miss her terribly. My sister in law (Carly's Mom) gave birth to another baby girl this past November, who was stillborn. Her name was Hannah Kathlean, and she was born sleeping at 32 weeks. She was only 2 lbs, 15 ozs. The video before is of Hannah.)We have no idea why these baby girls were taken so early, but we have peace in knowing that God can always make good from any tragic situation. There is no telling what remarkable things that He has planned through what I'm about to tell you about.

My sister in law is starting an annual preemie onesie drive in their honor. The donations will be delivered on March 9, which is the day Carly went to be with Jesus. The donations will go to Levine Children's Hospital's NICU for all the preemies to have. With all of the ups and downs and uncertainties in the NICU, one simple pleasure that a Momma or Daddy can have is being able to dress their baby. The hospital doesn't carry onesies for preemies. Receiving blankets are also needed. Any monetary donations are also greatly appreciated, and will be used to purchase more onesies if needed, or as a donation straight to Levine's for new NICU equipment and premature infant research.

Please donate!! Your generosity could save a baby's life, or at least, make a NICU Mom's day a little brighter!!

donatedonatedonatedonatedonatedonatedonatedonatedonatedonate!!!!!!!!!
What could be a better way to spend some money?? Anything you can do is greatly appreciated. You can donate from my blog!
Spread the WORD!! Thanks! :)

Nikki

Check out the blog for more info:
www. preemieonesiedrive. blogspot. com (You can get here from my blog)

Looking back on 2008..Good Ridance!

2008-12-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

So, as I sit back and look at 2008, I realize that it has been by far the most challenging, and heartbreaking year ever. Here are a few of the things that God has helped us get through this year...
First, we lost my step-grandpa to cancer in February. He and my Mama had been married since 2000, and he was amazing. He treated my grandma like the princess that she is, and it was terrible losing him to a three week fight with leukemia. My grandmas first husband, my Papa, died in 1998 from lung cancer. My children loved Peepa so much, and it has been really sad without him.

Carly Nicole Elliote, my beautiful baby niece who was born in November at 28 weeks gestation, weighing in at 13 ozs, passed away in March from a heart defect that they found just hours before she passed. This was so unexpected, because she was dong amazing prior to this, and was due to go home soon. It was an absolute nightmare. She was 4 months old, and weighed a whopping 4 lbs when she went to Heaven.

Two weeks later, we found out that Rachel, Carly's mom, was expecting again. This was both exciting and scary, as we didn't know what to expect.

Very soon after that, like, a few days I think, Rodney and Rachel's brother, Josh, was in a horrible car accident that almost took his life. Josh means the world to us, and none of us can imagine life without him. He was in a coma for 3 weeks, and was in a semi-coma for several weeks after that while in Rehabilitation at the CMC (Charlotte). We didn't think that he would ever be the Josh that we knew before. Nurses even tried to prepare us for the worst, telling us that he may need permanent long term nursing care. Josh is now home, (thank you Jesus) and is doing remarkably well. I think even the medical professionals are amazed. He still has his personality, and is functional overall, normally. He still struggles with depression and confusion, which was to be expected. He has no memory of baby Carly being born or passing, or of the accident or the 3 month hospital stay. We are just eternally grateful to our amazing God for sparing his life!

Next, I found out that my oldest son, Brendan's biological father, whom we haven't spoken to in 3 years died in April. I actually was searching him on the internet to try to find some contact info, because Rodney and I had been speaking with attorneys to see about getting the adoption process started, and I found his obituary. This was incredibly strange for me. I had been so angry at him for 3 years, that I didn't know what to feel about this. For the next 2 weeks, I felt like i was in a fog. I was sad, because I have a constant reminder of him in Bren. He was a good man, he just made very bad choices. I hate it though, nonetheless.

Last, but definitely not least, Rachel's pregnancy ended on another nightmarish note. She had come to Fayettville to visit with us, along with her fiance, Ryan, and Josh back in November. She was 32 weeks along, and everything was going great. She received a clear-bill of health on the baby from the high-risk specialist, and was told that she could continue out the remainder of the pregnancy with her regular OBGYN. She had had a Dr appt the morning that they came down here, and everything was perfect. They left the next day to go home, and once they got home, she noticed that she wasn't feeling the baby moving. She drank some coffee and laid down, and still nothing. They decided to go to the hospital and get checked out. Their fears were confirmed when the Dr wasn't able to find the baby's heartbeat. Hannah Kathlean Elliote was born the next morning, stillborn. She weighed 2 lbs 15 ozs, and was absolutely beautiful, just like her sister. She had curly black hair. We have no idea what caused this. An autopsy was preformed, but we haven't received any results yet. Rachel and Ryan now wish at some point to pursue adoption, so if anyone has any advice for them, please let me know.

We also (Rodney, Rachel, and I) have been following the blogs of 2 other families in the NICU at CMC that Rachel came upon and introduced me to. The first is the Joye family, who gave birth to preemie twins last year, and stayed in the NICU for, I think, 4 months. They are now home, which is amazing, but one twin is having some serious issues, and just had to have a stint put into her brain. They are such amazing people, and this has been such a journey, and God's walked every step with them. Follow the stories of Adleigh and Liana Joye at www.ferrisjoye.blogspot.com
The other blog that we follow is that of Adam and Aimee Freeman, and baby Kayliegh. Kayleigh has seemed to follow Carly as far as her journey, and the obstacles that she has faced and overcome. She's had a number of surgeries, including open heart surgery. She is just a little over 5 lbs now, and 5 months old (She was a preemie, too, so that's not her corrected age) They thought that they were going to lose this weekend, but that baby girl is a trooper, and she is fighting hard. She seems to be pulling out of it! We sang this morning at church, "How Great is Our God?", and that is sooooo true! There is no limit to what He can do. Follow Kayleigh's journey at www.kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com It has been a blessing to watch these 2 journeys, but it also has been very hard to relive Carly's journey through them. We love them all, and God will pull them through. He is AMAZING!

Now, we are a few days from Christmas. We have had many other struggles this year as well; financial being one of the main ones that have caused others. We have struggled in our marriage, fought with addictions, disagreed on how to discipline children, felt like God was a million miles away, wanted to quit everything, wanted to go home, felt defeated and depressed, and at times, just wanted it all to end now!

That being said, I have to also reflect on the fact that we have 2 beautiful, healthy children that God has entrusted to us. They are amazing and wonderful. I couldn't ask for anything more. We have a strong faith, even through Satan tried to discourage and destroy. God has been with us every minute, and He will remain by our side. Those baby girl angel's lives touched so many people, and we don't know who all we will meet in Heaven that are there simply because of the life or death of those girls. If that's the case, as hard as it is to say, it was worth the sacrifice, and their parents agree to that. If someone, even one person, is saved from Hell because of those girls, then we look forward to meeting them one day. We miss our girls, but we will see them again. As for Josh, he was living a very wreck less life; very self-destructive, and now his faith is Christ has been restored, and he is a living, breathing testimony of God's love, healing, and mercy. We love him so much. God has held my grandma through her dealing with her husband's loss, and we have seen her strengthen remarkably. At first, we thought that we were going to lose her too, of a broken heart. Rachel is such a remarkable person to me. She is the person that I think I respect more than anyone else. I look up to her as an encourager, and a role model. Her faith in God through all of this is nothing short of a miracle. She is the strongest woman that I know, and I love her so much. As for Bren's father's passing, Bren was able to get survivors benefits to help us out some financially, which has been a huge burden-relief. He never paid any child support, so this was a much needed blessing. God works in mysterious ways. I just pray that, by some miracle, he came to know Christ before he passed. I tried to talk to him a little about it when I first became a Christian, but he made fun of me. Hopefully, he got his heart right after that.

So, even though we go through trials here on earth, and terrible, horrible things happen, God is right there. He doesn't tell us that we won't face difficult things here on Earth, He just promises us that He will never leave us alone. I am so grateful for that.

...Let's just pray that 2009 is incredibly WONDERFUL, full of amazing, miraculous things!! :)

In Memory of My Sweet Baby Niece, Hannah Kathlean

2008-11-20T17:57:00.001-08:00

These are two beautiful videos of my beautiful baby niece who is now safe in the arms of her Creator. I look so forward to the day when I can cradle her in my arms, and kiss her sweet face, as well as her big sister, Carly's. The last video is of Carly, throughout her short visit to this world before she went to be with Jesus. You will need tissues for this...:) These are very difficult to watch, as both show pictures of both girls after their souls have left to go to Heaven to watch over their Mommy and Daddy.

New Baby Angel

2008-11-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

So, most of you know our sad news. My sister in law, Rachel, and her fiance, Ryan sent a new baby angel to be with Jesus on Friday. She was 32 weeks along with baby Hannah Kathleen. She came to visit with us on Wednesday, and had had a doctor's appointment that morning. All was fine with her. She had a strong heartbeat, and their was no cause for alarm. She went home Thursday and that night, wasn't feeling Hannah moving. She drank some coffee and laid down, and still didn't feel anything. She went to the hospital and they tried for 2 hours to find a heartbeat. The doctor came in soon after to do an ultrasound, and confirmed their biggest nightmare. Hannah was gone. They delievered her at 9:00am Friday morning. She was 2lbs and 15ozs. She had black hair, and was beautiful. The doctor told Rachel that the placenta had attached to her uterine scar from her previous c section when she delievered Carly, who went to Heaven in March. Hannah was not able to get what she needed to survive because she wasn't getting blood and nutrients. He also was not able to deliver the whole placenta, because of some large blood vessels that had formed there. Rachel ran a high fever for a few days and had some heavy bleeding. The doctor also said that she may have to have a D and C, and possibly a full hysterectomy. PLEASE, PLEASE pray that this is NOT the case for Rachel. We believe in miracles, and nothing is impossible for MY GOD. He has raised from the dead, and healed the sick...HE CAN DO ANYTHING. I believe that with all my heart. Hannah's funeral will be Thursday. I can't imagine losing one baby, let alone 2 in less than a year. God is faithful, however, and He will carry them through this. We don't understand why things like this happen. God doesn't promise us that we won't see troubles, He just promises to NEVER leave us. I pray right now that God, You would touch Rachel and Ryan and comfort them as only YOU can. I pray that you supernaturally intervene and do what seems impossible. You say that you will give us the desires of our heart, and YOU know that this is Rachel and Ryan's most intimate desire. They want children of their own, just as Abraham and Sarah did. You blessed them with Samuel, and I pray that you bless Rachel and Ryan with a healthy, happy baby that they can raise and love unconditionally. Please, God, touch them right now, and allow them to feel your love and grace, and let them know that You are right there with them. I know that as you cuddle those babies in your arms that you know the love that Rachel and Ryan have for them. It's the same love that you have for their Mommy and Daddy. Help them to feel that in an unbelievable way. Help this to bring them closer to each other, but most importantly, to You. You say that you never give us more than we can handle, Lord, I believe that. Comfort them through this horrific time. I can't imagine, God, what they are feeling. We love them so much, Lord, and we just want to cradle them like you are those beautiful babies. Give us the words to say that will help them through this time. I ask for your incredible Spirit to pour down on them like they have never experienced before. I love you so much Jesus. Thank you for how amazing you are, even through tragic situations. You are very aware of what it's like to lose a child. Help them to know that you fully understand what they are feeling.

Sorry...I'm Slack.

2008-11-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it's been forever since I posted. My two faithful viewers have informed me that they cannot go through their week without knowing what's going on in my life. (Rachel and Jessica :) ) Of course alot has happened since my last post. The loser teacher is gone, thank God! We currently have a substitute until we can find a replacement. She is alot of help. Apparently, not everyone wants to teach bipolar children. Why not? Everyday is an ADVENTURE! Ha. I am currently nursing a slightly loose tooth and a busted lip thanks to one of my little darlings. Yes, I got beat up by an 8 year old girl. (You can stop laughing now, I really got hurt...) She packs a good punch. She might have a career in boxing. :) She was in the middle of a meltdown where she started punching on a boy that was smaller than her. I knew that she could really hurt him, so I intervened. She didn't really know what she was doing when she punched me. She was just in the middle of a crazy meltdown, and I wasn't able to get her restrained quickly enough before she got a few hits in to my FACE! She did apologize later, though. I went to the dentist, and, sure enough, my tooth is loose. There's nothing that can be done at this point, I just have to wait for it to tighten back up. Don't worry, in the meantime, I have good pain meds! Haha! That same day that I got punched in the teeth, I also got bit 3 times, and thrown into a cafeteria table. I have a tennis ball size bruise on the back of my arm, and a hurt back from that. Ugghh. I need to get hazardous work environment pay. Now do you see why it's difficult to find a teacher?

Next up...Halloween was fun. I took the boys trick or treating with a bunch of friends. My hubby and his friend, Adam, organized a church community event where we set up in two neighborhoods and passed out coffee and hot chocolate to parents who were taking their kids out. We also had some drawings for prizes. We had 2 MP3 players, CD's, Real Life T shirts, etc. It was cool. We set up bounce houses for the kids. That's always fun. :) The boys dressed up like Ninjas. Rodney and I are gonna dress them up again so we can take pictures, because I misplaced the camera right before we left to take them out. Doh!

Lastly, I have a huge prayer request. I follow a blog for a little baby named Kayleigh Anne Freeman. She was a preemie born at CMC Charlotte where Carly, my niece, was born. She is going to be having a HUGE heart operation tomorrow, I think. Read her blog to learn more about it, but it sounds very scary. She is such a precious baby and has had so many struggles. Please pray that she comes though this perfect, and recovers 110% so that she can go home soon. Go to kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com
Also, my new baby niece should be here in about 8 weeks! Yea!! I am soooo flippin excited! God has soo blessed us giving us another baby niece. This pregnancy is going great, but if you ask Rachel, she's exhausted. ;) The joys of pregnancy. She did find out that she has gestational diabetes, so keep her in your prayers with that. I just can't wait to hold that beautiful baby. She's going to be spoiled rotten. I can't believe that she'll be here in no time. Right after Christmas. I couldn't ask for a better Christmas gift! Please continue to pray for a healthy, full term pregnancy for Rachel, and a perfect, healthy baby when all is said and done. God is amazing. I'll try to be better with blogging from now on...promise.

So many Good things!!

2008-09-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

So, lots has happened since I last blogged. I've been busy, so it's been awhile. First off, the teacher that I was with doesn't work there anymore, which (sigh!) is a relief. I did get convicted this morning in church, however, of the gossipy attitude that I've had towards him. I've bad mouthed him to anyone and everyone that will listen, and that is not right. I know better than that. No matter what I personally think of him, I should be praying for him before anything, not being critical of him. So (gulp!) I'm sorry for handling that situation the way that I did. Please genuinely pray for him. Pray for me, also, that God would take away my gossipy, negative attitude. It doesn't help anything. It actually tends to make bad decisions worse.

Next, the Joye twins that belong to Wade and Ferris (you can get to their blogs from mine) went home this past week!! Yea!! That is such amazing news!! These twins were 3 months premature, and there was a pretty good chance in the beginning that at least one, if not both wouldn't make it out of that hospital, but God allowed the sun to "STAND STILL" over those baby girls, and He was faithful to his promise. He told Wade and Ferris early on that their girls would be healthy, no matter what they were told by doctors. Now, they are healthy, happy girls at home with their parents. Keep praying over these girls and their parents, and keep checking their blog. It will really encourage you!

Church was fantastic today! We had almost 200 people in both services combined! WOW! To think, a year ago, we started with, like, 15 people! God is amazingly ridiculous! We trusted Him, and like always, he delivered! Rodney and I went into today kind of glum. We've dealt with some things the past two weeks, so, please keep us in your prayers as well. The music was rough during practice this week, and we were concerned that we would be more of a distraction, but it went really well! We had a few technological issues, but other than that, it was great! God showed up and it was wonderful!

We went as a church and watched "Fireproof" Friday night. We rented out a showing of it and passed tickets out to people we know. We packed the theatre out! That was a fabulous movie. If you haven't had a chance to see it, GO! It will really inspire your marriage. Whether your marriage is awesome, or maybe feels like its falling apart, go see this movie. With all the movies that promote divorce as soon as things go bad, it's nice to see a movie that you can see from God's stand on it.

Now, I've gotta go take care of the 7 children that are in our house!! Yikes! It's great! ;) Our friends Adam and Andrea are on a date! We are glad to help. I'm sure quiet times in their house are few and far between. 5 of the children here are theirs, and the oldest is at our pastor's house having a play date!! Fun times!!

Music Lessons

2008-09-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

So, Rodney and I had our first vocal lesson today! We heard of a vocal coach through our friend Alexis. She is awesome! She allows us to do our lessons together, since we sing together in the band, and she only charges us the price for 1 person. How cool is that? Also, she is going to start giving us both piano lessons next week!! Yea!! I have always wanted to learn piano. I am extremely excited!

Onto my school drama. Today was really no better than the others have been. He is now "attempting" to teach, by pulling stuff directly off of other teacher's lesson plans. He teaches things that are wayyyy too difficult for our kids. He doesn't seem to grasp the concept that our kids are EC, even though supposedly, he's an EC teacher. I'm so annoyed. He left at noon today due to back pain, which was nice. He's barely there in person, anyway, I'd rather him not be there at all. Then at least I can teach the kids in a way that they are going to understand. We really had a fun afternoon. We had recess, then we went inside for some Math. We practiced multiplications tables, which they all really struggle with, and them played a Bingo Multiplication game. I couldn't find any game pieces, so we used Goldfish crackers! ;0 I'm so creative. Of course, they became snack after the game was over! Haha! That's all. I'm going to bed!

I'm really close to fed up!

2008-09-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

So, I'm gonna use my blog to vent..I hope that's cool with everyone. Like I have mentioned briefly in previous blogs, I started working with a teacher this year that is new to my school. He's not a new teacher, just new to this school. Supposedly, he's taught for, like, 20 years. The last 10 or so have been in a high school BED class (Behaviorally and Emotionally Disturbed). Well, this year, he's with me in an elementary SED room (Severely Emotionally Disturbed). We have 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

From day one, he's been lost. He says he's overwhelmed, but when anyone tries to help him, he refuses to accept it or listen. For the first 2 1/2 weeks, I ran the class. I planned the lessons, taught them, did all the paperwork, prepared and graded homework, and handled the majority of the parent contacts. After figuring out that he was sitting on his booty doing nada, I decided that was not cool with me. He was doing NOTHING. Everytime I tried to talk to him about it, he would tell me how awesome I was and how much he appreciated what I do. He also said that, hopefully by Christmas he'd be ready to take over. WHAT?!?!?! Oh no. I don't think so. I get paid squat. I work for health insurance basically, and because I genuinely love my kids in the class. I decided to step back a bit and see what happened in the room. Chaos broke out. The kids fought, and screamed and went bananas, all the while the "teacher" messed on his computer, while I "handled" it. I went to the principal. She is wonderful, and she said that she would handle the situation. She has spoken to him, but he still is clueless. I went to three teachers that have EC inclusion classes and made copies of their lesson plans. Yea, he hasn't done ANY yet this year. He took those lesson plans from a month ago, and glued them into his lesson planner book (that I got for him). He then, after all that I have done to try to help him, has been making rude sarcastic remarks to me the last few school days. Ugghhh. I really would like to punch him in the nose. For real. I so do not get paid well enough to deal with his drama.

So, hopefully, he'll get fired and we'll get a new teacher. A good one. That would be awesome. It's hurting the kids more than anything, because they are stuck with me doing the best I can at teaching, when they need am experienced instructor that has it together, and can handle the issues in a SED classroom. It's not a "normal" class, and he, when he does lead with teaching briefly, tries to teach them like they are high functioning students, which none of them are. So, any advice on what my next step should be? I'm tempted to call the school systems anonymous line and tell them to get someone over to observe him ASAP. Then maybe he'd get the boot.

Also, to completely change the subject, tomorrow, my sister in law, Rachel has a OBGYN appt. She is about 24 weeks along now with her 2nd baby girl. Her first daughter, Carly, passed away this past March at 4 months old from a heart defect. She was born extremely early, and weighed only 13 ozs. Pray that tomorrow, the ultrasound shows a perfect baby girl, who measures right on time with her due date, which is January 1st. Last appointment, she was measuring about a week behind, which has Rachel very nervous, because Carly stopped growing in utero due to complications, and had to be delivered by emergency section at 28 weeks. God is in control, and we believe that when all is said and done, we will be able to hold and love and kiss on a healthy, happy, beautiful, Hannah Kathleen Elliotte. I can't wait!! ;)

I don't know if i'm gonna make it.

2008-09-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

So, school is killing me. My classroom (I'm actually the assistant who does everything) is chaos. I love the kids, but they are so difficult. Ugghh. I can't even talk about it. It's just miserable right now. Anyway, we are having our new sermon series start on Sunday. It' s gonna be awesome. All the sermons are based on TV shows. We are going to be incorporating secular songs in the services..I'm doing Carrie Underwood's "Last Name". We purchased professional quality lighting that my hubby and Darrell put up today. We extended the stage out 4 feet, and recarpeted the kid's areas. We are ready to ROCK AND ROLL! Come and bring lots of friends. 1st service 9:45 and 2nd service 11:15. Be there!!We also are starting 2 services...again! God is incredible! It's only been one year yesterday since the launch of our church. It's amazing to sit back and look at what God has done. I'm so glad to be a part of it. We have met the most amazing people since we started. I have made such amazing friends. It's funny, before we were Christians, we really didn't have any friends. Not any true friends, anyway.

So, Friday is a very important day in history...maybe one of the most important ones ever...MY BIRTHDAY!! ;) Yes, boys and girls, I am celebrating another year of life. I'll be 26 years young. Wow. I can't believe in a few years, I'll be 30. Ugghh again.

Some more exciting news...I think I'm going back to school. I printed the application for Fayetteville State, and filled out the tuition request form for my two previous colleges, so my first steps are complete. It's gonna be hard to find the time, but I really want to do it, and I'll be great at it. I am getting great experience as an assistant who does everything. (I'm really not kidding about that..EVERYTHING.) I believe, though, that God will provide the way for me to go back to school and finish in a timely manner. I'm excited!! I want my own classroom. Not a room that I run and don't get the credit for. (I'm a little bitter, sorry)

That's all I have for now.

Anybody out there??

2008-09-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

So, out of pure curiosity, does anybody READ this? I rarely get a comment, so, either no one reads this, or I am just so boring that no one cares. ;) I think I would rather the first option! I am playing on the Net while Rodney is out playing basketball with a few friends from church. We had a nice Labor Day. Last night, we had a few families and their kids over for dinner. One of our friends brought "Guitar Hero" for the PS3. It was incredible. I absolutely rock on the guitar! I'm pretty smokin on the drums, too. Also, I found out that Adam Gregory has an inner ROCK STTTAAAARRR! :) You rock, dude! We had so much fun. I think I got to bed about 12:30am! Wayyy late for me. We had 10 kids here!! Ahhhhh!! ;0 It was madness, but so much fun! I love kids, especially when I can send 'em home with their Mama at the end of the evening. Today, we decided to venture to SouthPoint Mall in Durham. Wow, that is a friggin HUGE mall! It was really nice. I bought a new aromatherapy candle from Bath and Body Works. It is Lavender Vanilla Sleep. It is ridiculously great. we bought the Sleep pillow spray the other day, and it is wonderful. We also bought the Eucalyptus aromatherapy candle the other day, and it is graet as well. I also bought a really cute shirt at Aeropostale for 5 dollas!! What a deal! It was alot of fun. Anyway, I am now going to light my new candle, pop some popcorn, and watch Diego with Bren. Goodnight!

What would I do?

2008-08-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

Ugghh. I just heard on the TV that they believe that the 3 year old little girl, Kaleigh Anthony, is dead. I was hoping and praying that they would find her somewhere alive and fine. I can't imagine something happening to one of my children. I have a four year old boy. He is my whole life. I can't imagine my life without him. How could a mother allow anything to happen to be her baby? What kind of monster is Kasey Anthony? The news is now saying that they found a hair sample from the Mom's car that appears to be the little girl's. Lately, we have been having alot of behavior issues with Brendan. He is having some awful temper tantrums, and has been waking up during the night. This has been very frustrating. It really wears on a parent when there is a difficult child involved. I just sit here now and think, despite the hard times, there are soooo many incredible times that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. He is so full of life, and so wonderful. he has the best sense of humor, and loves to make people laugh. He is a Mama's boy and adores his Daddy. I feel so guilty when I might go overboard with discipline, especially when aggravated. i can't imagine what I would do without him. We are so blessed to have him in our lives, and the horrible thing is, you never know how much time we are going to be given with our children. You have to make the absolute most of every moment, even the trying ones. Look at each difficult behavior as a stage that will pass, and enjoy and love your child while they are still young. One day, they won't be so quick to run up and hug and kiss you or sit in your lap for a story. Don't miss it. As Kenny Chesney says, "Don't blink." That is so true. I pray God's forgiveness for any time that I have been too hard on my baby or made him feel like he wasn't everything to me. I don't want him to ever doubt how much he is adored and cherished by his Mommy and Daddy.

Whew...I made it!

2008-08-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

OMG! What a crazy day! The first day of school is utter madness, and, to top it off, we had to go to Wal-Mart! Ugghhh. I'll start at the top. First off, it was Bren's first day of pre Kindergarten. I so can't believe that my baby is in school. I really don't know where time goes. Anyway, he was obviously completely stoked about it. We got to his school around 7:10 or so. I meant to be at my school by 7 to finish up some stuff, but that didn't happen. So, I took Bren in and helped him get settled. Then I snuck out while he was talking to a pretty blond over Cocoa Puffs. I went out to get in the truck (I was driving Rodney's cuz he had farther to drive so he took my Honda), and it woudn't start! Ugghh! Of all the days for it not to start, this had to be it. I really think that God sometimes has a very odd sense of humor. I'm gonna take it up with Him when I get there! ;) So, this was at 7:15, so I start freaking out! How crappy is it to be LATE your first day back to school? It wouldn't have been quite so bad if I wasn't with a new teacher that knew nothing about the kids that I had last year, and who is not very experienced with this age group. Well, I called into work and told them I would be there ASAP. Rodney saved the day and came and rescued me. I got to work 1 minute late. Not too bad, except all my kids were there for the most part. It was ok, though. The new teacher was doing a group activity with them. At about 8:00, another boy walked in with his Mom. I had never saw this kid before. Apparently, he was new to our class. His Mom had registered him this morning. Who registers their special needs child the DAY school starts back? Ugghh again. So, he made the 10th member of our wild group. We are maxed out. NO MORE! I can't handle any more. ;( Overall, though, the first day went pretty well. It's gonna be hard stretching myself and the teacher enough to fit the needs of all 10 of them, because they are all soooo different. Even the grade levels include kids that are light and day away from each other in learning skills. It's really challenging, but I am determined that not one of these kids will fail this year. I would also love to see at least 80 % pass the EOGS. that would be awesome! Anyways, the Joye twins are doing awesome. Check out Ferris's blog. Also, if you want to cry a little, go to my myspace and click on my sister in law's page "Expecting #2". There is a ultrasound video of my soon to be new baby niece. She is perfect and healthy. God provides. I can't wait for the day when I can look into her eyes and tell her what a miracle she is and how much we all love her. I miss my baby niece, Carly so much, even though I only got to see her a few times before she went to be with Jesus. I still watch the videos that Rach has posted of her and I cry. She is so special. I know that Jesus enjoys every moment with her. I am so jealous. ;) I gotta go eat some chocolate cream cookie ice cream (it's fat free, so I don't feel a bit guilty.) Then, I'm going to bed. I can't get back in the swing of this. I'm thankful for Labor Day weekend. Ugghhh.

Goodbye Summer break!

2008-08-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

SO, I went back to work at the elementary school yesterday. Goodbye to a great summer. I'm very excited to get back to work, though. I love my job. This is the first job in a very long time that I can honestly say that I love. It is exhausting, and very demanding, and at times I want to quit....but the kids always make me remember why I am where I am. It makes me feel like I am really doing something good. I love seeing these kids succeed. They are great kids, they just need alot of love. I'm with a new teacher this year. He is very cool. i think it will do our boys and girls good to have a guy teacher. They were surrounded by estrogen last year! We still have BED (Behaviorally and Emotionally Disturbed), actually, this year they changed it to SED (Severely Emotionally Disturbed). We are breaking up grade levels, though, which will be great. We have 3-5th grade. the kids come back Monday, so I'm really excited! ;) I already miss my sons, though. It's been nice having a whole summer with them. Bren should be starting Prek next week, and Micah's gonna stay home with Dad. I am so thankful that we don't have to put him in daycare. We have had nightmare experiences with daycares!! I am praying that Bren can get into the school where I work. That way, I can keep an eye on him. Plus, this school is, by far, the best elementary school that I have ever seen. The staff and administration are top of the line. They are all fantastic. Hopefully, I can find out this week when there will be an opening at our school. Bren's number one on the waiting list. Anyways, I'm blogging on my lunch break, and now, I have to get back to school to laminate posters!! Joy Joy!

Random Thoughts...

2008-08-16T18:29:00.000-07:00

So, Rodney and I are sitting here watching the presidential candidates debate with Pastor Rick Warner. This campaign has me really fubared. (I know that's not really a word, but I used it, so, ha!) I have always considered myself a Republican, but, I don't really know what to think this year. It is not a cut and dry election. I feel that, because of the issues that fell upon Pres. Bush, the 2 candidates are saying alot of really nice things that everyone in the US wants to hear. Senator Obama makes many great points, and explained his views very well tonight, and say does McCain. McCain seems to be more of a comedian than a politician. He really is funny, but tonight, I think Obama outdebated him. I wish I was more political. I have to blame it on pure ignorance. I have no clue. This election effects the next 4-8 years of my life, as well as my children's. Who knows. Anyways, we have church tomorrow, and that is always exciting. I really love going to our church, and spending time with our friends. Most importantly, I love hearing Darrell teach us about our awesome Savior. I love it. I can't wait to see where God is leading our church. Oh, by the way, check Ferris' blog and check up on the girls. They are doing better. Liana is a trooper. She is doing great. Adleigh is doing better, but still greatly needs all of our prayers. She is still on the vent in the NICU. She needs to be with her sister. (I told you these were RANDOM thoughts. Tehe!) I'll post more later!! Buuuyyyeee!

Prayer request for Joye Twins

2008-08-12T20:50:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody, please really lift up Wade and Ferris Joye's twin girls, Adleigh and Liana up in prayer right now. I want to get everybody that reads this (I don't know how many that is, but it doesn't matter), to please copy and paste this to your email contact list, church prayer chain, etc. They are preemie babies that are currently in CMC Charlotte. You can check my blog list and click on Ferris's for better updates. Liana is actually doing pretty well. She is now in progressive care, but is having a little trouble with feedings. Ferris wants her to take a full bottle very soon. The sooner she can do that and tolerate it, the sooner they can come home. Liana also needs prayer for a severe brain bleed that she had. Please pray that when the next ultrasound is done, that there will be no evidence of a brain bleed at all and she will be completely healed and normal. With Adleigh, she just got moved back to the NICU today from progressive care due to some issues she has been having. They had to put her back on a vent, which, as you can imagine is extremely difficult on her parents to watch. Her oxygen had to go way up as well. Please pray that she gets some needed rest while in the NICU. She is having her 2nd blood transfusion in a few hours. Pray that that gives her the needed strength to recover and move back to progressive care with her sister. Wade and Ferris are such an encouragement to so many people. They are awesome Jesus loving people, who still believe that He heals. I DO TOO!! I know in my heart that God has a huge plan for these little girls, and I ask that you all pray and intercede on their behalf. The projected date for them to go home if all goes well in Sept. 18th, but I pray that God works it out to where it is sooner than that. I ask for perfectly healthy, beautiful girls who love Jesus with their whole hearts, and go to any length to tell others about Him and what He has done in their lives!

VBS

2008-08-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

So, tonight was the first night of the first VBS for Real Life Church!! It was awesome! We had almost 50 kids..actually more including nursery! Hopefully we will have more tomorrow. The kids had a blast. Everything went very smoothly, thank goodness. I thought my friend Robyn (the pastor's wife) was gonna have an aneurysm. :) Haha. All went well, though. She is awesome and she got VBS off to a great start. We would all be a mess without her. It was really fun to dress up like pirates! The theme is "the Pirates who Don't do Anything" (veggie tales). VBS is a great way to end the summer. I have to go back to school Monday. Ugghhh. It will be great, though. I miss the kids and the people that I work with. They are all great. The kids are my favorite. I work in BED, (pretty much, difficult children in difficult situations) and I love it. Most of these kids just need good direction and love. None of them are "bad", and they have heard that they are most of their life, which is really sad. I love being the one to encourage them and lift them up. I'm going to go now and check Wade and Ferris Joye's blogs and then go to bed. If you really need a blessing, or just need to see how awesome God is, check out their blogs. I look so forward everyday to checking them. They recently had twin daughters very prematurely. They are still in the hospital in Charlotte, but they are doing phenomenal. Wade is a worship leader at Elevation Church in Charlotte, where my family visited a few times before we moved down to Fayetteville. I love that church. Check out their website http://www.elevationchurch.org/. Their pastor is Steven Furdick, and he is incredible. Check them out!! Goodnight!

Happy Sunday!

2008-08-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't been on in a few days. We stay soooo flippin busy all the time. Time seems to fly away before we know it. Rodney and I went to Albemarle this past weekend and sung in a wedding. It was very nice. Rodney was so incredibly nervous. I thought it was hilarius because he's a worship pastor! He leads people singing all the time and he's awesome at it. He is silly sometimes. It went really good though. I love the opportunity to sing with my husband. Especially sweet lovey dovey songs. Hmmmm...anyway, I also got to go and see my friend Judy's new baby girl Madi. She is beautiful of course. She is just a little thing, around 6 lbs. I don't know anything about 6 lb babies. Bren was 8lb 12 1/2oz, and Micah was 9lb 8oz!! They were almost toddlers when they were born, but that's cool, cuz one day, they'll be NFL stars, and will be supporting their loving parents who live in St. Thomas!! Or maybe Australia..I would love to see kangaroos....I'm so ADD! Hehe! Baby Madi is such a blessing. She is gonna be spoiled rotten. I can't wait until the first of January when we have my new baby niece!! ugghhh! The anticipation is keellling me!! Church was great today, like always. One of my buddies, Brandon, talked about his recent mission trip to Hong Kong. God really blessed them, and us through Brandon. He definitely has a calling in missions. Anyways, it's really late, and I'm going to bed!! Night Night!

My new baby "Neice"!

2008-08-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

One thing that stinks about moving to Fayetteville, (aside from missing my family) is that I left all of my best friends behind. I have a few girls that I was very tight with. The sad thing is, when you move away from each other, you can't meet up for lunch, or drop by each other's work to say "hi." I just missed my friend Judy giving birth to her first baby! Ugghhh! She and her husband had been trying to have a baby for a long time, and she was worried that it just wasn't gonna happen for them. She is the most wonderful person, and she was meant to be a Momma. She just has that Momma mentality. She is so loving and patient. She is great with my kids. We used to pick on her because she would buy baby clothes and baby things for her baby that wasn't even conceived yet. When she found out that God was blessing them with a baby girl, she was thrilled. Madison Rae Parker showed up at about 11:17pm Friday night, August 1, 2008, on Judy's daddy's birthday. She weighed in at 6ibs 12 1/2 ozs, and 19 in long!! She is gorgeous! Babies are such a blessing. I pray that this baby has such a positive impact on people, and that through her, people, including her family, come to know Christ if they don't already. I'm not sure of the salvation of her parents. I have prayed for them for a long time. I believe that God honors prayers, and He will work on them. I just pray that they accept his call. So, that is my exciting news for today! I have been cooped up in this house for 2 days, and I'm going crazy!! We have band practice tonight, though, so that will be fun. We are getting ready for VBS next week. Fun times at Real Life!!

Went to the Neurologist..

2008-08-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

Before I found out I was pregnant with Micah, I was having issues with migraines and blurry vision. I also had a spell of Bell's Palsy (which is when 1 side of your face goes paralized temperarily). Anyway, I had 2 MRI's, a CAT scan, and a spinal tap (Lumbar puncture). No fun. The dr. then said that I had MS, which the lumbar puncture proved was a misdiagnosis. Then I found out that I was pregnant, and couldn't do any more testing. I should have gone back before now, but I was nervous and kept putting it off. Today, the Dr. reviewed my results from the lumbar puncture, as well as the MRI's and said that I have a chiari malformation, which just means that a part of my brain is lower than it should be, possibly down to my spinal column. He said that I also have a abnormal spot on my brain, but I already knew that. He said that occassionally, the malformation can lead to MS, but that we would keep a close check on it. He told me to take Aleeve for my headaches, and gave me medicine to help me sleep better. I go back to him in 3 months, so, we'll see. Everything will be fine. My friend Jamie said, "So that's what's wrong with you?!" Huh. Thanks alot. ;) Ugghhh. How come ever since I turned 25, I feel like I'm at the doctor's office all the time? Do people typically start falling apart at 25? I don't feel terrible all the time, I just have to deal with these stupid headaches. I actually have felt better in the past few months because I have lost 21 pounds!! Yea!! I'm really proud of myself, which is not something that I'm used to. I just tried to give up sugar for the most part, eat more fruits, veggies, lean meats, and fiber. I don't even work out. I chase around the boys, but that's it. I hope to lose alot more when I get back to work and have to chase my kids at school! That is a great workout! I hope to lose about 25 more. Then I will weigh what I did when I got pregnant with Brendan. Anyway, I'm gonna go lay on my couch and be lazy. Rodney is with Darrell and our new friend Adam, having a "meeting" for church on the golf course! Ha! Life for them is hard, huh?

Growing, growing!!

2008-08-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, church this morning was great! I wish that we had service more than once a week. We actually took a pole today in service to find out when people would like to have another service, like a second Sunday service. Currently, we are extremely crowded, which is an awesome problem to have!! We tried doing an early service, but, apparently, Real Life does not have any early birds, except for staff that have to be there. We had 1 person show up this morning for early service! Haha! So, obviously, we canceled it. We are considering either a Sunday afternoon or a Saturday evening service. We really want to give people a chance to come that have to work on Sundays. It really makes me so excited to see new people almost every Sunday at our church. We have only been a "church" for 1 year! It is amazing how God has worked. At first, we had a launch group of about 20, including children. Now, most Sundays, we average about 100!! WOW! That is this summer...this fall should bring people back who have not been around much of the summer. We had a new couple come today that actually found us on our website. That was cool. Our website has been seriously neglected in the past 6 months, so it was nice to see it actually do some good. We have an awesome new man in our church who we believe God provided to get us up and going more in the technological world. Hopefully, he can spruce up our website, and get this church really rockin! It's amazing how God provides. It seems that whatever we have needed for our church, He has provided, whether that be a particular person with a particular gift, or a material object. It is awesome!

To update on our abused girl from the previous posting, I am glad to say that she called our pastor's wife yesterday and said that she wanted to come back. That was Saturday. We thought that she'd have come before now, but we are trusting that God is working on her and giving her the courage to come. I'm sure it's gonna be a battle with her "boyfriend." I hope not. He's such a jerk. A very unmanly, cowardly JERK! Pray for him, that God dramatically changes his heart and his life, and that I learn not to be so judgemental..but he really is a JERK! :) (God's still workin on me....)

Skillet Pictures & Photos - Skillet

2008-08-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

Skillet Pictures & Photos - Skillet

I absolutely LOVE them!!!

I just finished a book...

2008-08-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

My husband came home the other week and had purchased a book from a christian bookstore that he thought I might like. It was "The Shack" by William Young. I read it once, and I loved it. It involves a man who's young daughter is kidnapped and brutally murdered. He lives in a constant state of sorrow, hating himself and God for the events that had taken place. He has nightmares constantly with his daughter calling to him to help her and he can't. It later goes on to show how God "showed up", literally in this book, to guide Mack through it, and help him to forgive himself and the murderer, so that he could move on with his life. It reveals God in three physical persons; God, Jesus, and Sarayu, (The Spirit). I have already started to read it again. It gave me such a great vision of how God is so full of love, and how he wants to help us through our trails if we will just trust in Him. I just read a review, however, that leaves me a little bothered. You can read it at http://www.challies.com/archives/book-reviews/the-shack-by-william-p-young.php, but don't read it until you read the book. It pretty much says that the book portrays a far too lenient version of God, and does not reflect the consequences of not accepting Him as a person's Savior. It doesn't portray that people have a limited amount of time to make the decision to come to Christ; it actually has a passage where God tells Mack, "Time is on our side, I won't push you." That seems like God has already forgiven every one of their sins, whether they are Christians or not, which is definitely not true. I have refered this book to many people so far, and I did really enjoy it, I just want people to not be led astray from who our God is. Yes, he is awesome and loving and forgiving, but He is also only going to be ours if we ask him into our hearts and accept the free gift of salvation. If we don't, we know the consequences. Time is not on our side. The time is coming when Christ will return, and people need to know that they need to be ready. The only way to Heaven is through Christ. This came from God himself. Anyways, that's my "book review." Tehe!! I still really enjoyed the book. Many things about it I believe are true, but some things may be a bit off. It is a fiction book, however, and I suppose that happens. Always let the Bible be your number one source of information about Christ, not a fiction book. It is fun, however, to compare and contrast similarities and differences. Well boys and girls, I'm off to church for Movie Night at the coffeehouse!!

Ahhhh...the joys of motherhood

2008-07-31T07:11:00.000-07:00

I love my boys with all my heart, as I've said previously, but they are a handful!! As I sit here writing this, my youngest, Micah, is screaming at the top of his lungs at Brendan, my four year old. Apparently, they are having sharing issues. What else is new. This has become the normin our house...lots and lots of screaming and crying! I thought this morning, we (Rodney and I) are in desperate need of a solo vacation. Maybe find a sitter and go to the mountains for the weekend. That would be nice. Then I thought, if we didn't have them, we would beg to hear their crying and arguing again. I love being a Mom. Every day is filled with new joys and new challenges. We just have to rely on God to be our strength, and, at times, our therapist. he doesn't mind. hhe knows what goes on in our life before we do, so He understands how we feel. When all feels lost, and you think that you are at your breaking point with stress, work, kids, whatever, talk to Him about it. He will guide and direct you. He's really cool like that. Oh! I have something awesome to report! My sister in law sent me a Myspace message yesterday and said that she had a great doctor's appt! She's pregnant for the second time. She's 18 weeks along. Her first daughter was born in November when Rachel was only 28 weeks along. She weighed in at only 13 ozs. She beat the odds of prematurity ad did really well. It ended up being a heart defect that took her life in early March. She was four months old and barely shy of 4 lbs. She was our baby girl, and now she is going to be a sister in Heaven. Her name was Carly Nicole, and she looked just like a china doll. Her new sister is due around New Years. The pregnancy is going great and the doctor announced that Rachel is no longer considered high risk! God is awesome!! Anyways, I'm off to work now. Bye!

Aggghhhh!

2008-07-30T17:34:00.000-07:00

So, my first post is...I don't know anything about this blogging stuff! I am completely illiterate! My hubby is gonna have to tutor me on it! Tehe! Hopefully he won't mind! I did figure out how to post blogs, though, so that's a start. I thought that starting a blog would be kind off like a journal, and also a testimony of how God has worked in my life. Hopefully, I won't bore anyone too bad. If I do, find someone else's blog to read! Just kidding. I'll post again tomorrow. I am now going to put Brendan to bed. It's 37 minutes past his bedtime. Micah has been in bed for 30 minutes already, and i don't hear any screaming, so that's a good sign. I them am gonna try to find some ice cream. (Fat free, of course) Then, i plan to go hang out with my hubby and maybe enjoy a little peace and quiet. Night Night!!