Isom Adventures

ANOTHER YEAR TO MAKE MEMORIES

2012-01-10T11:35:00.020-06:00

A new year is always wonderful and so many thoughts come with the start of a new year. My thoughts usually do a little reflecting but then they drift to of a couple special days in the beginning of January. My husbands birthday is January 7th, and this year he turned 40. I really wanted to have a big party for him, but I couldn't make it work in our budget. So we celebrated as family and had a special day with him. Turning 40 is always fun to make a big deal about, but it was really a bigger deal that we were celebrating another birthday with him. It has been a year since he had kidney cancer removed from his body and cat scans continue to show all is well!

We had dinner at Pasquals and it was really nice. Since we arrived right at 5 when they opened we were seated in the back room all by ourselves. Our kids had never been in a restaurant so quiet, so that was interesting, but it made for a great teaching opportunity. Breann stated later that night, "that was a really nice and quiet restaurant, I liked it". I can see her getting taken there a few times in her future by her daddy and it being special time for them.

The kids and I made sure to decorate a little for his birthday....

... and of course there had to be 40 candles

My husband is a special person, and he shows us love unconditionally in our home. I always think of him as the better half that I continuously can learn from. He strives to keep a positive attitude no matter what. His willing heart is always open to doing for others. He is committed to serving God and that is a strength in our home like nothing else could be. I am blessed to have such a man in my life to be my husband, I love him!

Then we go to January 9th being Colten's birthday. He turned 5 on this one, and sometimes I can't believe it. I think it really hits home with me because 8 months from now he will be starting school. I will miss not having anyone at home with me during the day for sure! On Monday we let Colten pick the dinner, and he wanted chicken tenders and a roll. During the day Colten and I made chocolate cupcakes with fudge pudding filling and Toy Story deco. I don't know how many times he used the phrase, "well today is my birthday, so....", to have everyone answer to him and the things he wanted to do. It was funny!

FAMILY IS IMPORTANT, HAVE FUN & ENJOY LIFE!!!

2012-01-09T18:38:00.001-06:00

WASH THE WINDOWS

2011-09-01T12:47:00.002-06:00

I am reading a book right now that I'm sure some of you have read before. It is Home Improvement by Dayle Allen Shockley. It's a really cute, practical every day living book. It compares home cleaning and organizing skills to our actions and daily living. The last chapter I read was Wash The Windows, and it was about keeping a cheerful attitude. I loved the way she ended the chapter, and thought I'd share.

*Hi, my name is __________, and I am a full-fledged, bona fide grumbler.
*I am solely responsible for my irritating behavior. Not my spouse. Not my children. Not my mother. Not my father. Not my circumstances.
*I have chosen to allow other people's behavior and life's annoying situations to dictate my mood and my reactions.
*I have chosen to speak the words I speak and the tone of voice in which I speak them.
*Therefore, I can choose to stop allowing other people's behavior and life's annoying situations to dictate my mood and my reactions.
*I can choose to speak with a gentle and cheerful voice, even if I think it might kill me.
*I can choose to speak positive and uplifting words to my family, friends, and strangers.
*I can do all things through Christ.
*I will start today.

She also goes on to say, "Life is not the way it's supposed to be, it's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."

Excited About Cooking

2011-08-24T12:59:00.002-06:00

I am so excited about this blog I came across yesterday in search of a specific recipe. I love to cook, but a lot of times I need motivation because I get tired of the same things. My husband really gets excited about new recipes so I usually try for one or two new things when planning my two week menu. However, this is always such a big job it seems. I use spreadsheets for almost everything I do, and that includes my grocery list, & menu. So I sit down with my computer in front of me and piles of cookbooks surrounding me in search of new recipes almost every two weeks. I truly love cookbooks and looking through them, but mostly if they have pictures! Well even in doing this it is so much work to make my menu, because another thing about me is I love variety. My friends that have shopped with me know this is so true! This "variety" carries over in my menu planning. I will not plan two similar meals in a two week period. This goes for things like Italian, Pasta's, Casseroles, Mexican, etc. I also will not cook the same meat two consecutive nights in a row. I know that is kinda crazy, but I like to have different things if I'm going to take the time to cook. So now that I have said all that I can tell you the reason I love the new blog! For the Love of Cooking has lots of pictures! I love how she even takes pictures of the ingredients for most of her recipes. Sometimes it is hard to find a new ingredient that you have never used before so this works great to be able to see it before going to the store. Not all of her recipes are totally healthy ones but with what I have seen it is obvious that she tends to think healthy in her cooking. I noticed she uses mostly organic foods and does things to avoid frying. I never have been a big frying person my self because it is so bad for you and it makes such a big mess. She has several different categories of foods which makes for tons of options. I love that I can just sit down and within clicks, cutting and pasting I have recipes with pictures in my documents, and I can put the ingredients into my grocery list easily. I'm sure there are a lot more cooking blogs out there, but this happens to be the first one I have even looked at I think and it meets so many of my likes that I am just excited about it!

OLD.... I MISS THESE TIMES

2011-02-15T12:13:00.001-06:00

HAIDEN'S B-DAY, WHICH MEANS....

2011-02-09T02:44:00.005-06:00

Well today is finally here, the day Haiden, Dad, & Mom have talked about for months now, his birthday! This has been the birthday that's been anticipated for sometime now, because he turns twelve today. As we all know at Life Tabernacle, this means he is officially going to be part of the youth group! Not being raised in church and experiencing this anticipated day when I was a child, I don't really know what kind of excitement it holds for a young person. I feel excited for him though. I feel like making jokes with him, laughing with him and being crazy because "HAIDEN, YOUR IN THE YOUTH NOW", lol! Maybe a little crazy for mom, but oh well. I think about the memories he will make over the next 6-8 years of his life, the challenges he will have, choices he will be faced with, becoming more of what God wants him to be, and I can't help but be excited. This also means that we as parents will have many challenges and things to learn in parenting as well. I'm so glad that we will have God to help us learn through it all! It is hard to think about letting go, and him being off with other people on various trips, but I know we must let him spread his wings and fly so to speak. He just seems so young, and he is, lol! I will say I'm glad he is our first to learn these things with. No one is perfect, but there are some days my husband and I joke about Haiden being the perfect child. Up until this point he has been easy to teach and train. In so many little things about him I am constantly reminded of the miracle he was in my life 12 years ago, and still is!

A Storm That's Like a Dream

2011-02-06T00:47:00.002-06:00

I came to my blog tonight to glance over it and think on making a post. I updated a few things that only took a moment, and then sat as I felt there was nothing to write. I really wanted to update my post seeing it had been almost two years since doing so, but felt like where do I begin or what do I say. As I thought about what has been going on in our lives, I began to think it almost doesn't seem real, but yet like a dream. Here we are in February, and January is over. From the very first day in January throughout the month it was a storm for us. When thinking about this, it came to me, how a storm to each person is different. There are so many things that factor in within the storm, that it affects everyone differently and works different things in there life. At the same time, many different storms bring the same feelings to us all while in them. How we deal with those feelings, depends on whether or not we are seeking and trusting God. There have been many thoughts rush in and out over the past month, and even the "why" & "what are you doing God", but in the midst of all that an unexplainable peace from God is what my husband and I both felt. We laughed, we cried, we talked, we prayed, and knew that God was there the whole time. We don't know why there had to be a mass on my husband's kidney, and how it was so large but never any problems, and why surgery to remove the kidney and mass, and why it had to be cancer, but God does! It was a storm in our lives that God was showing himself strong in our midst. Even on the days when it was hard to think positive, we knew God was there. As I thought of all this seeming like a dream, I found thankfulness in that. Many times when something is like a dream it is because it has been quiet sometime since that happening. Time has caused the situation to seem as if it were never real. I'm thankful to feel like this was all a dream, because I know without a doubt that God was carrying us through it all, and that He still is. When the storm is like a dream, then you feel that it has passed. Thank you Jesus!

YEAR END QUIZZING

2009-06-26T00:07:00.003-06:00

I'm finally taking the time to give a brief rundown on our quiz year. It has been exciting, challenging, and much more. This was not only a first time for Life Tabernacle to have a quiz program, but also "The Isoms" first time to be over an actual quiz program. So with those two things in mind, we are extremely PROUD of how Life Tab performed in quizzing tournaments this year. Chris and I are proud of every single child that ever participated in learning the material, the Word of God! Let us also say we are SUPER PROUD of the parents, because without dedicated parents the children would not have stood a chance at learning that much of the Word of God. Our parents did an awesome job with their children at home, giving us much to work with during quiz practices. Once again THANK YOU parents! A big thanks goes out to all those who gave of your time to help during the quiz season, and helped in any way. Also, to those who supported this program through the "Partners in Quizzing" thank you very much for making it an easy year financially. Your giving allowed this program to function at it's fullest, THANK YOU! We also say thank you to Brother Holley for allowing my husband and I the opportunity to take on this challenge in coordinating a Quizzing program. I personally want to say THANK YOU to my husband for doing an incredible job through all of this. The team could not have succeeded as they did without you leading them as a coach. You were the leading force keeping it all together when I felt as if I couldn't juggle it all on my plate. Thank you for helping me to keep my focus and burden for the quiz program. We enjoyed the Quiz year and now we are going to enjoy our break!

BREANN & COLTEN PICS

2009-05-15T01:20:00.000-06:00

JUST PICS

2009-05-14T00:51:00.002-06:00

TIME & ENERGY

2009-02-17T13:27:00.002-06:00

I've been thinking about the service we had a few months ago where our Pastor had a few people talk about something they were going to give to God or for his kingdom in this year of 2009. We as a church were challenged to give something of ourselves above and beyond what we had been doing for the kingdom of God. My husband chose to talk about TIME & ENERGY, and wanted our goal as a family to give more of our time & energy to God in 2009.

I think of this and wonder, where is the time and energy? I feel so far this year that I have had less time and energy to do anything. My time seems to diminish so quickly and I seem to be so tired to many days out of the week.

My point of this is in the midst of our lives, when we decide to do more for God there is always a fight. The moment we voice dedication to God a battle begins! Then there comes a time when we must decide to fight like never before, or to ease out of the fight by continuing to do our normal walk with God. Of course it is always easier to just back away from the fight. Change is never easy no matter what it is, but when we fight CHANGE is guaranteed to happen. I know if I take this thought and fight by giving more of my time to God, then God will bless me with the energy to be an effective part of His Kingdom. I want there to be a love and overflowing joy in everything I do for God. If there was something you dedicated to give more of to God in 2009, then put forth a fight to see it happen. Let us do more for God, and let it all be for his Glory!

SORRY IF....

2009-01-31T23:53:00.003-06:00

Well the previous post about our reduced debt may have been to much information shared. I just honestly didn't think much about it because we are so use to hearing Dave ask his people how much debt they have or how much debt they paid off and people tell their numbers. I have to say that if it were not for the blessing of a bonus last year there is no way we would have been able to make this kind of dent. Also, I guess we were just over excited about our debt reduction because we know how much we had and STILL have left. Anyway, sorry if this came accross in a wrong manner!

ONE YEAR AFTER DAVE RAMSEY

2009-01-31T01:02:00.005-06:00

It has officially been one year since my husband and I went through the Dave Ramsey classes. We really enjoyed the classes, Dave's teachings, and listening to his show. However, not long after the classes ended the Dave excitement began to ware off as most things seem to. We lost our gazelle intensity and didn't snowball our debt as we probably could have. Even through losing the excitement we managed to make a HUGE dent in our debt along with some other pluses. We refinanced our house, saving 4% I believe in interest and only financed for 15 years. We had birthday parties, went to Branson and Family camp in Lufkin, and paid cash for Christmas. All of these Dave would have said NO to doing when you still have debt. We view these type things just a bit different. These areas of our life made memories in our minds and hearts to last a lifetime which was worth more to us than throwing a chunk of money on debt. Anyway, at the end of one year after going through Dave classes our numbers tell us that we reduced our debt by $21,029.75 and we had fun also. All you Dave Ramsey fans, DON'T GIVE UP! You can be debt FREE!!!

FINALLY CELEBRATED

2009-01-17T16:01:00.004-06:00

We finally mangaged to celebrate Colten's birthday!

It seemed as if I threw it all together, but it was still nice. A GREAT thanks to all who came because you are what made it special. With us living so far from family it seems as if we count on our church family so much to share these special moments. It is hard to believe he is two years old and doing some of the things he does. Of course I know he picks up fast with three older syblings. Colten you are special to us in your very own ways and we love you!

????????

2009-01-16T02:23:00.002-06:00

I'm sure you wondered what are the question marks for as a title for a post. Well that is just how my mind feels. I have wanted to make a post many times here lately but I can never seem to put any thoughts in order to type. So far this year things just seem a little strange for me. You know I thought after the Holidays there was suppose to be a calmness that comes over everyone. I still have not had that, lol! I'm the type of person who likes to have everything just so, and know what is going to happen next. For whatever reason, it's not happening like that for me so far this year. I really just feel like everything is scattered and nothing is in order as it should be. Who knows? God does! You know things like this in our everyday lives may seem like a small everyday happening, but we never know what is really going on. Maybe there is something about me that needs to change. Maybe God is pushing me to trust and lean on him more, instead of "Christina" thinking she has it all worked out all the time.

I can only say that all is well! Not a dull moment in the Isom house. I must say that I have so enjoyed the lessons about raising and training our children in Sunday School. I try to replay it all to my husband, and we can only try our best to apply in our parenting lives. It is a constant challenge to make the right decision at any given moment with our children.

Hope everyone has a blessed weekend! Looking forward to being in the house of the Lord Sunday, and expecting GREAT things, as always, from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

1ST POST FOR 2009

2009-01-05T01:58:00.002-06:00

It is now 2009, WOW! Life already seems to be in high gear for this year, but that is okay when life involves Jesus Christ. I'm looking forward to things God will do this year in many of our lives and those we have been praying for. May you all be blessed in 2009, and draw closer to God in all that you do.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2008-11-20T12:12:00.005-06:00

Now today marks the day for not having two four year old in the same house anymore. Ryan is 5 years old today!!!
You are a GREAT boy and we love you so much! You keep us on our toes with some things, but you always seem to make up for it with your heart felt worship and thankfulness for so many things. Thank you for reminding us daily to lift up Jesus and praise him, and keeping a spirit of Worship alive in our home. We are proud of you and everything you are accomplishing your first year of school, and with the Bible Quizzing. You are doing a GREAT JOB!!

4 YEARS OLD

2008-11-10T00:36:00.006-06:00

We officially have two 4 year olds in the Isom house! Breann had her birthday on Friday November 7th and she is now 4 years old along with Ryan. Despite all the sickness that has gone around to everyone in our house I think Breann had a special day. We went to eat at Pizza Hut Friday evening, then came home and let her open her present from us, then we made cupcakes!
Breann you are a very special little girl to me and your daddy! You are just the girl we always wanted. You are beautiful in many ways and we LOVE you very much!

GOD BLESS AMERICA

2008-11-06T14:50:00.000-06:00

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE

2008-11-06T13:23:00.001-06:00

KIDS WILL BE KIDS

2008-11-06T00:11:00.002-06:00

There have been post about the election and I'm sure numerous emotions and thoughts, so I figured I go a different route with my post. I will say though, God is in control and he is still on the throne, and when you think about that it is really just enough to make you want to shout in the midst of where America may stand or may not stand. We must keep our eyes on who really matters, God!

Okay, so now the small "kids will be kids" story! Tuesday I had bathed Breann and got her out. Then Ryan and Colten were next in the tub. So I left them in there a while, then went and got Colten out. Put the lotion on, the diaper, then the jamas! I put him down from my bed and he takes off. I get the things together and head down the hall to find Colten practically jumping in the tub with water still in the tub and his pajamas still on! It is like he already knew what he was going to do before I ever put him down from my bed. I was not very happy this time seeing how he did this a few weeks ago and I told him it was a no no. The problem that time was that I thought it was so funny I got a picture of him in the tub with his clothes on and laughed about it. So here he was doing it again. I did not laugh at the moment it happened this time, but I laugh now! Kids will be kids, and you never know what they are going to do or say!

ALL IN ONE POST

2008-11-01T00:54:00.009-06:00

It looks as if everyone went home from the Fun Fest and posted on their blog, so I thought I should just knock mine out too. Our internet has not been functioning properly for the last month so my online happenings have been limited. Sometimes I don't understand how life is really just so busy! About a month ago we made a trip to the park. It had been a long time since we had done this as a family. In the end while our three oldest were digging in the sand, Colten decided he would just keep putting some on his head! They had fun just being kids and getting dirty.

We just finished up our first nine weeks of school and had a Halloween/End of quarter party! It was just at the house, but the kids loved it! They iced cupcakes, made goody bags, hunted candy, ate pizza, and played pin the nose on the pumkin. They thought it was great!

Our Bible Quizzing is getting up and running. We have had our first two practices and the kids are picking up fast on what needs to be done. We are truly proud of all the kids who have learned any number of verses. No matter what the number is on the amount of scripture learned, it is just that much more of God's word that they had not known before they started quizzing. As for our own children, I must say it is going well with Ryan. Mom and Dad just have to keep reminding themselves that he is only 4(almost 5) and we can not expect the same thing out of him as Haiden. So believe me it is a challenge for us to be patient and understanding! Ryan does have 38 verses memorized though, and when I say 38 I mean he can quote them word for word without mistakes, he really knows them! Haiden is on about the 110th verse I think. So as usual he is moving right along. We are making him have all his material learned before the first tournament in January. Somedays we spend 2 hours reviewing verses, the Word of God, but one day it will be worth it all!

Our Fun Fest at the church was EXCELLENT tonight. Brother Todd, Sister Julie and all the helpers did a fantastic job and THANK YOU all for the FUN you made possible for our kids and our visitors. I have limited pictures of this fun night due to the breaking of my camera, OH NO!!! When I picked Colten up from his chair to put him down after he ate, his foot caught it and knocked it off the table. It has been a great camera for 4 years, and I had been wanting a new one anyway. The thing about it now is that I'm not sure how we can manage to buy the one I want before all these holidays get here. Oh well, this is just life, and life is GREAT!! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Worship

2008-10-07T11:24:00.002-06:00

TRIED TO CATCH RYAN

2008-10-06T15:37:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago during play break at school Ryan was really preaching his Bible Quizzing verses. I tried to hide my camera behind a plant to catch him, but he saw and of course calmed his acting down. He still did one verse!

POSTING FINALLY

2008-10-04T01:40:00.002-06:00

Well I have finally made myself take the time to make a post once again. Life has just been busy around the Isom household since school and Bible Quizzing have started back up. I seem to not get on the computer much anymore and when I do it is just to skim through email, blogs, and bank accounts. Sometimes I can get carried away trying to do to many things at once. So lately that has consisted of teaching, cleaning, ironing, painting walls & picture frames, organizing closets and tubs of clothing, Bible quizzing, cook, buy groceries, take pool down, put trampoline back together (to find out we need to spend about $400 on replacement parts if we choose to keep this one), and whatever else I find to do spur of the moment. Next year I plan to have someone clean house for me, and someone keep our yard for my husband. So I'm looking forward to that! Anyway, school is going really good, and I'm still enjoying it very much. The children seem to be learning daily and understanding it all. We have fun during school and I've got some fun parties and trips in the planning for the rest of our school year. Ryan and Breann wish they had school everyday, and want homework for their dad to do with them every night. It is mostly review not homework, but they love it at this age! As for the Bible quizzing in our house, Haiden is obviously not having a problem and learning the verses well and quickly. Ryan is doing excellent as well with this being his first year. Don't get me wrong we have had some very ruff days with him on this, but I think we finally got through the worst of it and he realizes we are not playing around and it is not a game. Ryan has 25 verse memorized and is actually a few days ahead of schedule. Howie came over last weekend and we got to spend some time reviewing him and I want to say that he is doing a GREAT job with his verses. Life may be busy but God is still in control and I'm thankful to be serving him. I love the Lord and desire to be pleasing to him in everything I do. Until next time posting God bless all you bloggers!

Hello Blogger World!

2008-09-11T06:44:00.005-06:00

I know this may suprise many of you. I must first of all thank my wonderful wife for keeping this page going even though I initially talked her into doing it (2-years ago) and told her that I would help with it. So here I am!

I have enjoyed many of your postings and comments as I have "watched from a far", but the time has come when I feel that I could no longer remain silent.

It is TIME TO UNIFY our great nation. With our presidential election now only 8-weeks away. This is an election that will decide the next President of the United States. The person elected will be the president of all Americans, not just the Democrats or the Republicans. To show our solidarity as Americans, let's all get together and show each other our support for the candidate of our choice. It's time that we all came together, Democrats and Republicans alike. If you support John McCain, please drive with your headlights on during the day. If you support Obama, please drive with your headlights off at night.

Many of you may have seen this before, I will endeavor to be original with my next post. I just thought it was too funny this morning and wish I knew who to give credit for this idea.

posted by Chris Isom

GOOD 1st WEEK

2008-08-28T14:54:00.004-06:00

Our little school got off to a good start and I feel like we had a successful week. You know I have thought so many times what if I can't do this or what if they don't learn. How am I really going to teach my children? Lots of questions run through my head, so to see the difference in the children from Monday until today makes me feel good. Ryan, Breann, and Abigail have all had a successful week! They are already listening to stories more closely and answering the questions correctly. They mastered the Abbie Antelope letter sound, and mastered connecting dots to make circles and straight lines. This of course doesn't seem like much to those of us who are older, but when you think about it in the fact that if before Monday we would have given these kids these same papers they would have had no clue what to do with those dots. My three kids are very good students and it really is going well. I'm enjoying it very much! I am very thankful to have Abigail being a part of this as well, and it is such a blessing to have Michelle take Colten so we can totally focus on our schooling. I love what I'm doing!

READY TO START SCHOOL

2008-08-23T23:08:00.001-06:00

I finally finished up our little school room. Everything is set and ready to go for Monday.

JUST STUFF

2008-08-18T23:46:00.002-06:00

Well I am finally making my self sit down and make a post. Things have just been busy and non stop since returning from Branson. Just to let everyone know I have seen and read your post and enjoy them as always. I just never made time to post comments, sorry! I have been trying to get everything ready for the kids for schooling. Getting Haidens things ready is no biggy, I just have to get his books for him and he pretty much does his work on his own. However, I am going out of my comfort zone to try and home shcool Ryan and Breann this year. Ryan is not suppose to start Kindergarten until next year, but I didn't want to wait until then in case it doesn't go well then he will not have lost anything by us trying. On top of teaching Ryan it just makes sense to get Breann in on it as well. They are both very excited about it! I have gone all out in Breann's room in decorating and making it as much of a classroom as possible. We have the ACE letters and number train on the wall, a couple of posters with shapes and signs on them, dry erase board, and a calendar that we will change out every month. There are still a handful of things left I need to do before we are all ready to go. They have their own little table desk and chair. They have decided this week they are going to go ahead and start calling me Mrs. Teacher, lol! I'm excited about the challenge set before me, and I hope it all goes well! Here are just a few random pics put together for a slide show. It may be a while before I get around to another post again.

4TH PLACE AT NATIONALS

2008-07-26T21:16:00.003-06:00

Well some know already and some do not, so here it the latest update from the Bible Quizzing Nationals. Our boys placed 4th out of 43 beginner teams! This is beyond awesome to me, and we are so very proud of them both. I've said this already but I must say again the boys played very good team work. One could not have came in 4th place without the other, and they did GREAT working together. I think this is the most awesome way for them to finish out their time of quizzing together. They have made a special memory that neither of them will ever forget, and have made a wonderful team for the past four years now. As I say every time though, the most important and wonderful thing about all of this is the word of God that has been put into their hearts. Nothing in this world can compare to what these boys have gained from the word of God. Also, at nationals Haiden made the all tournament team. He actually received a 2nd place trophy for the highest individual scorer from the top eight teams. There were about three other quizzers who had a higher average score than him on the all tournament team, but the top two are picked from the top eight teams. Yes, we are so very proud of him for this. He had a few bad games with very low points so we were not expecting him to get this 2nd place trophy, but even with the bad games, he played well in the others which must have made up for the bad ones. Haiden and Austin have done a great job!

After the awards on Friday, we went to a nice restaurant and let Haiden get whatever he wanted. He picked ribs to eat! His daddy told him don't get used to that kind of meal now, LOL! Then there were a few shops I wanted to go to before leaving town, and Haiden still wanted to play a game of Putt Putt. Needless to say we did not leave Branson till a little after 7pm and arrived home at 4am Saturday morning. What is crazy is that it did not seam like we were in the car for eight hours. My husband and I talked about Bible quizzing for 2009 a lot and this helped us both stay awake. Thank the Lord for a safe trip home and a wonderful week!

ON A WINNING STREAK

2008-07-25T00:11:00.003-06:00

Okay, the boys are doing totally AWESOME! They won all their games today and are now gauranteed no less than 4th. They are doing so awesome as a team, I have just been amazed. They are playing the best team work I've seen here yet! I'm sure there are others as I have not seen all games played, but our boys have done the best team work that I have seen. I love this for them so much seeing how this is there last year to quiz together, and what a way to end their quizzing together. They are making a huge memory for themselves by playing the way they have played. I'm so proud of them both and we are going to hate to see them seperate as quizzers, but time and places does have a way of changing things. We love Austin and have fun with him, and we will miss the quality time we have had with him during quizzing. WE ARE VERY PROUD! Oh, and we attended the Noah Musical tonight and thought it was wonderful. I was so amazed at the props they have for this drama and how fast they changed the scenes. I would say it is a must see for anyone who comes to Branson! Also, want to say a huge THANK YOU to anyone who helped support Haiden coming to Nationals. With you support he has been able to have fun, but at the same time be serious and play to best of his ability during quizzing. Thank you all for your help!

WEDNESDAY IN BRANSON

2008-07-24T23:55:00.002-06:00

On Wednesday we actually got to sleep in due to the boys not having to play one single game that day. The boys watched a few other teams play, and we did a little practice in the room. We enjoyed lunch at Shorty Smalls and it was very good! We talked to the little ones during lunch and it made me cry. I miss them and hearing their voice on the phone just made me miss them even more. Breann asked me, where are y'all and for whatever reason I just started crying. I guess I had not really had time to think about how far away we are from our children. That evening we enjoyed our dinner and show and The Dixie Stampede. It was a lot of food! Oh, and the South won for those who know about this show. That was it for Wednesday!

TUESDAY UPDATE

2008-07-23T23:09:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday the boys started off that morning playing a game. They lost this game down to the last question, but I hear they played great. I didn't feel too well Tuesday morning, not sure if I had bug or what. So, we headed out to the Kirby magic show that day at 2pm. We enjoyed that very much, and continue to wonder how they pull some of those things off. It was neat to watch! After that we ate at The Pasta House, which was good! Then we headed out to Shepherd of the Hills for that drama. We really enjoyed this, and Haiden said it was awesome after watching. Then we stopped at the Lumber Jack and rode a couple of go kart rides to finish off our evening.

MONDAY FUN

2008-07-23T23:04:00.002-06:00

On Monday after the boys won one game and we watched a few other teams play we headed out of the hotel for a little duck adventure. We took a ride on "The Ducks" in Branson! These ducks start off on dry ground, drive us out to the lake, and then drive right into the lake. Ride around the lake a little bit then the duck drives right back out of the lake. It was neat, but hot!

PICS FROM 1ST WIN

2008-07-23T22:33:00.004-06:00

Here are some pics from the boys first winning game! They lost there second game played in round one, so they are now in round two. They play their first game in round two tomorrow morning bright and early!

THEY WON 1ST GAME

2008-07-21T23:17:00.003-06:00

Well today was the boys first game in the Nationals and they won there game. They played awesome as a team! I have pics but the internet seems to be running slow and I'm tired, so maybe tomorrow!

1st DAY IN BRANSON

2008-07-20T22:15:00.005-06:00

We made it to Branson today and headed staight for Silver Dollar City. We had a nice fun filled day and enjoyed ourselves there. I actually got on two roller coasters, LOL! I was a little worried cause I had not been on one in 10 years and sure didn't know if I could still handle it. Haiden loves roller coasters and he enjoyed the rides at Silver Dollar City. I think our favorite was this one water ride that totally drenched us all! We had fun, but I did miss the little ones not being with us somewhat. Just wondering how they might would react to the rides and stuff makes you miss them. Michell, tell them we said we love them, miss them, and will be bringing them back a few suprises! Check out http://texastripletts.blogspot.com/ for more.

THE WAY TO BRANSON

2008-07-19T23:23:00.003-06:00

Well we had a nice trip today. We actually just drove to Springfield and we will drive on to Branson in the morning. It didn't seem to take us long at all due to the book on cd we listened to, which even the boys were all in to it. It was fun listening to it, and we look forward to finishing it on our way in the morning. Tomorrow we are all going to Silver Dollar City!

THINGS THE KIDS HAVE SAID

2008-07-17T22:39:00.004-06:00

Last Tuesday night on the way to clean church, Breann asked, "whats that place?" Told her it's the John Deer Place. We pass this every time we head into Wichita and it is the first time she ever mentioned it. Well nothing else was said until on the way home! Which we are now on the other side of the highway and she states, "that place is silly." I ask why? She proceeds to tell me, "cause they don't got no windows and doors on those cars." I just started laughing and told her they were tractors not cars. So then she tells me, "that place is gonna close cause we don't go there." I was laughing! Then on down the road she ask me, "why did the police put you and daddy in chains." I'm like what are you talking about. She tells me again, those police had you and daddy in chains. I'm asking her about this one and she could tell me no more just ask me the question. I don't know where that one came from, LOL!

Last Wednesday night I ask Haiden if he had asked Brother Andrew & Mandy for a donation for his quiz trip and he tells me no. So I'm like why not, and he tells me, well let me say he looks at me crazy "like mom" don't you know, "because they have been gone so long and I just figure they probably don't have any money, plus they are going to Sea World in a few weeks." He may have said, "if they have any money they probably need it for Sea World." Can't really remember what else he said for sure but something like that.

Last night after church we went to Walmart to buy water and snacks for the Branson trip. Before we ever went in Walmart the kids were saying they were hungry and "starving to death" as Ryan always says. So we told them they could have some of the snack stuff we get for the trip when we get home. We let them pick out stuff and my husband and I picked out stuff. Just want to say that we don't usually buy much snacking food much less keep it in the pantry. I just figure if I buy it I'm gonna eat it and I don't need to eat it, LOL! So we get home we are all having a little of this and a little of that and the phone rings. It is Austins mother, and he says, "guess what we are doing, we are gluttoning." He continues on to tell her Pastor Holley preached about gluttoning and how it is like sin and we should be holy and modest in everything we do. My husband and I just look at each other and laugh! We told him it was a good thing we didn't do this kind of stuff in our house all the time or we really would be indulging ourselves.

Tonight I was sitting in bed talking with Ryan. He likes to talk a lot! He tells me that Chad and Cameron pick out there on clothes. I'm like, okay! I still pick out his clothes so I know what he is thinking. Then he says, jeans and black shoes look tacky. I said, "you think so." He tells me yeah! He then says Cameron just wears black shoes and jeans and it looks tacky. I just laugh! Then he tells me if I could wear black dress shoes and jeans I would. I ask him why you just told me you thought it looks tacky. He says, "I know but I would just do it if I could pick out my clothes like Chad and Cameron." Talk about being influenced! No offense to Chad and Cameron for their style clothing, this is all from a 4 year old, who obviously has two new role models in mind, LOL!

NO TITLE

2008-07-15T23:48:00.002-06:00

Every since Sunday I have found myself dwelling on the word of God that was ministered to us in Sunday School and Sunday night along with the incredible move of God that we had. Brother Andrew did an awesome job talking about the parable of the sower, and asking us, "what kind of ground are we?" Pointing out that we can make the decision before we go into the house of God what kind of ground we will be for the word of God to fall on. It just has me thinking about it all in a new light. Then Sunday night our pastor encouraged us to stretch forth for the miracles and harvest God has for us. Anyway, with me finding myself dwelling on the word of God we heard, I must say it was a total battle on Monday. Doesn't it seem to be for most of us, LOL? Monday was an awful day for me. If the kids could be bad and in as much trouble as possible they did it on Monday. The little ones pushed me in every way possible it seemed, and it felt like I was getting on them every time I turned around! The day did not go the least bit like I imagined it would go. Plain and simple it was just a bad day for me. I was even emotional, LOL! The thing that I kept thinking about this was, that it was stupid, I had not felt like this since I was pregnant with Colten or right after having him. I asked myself several times where is this coming from. Somehow, through it all I found myself dwelling on the word from Sunday every moment I possibly had to do so. Then last night lying in bed, I thought, this is exactly what the devil wants to do to all of us. If he can get the first day of our week totally off focus from the presence and word of God we here and feel on Sundays then he is happy. He doesn't want us dwelling on the word of God we hear on Sunday because this then means that the seed fell upon good ground, because the more we focus on God's word it is going to grow in us and make us bear fruit. We must all strive to be good ground and be ready to fight on Monday anything the devil would throw in our day to distract us from the word of God we hear on Sundays. This same thing applies for Thursday as well after hearing the word of God Wednesday nights. Satan wants us to be distracted every moment possible from the things of God. We must be ready to fight to keep our minds on the word of God, and what he wants to do in our lives and in our church. We can not let him distract us!

LATE NIGHT

2008-07-10T01:58:00.004-06:00

Every once in a while I will stay up really, really late cleaning house. With little ones it just seems easier to do at this time. However, also there are those once in a blue moom times that I let the kids stay up late with me. So the other night was one of those nights! They wanted to help with some desserts so I let them. After that was over I got to cleaning my kitchen. Haiden went on to bed, Ryan and Breann kept telling me they didn't want to go to bed, but I knew they were tired. They were being good and we were just talking while I was working so I didn't make them go to bed. I don't remember how late it got before this happened, but next thing I know Ryan had fell asleep in the kitchen floor. Then a little bit later Breann climbed in Colten's highchair and was looking at books, but that didn't last long and I found her asleep in the highchair. Just thought it was funny and cute!

COLTEN THE COPY CAT

2008-07-07T22:57:00.001-06:00

FROM BEGINNING TO END CHURCH SERVICE

2008-07-03T14:56:00.002-06:00

GIVING PEOPLE IN BURKBURNETT

2008-07-02T11:40:00.002-06:00

I'm just blown away and very thankful for the giving neighbors in Burkburnett. Since the boys qualify to go to Nationals in Branson they are both having to raise the monies to help fund the trip. Our goal is for them to each raise enough money to cover all expenses for each family and for the boys to be able to do some fun things while there. So the past two nights Haiden has been at it. He knocked doors for about two hours Monday and Tuesday night and both nights received one hundred dollars. He has only knocked about fifty doors and we have not gotten far from our own house. I've just been amazed at the peoples giving! I pray every time for the Lord to bless them for their giving. I do not like making Haiden knock doors and ask for money, but when there is only three weeks to raise monies you must do whatever possible. I know also that it is good for Haiden to work for the money. I don't ever want my children to think things come easy and are just handed out with no efforts involved. I thank God for the peoples giving in this city and I know his hand is upon this fundraising process.

MORE INFO ON STATE FINALS

2008-06-30T13:33:00.007-06:00

Well everyone knows the boys placed 5th and are qualified to go to Nationals in Branson, Missouri. We are very excited about this. Just wanted to share a bit more information from state finals. We are very proud of Haiden who came in first place with the highest individual score on his average points per game. He averaged 112 points per game with this being the highest average score out of every child that participated in the state finals. Then we are proud of Brother Triplett who recieved the award for coach of the year. He does a great job with all the children at these tournaments. He always goes out of his way to talk to the bible quizzing children and to the coaches. He has a way of showing himself friendly to everyone and making the children feel special. Congratulations to him and we are happy for him! Enjoy the pics!

YES WE ARE GOING TO NATIONALS

2008-06-28T12:14:00.003-06:00

Just want to make a quick post to let everyone know that our boys came in 5th place and they are going to nationals. This tournament was not easy for them and they had to work hard. The first game they played on Friday was to Magnolia 2 and they lost that game by 10 points I think. Magnolia 2 is a very awesome team! Then today there was a tie for 5th place between Magnolia 2 and Center, and the two teams had to playoff to see who goes to Nationals. Our boys pulled it off by getting the last question right. It was a very, very, good competitive game! The thing I'm proud of the most is the word of God that is hid in these children's heart.

STATE FINALS

2008-06-26T00:00:00.002-06:00

Okay, we leave tomorrow for the Bible Quizzing state finals! The boys should be more ready now than they have been all year. Austin has been with us for a week and we have practiced and reviewed for about 3 hours a day, yes, I said three hours PER DAY, lol! It really is a lot of work for us parents. You know putting up with the kids who groan and moan cause they don't feel like reviewing, but as parents we make them and they have no choice. The boys really do enjoy Bible quizzing but just like anyone, they get tired of working on it at times. When the boys first got here on Friday, Haiden could quote all 184 of his verses in like 33 minutes and today he made record timing by saying them all in 17min,44sec. Austin was saying his in like 46min and made his record timing of 27min today. So they have both got there material down and we are proud of them both just for knowing scripture from the God's word. Pray they do wonderful and the results of their tournament will be in the next post!

FAMILY

2008-06-25T00:39:00.003-06:00

After camp meeting we headed to Jasper and spent a little time with our families before heading home. We were actually able to see all of our brothers and sisters this time, it doesn't always work out that way. This means there were lots of children around. On both sides of our families there seems to be quiet a few kids all around the same age so they always have fun. Just want to say thanks to our moms for keeping the two little ones while we were at camp. We enjoyed our visit! My oldest sister, Bridgett, called me tonight and read me a letter I wrote her when I was nine years old. It was hilarious! I got a good laugh tonight from that. It just made me wish I knew what I was thinking writing some of that stuff. It said something about a black cat going to court, and me nor my sister have any idea what that was about, LOL! Memories are wonderful!

FRIENDS AT CAMP MEETING

2008-06-23T23:23:00.002-06:00

Well I typed out this great post a few nights ago, but then computer had issues and I lost it. So, here I am trying again! One of the biggest highlights at camp meeting for me is getting to see friends and spend some time with those you don't always get to be with. It was so wonderful to be able to get together with Andrew, Mandy and the girls for just a moment at camp. It was refreshing to visit with them. It just seemed as if it had been FOREVER since we seen them, especially the girls! I guess when your used to seeing such a beautiful family at church on Sunday and Wednesday you don't realize how big of a light they shine until they are gone for so long. It was very exciting to see quiet a few people from our home church of Center. We miss everyone there so much and it is always great to go visit or see the people from there. It was an honor to be able to have lunch with Kassie, Priscilla, Kim and Joseph from our church in Wichita. My husband and I both agreed after leaving that we enjoyed being around them all because they make us laugh, of course in a good joyful way. It is always good to be with people you can cut up with, and these are the people for that, LOL! I must say the moment I looked forward to the most was being with my best friend from high school, Ashley. She is the won who shared this wonderful truth with my husband and I. Some of you may remember me asking prayer for my friend Ashley at times due to her not being where she needed to be with God, but I can say now that her focus is now where it needs to be and she is serving God to the fullest once again and I can't explain to you what a joy that brings to my soul. It the past seven years we had not had much of any contact with each other due to the situation, but at camp meeting it was just like old times being together. It seems as if those seven years never once separated us. We picked up wherever we left off and I'm thankful to God we were able to that. Hope you enjoy the pics! (I forgot to take pics when we were with folks from Wichita, sorry. I did get one of Kassie and it is on here by request,lol)

PICS FROM CAMP MEETING

2008-06-19T00:21:00.002-06:00

Well I finally feel rested up enough to make a post from Camp Meeting. I was surprised at how drained I was this year from it all. Not getting to bed til after 1 in the morning for 5 nights in a row was pretty rough on us all. We stayed in Jasper for the weekend to get some visiting in with our family and Chris brother got married at Midnight Saturday. We didn't get to bed til after 4 on that Sunday morning, and then didn't leave Jasper until 7:30 Sunday evening to head back home. Needless to say we had a long tiring trip home and made it in at 3 o'clock in the morning. I don't know how my husband got up and went to work cause I slept til 1 o'clock and felt awful when I did get up. Oh, anyway, enough about the lack of sleep! We had Punkin keep Breann and Colten, and just the rest of us attended camp. We knew Ryan would love it and he did! He was preaching about stones yesterday morning. Don't remember if his message aligned with Brother Grahams but he remembered the stones and had his own message going. I want all my children to have a desire to attend special camp meetings like this and to just love the house of God. Oh, and how Brother Graham got down to that thought of mine. Friday night did speak to me the loudest I believe and it was about fighting for our kids, and hiding them from the devil. My husband and I hear from various people all the time about how we can't shelter our children forever. I can't tell you how many times I've thought to myself maybe we do shelter them to much, maybe they wont be able to cope with different things when they grow up, should we just let them do this or that. Oh, thank God for a minister like Brother Graham who just flat out told it like it is. Like he said, the problem is that we CAN'T shelter them enough! I just know I'm fighting for my kids soul and I'm looking forward to God using each one of them in a special way. I'm gonna shelter them and their minds as long as I can and make it a point to know whats going on in there life. If Chris and I have anything to do with it our children are gonna be hid from the things the devil would want to fill their minds and hearts with, and we are gonna be busy filling their hearts with God's word. The devil can not have my children because they belong to God and they are going to be used in God's kingdom. I just get all stirred up thinking about Brother Grahams message. The devil can't stand the fact that Haiden has learned over 500 bible verses and has been doing this for 4 years, he gets so mad everyday when Ryan wakes up and the first thing he is doing is preaching and worshiping God to the top of his lungs, he doesn't like Breann worshiping and singing with all her heart to God and taking all her baby dolls to church and having church with her brothers, and he sure won't like whatever it is that Colten does, but I don't care! This is what I want to see my children doing. I want them to love this life they have and dedicate it to God. I don't want the devil having pleasure or thinking he's got one on my child if they are on a ball field or at a theater or anywhere that could possible be a down fall for any child of God. Why take a chance, no I can't help it, I'm not willing to give the devil a chance for my children to desire something else more than the house of God. Maybe these are things that are not wrong, but to Chris and I we don't want to give the devil the slightest chance at our children's walk with God. Okay, most people are done reading and if you are still reading you have read enough about all this. So I will stop! Well all the services were incredible and here are a few pics!

CAMP WEEK

2008-06-10T20:28:00.002-06:00

Well we are excited to be heading to Lufkin tomorrow morning for Family Camp. It seems as if we are up in the air about whether or not we are going every year, but always manage to pull it off and go. We love going to camp meeting! We have had the privelage of being a part of Family Camp every since we got into church because we used to only be one hour away from the camp grounds. Now it seems to be more of a challege to attend camp, but there is such a huge desire to be there that we make it work! Every year it amazes me the crowd that gathers in the santuary on the camp grounds during family camp. It is just awesome to have that many people together worshiping the one true living God, Jesus Christ. It is just a fact that you know God is going to move in a mighty way in every single service. I think there are just so many people that come expecting something great to happen and so therefore it does. This life I live is so AWESOME! I could never turn back after what my God has done for me, and where he has brought me from. I love the life I live for Jesus Christ. I am so thankful God drew me to him and I chose to live for him. You see we all have a choice and I beleive God draws every single person to him, but then it is up to us as to what we choose when we feel God tugging at us. Will we turn our lives over to him or will we say no and live our lives how we want to. Anyway, I don't know where all that came from, but I just know I'm glad to be living my life for God and living it according to his word the best that I can. He is my focus in life and I daily strive to be more like him and seperate my self from this world. I am filled with joy from God, and choose to be happy with this life he has blessed me with. Thank you Jesus! Hope everyone has a great week!

UPDATE FOR SOME

2008-06-08T23:31:00.002-06:00

Okay for the few comments feeling sorry for Haiden, I will let you know the trampoline is in our yard now and is in about perfect condition. So the children can still jump. However, the saftey net is whats totally messed up. The metal bars were are bent out of shape. So, for my comfort I hope we can purchase the saftey part seprate somewhere. I just don't like Ryan and Breann being up there jumping with it wide open. This trampoline is a bit higher off the ground than the normal round ones. My husband will fix our neighbors fence before we leave for camp this week, so that means fence damage was not major, LOL! Hope everyone has a great week!

BLOWN AWAY

2008-06-06T10:35:00.002-06:00

Well after living in Wichita Falls for 2 years I guess we can now truly believe how the high winds can effect things. I know we have been told about the high winds but you know how things just don't really sink in with you until something happens in your backyard. After our church business meeting we had to do some things in Wichita and came home to Burk around ten to find electricity out, lots of people driving around and then our trampoline gone from our back yard. We just got this about a month ago and had not gotten around to anchoring it down somehow, so I guess this is what we get for procrastinating, lol! I'm just thankful it is not any worse. Our neighbors fence doesn't appear to be in too bad of condition and hopefully nothing in their yard was destroyed. Our fence only suffered very minor scratches so to speak. Haiden was upset seeing how he had saved his money and paid for more than half of this trampoline. Guess it was a lesson to him to find things to be thankful for even when something bad happens. We told him worse things could have happened so be thankful this is all it was.

FUN SATURDAY

2008-06-02T11:58:00.003-06:00

We had a fun Saturday! We made our minds up to stay at home and just have some good family time. A big part of us wanted to invite some people over, but just decided to dedicate all the time to our kids. My husband grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, we had fruit, and finished off the evening with ice cream with all kinds of special toppings. In between all the eating we did, we spent the rest of our time in the pool. This was Coltens first time in the pool this year and he screamed and cried at first then came to the point where he just laid his head on his float the whole time. He looked as if he would fall asleep but he never did. Breann is scared to death of the water unless she is in a baby float as well. So she had a screaming fit when we took her out of the float and got dunked under for the screaming. I don't like doing this to the kids but my husband says this is how you begin to break them of that fear, or at least make them learn to not scream and pitch a fit for being in the water. Haiden used to be like this, but we made him take swimming lessons and he overcame his fear of the water during his lessons. It was really bad at first. His teacher told him his mom was going to leave if he didn't stop acting the way he was cause he was having a horror fit! Oh, anyway, we had a wonderful Saturday as a family!

RESULTS FOR HILLSBORO QUIZ

2008-05-25T23:52:00.005-06:00

Well our quizzing boys did it again! Yes, they did AWESOME and beyond that. Once again they have done better than they have ever done in any tournament in the past 4 years of their bible quizzing. They came in 2nd place in this tournament, and when it came down to it they were playing for 1st place but they lost the game to Magnolia , which happens to be an incredible team as well. The thing that was so great in this tournament is that our boys and Magnolia neither one in the history of their bible quizzing had been in the position they were in. Meaning they had never been in the very last game playing to see who would win that 1st place. We are very happy for Magnolia 2 team because this was the first tournament they have won a trophy by placing in the top five. Our boys kept us on the edge of our seats throughout this tournament! Then to top it off our very own Haiden came in 1st place for the highest individual score average! Yes, I admit I'm bragging on him, but I can't help it we are so very proud of him. Out of every quizzer there he had the highest average score per game of 100 points per quiz. If you have never seen a Bible quizzing tournament I must admit you are missing out on some excitement. It is not just because our boys quiz and are a part of this, it is just awesome to watch any team go through a quiz and to hear how each child knows the bible verses so well. Even when our boys have lost and been done with a tournament we have still hung around just to see the other teams quiz because it is so exciting. We LOVE this program and think it is the best thing a child could possibly be involved in! Even if our boys never won a trophy they have won so much just by hiding the word of God in their heart and that is worth it all. The boys will go to State Finals June 27-28th and this will determine whether or not they go to Nationals. They will have to place in the top 5 in order to be able to attend Nationals. So far this whole year they have placed no lower than 4th. We will be working harder in the next 4 weeks than we have worked all year to insure that our boys can do their best!

WELL TOO BAD

2008-05-22T01:33:00.003-06:00

Well I just did a post but didn't work and lost it all, and its too late to do it again so to all you bloggers maybe next time!

DALLAS QUIZ RESULTS

2008-04-30T23:44:00.002-06:00

Well the boys had a quiz tournament in Dallas last week and they did AWESOME!!! This tournament was the extravaganza which is when other districts and other state teams can be involved. There was a total of 33 beginner teams and our boys got 4th place. Also, Haiden had the second highest individual score out of all the beginner quizzers, and yes we are proud! I'm going to guess this is out of about 80 kids or more. We had a fun time and church was great on that Friday night with I think 21 receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. WE LOVE BIBLE QUIZZING!

MARCH QUIZ TOURNAMENT

2008-04-17T00:04:00.004-06:00

Well it has been a good while since I last posted. It has just been so busy lately! Sometimes I ask myself, "How do I keep this up without going crazy?" I know it is only by God's help and strength he gives me. Anyway, Haiden and Austin did very well at the Quiz Tournament in Vidor, in March. They both received 1st place trophies, and Haiden also received and All Tournament Team trophy which is the top 5 or 7 quizzers out of all the children participating. They are doing wonderful this year! Hear are a couple pics.

ALLERGIC

2008-03-25T00:37:00.007-06:00

Well I sit here waiting to climb in my bed do to this allergic reaction! It just breaks out more when you smother your skin so I don't want to attempt going to sleep just yet. I have eaten shrimp for years and love it! However, for the past year to be exact I have had about 4 reactions after eating shrimp. It has not been everytime I eat shrimp though, that is whasts strange. My husband and I actually thought it was only when I had taken some advil and ate shrimp. I guess tonight proves that wrong because I had no medicine today and then ate about 7 or 8 shrimp in my salad tonight. This is the worst reaction I've had yet with the exception of the very first time. So I guess I won't be eating shrimp anymore!

Oh and I'll leave you with these funny pics of us goofin around.

I have one also of my husband, but he probably wouldn't want it posted!

HAPPY EASTER

2008-03-23T15:45:00.002-06:00

RYAN

2008-03-13T14:31:00.000-06:00

1ST HAIRCUT

2008-03-07T00:49:00.003-06:00

Well I know everyone here has seen Colten's haircut but I had to post some pictures for family far away to see.

THANK YOU

2008-02-25T23:52:00.002-06:00

Just want to thank you to family! Sunday was my birthday and my husband and his parents did a great job of making my day special, THANK YOU! We were in Jasper all weekend and it maybe didn't go the way we thought or planned, but turned out to be pleasant. It was relaxing to just stay in one place and me do nothing, LOL! Chris's mom made chicken spaghetti for lunch, and a very wonderful chocolate chip cake for mine and dad's birthday. I find it a neat thing to share the same birthday with a family member. There is just more to celebrate about and together. Family is such a special thing and is all that we have on this earth that is so important. This world we live in seems to be destroying the family example, and this makes me ever so thankful for family. Families need to be stronger today than ever before!

P.S. Thanks again Punkin for fixing lunch and cake, and for Papa I'm glad we get to share birthdays!

LONGVIEW QUIZ TOURNAMENT

2008-02-23T18:29:00.003-06:00

Well this weekend Haiden and Austin had a quiz tournament in Longview, and I'm happy to report that they received 3rd place out of 16 teams. They played a total of 7 games and won 5 of those. They really are doing GREAT! Both of the boys placed in the top 5 for highest individual average and received trophies for that. Haiden stayed with Austin last week so they had one week of practice together before this tournament. Haiden has learned all his material for this year totaling 184 verses of scripture. So from here on out we can just practice, practice, practice! Usually at finals the top 4 or 5, depending on how many teams participate in finals, teams will be able to go to Branson, Missouri to compete in Nationals. This is the best our boys have ever done and we are very PROUD! I will post a picture if I get one.

SICK

2008-02-18T13:30:00.002-06:00

Well yesterday we missed church due to Breann having pink eye, and I'm sure the rest of the children will get it before the week is up. Actually I think Colten already has it, that is just how it works with three children so close in age. Haiden is old enough he is very cautious of people being sick and stays clear from them so he doesn't tend to come down with everything the little ones get. So Colten has had a tight cough since about Friday and wheezing with it. I take him to Doctor today and he has Bronchitus with a little infection. Not bad but went ahead and got antibiotic for it plus doing breathing treatments. He also has an ear infection! Are my children majorly sick, NO, at least I don't think so, but I as a mother I feel it is best to keep them from your children so that maybe your children will not get any of this stuff. So right now I'm thinking we will just stay at home until the weekend and hopefully they will be over all this and if its gonna make its rounds with my children it will have done so and be over, and then we will see everyone at church on Sunday. I do not like missing church at all and sure don't like missing over a little sickness, but it just seems that there has and is so much going around that maybe me keeping them at home will prevent another spread of stuff. Hope you all have a good week!

HOLY GHOST BIRTHDAY

2008-02-11T15:46:00.000-06:00

Well today February 11th is my Holy Ghost Birthday so to speak. Exactly seven years ago today God filled me with the Holy Ghost at an altar of repentence. My friend had invited us to Revival in Center, Tx and we accepted the offer. When we went I was wanting to repent of all my sins and wanted to feel that tug at my heart. I had felt for months that I was going to Hell if the Lord came back right then. The night before Chris and I got married his uncle a Baptist Minister who married us wanted to talk to us both together. I will never forget he asked if we both felt like we were ready to go to heaven and my husband replied with a yes and then I shocked them both by saying No I was not ready. I think from that point on Chris and I here and there had some conversations about God and Heaven. Many, many nights I remember I would lay in bed thinking God please forgive me of my sins and I would do this every night over the same thing. I just did not feel any different. So anyway we went to the Revival and that morning nothing happened so of course I wanted to go back that night, my husband did not, but someone asked if we would be back and I said yes. Once we got in the car Chris told me very quickly I was not ready to commit to comming back tonight. He was raised Catholic so this was a big shock to him being in this Penntecostal church for the first time in his life. So we went back that night and yes I began to cry and went to the altar to repent and on top of that God filled me with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. My husband stood right beside me holding my hand but sure didn't know what to think about it. I knew right then that my sins were forgivin and that God was real. There was no doubt anymore! I remember on the way home which was an hour drive being so happy and not being able to stop smiling and thinking how I could not beleive God would do this for me and asking my self, what can I do for God now. My husband had nothing to say to me on the way home. It was within days I started digging in scripture and I wanted to commit my life to God after what he had done for me. I wanted to know why to be modest and why not to cut my hair and knew I wanted to live this life for God. Not for anyone one else or because someone said this or that but because I was choosing to give my life to him. Thank you Jesus for filling me with the Holy Ghost and the revelation of truth.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2008-02-09T15:48:00.000-06:00

Well today is our oldest childs birthday, yes that would be Haiden. He is now 9 years old today. It is just hard for me to believe this. He is very special and a wonderful child to us. We are very proud of you Haiden and pray you will always follow God's ways. Have a wonderful day! We love you!

P.S. Just to make mention Haiden will be having a party at Jump for Joy in March, on the 13th which is a Thursday at 7pm that evening. We will be inviting lots and lots of kids, I think 26.(hopefully we are not leaving anyone out) Haiden has not had a party in 3 years so we wanted to make this very special for him. We will get invitations out when the time is nearer.

THE INCREDIBLE ISOMS

2008-01-30T00:56:00.000-06:00

We got the kids these pajamas for Christmas. It started out just getting Haiden and Ryan some but then decided to get some for Breann and Colten also. Breann always wants to wear the boys pjs or dress up like spiderman or whatever character the boys are pretending to be so we just went ahead and got her some matching pjs also. Here is a slideshow of our Incredible Isom children, LOL!

VIDEO

2008-01-26T14:20:00.000-06:00

Here is the video that goes with the picture I previously posted of Breann & Colten. There Dad told them to try and pick Colten up like this. I was having trouble with youtube so I could not post this when I wanted to but here it is now!

FRIDAY AT HOME

2008-01-25T15:09:00.000-06:00

-Well I sit here at home on this wonderful Friday and I'm glad about it! It seems as if my year started out calm and slow with not much running and then bam out of no where we seem to be going and going and going and going and you get the picture, LOL! The past two weeks have been full of happenings and this week Friday happens to be the only day we didn't have to go anywhere. I of course had a pile of laundry to fold and some clothes to wash, kids needed a bath, and in a few hours I'll be cooking supper, but all of this is okay because at least I'm home. The best thing about all the running we have been doing is that it has all been somewhat church related and that means we have had lots of fellowship with the people of God, which I happen to love. It is so refreshing to be with the people of God. You can be so tired, frustrated in my case at times from rushing everyone ready to go, but yet once you get with the people of God all those feelings seem to diminish quickly and I feel so much better in the end. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and we will see you Sunday, Lord willing.
P.S. I will leave you with this!

A Prayer Please

2008-01-21T01:48:00.000-06:00

A few months back I posted something about my friend Ashley. Well she has not done so well and would ask those who would to say a prayer for her. She just called me tonight and her parents are taking her to The Windsong Ranch Rehab in Arkansas. Anyone who was at family camp in 07 heard this choir sing and the testimonies of those who's lives had been changed. Ashley is a dear prayer to my heart and just ask anyone who will to please pray for her to be opened minded to God's word and getting help in her life. Thank you!

Boys 1st Quiz Tournament

2008-01-20T23:01:00.000-06:00

Well the boys had there first quiz tournament together for the year 2008 and they did their very best which turned out to be the best they have ever done in their 4 years of Bible Quizzing. The boys received 4th place out of twenty one different teams. They both played so well and knew their material back to back. They have had about three days of practicing together and that is it. So they learned their material over 300 miles away from each other and then took it to the tournament and put themselves together and pulled it off with a 4th place trophy. Austin received 1st place for All Tournament Team with a highest average per game. Great job boys! May the word of God which you boys have memorized for 4 years now be rooted deep in your hearts and help you in your walk with God the rest of you life.

COLTEN EATING CAKE

2008-01-11T21:25:00.000-06:00

Colten 1st Birthday

2008-01-10T21:06:00.000-06:00

Well it is hard to believe but Colten is 1 year old now. We had cake tonight and I wanted to share it with Punkun and Meme. Wish our family could have been here! I will try to post a couple of videos of him eating the cake soon.

A Birthday

2008-01-07T11:26:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HUSBAND

WE LOVE YOU!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-21T22:12:00.000-06:00

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We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Wanted to share some of our Christmas pictures. Every since I was a little girl my mom always took our picture in front of the tree every year at Christmas time and I have taken on that tradition as well. I really wanted to get Christmas cards made with the kids picture but it just seems that I have not been able to get everything done here lately and that I'm falling behind on stuff. Please forgive us for not passing out Christmas cards. Enjoy the pics and Merry Christmas again. Love everyone!

Kids Decorating Tree

2007-12-08T16:32:00.000-06:00

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Well after uploading my pictures I didn't have time to type anything yesterday so now I will. Sorry it has been a while since I posted, it has just been busy. Also please excuse my children looking the way they do but it was late at night when we decorated so they were in their pjs.

Well it is obvious we always make it a family deal to decorate the tree. We have no certain theme for the tree just many different ornaments. My husband likes to find all his old ornaments that his mom has given us and put those on while the kids and I just grab whatever. Each year we usually get something new whether it be an ornament or decorations to set out. This year the kids wanted the train to go around the tree, and they have enjoyed it. They had the batteries ran down in two days when we first put it on the tree. We also have a dancing Santa that they love to turn on, but yet they are scared of a real Santa person!

I love this time of year! I just want to relax, enjoy the music, and do lots of baking. Haiden loves to get hot chocolate with something sweet to eat especially if it is fudge. We have some Christmas books under the tree and usually read one to the kids everynight before bed. This year I made a calendar to post on the fridge and Haiden is marking down the days to Christams. Since we've been in church we have started the tradition of reading the story of Jesus' birth and praying before opening any gifts in our house, and we always do this before going out of town to be with family. We just try to make our children understand the true meaning of this time of year but make it as fun for them as possible. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Oh and I have so been waiting on this weather that we have. I don't need it to last a long time but I just enjoy the really cold wintery weather. It is just relaxing to me or something!

So Thankful

2007-11-18T23:58:00.000-06:00
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Well I am so tired right now but I just was feeling so thankful and wanted to share it seeings how it is the time of year to really focus and bring our attention to giving thanks. Also, I know I have a busy week to come and may not have a chance to do this. Anyway, I am so glad to be serving God. It just seems easy to be THANKFUL serving the Lord Jesus Christ. He is so good to us. He loves us and has saved us. He has set my feet on a new path in life, the pathway to Heaven. He has shown me truth and filled me with his Spirit. He watches over us, keeps us safe. There are so many things to be thankful for in just knowing God and who he is and what he is, where he is, that he is alive OH...... so many things!!!! Thankful to have a hope beyond this life on earth. Thankful for the freedom to worship and serve God in this awesome country. Oh, THANK YOU JESUS! I just love the Lord and love this life that I live doing my best to serve him with his help. I know people don't always understand why we choose to live our lives the way we do, but oh if they could understand it is out of love, submission and thankfulness to God. It truly is wonderful! We truly are FREE, for God has set us FREE from the bonds of sin. Oh, I'm just so thankful. Now, I'm thankful for my family. Wonderful husband and children. Some think were crazy for having four children, but oh I'm thankful for the JOY that comes from my children. For we are to be like little children before the Lord and how all my children can help remind me of that. A child like faith so to speak! I feel like I'm rambling but as I said in the beginning I'm just feeling so thankful and so much has gone through my mind. I'm thankful for parents who put a fear of God in me as a child, which I believe is what led me to the altar as I was older. Thankful for the morals they taught me, always puting there children first and trying to provide as many of our wants as possible. Thankful for my Father and Mother in law, they are genuine kind, loving, giving people and I'm glad to have them as part of my life. Oh the list could go on forever, but most of you probably wont make it to the end of this post for it being so lengthy so I will stop typing but my mind still dwells on being ever so thankful. Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving and a special time of thankfulness. I have not told my husband but I think were gonna play some tpye of thankful game from the time we leave Wednesday till our way home on Monday. Just bring it up out of the blue here and there and someone say what they are thankful for and just try to talk about many things we are all thankful for as a family. I'm sure the kids will get in on it too! Okay goodnight!

Two Post in One

2007-11-12T15:19:00.000-06:00
Well I thought I would just let everyone know that I read and viewed your recent post and you must forgive me for not leaving comments. I have only been on the computer I think twice in the past week or so and both times it was just a quick view of the new post and not enough time to leave comments on 16 and 21 new post, yeah that is a lot!! So to everyone I enjoyed your post and will pray for those who are sick.

Now for my BIRTHDAY GIRL!! Breann Elizabeth Isom had her 3rd birthday on November 7th. I would have posted sooner but between not feeling well, and getting ready for company and a party I just never got around to it. Breann is my little princess and her Daddy's little sweetheart. We love you very much Breann and you truly are our SPECIAL little girl. We love watching you do things so different than your brothers and trying to be so lady like at times. You are so beautiful and just what we wanted in a girl. I remember telling God many times while you were in my tummy that I hoped you had brown eyes and brown hair. You are such a blessing and I love to hear you singing worship songs in your small quiet voice, it is beautiful! I love how you are so quick to help mommy do things. Since you were about 18 months you would get wipes and clean the floor and push chairs in under the table, try to sweep, etc. It is so hard to beilieve you are three already, but we hope you had a great birthday and many more to come. WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

AIR SHOW

2007-11-02T20:32:00.000-06:00

Prayer Please

2007-10-31T14:29:00.000-06:00
Last night I had a friend call me who has been backsliden for almost seven years. She was my best friend in school and she is the one who lead us to this wonderful truth, but 9 months after Chris and I received the Holy Ghost she left God. I tried to talk to her then, sent her letters, and she would ignore me of course because she was on the run in the other direction. We have talked only on occasions of running into each other over the last seven years. I was and still am in shock that she called me last night crying and telling me so many things. We talked for over an hour. She has been through so much in the past seven years that it is unreal, but through it all God has had mercy on her. After telling me so many of her feelings she asked me to pray, so I did and she prayed through to the Holy Ghost over the phone. She told me she has been living in fear and that it is the worst feeling in the world to live this way. She talked about the guilt she felt from all she has done. I am just asking you to pray that God would help her to overcome whatever obstacle there is that has kept her from submitting her life to God. I feel like there is now a door open for me to try and help her with God's help because she apparently has come to the place where she wants it. If you would just remember my friend Ashley in your time of prayer. This picture of her is just a few months after she got the Holy Ghost and baptized. This little boy in her lap is now 7 years old and loves to go to church with his grandparents.

Old Pic

2007-10-26T16:16:00.000-06:00
I found two cds today of pics before I got my digital camera. I have not had any pics of Haiden, Ryan and Breann on the blog of when they were little cause I didn't have any on my computer. So since I found these I thought I'd share!

Jump for Joy

2007-10-20T18:06:00.001-06:00
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Well until Alaynas birthday party the only one from our family that had been to Jump for Joy was Haiden. We all had so much fun! I'm only posting some of the pics so our family can see what we did.

People Watch Us

2007-10-18T01:02:00.000-06:00
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Tonight my husband asked me if I wanted to go somewhere, and I'm like what do you mean? He said, "you want to go to Ross or something?" I told him I didn't have to and it really didn't matter to me. I think he was trying to give me some time from the children, he knew it was kinda a rough day. So, he dropped me at Kohls and went to get something to drink for them. Well, while in there as walking by this lady says, "I feel like I should know you but I don't." I asked her why, she told me she sees us everywhere. I told her I had never seen her I didn't think. She told me the first place she saw us was Jalepeno Tree, which we used to go there every Wednesday night before church. She said she sees us at Walmart and in Kohls (I have not been in Kohls in probably 5 or 6 months) and that it seemed like she saw us all the time. Keep in mind I don't recall ever seeing her before. Then she went on about our kids and always noticing them. Anyway, I say all this to say people watch us! I told my husband later that it just made me think of oh how careful we should be in how we present ourselves everywhere everyday, not just in our dress but oh in our actions. Just to think this lady has paid close enought attention to us that she recognizes us anywhere she sees us, and I have never noticed her. I will pray for her, I feel like it is not so much of us that she is noticing, but I pray it is the Jesus who resides in us. Oh, God help me to be an example of you to others. Maybe our paths will cross again, and again, and again and the Lord will give me the words to say to her. I'm sure things like this happen with you all as well, but I just get excited about this kind of stuff. I mean I am pretty much at home most of the time besides going to church. So it is not like I cross paths with many people on a daily basis, then when I do get out I can be so involved in getting what I have to get and go back home I don't have time for an opppurtunity God may make between me and some stranger. On top of that I am not one to just start talking to people. I have been praying about that lately though, I pray God will give me a spirit of boldness to be able to talk to strangers beyong the hi, thankyou basic words. I've also been asking God to help me sensitive to divine appointments he may make available with others and for me to be sensitive to their needs. Anyway, just remember people are watching us!

Saturday Dinner

2007-10-13T22:09:00.000-06:00
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Today we decided to stay home and Chris would smoke some ribs. Well I never thought anything about it till after dinner, then when I did I could not help but laugh and make a post. I went to Dubya Lynn and showed Chris his post about cooking. He of course thought is was hilarious, especially after our ribs. So Chris decided to smoke these ribs (he has never smoked anything) and put them on around 12:30 knowing it would take most of the day. So he kept checking them and adding "the sauce" so they would not be dry, and kept adding wood to the fire so he could have his smoke. He never had a major fire like some others, just lots of smoke! So about 6:40 he goes out and has no smoke, so he puts charcoal on and cooks them the rest of the way like that. Well the kids thought they were great, I thought they were okay with the exception of a very strong smoke flavor in the thick caked on cooked "sauce" that he kept adding to the ribs, and Chris one minute he would say these are okay, then he would be like man that was actually a good bite I think. So then later he said, "I know you were trying to be nice but those ribs were awful, I think the worst I ever had." Anyway, I guess that's one good thing about a messed up meal is it brings some laughter if you will. Oh, and I sure am glad that spur of the moment invitation to company did not go through, LOL! We had a wonderful day at home and just finished off our dinner with some good ol Braums Ice Cream!

Pics

2007-10-11T14:13:00.000-06:00

Missed Prayer

2007-10-09T15:37:00.000-06:00
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Well for anyone who noticed the Isoms were not at prayer last night I will let you know why. We were on our way and about 10 minutes from the church Haiden bust out crying, of course we are like what is it. He says, "I just think I'm sick." He thought he was gonna do what most of us can't stand to do. So I get him a bag just in case. I told him he was not sick and to tell himself he is not sick. Thinking about that positive speaking stuff! The whole way home he was repeating "I'm not sick, I'm not sick." So we get home and he feels fine and they all want to go the church for prayer now but it would have been over by the time we got there! He started crying saying he felt guilty, I told him he didn't know what it was. So he is fine along with the rest of us and we just had prayer at home. See everyone Wednesday!

More Video

2007-10-04T13:15:00.000-06:00

A Smile

2007-10-02T13:53:00.001-06:00
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Well I have a big smile just knowing my blog and postings bring a smile to someone else. Thank you Sis. Elms! I will gladly pass this on to some who encourage me, but first here is the description of what this award is all about.
"The thing that I love most about blogging is that I learn so much about a person just by reading their blog. I have met MANY wonderful people with wonderful stories to tell, and I am grateful every day for each person that I have the pleasure of crossing paths in life with. I wanted to create something special for people who have inspired me through their blogging; the stories they tell, and the lives that they lead with grace and dignity. I visit their blogs for inspiration and encouragement. Although there are MANY people I want to give this award to at this very moment, I am going to choose four bloggers: Please grab your badge and wear it(with a smile) proudly, and pass it on because you inspire and encourage me, thank you.”

Back to Sister Elms: Sis. Elms
Joseph: Joseph Oullette
The Elms Extra: Andrew & Mandy Elms
The Holley Life & Times: Gene and Karla Holley

Memories

2007-10-01T23:21:00.000-06:00

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Well there seems to be a case of looking back in the past going around on a few blogs so I decided to chime in with mine. I have found myself the past week thinking of how the time has gone by so fast and my children are growing up, and many people tell Chris and I your kids will be getting married tomorrow or going to college or whatever it may be in terms of how fast the time goes. I was thinking of how Ryan is about to be 4, and it seems as just yesterday that Haiden was 4 going to school, and oh how I remember every morning cuddling him in my lap and rocking him until the Tripletts came by to pick him up. Now he is 8 and will be 9 in February. Also, just this past year he has come to me with several little things that just makes me realize how he is growing up. It is hard to believe that Breann had just turned 1 when we moved here and in a few months Colten will be 1. Right now it doesn't even seem like I was ever pregnant with Colten cause the time went so fast. In February will be two years that we have lived here and that seems unreal. Sometimes it feels as if we have been here forever and others it's like it was yesterday we moved. Just looking at pictures of Haiden, Ryan and Breann recently made me realize that I have not been taking enough pictures of Colten, so now this week I have been picture crazy trying to catch up. I love pictures they hold so many memories! Well I love my children and hate to see them grow up so fast but there is nothing I can do to stop it. I just pray it makes me realize how much more I need to take time for each one of them individually, and pray God will give us the wisdom to lead and direct them just as fast as they grow.

Laughter

2007-09-22T10:05:00.000-06:00

Well the post Mandy made with her jokes made me think to post this. Yesterday my husband came in with a card for me and skittles for the children. I was about to get into to supper and put it on top of fridge. He told me I had to read it before I went to bed cause it was meant for that day. I was teasing and said, "well isn't what you have to say in there good for tomorrow also, don't you mean what the card says everyday?" He said yeah! Well after we ate and cleaned stuff up everyone was in the living room and it was actually very quiet in our house. So I go get the card and quietly open it in the kitchen, read it then just bust out making myself laugh. I started laughing so hard just from making myself laugh and of course they all came running asking what is it? Then Ryan started laughing just at me laughing. I liked the card from my husband I just thought I'd change things up in our house and instead of saying ahhhh... thank you babe for the card I laughed out my appreciation to bring a little bit of life to the moment in our home. It was fun!

Praise

2007-09-21T16:53:00.000-06:00

Praise the Lord, for he is glorious!
Never shall his promise fail;
God hath made his saints victorious;
Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation;
Hosts on high, his power proclaim;
Heaven and earth, and all creation,
Laud and magnify his name.

"Praise ye the Lord: for it is good." (Psalm 147:1)

Songs from the Isom Children

2007-08-30T22:32:00.000-06:00

Short One...

2007-08-17T23:22:00.000-06:00

Okay nothing great but here is a picture of Breann the first night she slept in the toddler bed. No she did not fall out she just got on the floor at some point. She had been in the baby bed just up until a month ago.

VBS Pictures

2007-08-08T09:58:00.000-06:00

Well I know it has been a while since I've posted so here are a few of the VBS pictures I had. I have enjoyed helping out with VBS the past two summers we have been at Life Tabernacle.

Random Pictures

2007-07-08T15:51:00.000-06:00

State Finals for Jr. Quizzing

2007-06-30T23:41:00.000-06:00

Well Friday and Saturday we were gone to Jr. Bible Quizzing state finals. It was an awesome time. Our two boys that still quiz as Center team did great. I am proud of Austin Triplett and Haiden both. They did excellent for no more time than what they had to practice together. The boys quizzed at the tournament in January together, then went to the retreat in Vidor in March, and quizzed in Hilsboro in May. Then the past two weeks Austin stayed with us and between Bro. Chris and I reviewing them they had about 3 to 4 hours of quiz and review everyday. That is not very much practice as a team from January until this past weekend. However, they managed to come in 7th place out of eighteen beginner quiz teams. They knew their material well and played the best they possibly could, and now best of all they have about 160 verses from the Bible put away in there heart just from this years quizzing. Out of the top five high score individuals Haiden placed 3rd with an average of 85 points per game and a total of 340 points for all games played. Way to go boys for doing your best! Please forgive me for bragging a little bit, I don't typically like doing this, but I am very proud of these two boys for all there hard work and sticking with quizzing no matter the miles that have been between them the past two years.

Haiden's Experience

2007-06-13T10:03:00.000-06:00

Well Friday night June 8th was an awesome night for many people including Haiden. Family Camp was great all the way around with Friday night being the hit. On this special night Haiden received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues just like in Acts 2:4. You may think well he is just a child, or ask how does he know he got the Holy Ghost? Well the bible says in Acts 2:38,39 "Then Peter said unto them , Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the Promise is unto you, and to your children, and all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call." When Haiden was six years old we felt so strongly that he had received the Holy Ghost, but he told us he did not know if he did or not. So we left it at that and have just been praying that God would remove any doubt that was there and that is exactly what God has done now. I asked Haiden Friday night, "Do you know you have the Holy Ghost now," and his response was "YES". We asked him if it felt good and he said, "Well of course if felt good." Chris asked him to tell us about it and Haiden said, "I just can't explain it." We asked do you know what you said and he said it was kinda like la la la, and he immediately added I don't know what I was saying. He told us he just felt like he couldn't get his breath. Then the next morning while he was playing with his brother he told us, "you can kinda tell I've gotten the Holy Ghost cause I'm letting Ryan be the good guy." Oh thank you Jesus! Anyone who has received the Holy Ghost knows that the response to these answers are the same way most adults say they feel after getting the Holy Ghost. Well please forgive me if this post was too lengthy but I wanted to put all the details in here. Thank you Jesus for pouring your Spirit out on children also. I will add a slide show as soon as rock you stops giving me errors. Thank you Sis. Elms and Sis. Mandy for having your cameras handy.

Camp Meeting

2007-06-05T09:58:00.000-06:00

Well we will be leaving in a little while to head to east Texas so we can attend Family Camp Wednesday until Friday. We are really looking forward to soaking up everything from God we possibly can. We will take the younger three children to their grandparents house, which means it will just be me, Chris, and Haiden. We did not get to attend camp last year and we were dissapointed about that. We have been so used to attending at least some of the services since we have gotten the Holy Ghost because our home church was only one hour from the campgrounds. So now being about five and half hours from campgrounds it does not make it quiet as easy to attend, so we are so grateful to be going this year. We are also looking forward to spending some time with friends we have not seen in a while. I know this week will be wonderful with God being the center of our focus.

Got Tagged!

2007-05-26T02:37:00.000-06:00

A-Available or Single? Married 6 1/2 years (Christina)
HAPPILLY MARRIED I AM!!! (CHRIS)
B-Best Friend? My husband, Sister Triplett
MY WIFE
C-Cake or Pie? Moist Chocolate Cake
PECAN PIE
D-Drink of Choice? Cherry Coke from Sonic
MY WIFE'S SWEET TEA
E-Essential Item? Hand Sanitizer, Lotion
WATER / GUM OR MINTS
F-Favorite Color? Green
BLUE
G-Gummie Bears or Worms? Bears
IT WOULD BE BEARS
H-Hometown? Jasper, TX
JASPER, TX
I-Indulgence? Warm Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream
SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!!!
J-January or February? January, still pretty cold
JANUARY IS GOOD.. THE 7TH IS MY B-DAY.
K-Kids? 3 awesome boys and 1 beautiful girl
THEY ARE GREAT.. THE LORD HAS INDEED BLESSED US!
L-Life is incomplete without? Jesus
JESUS
M-Marriage Date? September 2, 2000
WHAT A COINCIDENCE..
N-Number of Siblings? Two Sisters
TWO BROTHERS / ONE SISTER
O-Oranges or Apples? Oranges
PREFER ORANGES
P-Phobias & Fears? Wasp, bees, don't really want to fly
SNAKES
Q-Favorite Quote? I love you, you love me, and thats the way it will always be!
THE WOODS ARE FULL OF LONG HITTERS
S-Seson(ing)? Spring, Winter, Lawrys Pepper Seasoning
SPRING / TONY CHACHERIES
T-Tag Three..... Chris Isom, Michelle Bowen, Ashley Jordan
JAMES CAIN, KYLE CAIN, JOSEPH OULETTE
U-Unknown Fact About Me? Don't Know, maybe that my spelling and vocabulary are horrible
MY WIFE ALWAYS BEATS ME AT SCRABBLE

V-Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Not to big on meats
CARNIVORE MOST DEFINITELY!
W-Worst Habit? Getting too caught up in having everything in order and finished, being a Martha so to speak
PUTTING THINGS OFF TO THE LAST MINUTE
X-Xray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound I guess, it never seemed to be big deal so far
NEITHER
Y-Your Favorite Foods? Mexican & Seafood
MEXICAN & SEAFOOD
Z-Zodiac? Picses
CAPRICORN