Love Endures

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-02-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

It is amazing how she looks forward to this day ALL YEAR LONG!!!!

The Dress... Shoes...Nails...Hair...Dinner...Danceing...Pictures

This is her day with Daddy, he takes her to get nails done and then we do hair, make up and dress all up. They walk hand in hand out the door to their night together. Memories they are creating together will forever be worth more than all the gold in this world.

May she know the deep fatherly love her daddy has for her. May his Godly character example for her the worth she has in her heavenly father. And seek to be all that He has planned for her on this earth.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2011-02-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful white surprise as we woke up this morning. The kids were so excited to play in our snow. Jaxson had only one thing on his mind "SNOWBALL FIGHT". He couldn't think of anything else but to gather up a handfull of white fluff and chunk it at me.

Jacie was more inclined to create beautiful snow angles. They had a great time. And we even made some snow soup Yummy!!

Olympic Gymnest in the making

2011-02-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

Jacie has patiently been awaiting her turn to begin a sport. After much thought and changing of mind... she has chosen Gymnastics. In January she started her class. She defendant has the build of a gymnast however the foundational skills we are still working on. She is a quick learner and we are practicing our cartwheels, handstands and stretching.
The concept of " stretch till it burns and hold it" is not as exciting as she expected. But were proud of her, she is working on it every day. It was amazing to see her improvement with her cartwheels after only one week of working at home. The instructors were impressed.

Holiday's here and gone

2011-02-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Our holiday season has entered and left with a bang!
Starting in early December with our Church hosting the "Town of Bethlehem" at the local Christmas festival. I helped out in the candle shop and the kids were apart of the Jewish dancing. Jacie got to be an angle and just LOVED it.

Of course basketball doesn't take much of a holiday, we were traveling and playing all but one week of December. Both the boy's and girl's teams are doing so good. Were told by many of the parents that the girls haven't done this good in 10 years here at Hill Country. It's so fun to watch them.

The weekend of Christmas was a very busy one for us, we traveled 3 day's straight, us and the 2 doggies, in order to make it to all the family gatherings. It was so great to see everyone. I wish we could have more get togethers throughout the year.

So now it's back to settling in with the new semesters schedule. Never a dull moment in our house :~). I know one day I will look back and miss all this craziness that is my life right now !!

2010-12-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Cory and Jordan had an opportunity to go hunting. They had a great time, Cory shot a 8 point and J got a doe.

So we had some hunting rifles still at our house that following week that came in handy. There are several "critters" that live amongst us out here, and several are not very welcome. We had spotted a opossum around lately and our trash was getting attacked frequently at night. So one morning I was walking up our back steps and something in the trashcan, sitting under the stairs, caught my attention. It was a opossum..... playing opossum!!!!!!! So of coarse I scram and ran in the house hollering for Jordan to come get it.
He puts on proper "hilly billy" attire consisting of t-shirt, basketball pants, and steel toed boots, grabs the rifle and heads for the trash can. He pulls it out into the pasture and after a few kicks on the trash can he gets the thing out on the ground. He has always been a very good marksmen and I know nothing about guns so I thought this would be a snitch for him.
Well I learned that you can't shoot something that close with a long range rifle. He tried twice to hit that stinker and missed both times. The first time I caught it on video and the little thing actually hid behind the trash can then popped right out after the rifle shot. Finally I took him a 2x4 and he got the job done. It was a sight to see. Great times just keep-a-coming out here on the farm .hahahaha

Kings and Queens of Old

2010-11-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, So I know this is over my limit for posts this week, but I just couldn't help myself.
Our kids received the second Chronicle of Narnia (Prince Caspian) movie last year for Christmas. No one was interested in it AT ALL for the longest time. Then last month after our move to the new place, the little ones watched it and a whole new world opened up for them.
Jaxson is mesmerized by the battle scene story. He walks around with a small baseball bat for a sword holding it to the sky yelling, FOR NARNIA!!!! We were in the store yesterday and Jax kept quoting the movie "you have got to be kidding me.... your the king and queens of old" in an English accent. Although unintentional, he got me every time. I quickly turned to see what he needed.We found some costumes on sale that fit the time period so Jacie and Jax have now been dressing up each day to watch their beloved movie.
SOooooooo, we found out our neighbor had the first movie (The Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe) and we asked to borrow it. In this one the character of Aslan is established as Christ, and he gives his life for others then rises from the dead. this morning Jax comes running into the kitchen , his eyes swelled with tears, "mommy the lion was dead but he camed to life and saved them".

It don't get no better than that! :~)

"Rooted in Love"

2010-11-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

I am on a mission today to scratch off a few small items on my "to-do-list". As I was knocking them out I ran across this verse printed on something.

" And I pray that you, being rooted and established in Love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long, and high and deep is the love of Christ"

Ephesians 3:17-18

We have different scriptures on 3x5 note cards placed around our home on the walls. It's been a good way to help us stay focused on something much greater than ourselves. When we are walking through a trial or maybe need reminding of how wonderful his blessings are to us. So with that in mind, I wrote this one down and placed it on my kitchen sink window.

Afterwards I went back to my task at hand... but my mind kept returning to this scripture. I began to ask my self "what does "rooted and established in Love" mean exactly?" I loved how it said that the LOVE would be what allows you grasp all these in depth things of Christ.

It's all about LOVE ! His Love is WIDE, LONG, HIGH, and DEEP! Once you have encountered it you will NEVER NEVER NEVER be the same

Man that makes me just smile.

Tis the Season.......

2010-11-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

No sooner than the boxes are unpacked and I think were ready to settle into a nice schedule than..... dun..dun.. dun-..duuunnnn BASKETBALL STARTS!!!!

Cory is involved in coaching 3 of our Rams Christian School teams. He is heading up JV and Girls basketball. And assisting on the Varsity team as well. For him this means up for work at 5:30 each day, straight to boy's practice at 4:30, then girls practice till 7:30. I have no idea how he does it. I would be exhausted. He must be running on God's brand of energy. And he is having so SO much fun. It has been amazing to watch he and Jordan together again on the same court. I never thought we would see this day but God is good, all the time, and they are really awesome to watch together. Tonight's game J's team won 95-15! can you believe that?

Jordan get's to play both JV and Varsity teams. He really liked the idea, gives him more court time.

We are all decked out in our school colors. Having a great time cheering them on from the bleachers.

"Jessy" for a day

2010-10-24T23:53:00.000-07:00

We can hardly believe it's been 7 years since our little princess came into our family. Man how the time has gone by fast. She is growing into a beautiful young lady right before our eyes.

We celebrated her birthday this past weekend with some dear friends and family. She was all smiles and could hardly contain her joy. The weeks leading up to the party she informed me she would like to have a Jessy party, from Toy Story 3. So we spent time each day together working on the decorations and deciding the menu and cake.

This was my first ever attempt at cake making and all was well. I'm very thankful she was satisfied with a simple design, that worked in my favor. After several calls to Mom for help we finally had a finished product. Now, the cutting of the cake will require me to get lessons..... it looked horrible on each plate. I felt the need to apologise and assure everyone it really would taste ok. :~)

Her highlight of the party was opening a gift with a Jessy costume in it. Squeals of joy rang through the house. She changed into the outfit quickly and for the rest of the day asked us to call her Jessy not Jacie.

You can see all the party pictures at the family picture link below on the right side of the blog.

Anyone remember the show Green Acers?

2010-10-24T20:52:00.001-07:00

This week there were some things that stuck out to me about country life and I found myself thinking of a childhood summertime TV show, Green Acers. Does anyone one remember that show? The city girl moves to the country and into a whole world she never knew existed.

So did you know that .........

God made some grasshoppers that can jump as high as my head?
A donkey does NOT make the cute little " Hee-Haw" sound that I thought it did?
Horses actually come a runn'en to see a good dog fight?
There are actual trash pick up company's that use their personal NICE trucks to haul it in?

I tell you for each of these things i physically stoped in my tracks with my mouth on the floor in amazement. That donkey sounds like a dieing cow people!! And it is the loudest thing I have ever heard. I mean, it could double for a tornado siren in Oklahoma I'm for sure! And no joke, our neighbors beagles got into a fight, sounded awful. And with in a few minutes there were 20 horses lining the fence to watch! Crazy right?

This place is awesome. I look forward to learning something new each day.

Creative Scheduling Part II

2010-10-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

So for the last 3 weeks our life has been consumed with Soccer, moving and puppy's. I really think I got more sleep the fist weeks after bringing home my 3 children from the hospital than I have gotten this last several weeks. But we are glad to say things are beginning to settle down.

We have been blessed beyond measure through this whole experience. It seems like God is just one step ahead of the enemy, every time something tries to trip us up... God is right there to hold us up and keep us going.

Cory had a accident the week of our move, our dryer broke the first week in our new home, and allergy season is trying to drain our last bit of energy making school deadlines and parenting patience very thin. However it never fails as we pray for HELP that we feel the refreshing showers from above drizzling down to cover us. We were given a vehicle to borrow, some one from our church anonymously gave us money that was the same amount of a new dryer we had just located, and God brought neighbors to help with our work load giving us more time to focus on school. I must have shed 2lbs of tears this week. I am just so in AWE of how God just swoops down and takes care of things.

Looking forward to many more wonderful day's ahead looking out onto this view from the front porch of our new place of peace.

Love to all, and Happy Fall Yall!!!

Creative Scheduling Part I

2010-10-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

Well we picked up the key's to the new place Wed and made a few loads. Woke up Thursday morning to start the next round of moving...... but the day took a slight detour.

Instead of moving into our new place on Thursday we welcomed 5 new family members into the Jeter household. ( Very temporary family members)

Jasmine was in labor all day, literally. And by 11pm we had 5 of the cutest little furry puppy's.

Fast and Furious

2010-09-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

It seems almost like a dream. We have continued to sit still, sometimes patiently and other times not so much, for over a year awaiting God's direction for our new home and now things are moving so quickly I can hardly keep up.

We have watched in awe as He accepted our surrender of living in locations that were quite a challenge for a family of 5, and then gave us so much more. The finial answer is there will be plenty room for all. We get the key's Sep 15 and will begin moving. Of course with the school year underway and sports already on the schedule the task of moving will need to be very creative. All of us are just so excited about the new place, I think most of all it's the conformation that we are moving into a new season of life. Woot Woot!!

School is still going great. Jacie and Jax have basically begg every day to do their "homework". Jaxson uses both his right and left hands for things. It was so funny this week I looked up to see him have a color in each hand and was alternating using them. Great stuff!!

We may have a surprise about to happen in the next few weeks. Our female Lhasa Apsa, Jasmine, is bulging at the waist line. We had plans to breed them but this timing is gonna be sticky. Only question in our mind right now is could this be a false pregnancy. One of our friends just experienced this; said all the symptoms were there but just no puppy's. So we will soon see.

The rain is coming down hard here. Jordan's first soccer game was rained out, we were a little bummed. Only good thing about not playing today is that I haven't had a chance to get a new camera yet. Mine broke on our family camping trip and I am still researching for a new one. If you have any ideas let me know!

Love to all
Jeter Tribe

Bye Bye Summer..... Hello Fall

2010-08-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

So This week has been wonderful! I can not tell you how refreshing it has been after much sacrifice to start this new season off on such a great note.

Many of you may already know, but for those who don't, Jordan has asked to attend our Church's Christian School. So we will now be the Hill Country Christian School "RAMS" Royal blue and yellow. He took quite a beat'en from his home school Panthers basketball team, but in the end he told us he really wanted to be apart of this new group. So HCCS runs M-T and they are off on Friday's which he LOVES!!! In addition to Basketball he will be playing Soccer and running Track. Really cool thing is that after MUCH MUCH contemplation he accepted the responsibility of wearing a school uniform. This is something we thought we would never see. He has had a GREATTTT first week. Loves his teachers, the class set up, and the people. We are so happy for him and look forward to what God has in store for him this next year.

Me and the little guys also had a GREAT first week. With just the 2 of them I am able to put more focus on their curriculum and activities. We will be starting a new COOP in San Marcos with several family's from our new church. This itself is a HUGE TESTIMONY in it's self. Were looking forward to lots of fun times and field trips. I am really surprised at both of them so far this week. I really didn't think Jacie picked up a good foundation last year and so we are repeating Kinder, however as we begin to review this week she is tearing it up!!! Jaxson surprised me today, I heard " Mommy look, I can do it" and turned around to see him finishing the X in "JAX" WOW!!!

Were also SUPER excited to see a new provision coming for our home. Looks like God has opened a door for us in Martindale Tx. It's about 12 minutes outside of San Marcos. Again the path that has led us here is another HUGE TESTIMONY. Little bit of country but not to far out. Everyone just fell in love with it when we went to visit, and then God did the rest. We should be out there by the end of September.

So I'm being convicted to make weekly updates. y'all pray for my endurance and time organization. :~)

Love to you ALLLLLL. we pray your families walk into abundant blessings as we turn over a new season.

Winter Update

2009-12-15T19:04:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Same story as last post... this is the first time I've logged into the Blog since my last post. Crazy!!!!

I think about it often, and get several requests from some of you to update it, however with all of our craziness called life I just run out of time for the Blog.

Anyways, things are going better here. I am finished with classes and passed by the grace of God. Cory has his finals this week, so say a prayer for him if you can. We shared with you all this past semester that he felt led to transfer into Dallas Baptist University and has really enjoyed his classes. However after much prayer he will be transferring back to WTAMU this next semester because the doors have not opened up for him to continue with DBU at this time. He is very sad to move away from a ministry degree, however is trusting God's plan and His timing.

Jordan and Jacie will be finishing up classes this Friday. I can hardly believe we are 1/2 way through our first year of home school !!! The curriculum isn't hard, even for Jordan, but the self discipline has been a HUGE struggle. There have been many day's when he would be frustrated saying " mom they expect me to know this or that already and I don't " or " I didn't learn this in school". The biggest issue was using calculators, we aren't allowed to use calculators and it's KILLING him. I even called our curriculum company and discussed these things with them. Sadly they confirmed that many first year parents in our situation call in with the same frustrations. I also spoke with some of our friends who teach in our district and they also confirmed what Jordan was saying. So the combination of not having some of the fundamental skill sets needed and the new self disciplined structure has made this a tough semester for us all. Light at the end of the tunnel is coming. Things are looking brighter, after 6 months Jordan is getting the hang of things, and we can see God's hand on him, once again His timing not ours. Not that he always likes it, but he is seeing how he can be successful at it.

The Basketball team has been his everything over the last semester. Back in August we had to make him participate with this team, he didn't want to play at all. However as the week's went by he has come to love the game in a new way and truly enjoy the company and friendships of his team mates. His talent has been noticed and the accountability of the team to respect each other, themselves and God is amazing. He has told us several times he has never played on a team like this in his life. That's big for him to even step back and look at a situation like that. We are loving watching him, every week 2 games and 2 practices. This past week the home school football coach was scouting at one of his games. Mr. Hall approached Cory and Jordan after the game and talked for quite a while. I asked Jordan what he thought and I could see the pride beaming from his grin it had to have been a confidence booster. So we'll see what happens next year. Several times in his frustration with classes he has said he wanted to go back to public school, but then would pause and say, " but I don't want to leave this team, I won't give it up " That to is very deep for him.

Were still in Plum Creek for now waiting on all the bank and paperwork of our buyers to go through. This past week has been crazy, our heater went out and our truck broke down. The heater has been out now for almost 14 day's AUGHHHHHH. Our friend is an AC contractor and is working us in so it's taking longer than usual. He thought it was fixed last week but then it went out again this week. We are learning how to actually dress for the season and realized our attire of shorts, no socks or shoes and short sleeves is not meant for December :~). Then last week on our way home from Jordan's BBall game our alternator went out on Mopac. God helped our car make it 20 miles from far north Austin all the way to south Austin (closer to home) we exited the HWY and coasted to a stop light. Our cell phones were almost out of battery and God allowed us to reach friends to come get us, 911 to help light up our dark car on the foggy night, and a tow truck ( who was a friend and towed us 30 miles for FREE!!!). Then a school buss stopped next to us and offered us a ride, the little ones and I rode in the buss across the 6 lane HWY to wait in a restaurant for our friends. I tell you what, our life has been jam packed with activity and not the fun kind. But I am so encouraged by it all, I know there will be much riches on the other side of this all.

Well, my fingers are tired so I'll stop for now. Love to everyone.
Jeter Crew

We are still alive

2009-10-08T18:59:00.001-07:00

This is the first time I have logged into this blog since my last post, can you believe that??

So, I knew my new life was not going to be a walk in the park..... but I have had a few hurdles and surprises that I didn't plan for and am still getting my feet wet in finding a schedule that works for everyone.

Our home has been busten at the seams with activity since I last posted. Jordan has started basketball with the panther home school team out of San Marcos and really enjoys the team. Were looking forward to his first tourney in November. Cory has been training to become a C.A.S.A. volunteer as a court appointed special advocate to children placed in state custody while going through custody issues. Jaxson still wakes up and goes to bed everyday talking about these imaginary baseball, basketball, football etc. teams he is on. And princess Jacie has now turned the big "6".

We have received a contract on our home and are beginning to box things up. As we began to look for a new place to live, God once again is bringing us to a place we never thought we would be. Through several events we are being led to move to the Caldwell County area. We have some friends who have just purchased a large plantation home there and are restoring it to be used as part of their pastoral ministry. We will be staying with them for a season. We are being led to possibly purchase a older home and restor it however there are many details we are still seeking His clarity on.

School is going good. I'm not gonna lie, it's a BIG adjustment for Jordan and even for me and my classes. Jacie is the only one who seems to be Johnny on the spot, home school is all she has ever known. They are in their 9th week of classes and both doing well. Jacie is even doing some reading already, I'm so encouraged by her drive and excitement. She enjoys her school work so much and I love that. With my attention being spread so thin I haven't had the chance to work with Jax as much and he has lost some intrest in school work. But I did find some workbooks that have balls as the objects to learn from and that made all the difference. Now he is counting and sorting balls like crazy on his handouts.

I hope to add some pictures soon, and really hope to be more regular with posting. Hope everyone is having a wonderful fall and enjoying the rain.

Love to all
Us

Night out at the ball game

2009-08-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

The kids counted down the day's for over two weeks. We were excited when the day came for us to see the Astros. Everyone enjoyed themselves, but no one more than Jaxson. He was in awe at the huge stadium. He loved every minute of it, his eyes were glued to the field the entire night.

Jordan's eyes were glued somewhere other than the field "wink wink" most of the night. Poor guy, dado and dad were ruthless with egging him on about the two cute girls sitting below us.

It was a great night!

Hello everyone

2009-08-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Life didn't give us much of a break as I transitioned from one job to the other. My last day at Grande it rained that evening and we moved a surprise birthday party for our friend Kristi over to our home. It was a great time with friends and she was so surprised, we also celebrated the news that she is Cancer free!!!

From there, the kids and I have had our schedule packed. Pool every day, crafts, books, princess play dates and most coveted time of the day....... fixing dinner.

We have had so much going on that sometimes Jax has a hard time making it to the bed before drifting in to never never land.

Rags to Riches

2009-07-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

I often like to watch the HGTV show “Flip this House”. I think it’s amazing to watch a home that has been trashed, aged, and left with no hope restored into a beautiful place ready to welcome a family and begin a new life story. We are walking into a new season of our life and I bet we could could start our own reality show about flipping things inside out…. we like the name “Rags to Riches”.
Over the last 6 months both Cory and I have been led to begin changing our family environment. Our marriage has been restored to amazing heights, Jordan has begun to heal and grow in amazing ways, and now he is calling us to change our entire life routine as we know it today.

Friday will be my last day at Grande. I have had the blessing of working for a wonderful company for over 10 years. I have learned so much more than just telecomm over these last years. And now I am grinning from ear to ear as we step out in faith that the next season of life will hold as many and way more blessings for our family. We have been led to home school this year. And so all three kiddos will begin their new school year in a few weeks. Both Cory and I will continue our classes as well so our home will be oozing with knowledge :~)

We have struggled with the decision of my quitting for several months. I first heard we were to do this in May; however our financial situation was not able to support it. Over the last few months God has brought so many things into our path that made His will very clear for us. When He calls us to something we are to step out in faith… nothing else… He will provide our needs as long as we are doing His will and not ours. Matt 6:25-34. So were giving up the big house, maybe a car, what ever it takes to make this change. And you know what…. the joy we have already begun to have is unbelievable.
He has already begun to show us financially that He is in control. One of the verses he showed me through all of this was 1 Peter 1:17 “…live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear”. We know what were doing is out of the norm, you have NO idea how many people are looking at us with crazy eyes, even some have cautioned us or spoke words of discouragement about our actions. I have to say, it makes me feel great to see and hear all this stuff, because it means we are living different and that’s what he’s calling our family to do.
We love everyone and will try to post more often. Have a great last few weeks of summer!!!!

Honduras updates

2009-07-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

The easiest thing will be for me to log each entry on this one post by date.

8;15pm -HOME!!!!!!!

7/18 12pm- They have boarded the plan and are on their way home. YEAH!!!!!

7/17 5pm- Container is on truck and just left the port on to the high way. There is a curfew there so it will not make the 3 hour trip all the way to Israel's home. It will go as far as it can then stop for the night and continue on in the morning. Cory and Eric will not be able to assist in unloading it from the truck so be in prayer for Israel and the driver whom will be undertaking that task. Our boy's should be home tomorrow night.

7/17 10am- The guys have been at the port with the trucker since 8. Still not released. They have extended their flight and will plan to be home Sat night now. No regulations and seems the locals aren't governed by a set of moral or ethical standards.

7/16 4pm- Customs person has just returned?????? and tells them not today, but definitely on the truck by 8 am tomorrow.

7/16 2pm- Still waiting for customs. Seems there is no sense of urgency. Cory says there are no issues in the streets, and roads have not been shut down. They are at the port in Cortez i think.

7/16 12pm- Customs is checking the contense of the container. They are hoping for it to be released in a couple of hours.

7/15 11pm- The local Honduras news is reporting that Zelaeas supporters plan to block the roads tomorrow. Please pray.

7/15 6pm- The big group should be landing soon in Austin. Cory and Eric are still working on the container issues. Please pray for them, there are still complications and the red tape is getting very frustrating. We are being charged daily for the thing sitting in the port, however the custom officials won't release it yet. We found some pictures on facebook one of the local missionaries had posted so we added them to our blog slide show.

7/15 9am- Cory called, they are headed out to try the container again. He said they postponed the soccer games because all the gear was in the container. Even though the original plans did not happen God was miraculous and he is in awe of everything. There are lots of stories and pictures to share when he gets back.

7/14 12pm- Cory texted, they made it safely to the hotel.

7/14 8am- Eric just texted to say they were packed and headed back down the mountain to San Pedro. They will be staying in the hotel tonight.

7/13 7 pm- I think Cory's phone must be out of batteries. Eric texted tonight saying they will be leaving El plan early in the morning. they will head back down the mountain to San Pedro, stay in a hotel Tuesday night and the big group will head back to Austin at noon Wednesday. Cory and Eric are hoping to be able to work out the container release and finish up some other mission business before heading back Friday at noon.

7/12 6pm- Today they went up into the mountains riding donkey's traveling to surrounding villages. Cory said he was both excited and nervous of the donkey ride. Jordan thinks it's because he will be riding it going upward on a mountain and his fear of heights may kick in. :~)We heard that a small group hiked out again last night to preach/pray in a nearby village as well. God's hand protected them as they walked back to base camp in the dark.

7/11 10pm- Got word from Rebecca tonight, the team went to homes of surrounding the village praying and witnessing from 9-1pm today. They hung out at base camp for awhile after it began to rain. This evening they went to another church service.

7/10 10pm- Cory just texted they all went to a church service there in the village. Israel and Jonathan preached . He said they sang the songs in the native language and it was so awesome. They did go ahead with out the container. They hope it will be available before Cory and Eric leave next Friday, maybe they can at least help get it to Israel's house. He says the stars are just awesome, so clear and close. He sends love to everyone.

7/10 9am- Time has come to go to the mountain. The team was up and moving early this morning. They made it to Israel's house about 9 and had one hour to go before arriving in El Plan. Cory texted me about 10 saying they made it and it was absolutely beautiful. We think they went ahead without the container. No one knows why but the Lord, we are continuing to pray and know his Will is perfect and he opens and shuts doors for a reason. He is in control and the container will make it to El Plan when He is ready. They will set up camp in a school house hanging hammocks for beds so they won't be sleeping on the floor with the bugs :~).

7/9 6pm- No container again today. Everyone is sharing that they are having great God discussions and group prayer. They will be headed for the mountains early in the morning. With or with out the container.

7/8 6pm - The rest of the team made it there about lunch time today. Seems to be more red tape regarding the container. It's there, but they can't get it out. Everyone will stay at the hotel tonight and hope to get the container in the morning.

7/6 10:pm- They had a great day. Got out of the hotel and went to a local market. They met a team of people from Tennessee who are building homes there on the outskirts of town. If our container doesn't come in tomorrow they plan to go out and help that team with their building. They ask us to continue to pray, pray, pray!! Also Cory had a cough that didn't sound very good, please lift that up as well.

7/6 12:pm- Container has not made it there yet, they have been told not until Wednesday. They are asking for prayer that it arrives early, tomorrow. Until it arrives they will be hold up in their hotel as there isn't much for them to do.

7/6 10:00am- Things are good. They are getting ready to start meeting their contacts for help with the container. Israel took them to meet some locals last night. They learned a lot about the political situation. Still no military concern . A few extra pa trolls on the street, and a small protest down town but nothing to be worried about.

7/5 4:30pm- All is "very fine". Media has hyped up the issues not at all alarming where they are in San Pedro Sula. Have checked into hotel, going to get pizza. Plan to work on connections and rent trucks for hauling container out of port Tuesday am.

7/5 12:00pm- Arrive in San Pedro Sula Honduras

Therefore go and make disciples of nations

2009-07-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know that Cory felt led to travel with a mission trip this summer to Honduras. The time has come and we dropped he and a dear friend Eric at the airport this morning. We heard from them around noon, they have landed safely in Honduras and will call later with more.

Our church has a team of about 10 who have been praying and seeking God's will for this trip. Over the last several months there have been many great things come to pass that have given everyone involved a great peace that this is truly a trip with God's purpose.

A large container, like a rail road car size, was donated and trucked up to Kyle from Brownsville. in a matter of a few weeks the container was filled with supplies to build a church. Were not just talking about some wood, nails, and hammers.... but windows, front doors, cement mixers and such. There was also an enormous amount of toy's clothes, medicines, and school/household items loaded. Basically, God filled the whole thing up!!!

The container shipped out of Houston last week to Honduras. Cory and Eric are there 3 day's before and will stay 3 day's after the rest of the team. Today through Wednesday the two will be working with the local contact Israel. Eric shared a small bit of Israel's testimony on the way to the air port this morning. It was amazing. The three of them will be challenged to retrieve the container from the port and transport it to the top of a mountain into the city of El Plan.

Once the whole team is in place they will begin construction of a church building for the village. They also will be holding the second ever soccer tournament. Israel says people from villages miles away have said they will be traveling to play in the tournament. Eric said the mission trip this past March had people showing up for several hours after the games were finished very sad they had missed it.

Please lift Cory and the others up daily. Their safety, health, endurance, and testimony all are things to lift in prayer. God has chosen this special group of people to do this special task. Each one of their hearts so desires to show God's love and share his redeeming story with this village. Pray for the hearts of the villagers, that they will be open and receptive of Jesus and his saving grace.

I'll try to keep his updates posted on the blog, however because it's so expensive our daily updates may be short and sweet.

Jaxson Turns 3 !!

2009-07-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our baby is growing up :-(

Jax turned three this week, the time has flown by. He is such a little man. We celebrated once with Mema and Dado on Daddy's birthday, July2, and then again with friends on the 4th. His baseball birthday cake was the best ice cream cake we've ever had. I'm sure the fact that it was 125 degrees outside while we ate it added to the wonderful cool taste.

He loved all of his gifts and has recruited everyone he can to play ball with him. I'm sitting here after church watching Jacie in her dress wearing both batters gloves playing catch. It's great, i love it!!

Love ya
TJ

Summer Stuff

2009-06-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Summer school has started for Cory and I so our posts have been a bit sparse. Our calendar has been full of VBS and other great Summer time activities. We have some great pictures to share, hopefully I can get them loaded tonight between my tests.

Jordan's yard business is still going strong. It's amazing how many homes would prefer let some youngsters mow their yard rather than do it themselves. It's great for the boy's, and Jordan is finding plenty of things to spend his money on. We took him to a skating road tour this weekend. It was a last minute surprise and he was in awe. 3 hours in the Katy Mills parking lot, they were beat red, but J says it was all worth it.

Jaxson was so funny yesterday at dinner. We all go around the table and give 2 things were thankful for as our prayer. When it was his turn he listed out " Mema & Dado, Granny & Papa... and golf game, and baseball game, & football game, & soccer game, & basketball game." we tried to cut him off a few times and he got frustrated with us, this boy LOVES any type of ball if you didn't already know that.

Jacie got a new dollhouse this weekend and is in heaven. She has already talked Jaxson into playing house with her. It all goes fine until he takes one of the dolls and starts smashing it into the wall over and over..... hahaha.... Mom had to step in and explain some stuff to him.. :o)

Hope everyone is having a great summer so far, check back in the next few day's for new Pictures.
Love to all!!!!!

This was my devotioal today!

2009-05-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
-- Acts 16:25
Thought:
Falsely imprisoned, Paul and Silas had been beaten "with many blows," placed in prison, and locked down in stocks. Under such horrible circumstances, they managed to praise God in hymns and pray to their Father in Heaven. Under this kind of pressure, their faith caught the attention of the other prisoners who listened to them. We need to be reminded that over the years of Christian witness, some of the most effective times of evangelism happened because Christians remained faithful and joyous people despite persecution and harassment. Nothing should limit our prayer and praise. God will use them to reach the hearts of those in the most difficult of places!
I recently had someone I love very much share with me how they had watched my marriage over the last 17 years walk itself out, and what it ment to them. I admire this person very much, and had no earthly idea they were aware of all the craziness that has been my life during these past years.

We have no idea why God allows us to walk through certain things on this earth. But we have to believe that it's to ultimately fulfill His will. He is bigger than any sickness, failing marriage, lack of confidence, loneliness, or family history we could ever hide behind. You just have NO IDEA who may be watching your actions as you walk through these earthly things.

I am sure that God has placed people in my life so that I could witness their joy over flowing, and their freedom in completely surrendering to Christ as they walked through some sort of trial. I give Him thanks for the blessing it has made in my walk, I pray I will make Him proud in my times of struggle.

Love ya
TJ

Jacie lost her first tooth :~)

2009-05-25T20:29:00.001-07:00

Early last week Jacie told us her tooth was loose. We watched her work it back and forth all week long. Today at lunch she had Cory cut up her hamburger because it hurt to bite into it. We looked up a few minutes later because she squeaked..... and there it was in her hand.

Jaxson was in amazement. He had to inspect the situation several times. It was so cute.

She was totally excited ... and so were we!

BIC Lawn Care Services

2009-05-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Were so excited for Jordan. He and a friend, Gage, have started up a lawn mowing team. They have only been at it for a week, but have already earned a small fortune.

Please keep them in your prayers that God will help them find favor and prepare open harts ahead of them.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend. We haven't been this many places all in one weekend in a long while. We headed to Madisonville Saturday morning and enjoyed the day celebrating Grand mom Whites 99th birthday. The kids enjoyed playing with cousins and roaming the back pasture. Cory saw a group of butterfly's and tried his hardest to create a home grown net out of the craw fish sack to catch one for Jacie. It wasn't very successful :~(. Jordan was his usual great crazy self, getting bit by donkeys and walking on top of the bridge. After that we went out to Aunt Pam and Uncle Jim's to swim a bit. Jax had a blast with Ann shooting everyone with the noodle water gun.

Then we headed to Houston to visit with Mema and Dado for a bit. Their new house is beautiful. Jacie and Jax enjoyed the long awaited "bubble bath swimming tub". They had been out there a few times and seen the huge tub before the house was finished. The anticipation had built up more than we knew. Jordan and Jacie slept in the new house while Jax tagged along with Cory and I in the trailer. Jordan said he thought it would be warmer in the house, since Mema kept it ice cold in the trailer, but no dice. We found him curled in the fetal position the next morning near frozen.... LOL..... we love you Mema :~). The kids went over to the park early the next morning and enjoyed some play time in the cool morning .

Last we dropped by the soccer fields in Spring, where Sydney was playing in a tournament. We were there for about 5 minutes when it began to POUR down rain. We were all soaked and ran for shelter. After enjoying dinner with everyone, we headed for home.

What a great weekend.

Take me out to the ball game

2009-05-21T22:10:00.001-07:00

We went to a Round Rock Express baseball game

last weekend. Jaxson was mesmerized.

Cory knew one of the players from the other team,

OK city Redbirds. Jaxson was bug-eyed when he

saw his dad talking to one of the players.

He wanted to go out on the field so bad but we

weren't able to stay that long. Maybe next time.

Just hanging out

2009-05-21T21:57:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was one of those great hang around the house weekends. Jordan and Gage took advantage of the great weather and skated more than should be humanly possible. The Dr. released Jordan back to full activity and we think he must have been making up for lost time.

Dado helped Jordan make this skating box and the boys are really putting it to the test. I'm amazed at how they can control the skate board so well. They even got the idea to try and make more of them and sell them on Craig's list.

Spring Classes Finished :~)))))

2009-05-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

It's official, our spring classes are finished and all classes were passed. My phobia of taking "real true" finals is now over. They weren't as bad as I thought. And it makes it even better if you keep up with your daily grades so the final doesn't make or break the whole class.

Im trying to pick up on some of Cory's tricks, he is just crazy! I could have studied hours for an assignment and he walks in, looks at it for 30 minutes then makes a much better grade than I. It's just not fair :~(.

So we have a month off and then on to Summer 1 classes.

Thanks for all your prayers!!!!

Im prayen for Kristi Berry

2009-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

So, my roommate for family camp had shown me her swollen arm and we talked about the Dr. apointment she was set up for that next week. So on Wednesday her Dr. sent her over to the ER, and after a whole day of tests in the ER she has been diagnosed with lymphoma.

This lady is unbelievable, happy, joy full, funny, bubbly, and absolutely strong in her belief of our God in heaven. Her life journey has already been colored with trials and now it looks like there will be more to come. She has set her mind to walking through this season of her life to do what ever will God has for her, in total submittion to his plan.

They have 4 children ranging from Sr. in HS to a Kindergartner. Please pray for their family with us. We have set up a face book group for her.

I think you can view this link with out being a member of FB.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=182138355290&ref=mf

Family Camp '09

2009-05-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Our church hosts a weekend camp for the entire family once a year. The boy's all bunk in one set of cabins and the girls in another. We live in true "summer camp" style for 3 day's eating in the cafeteria, attending scheduled activities, and enjoying free time on the camp grounds.This year was so much fun, each year their is a theme. 1st year it was 2 cowboy's, 2nd year it was superheros defending God's word. And this year it was super agents. We all dressed up in our shirts and glasses and went on spy missions throughout the weekend.

Cory and Jordan both competed in the chubby bunny contest to see who could stuff their mouths with the most marsh mellows and still say "chubby bunny", and Jordan took 3rd place. So many more fun games and fun times spent with families.

The guest speaker was Tom Tombs, he did all sorts of tricks and illusions it was great. The youth stayed up into the wee hours of the morning playing capture the flag across the whole camp ground. So needless to say, Cory and some of the other dads were walking zombies the next day. But it was all so worth it!!

2009-04-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

Easter weekend was awesome! Mema and Dadao came up to visit and we all went to our neighborhood egg hunt. It never fails, the weather started out ok but after a few hours we were all freezing. It didn't seem to ruin the fun so that was good. Jordan was in a silly mood as you can tell by all the great face shots we got of him... this would not happen on a normal day.

After the egg hunt we piled into the truck and went to Sea World. Sesame street was there and the kids were in awe. We have enjoyed seeing all the great shows, and every night Jax remembers to be thank full for getting to see them. We are bummed that the kids aren't able to hug the characters, Jacie has been real upset a few times about that.

Aunt Pam .... we got a picture of Zoe for you!!!!! :~)

We went through the Clydesdale barn this time and all of the horses had their back sides to us. Jordan thought this was hilarious and told me to take his picture standing by one. Well, just as I snapped the picture the horse started to poop! I didn't realize just how many people were watching us until the hole barn erupted in laughter. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.

God will provide.....

2009-04-28T08:47:00.001-07:00

Have you ever stoped to think how many times we just take things for granted? I mean really, little things that "just show up, or drop from out of nowhere"... and fall perfectly into place.

I don't believe in "plain ole luck". Everything is apart of a greater plan, I may not be able to see it in advance but if I'm watching (in tune with what God's word says and what he is doing in my life) He shows himself all around every day.

This morning I forgot my lunch at the house so I called Cory to have him put it back in the fridge. I told him I was out of cash and had no stashed food at the office and so it looked like I would be fasting today. He giggled, and said to me......." Don't worry, God will provide". Now I had no doubt someone would have a stashed microwaveable mac N cheese I could bum off of but God took it to another level.

One of our sister department members just poked their head into my office and let me know that they had BBQ brisket, potato salad, beans and the whole 9 yards down in the break room for me to come get myself some.

God provides......even the little things.

Update on J

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

Thank you all for praying and checking in on Jordan over the last few weeks. He is doing much better, Kevin his PT is very upbeat about how much progress Jordan has made.

J is on top of his stretches, and even takes some of them as a personal challenge to master before his next visit to Kevin.

We have about 4 more straight weeks of PT, then they will begin to ween him off slowly.

Again, thank you for all your support.

NEED PRAYER PLEASE

2009-04-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

Jordan's lower back has been hurting him for a few months now. Over this last month the pain has gotten worse. We have been through our family Dr. and yesterday visited an orthopedic specialist. They have determined that he has Spondylolysis( I pasted in the definition below). With physical therapy for the next weeks and no physical activity they hope to reduce the pain and begin to help healing. If this doesn't work, he will be put in a back brace for several months, and then the last straw, after over 18 months of treatment, will be looking into surgery.

We are praying that he will be restored to normal health quickly, that Jordan will understand the seriousness of this injury and follow Dr. orders diligently. Also that God will make himself known to J in a personal way through this whole thing.

Thank you so much in advance for your thoughts and prayers. We love youall.

Cory & Tanya

Spondylolysis Injury Explained
A stress fracture, medically known as Spondylolysis, is the most common overuse injury of the lower back in sport. This condition is classified as either a bone stress reaction or a stress fracture of the lower back. It is especially common in growing adolescents and symptoms are often related to the 'growth spurt'. Cricket fast bowlers appear to be particularly susceptible to Spondylolysis, with a reported prevalence of 55% in some teams.
At the base of the back there are five lumbar vertebrae. The most common site for Spondylolysis is the bottom-most lumbar vertebra, called L5, where the mobile lumbar spine meets the fixed pelvis. This is because this vertebra is subject to most stress during sports.

Spondylolysis Signs & Symptoms
This condition is most common in adolescents and is quite rare beyond this age group. Spondylolysis is characterised by an ache in the lower back which is exacerbated by sporting activities and eased by rest. Typically, it is sore when the patient bends backwards, particularly if standing on one leg. If Spondylolysis is suspected, a GP may decide to refer the patient for a scan to confirm the diagnosis.

Family Christian day @ SeaWorld

2009-03-30T17:47:00.001-07:00

We started a thing called "The Bead Jar" where the kids earn beads for good behaviour. When the jar is filled up the family gets a treat. So when they filled up their first time, we got Sea World tickets. Our friends Jaclyn and Leon did the same thing with their kids Nichole and Isaac.

Our first visit was Saturday. The day couldn't have been more perfect. We found out that the park was holding a concert with three awesome bands (Needtobreath, Third Day, Revive) , Veggie Tales were there, and Shamu was performing a special show set to christian music called Praise wave.

We enjoyed every bit of it. Jordan met a friend of his there and they headed for the roller coasters while the rest of us took off for Shamu's first show. None of the kids wanted to get wet during the first Shamu show, but during the second one , at night, everyone decided they wanted to get wet. We took a picture of them, sitting down in the splash zone seats by themselves.

The concert was awesome. It was so cool to see so many people praising God in a public amusement park. Mike just kept looking around saying "look at this.... just look at this".

The kids absolutley had a blast. I think watching the live band has given our "Birthday Band" new aspirations....... hahaha
Love yall.

1st Trip to the Dentist :~)

2009-03-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Jacie had her first Dentist visit this past month. She did GREAT!!! Boy have times changed. We have a new dentist office in town and it has all sort's of cutting edge stuff. There was even a TV screen where they showed us what they were doing in her mouth. Then when they got ready to start cleaning her teeth, they put on a Barbie movie for her to watch throughout the procedure. WOW~ I sure wish they had this set up back when I was a kid.

Chop-stix???

2009-03-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

If given a choice our kids seem to choose crab legs and sushi over Mc Donalds any day. So we often have Sunday lunch at Kobe Beef. The chief puts on a show while he cooks our food, and everyone is entertained until it's time to eat.

Well, this Sunday Jaxson was insistent on using his chop sticks by himself. They are real nice and have some wrapped with rubber bands making it easier for the kids to use. The whole table, including the other people from the other side, got a kick out of watching him. He was so proud of himself each time a piece of food actually made it to his mouth.

Ball Game Fun

2009-03-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Jacie and I went with some friends to the Dell Diamond for a afternoon ball game. Jacie really enjoyed having all of me to herself, since we didn't bring the boys.

We decided to go more often and bring the whole gang. So more pictures to come at the ball game.

Scrappen Test

2009-03-15T22:32:00.001-07:00

I am trying out digital scrapbooking, and had a thought. So, this is a test post to see if my uploaded scrap pages will show up if I past them in these bloggs.

2009-02-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

We found some of the lost pictures I mentioned earlier. We put some of them together and made a few movies. One is us hanging out on Christmas day, the other is hanging with friends on New Years Eve.

Love yall.

Jordan's New Room

2009-02-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

We painted Jordan's room while he was gone for the week . He really was surprised and loved it.

Happy Birth Day Band

2009-02-01T19:03:00.000-08:00

Granny & Papa

Here is our newly formed Birthday Band. Hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed making it. Love you and Happy Birthday.

Back to the world of technology!!

2009-02-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone....

I think we're back on line for good now. We had a whole house of sickness during the holiday's and then all of our computers crashed at once. Mine just got back from the shop for the 3rd time and Cory's is still being worked on. Man we had no idea how dependant we were on the Mobille technology.

Since we last posted, here's what's been going on.

Our church performed an outdoor program "A Night In Bethlehem". Cory and I were Zachariah and Elizabeth and I was with child. That was the fastest pregenancy I have ever had. Cory told me I over-acted, but I think it was just so real with all the moaning and acting uncomfortable that it brought back bad memories for him. I actually had several people who hadn't seen us in a while ask if we were truly expecting.

Christmas was great, other than having some very sick kiddos. We enjoyed seeing all our family and friends. We had some friends over for New Year's and enjoyed our first ever Wii tournament. It was a blast and the kids had such a good time....Jacie is really good at baseball.

School started for J and he moved into a few new classes. It's hard to believe he is on the down hill of his Freshman year.

Cory and I started WTAMU. These classes are on a traditional schedule, diffrent from South University's year around summer school schedule. We have one class together and during class introductions Cory put a HUGE target on our backs by telling the class that his goal was to make a better grade than I, for bragging rights.

We posted some Christmas pictures on the side view and hope to get some more soon.

Love all of you all.

TJ

Grande Christmas party

2008-12-19T05:36:00.001-08:00

For the first time in 10 years Cory and I went to my company Christmas party. We had a great time hanging out with everyone. I laughed when I started trying to decide what to wear. I couldn't find anything and ended up borrowing something.

It's great to have a chance to get all dressed up and go out on the town for a night. But actually having a wardrobe for "night life" is a whole other story. Maybe I'll be more prepared for next year. :o)

Sam Dunk

2008-12-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

Cory got tickets to an Aggie basketball game, and Jaxson was the only taker. The two loaded up a few Friday's ago and headed to College Station.

They arrived an hour early and had a chance to be on the court during warm ups. Jaxson spent most of that time with his chin rested between two chairs. Cory said he noticed a camera man filming Jaxson at one point.

They enjoyed the whole game together with Jax taking a small cat nap during 1/2 time. Jaxson's favorite part of the whole night was the slam dunk contest. He has talked about it day after day, and even tries to act out his own "sam dunk" contests.

What a dude!!

The Great Cookie Swap

2008-12-18T20:11:00.000-08:00

I was invited to a cookie swap this year. Since the one and only rule was that you had to make your cookies FROM SCRATCH this was a challenge for me. I mean, come on, if I actually make them in MY OVEN isn't that from scratch enough????

So I borrowed a cookie recipe from a friend at work for " No Bake" Oreo balls. Jacie and I had a great time making them. I explained how the party worked, that I would bring lot's of our Oreo balls and swap them with all the other ladies for theirs. She was so excited the next morning to see all the other cookies we had gotten.

It was one of the best times I have ever had, and can't wait till next year.

Oh Christmas Tree..

2008-12-07T20:58:00.000-08:00

We are a week behind in getting our tree up but finally made it. Merry Christmas.

WTAMU here we come

2008-11-30T20:25:00.000-08:00

All tests have been passed and transcripts are in route.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. We both made it through our last class with South University and I passed my entrance test for WTAMU. I am signed up for my spring classes and ready to go. We are still waiting for one of Cory's transcripts and then he will finish up his enrollment.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers, it's gonna be a long road ahead.

GO BUFFS!!!

Trip to the Mountain

2008-11-30T20:16:00.000-08:00

We went to visit Granny & Papa in New Mexico for Thanksgiving. It was a long 10 hour drive. The kids were such troopers; they really did a wonderful job both on the way there and back.

Jacie had been praying for snow for over a month and she got her wish. It didn't snow hard, but it snowed. We went up to the ski resort one afternoon and played in some man-made snow for a bit. We weren't totally prepared and our clothes weren't the best for snow playing. I think we might have lasted for 45 minutes or so before we all piled back in the car to go home. Jordan was the lone trooper who would have been fine for us to leave him up there all day.

The next day we went up to the tube shoots. It's like Schlitterbahn in the snow!! We had to pick out our tube, stand in line forever and then enjoy the 1 minute ride. Everyone had a great time. Cory and I rode double with Jacie and Jax for awhile, then Jacie wanted to brave it on her own. I tried to get a pic of her coming down, but her tube turned at the last second. I did get a great shot of Jordan, he was in the air coming off of a jump.

The last night we went to Granny & Papas church program "A walk through Bethlehem". Granny was a Ladivical dancer, and Papa was one of the priests. The kids were in awe as we walked through a re-enactment of Bethlehem during the days Jesus was born.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

Gig'em

2008-11-30T20:07:00.000-08:00

ALL DUDED UP

Saturday morning fun. We all got dressed up with our Aggie team spirit and went to I-Hop for breakfast. There were some people sitting next to us that tried to get Jaxson to put up the tu horn sign. He told them, naww and showed them his gig'em thumb :~)

Play-Off Game

2008-11-30T19:57:00.001-08:00

We thought our Friday Nigh Football fun was over , but there was one more play-off game. We sat with Shelly and Mike up in the "good" ;~) seats. Boy was it cold!!! The weather didn't stop Jaxson from being his usual #1 sports fan. He clapped... stomped... and hollered for his Rebels the whole game. Jacie and I pretty much just stayed huddled up with Mrs. Shelly and our blankets.

Read ALL the instructions before starting.........

2008-11-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this post goes out to Jordan.

Im working fast and furious to get all 6 of my assignments turned in on their due date for this last week of class. And something in my head says " just go out to the message center and check the Proff. update" . I took a picture of it to share.

So had I looked at this before I started the assignments and seen all the red writing telling me what to skip, I would have only worked 4 of the 10 problems on Assignment 3 & 4. And I wouldn't already have1/2 of Assignment 6 completed.

Next time Jordan makes this mistake I guess I'll have to go easy on him.

See why I needed prayer??? HAHAHA :~)

Prayer Please

2008-11-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

This is the last week of classes for Cory and I and because of South University's course schedule this last week is cut from 7 days down to 3. We still get the same amount of homework, but have less time to turn it in. SOooooooo the next 3 day's will be packed for us.

Also, I plan to take my math placement test on Friday at the tu testing center. This is the only portion of the placement I haven't met yet and WTAMU requires this before I can actually schedule classes.

Cory has one more transcript to get in to them before they will offer him a transfer. He isn't quite sure if WTAMU is where he should go, but I'm really hoping he chooses to go there with me. It has been a true blessing for us to take classes together, and I so desire to keep it that way.

2008-11-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful weekend!!

We enjoyed a peaceful Friday night together with steaks on the Grill. Cory is perfecting his
rib-eyes. Then, Saturday, we visited Mema & Dado and helped out with some heavy lifting jobs getting ready for the new house. Today we sang praises around the house while cleaning & doing homework then wrapped it up tonight with our marriage class.

Jordan, Dado, and Cory mostly did the "heavy lifting". Dado had jobs lined up for them when we got there...Jordan bareley had 1 foot out of the car before Dado handed him a pair of gloves and put him to work on the jack hammer. He didn't mind, as you can see from the pictures, it was quite fun. Almost as fun as him acting like a lumber jack on an old tank. By the end of the day he could balance on it quite well.

Cory was a hoot!! His job was the tractor operator, and we're not sure it was actual "work" for him. He gave all the kids a ride around the yard. Jacie loved it right away; Jaxson, however, had to be coaxed a little. Cory told him they were gonna drive to get the football players and that sealed the deal.
Me and Mema took the little guys to this great place called Dewberry Farms. It's like a farm full of old fashion fun things. There was a hay ride, pig race, corn maze and they even had swings made of feed sacks and drainage pipes. They really liked climbing on the hay pile and it brought back memories for me of Granny Crenshaw's house playing in the old barn with the hay. (We dont have these pictures back yet)

Halloween 08

2008-11-02T12:55:00.001-08:00

Trick- Or- Treat
We continued our Halloween tradition by going to mom's office and meeting the gang at Nanna's Halloween Bash. We had a blast at both.

Grande has each department decorate for Halloween, then all the employees kids are invited up to walk around and trick- or treat at each desk. Last year the marketing dept decorated as shriek, and Jacie was terrified.... this year they did candy land and she loved it. Jaxsons favorite was the call center. They did a carnival theme and had a football throwing game, go figure.

The weather was great for fun, food and fellowship later that night at Nanna's. Once everyone arrived, we headed out to get some exercise (wink wink). The hit of the night was coach G. in his Buster the Buda Bulldog costume. The cars honked as they drove by, and all the little kids we passed came over to hug the HUGE YELLOW DOG.

San Gabriel's Horn

2008-11-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I went on a respite with some ladies. I had never even heard of this word, respite, let alone knew what it meant. Well, God had a weekend planned to teach me live and in person the definition.

I've been on the traditional women's retreats several times. We all pile in to a car and head off somewhere with no kids, husbands, housework etc. and listen to a speaker teach us a new word from God,.but this retreat, or rather respite, was totally the opposite. This was me and God..... that's it....... no pre-printed fill in the blank sermon notes to go by......just me and him amongst all of his splendor!!

At first I was unsure how this whole thing would work. I have my daily quiet time hour, but this was 2 full days of quiet time...how would I find something to do all by myself for that long? Well, as some know, I struggle with a nasty little word called "control" and, boy oh boy, did my Jesus have plans for me that weekend.

We stayed in a large vacation home, on the San Gabriel River, in Georgetown. It was a huge home; tall ceilings with large open windows over-looking the river and from our bedroom balcony we had the view of God's creation; it was so peaceful. We all gathered a few times each day for worship and meals, but other than that we each put on our tennies, grabbed a blanket & bible then hit the land.

I love the song we sing at church "I lay back against you and breath, feel your heart beat" I have a strong desire for this peacefulness in my life. This verse of this song has brought me through some pretty tough times in life. Well, I was totally overcome with emotion as I walked down to the river and found a huge oak tree. The tree leaned just so, that it made a perfect place to sit and lean back on, as if God, himself, put it there for me. So...... I layed against him and felt his heartbeat for 2 days.

I entered that weekend with a heavy heart with a lot of life issues weighing me down, I was having a hard time understanding where all of this was coming from. I got to thinking, we all have our struggles, you know the ones we have endured forever, and we have found ways to somewhat comfortably cope with them.....but have you ever watched God just flat move one of those struggles out of the way? He has recently done this in my life. Another song I love has a verse that says "He can move a mountain, my God is mighty to save".

Well guess what I learned ..... there are different struggles on the other side of that mountain, and sometimes there things you haven't dealt with before and therefore have no coping methods. Man, this has been humbling to me, that's right where I was. So If I believe my God, not just believe IN Him, then I must lean on him for everything. So that's where my "control" problem comes in. I was stressed out because Tanya was trying to control and fix all the new struggles that had become visible to me.

I went into that weekend stressed, and came out free. The struggles aren't gone, but the stress of trying to figure out all the answers is. So I had to share this with who ever wants to read this and I have inserted some of the pictures from my spot on the river. Each of these pics are the very heartbeat of God and I know I will look at them daily. If you ever have the chance to get away and spend time with him in nature, I would encourage you to do so. And if you need someone to go with, I'm only a phone call away.

B-Day Fashion Show

2008-10-26T22:20:00.001-07:00

Things have been very busy here, but we found some time to celebrate Jacie's birthday with some good friends and family. For the past 3 years Hannah and Hailey haven't been able to make Jacie's parties, however, this year we made it a "Date Party". They had so much fun together. Mema and Dado came down to spend the day with us and we all went to Gatti Town.

As you can see from the slideshow and the movie in this post Jacie had a great time and loved all the beautiful clothes she got. We even put together a fashion show for everyone. Cory and I can't believe our little girl is already 5, she looks so grown up even though she is still so tiny.

Christmas Lists

2008-10-12T21:52:00.001-07:00

We have had several family members ask about the Kid's Christmas lists. We tried to put a wish list tool on the Blog, but had no success with it. S,o we decided to put them as a post. I'll keep adding if I remember anything I missed, so keep checking.

Jacie=
Anything that has to do with a Princess
Ariel hair dressing doll. It's Ariel's head and you fix her hair........Target has them.
Pink knee-high boots.....any of the ones from Target
Target Wooden Doll house accessories
Size 7 shoe
Size 4T pants, 5T shirts ( Aggie shirts would be great)
Hair stuff
Books
CD player
Stories on CD
Warm PJ's

Jaxson-
Anything with balls
An A & M (preferably), Cowboys, or Texan football uniform with Helmet and shoulder pads (we must find one of these, let me know if you see one)
CD player
Books
Play House Disney stuff
Size 6 shoe
Size 2T Shirts and pants ( he LOVES shirts with balls on them, and Aggie shirts)
Stories on CD
Warm PJ's

Jordan-
I-Tune Gift cards
Joe Boxer pant PJ's
Men's small Shirts ( hoodies, and longsleeve T-shirts)
Toby Mac & Switch foot CD's
Best Buy /Walmart/Target Gift cards
Of course cash is always a winner

BasketBall

2008-10-12T21:20:00.000-07:00

Rebels Hoops

Jordan plans to play basket ball this year with Hays. Several of his team mates are playing in a fall weekend league to get in some extra practice until basket ball season.
Mema and Dado visited us last weekend and we all went to cheer J on. Jacie kept Dado busy helping her color. While Jax tried on Mema's glasses.

Go Tanya ... It's your birthday.....Go Tanya....

2008-10-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please..............

I made an "A" on my first Algebra test!!!!!!

WWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. I have been sweating this class since it has, historically, been my weakest subject. This is a HUGE example of "taking it one day at a time".

One week down, and 4 1/2 more to go.

TYJC :~) Where I am weak, He is strong.

Ms. Kyle Padgent

2008-10-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Jordan was a volunteer security helper for this year's pageant show. He and several other kids from our youth group at church helped out in seating as well as keeping the back stage free of unauthorized personnel. :)

At the beginning, as usual, he was so frustrated with us for "volunteering":~) him for this event, but by the end of the night he had signed up to be an annual volunteer. The theme was wild west, hence the cowboy hat. J was not happy at all with this get-up!!!!.........AT ALL!!!

Jacie and I went and watched the girls. They were all so beautiful.......we really had a great time.

The Birthday Girl :)

2008-10-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

BIRTHDAY PRINCESS

Well, Jacie has officially turned 5. We can hardly believe how fast our little princess has grown up. She kept asking me, over and over, the night before her big day..........tomorrow?!?!........I'll be 5 tomorrow?"

We all piled into her bed on Monday morning and sang to her. Of course she ate it up. Then, that evening we had a small celebration and the strawberry shortcake was a big hit, as you can tell. Jax and Jordan had second helpings.....You see the plate to Jaxson's right?!?!?! Well, he reached over and snatched it up for quick bite, as well.

Caught in the act

2008-10-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

We just had to share this with you.

Sunday Morning Pictures

2008-10-05T13:45:00.001-07:00

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!!

We took a few fall pictures this morning before church. Jaxson and I are struggling with severe allergies and it's taking its toll on us. We got lots of medicine this weekend so hopefully we'll start feeling better. Jacie wanted to take a picture of them crushing the fallen leaves. These two really take good pictures, I just love hearing them say "Cheeeesssseeee!" in unison.

Happy B-Day Mema!!!!

2008-09-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

Homecomming

2008-09-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at the football game Friday night. It was Hays' homecoming, and the whole stadium was decked out in blue and white. We sat with our neighbors, Colby their oldest is in the band and the kids enjoyed trying to find him in the stands.

Jaxson is a hoot, he reminds us every few minutes or so that we're at a "bah dame". Now every time we pass by the stadium he squeals with excitement and tells us "bah dame".

The decorations at the game (mums, face & hair paintings, and most of all the homecoming dresses) made Jacie's eyes twinkle brightly with stars. She bugged us to death to take pictures of every cheerleader, drill team dancer, and the homecoming girls that were dressed to the hilt for the occasion.

We got a few good shots and just really had a great time. And even though Jordan wouldn't let us get any good pictures of him, he seemed to have had an ok time as well.

God's calling!!

2008-09-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

God has called me back to the work place and Wednesday will be my first day in an office environment in over a year!! I left the Comptroller's Office in June of 2007 and I will be returning there on the 1st of October (2008), but it will be in a different capacity. He knows the desires of my heart and has placed me in a division that I have PRAYED to be in since he gave me the word to return.......oh, and did I mention he gave me more money to boot!!! God is good!!!....but you guys already know that.

Well, we found a great daycare for Jacie and Jaxson and to get them accustomed to going back we signed them up to start a couple of days early. So, today they were there from 9 - 2 and they had an absolute blast!! Of course Jacie wanted to make sure that Jaxson was taken care of, so she walked him into the class and made sure the teacher knew that we had all of his bags and sheets together.....what would we do without her, huh? ;)

Then it was her time to go to class....her class was outside on the playground and her teacher came right up to her and started talking with her. Jacie was ok at this point and talked to her, as well, but then the teacher made the mistake of calling some of her classmates up to talk with Jacie, as well. Have you ever seen someone throw a piece of bread out to one or two pigeons and then, just a few seconds later, there are 100 others flocked around you?.....that's how this situation played out. It went from two to 12 in a matter of seconds as they hovered around us....that's when Jacie went to the death clamp on my leg. She actually had my blood flow cut off at the femoral artery and I was finally saved by her teacher who saw me about to pass out from the poor circulation and lack of oxygen from being crowded by the kids. She, finally, took Jacie's hand and walked her out to the playground where the rest of her classmates followed close behind. It was a sight to see.

Running Fast in My New Shoes

2008-09-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

Jaxson has been fascinated with his new tennis shoes. He constantly asks us to watch him run fast. He is such a joy to our family.

The Fly Boys

2008-09-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

This summer we have had a horrible time with flies here at the house. Because of this Cory has become a fly killing dude.

So, when I saw Jax stepping up to join the ranks of the "Fly Boy Brigade" I couldn't help myself and grabbed the camera.

Jaxson has favored these frog rain boots all summer. Even on the hottest days you can find him stripped down to a diaper and geared up in the frog boots. So it didn't surprise me one bit to see him armed and ready to fight the good "Fly" fight with his trusty frog boots and flyswatter.

Lov'en the Blogg'en

2008-09-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's no secret that I love to scrapbook, but man oh man, blogging is climbing the charts quickly. We are having so much fun adding and changing things it's unreal.

I hope you all are having as much fun with this as we are. So tonight Jordan and I are in my room while a group of men meet down stairs for bible study. We figured out how to add music to this thing, so now when you open up to check out the latest news you will also be able to check out the latest tunes we listen to while we honor God with our Praise and Worship!!

Stay tuned, I'm trying to figure out how to put some sort of wish list on here for the kid's Christmas lists.

Friday Night Lights

2008-09-19T20:22:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Football Fun

We all suited up in our Rebel colors and headed to the game with some friends. Tonight was Jacie and Jaxson's very first Friday night football game. They both were so excited, and had a blast.

They were mesmerized by the band, cheerleaders, and drill girls. Just as we expected, Jax was very into the game. He was right on queue with the crowd when it was time to clap and cheer for a good play on the field.

GO REBELS

Day at the park...

2008-09-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

We met Tanya for lunch at the, as Jacie would say, green slide park on Monday. It's a big park with lots of "nooks and crannies" for the kids to go in and out of and they had a blast.

The cold front had come through, so they had to wear a pull-over, but they welcomed it and I had a hard time taking it off them when we got back for their nap, because they both wanted to keep it on. Here are a few pics of them at play.

1st day of JROTC...

2008-09-17T18:58:00.001-07:00

1 Jar head cap
1 Battle Dress Uniform
1 Pair of size 11 desert boots
3 Hours of ironing
5 minutes in line formation before school starts

Not getting yelled at or embarrased by the Gunney Sgt ..................PRICELESS.

First day of drill for JROTC. Ok, so if any of you remember years ago Cory and I thought we were going to die when Jordan went through his sock fit era.

Morning after morning we would hunker down and listen and watch as he through absolute fits because the seams on his socks didn't line up in his shoes. He would scream that they didn't "feel good". Well, this morning I had horible flash backs of those days. Jordan waited 'till last night to begin preparing his uniform for school today. This morning he was running late, and having trouble getting the belt, pant legs, hat, and shoe strings to be perfect. He wasn't talking much, but we both knew he was nervious about getting called out and embarrased in the line formation.

So all day Cory and I were praying for his spirit and anxiously awaited for him to get home from school so we could get the scoop. He waltzes in and....nothing...no comments no stories, just nothing. Finally Cory asks him how it went, and he says " it was over in 5 minutes, they didn't even look at our uniforms".

All I could think of was man, that was an aweful lot of drama for 5 minutes. We love our TEEENAGER!!!

Another "J" family member.

2008-09-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, we found a way to fit another "J" name into our family!!! This summer we added Jasmine to our crew. She is so sweet and all the kids just love her. She is so smart; we were shocked at how well she behaves after being with us for just such a short time.

Jacie and Jax debate over who will get to take her out to potty. Let's wait until the winter months and see if they are still wanting to be the one out there with her. ha-ha

Bailey seems to like her, as well. When they are together I'm reminded of the movie, Aristocats, where there is an older hound dog and a younger beagle in the movie. The older dog is always telling the younger one to go lay down and leave him alone. It's so cute to watch them.

Hays Rebel in the House!!!!

2008-09-10T19:07:00.001-07:00

We can hardly believe it, we have a kid in High School. Jordan started 9th grade this year and is off to a really great start. He is taking Pre-Ap classes and God has blessed him with a WONDERFUL schedule!! We werer able to meet his teachers this week during back to school night and it's no doubt that God hand picked every one of them just for him. I have never seen so many teachers that seem to really love their job. Every one of them seemed to really be into the kids, they seem to understand the changes that these 9th graders are up against and have implemented ideas on how to help make their transition smoother.

"J" plans to play Basketball, Baseball, and run Track, but right now he's in off-season, which is nice and easy on our schedule. He is also taking ROTC and seems to love it. He has received part of his mandatory uniform (BDUs) and they look real cool. This organization is under the Marine Corps umbrella so you can imagine the culture/environment of his classroom.

So, our family colors are now officially split. We still bleed maroon, but blue and red are now in our wardrobe. Jacie and I got Hays Rebel shirts at the football game last week and she has tried to wear it all week long.

WHOOP & GO REBELS!!

They listen more than we know!

2008-09-10T18:50:00.001-07:00

So, we have been working with the kids on the way they are supposed to behave and the phrase we are using a lot is, "you must make good choices". When they do not make a "good choice" we talk about it and discuss how they need to talk with God and ask him to forgive them.

Well, yesterday at dinner Jasmine (our new puppy) had to go in the kennel. She didn't like it much and began to bark. Jaxson asked what had happened and I told him Jasmine didn't make a good choice when we had food at the tableby begging, so we had to put her in the kennel. Just then, Jacie spins around and looks over at Jasmine and, in an assertive, bossy tone of voice, blurts out " you better pray to Jesus about that Jasmine!".

We almost fell out of our chairs laughing. I guess you sorta could say she was witnessing. he-he.

From our home to yours

2008-09-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

We have been trying to come up with a way to stay close with our family and friends, but to no avail. So we got a great idea to start a blog where we post updates and the latest pictures to share with everyone. This is going to be a work in progress, but hopefully it will become a way for us to bridge the long distance gap from Kyle to all of you.

See ya,

TJ, CJ, JJ X 4