Thanksgiving and Christmas Tree Decorating

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Lopez family. We had an amazing meal which included turkey (of course), corn, veggies, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, bread, cranberry relish, and red chili. Issac LOVES red chili on his Thanksgiving dinner. I prefer traditional gravy, which was also provided... and was amazing! Dessert was pumpkin pie with whip cream... also amazing! We had a really fun time hanging out with everyone, telling jokes, and watching Andy wrestle all the kids until they almost pee-ed their pants.. haha!

On our way back to Santa Fe, we stopped by the Rivera house and had a little more pumpkin pie and set up dominoes and pushed them over a few times. It was awesome to spend time with both families.

We also set up our Christmas Tree during the Thanksgiving holiday. We like to have it up as long as we can. It's pretty and brings a lot of color to the house, plus it's just another reminder that Christmas is coming soon! The kids did most of the decorating. I put on the lights with help from Courtney and Savannah. Issac put the tree topper on and explained to the boys how that's their job when they get older - only the man of the house puts the topper on, not the wife... haha! He also told the girls that they should never try to put a topper on, that's their husband's job! We had a good time decorating the tree and enjoyed the fire in our fireplace.

~Kristi

It's About Time....

After a month or so, I FINALLY have some time to blog! So much has happened in the last month, I don't even know where to start. Sports are over now and Issac and Courtney had a great time playing. Issac's team did pretty well overall. They won most of their games, but I wasn't allowed to keep score or anything. Here are some pictures of one of his last games: (you can click on the picture to make it bigger)

Courtney's team ended up being the elementary school champs for her age group. They're going to have a pizza party soon. When they do, we'll post the pics.

Issac and I just got back from another fun and amazing trip to Disneyland! We went without the kids, which was sad at first, but it ended up being a great time for us to hang out. Some of our friends (Eli and RoseAnn) went with us, without their 4 kids too, and we had a blast. We spent most of our time in Pooh's Corner where they make the most amazing desserts ever!! We also rode Splash Mountain multiple times, ate way too much food, shopped at Sephora (RoseAnn), and experienced Disneyland during the Christmas season (a first for us). Here are just some of those pictures:

Well, I hope that satisfies your blogging taste buds for now. I will continue to post more pics of Disneyland, Christmas decorating, and other random things recently taken. P.S. Hope you like the new look ;-).

~Kristi =)

Bummer

Bummer that we've turned into the people that don't update their blog. I swore I would never be one of those people and it's come to this. LAME!! I promise that I will make a better effort to blog and keep everyone updated. Please forgive me for neglecting our blog.
~Kristi

Rockin...

Issac's Soccer Team

"The Dragons"

From left to right: Saif, Oliver, Nicolas, Elijah, Lindsay, Issac

Coach Kristi and Coach Issac

Courtney's First Basketball Game

So Courtney had her very first basketball game this weekend and she did pretty well! They all play at least one quarter and Courtney played the third. She did really well. She grabbed the rebound and dribbled all the way down the court and put up a lay up twice. Unfortunately she missed both times, but it was her first game and I'm sure the pressure was pretty intense. Anyway, she did really well. She's got another game on Wednesday, so we'll see how it goes. I think she'll do well. It's her very first year playing with absolutely no experience and she seems to have some natural talent! It's pretty cool. I took some video before and after the game with my flip video. I'll try to get some footage of her next game, but I don't know how good the quality will be. Anyway, I hope you enjoy her before and after sentiments. God bless!

~Issac

Soccer Updates

Unfortunately I failed to give everyone an update on last week's soccer game and I apologize! So, here is an update on the last two games...

Last week our team did really well! Issac scored 4 goals, so he met his standard of scoring the same amount of goals as number of games (game #4, 4 goals). I'm pretty sure Lindsay, the only girl on our team and one of the best players, scored 10 goals, but I didn't count. Needless to say, the other team wasn't the best in the league. Oh well, it was still fun!

Today we played what I think has to be the tallest/oldest team in our division. It was pretty much rediculous. I didn't have my camera on me, but I found a picture that sums it up nicely....
Imagine our team as the short guys and the other team as this big guy. Anyway, Issac scored one goal and was very aggressive against those tall guys. He didn't care if they were 10 feet tall, he still took the ball from them! That's my boy!

So there you have it. I'll keep you posted on the next game's results!
~Kristi

Outreach/SYATP

Why I am the way I am - A Message to our Family

Many of you who have known me for a very long time know that I am very different today than I was before. I want to address what is so different about me and why.

What's Different? - The thing that's different about me is a love for God and a passionate desire to live for Him. How is that different from before? Well, I used to love myself and had a passionate desire to live for myself, whether that meant lots of drinking, or drugging, or fornicating, or whatever else. I was all about me. That has changed and now I'm all about loving, serving, worshipping, and living for God. That is a huge change.

What Changed? - I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ and it transformed my life! You see, I didn't understand that my sin seperated me from God. I thought I was a good person, probably like many of you. I thought God was just this forgiving god that was going to put up with all of my sin, acknowledge all of my good (which was non-existent), and forgive me based on nothing more than maybe an apology on my behalf. But then somebody told me the truth about what the bible says; that no one is good, that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and that the punishment for that sin is eternity in hell. I found out that God is just, and that just like a judge who would allow a rapist to go free as a result of an apology would be a horrible judge, so God would be an unjust God to allow sinners who have broken His righteous law to go unpunished. What I was faced with was the horrible truth that I was going to hell and that God would be completely just to send me there. I deserved it. I was the worst sinner I knew. It was only after TRULY understanding that I was a horrible sinner who deserved hell that I could then appreciate the gospel (good news). There was no way that I could escape the punishment that I deserved. There was nothing I could do. But God loved me so much that He didn't want me to go to hell. My sin had to be punished so that His justice wouldn't be compromised, so God sent His only Son to come and take my punishment. God poured out all of the wrath that I deserved out on Jesus Christ so that if I would believe in Him then I would be saved from Hell and He would give me heaven! He didn't just do it for me. He makes that available to all who believe the gospel.

How about you? - Where do you stand with God? Are you counting on God to let you into heaven because you're a "good person"? Are you hoping that God will just forgive you for your sin if you say I'm sorry? Maybe you are trusting religious activities to make you right with God. The bible is very clear that there is only one way to be right with God and go to heaven and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. We all have to come to the same realization that I came to; that we're completely guilty of sin and deserving of hell and there is absolutely nothing WE can do to change that. We have to realize that only God can save us and He does so through the death of His Son on the cross.

What now? - If you want to KNOW that you are right with God and have the hope of eternity in heaven with God, then pray a prayer like "God, I know I'm a sinner and deserve hell, but I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for sin and I pray that you would make that count for me. Please forgive me. Transform my life. Help me live for You" If you pray a prayer like this you will be saved, but it's going to cost you. You may lose friends or friends family members. You will have to make some radical changes in your life to avoid sin. People will hate you and persecute you. The gospel is not a message that says"give your life to Jesus and you're life will be easy sailing". The gospel does promise that even the hard things in life God will work together for our good. The gospel does promise hope, and joy and peace in Christ, despite of circumstances.

I love you. - If you just read this it's because God wanted you to have the opportunity to be saved. He loves you so much that He used me to take the time to type all of this out so that you could truly understand the gospel and be saved. He'll change you like He changed me. The Christian life is not an easy life, but it is the best life ever! I've lived a life for myself, and I've lived life for God, and there is no comparison! PLEASE consider what you've read regardless of your religion or background. Search the bible and you'll find that what I say is true! I love you and want you to know Christ! If you have any questions about what I've said, email me. Print this out and give it to someone you care about. Give others the opportunity to hear the gospel! May God bless you.

~Issac

Soccer, Some Chicks, and Sno-Cones

This weekend was another action-packed adventure for the Lopez Tribe. It started out with soccer, an awesome game with Issac referee-ing and Ikey scoring 3 goals!! He seems to increase each game by one goal. So, if my calculations are correct, he should score at least 8 goals by the last game! haha.
Then it was off to Albuquerque to have lunch with our best friends, the Millertimes. We had lunch at Chick-Fil-A and enjoyed the company of the little Chick, Emery. She's getting so big! It was awesome watching her suck on her upper lip!! We're extremely excited to hang out this Wednesday at Q&A Buffet and to go see Brian Regan in a few weeks!!! We love the Millers, if you can't tell.
On Sunday, Issac helped some Regenerate Students serve sno-cones and do face painting at the Fall Gathering of Churches in downtown Santa Fe. I wasn't there, but I heard it went pretty well, with many people being blessed by the free activities we provided. Hopefully many people made decisions for Christ.

~Kristi

Lots of Happenings

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to accomodate this blog, but I decided no one would really care anyway. So much has happened in the last week and a half and I can't believe I don't have any pictures documenting the occasions.... oh well. I need to be better at taking the camera along with us and then actually taking pictures when I have the camera.
I'll start with sports....
Issac started soccer this year and he loves it! His first game was on the 8th and he scored a goal. This past Saturday, Papa Ed, Grammy, and Auntie Lauren came to watch and he scored two goals! He was handsomely rewarded with $2.00 from Papa Ed. Issac and I are the coaches. The kids are so funny! There's one kid who could care less about the game and would rather pick the flowers on the field (literally) but they are a lot of fun and pretty good at soccer.
Courtney just tried out for the basketball team at her school and she made the "B" team (4th and 5th graders). She's really excited and we are very proud of her. The practice schedule is pretty intense... everyday from 5:00 to 7:00... yikes! She'll learn how to manage her time with homework and get in shape at the same time! Woo Hoo!! Go Courtney!
We're looking into things for Savannah and Caleb. Caleb will most likely play soccer in the Spring and Savannah wants to do dance, golf, or swimming.
As for everything else....
I just recently moved to a new office that is closer to our house, church, the kid's school, the mall, Target, and awesome food, such as Quizno's, Starbucks, Kiva Juice, Posa's, Blue Corn, New York Deli... just to name a few. Tonight is Open House for Caleb's grade at school, so we'll attend that and find out what they're doing to educate our young breed. Courtney's will be tomorrow.
Hope that gets you a little more updated on our lives. Please pray that we would be able to manage our time well, as you can see we're really busy. Take...luck! (You'll only get that if you've heard Brian Regan)!!!
~Kristi

Savannah Loves Jesus!

We have raised Savannah in the Christian faith, but this year she has really made the decision to make Jesus Christ her personal Lord and Savior. We can teach our kids about the bible and tell them about Jesus, but we can't make them be Christians. Savannah has decided that she believes the gospel and has decided that even if tomorrow I became a mormon or something, she would remain faithful to believe in and serve the Jesus Christ of the bible! I'm so excited for her! To make this event even more special, as I am a pastor at our church, I had the amazing privilege to baptize her myself! It was truly a blessing that will only be topped by the opportunity to officiate her wedding in the future! I pray that I would have the opportunity to do that someday! (some day far, far from now) Anyway, we love you Savannah and are blessed to have you in our family! Your love for the Lord is evident! Keep the faith! We will always be here for you! Hope the rest of you enjoy the picrtures that capture the moment!
~Issac

WOO HOO!!!!

I just recently finished Real Estate school. It was really tough... driving to Albuquerque 3 or 4 times a week, sitting through intense 4 hour instruction, driving back to Santa Fe, going to work, doing homework, and then taking care of the fam. I'm really glad it's over.
The AWESOME news is that I took the Real Estate National and State exams on Tuesday and I passed!!! It was such a hard test! Many people that I know had/have taken it multiple times. God was very gracious and merciful towards me... I didn't even study before I took it. I pretty much prayed throughout the test and He totally blessed me with a passing grade!!
I'm really excited to be licensed and hopefully I'll be able to help out the team even more! Thanks John and Danielle!! It's such a privilege to work for you!
~Kristi

We may have a reformation!

The last time Caleb was in public school he was in kindergarten. That first year of school had us a little worried about what the future would hold for him. Why? Because he was suspended at least twice and reprimanded for behavior multiple times. Now, I wasn't an angel when I was in school. I had more than my share of suspensions and phone calls to my parents, but never when I was in kindergarten! But this year Caleb is a reformed man! The past year has done good things for Caleb and he's off to a great start in school this year! Today he came home with the "Star Student" award for being an awesome helper! We are so proud of him, although not surprised. We have seen some awesome changes in his behavior and expected great things from him this year! We've got our shades on now as we understand that the future for Caleb is very bright! Way to go Caleb!

~Issac

Family Member Highlight - Papa Ed

Papa Ed is Kristi's dad and a really cool guy. He plays in multiple bands and is a great song writer and musician. (He's also pretty good on the grill) This past Sunday, at Issac's birthday party, he singled out Savannah and bought her a cool necklace and hooked Courtney up with a sweet mood ring! It may sound like something small, but they were really excited and blessed by that. They wondered why he would do something like that for them. That small act of kindness made my kids feel really special and loved and for that I wanted to recognize him! My kids mean a lot to me, and when you do something special for them, you're doing something special for me. Thanks, Papa Ed, for blessing my girls like you did on Sunday. I know that it was just a couple bucks out of the pocket, but for them it was a lot more!

~Issac

Little Ikey is 5!

On September 2nd Issac turned 5 years old. We celebrated his birthday at It'z in Albuquerque with our family and Issac's best friend Sebby. We were really blessed to spend time with the people we love the most! Issac had a blast and was spoiled as so many of you are so kind to us. He got lots of cool toys, clothes, a Nintendo DS, and a "Remy" costume from the movie Ratatouille. If you don't know what It'z is, it's kinda like a Chuck E Cheese's restaurant with both the food and the games stepped up a few notches. It's a pretty fun place to go. Definitely the kids' favorite. Anywho, I've attatched a few pictures from the party so that you could see Issac enjoying his family, friends, and the benefits of having a birthday! Thank all of you who thought of him in some way on his birthday! We love you all.



Issac's Birthday Cake - Ninja Turtles

The Ninja Turtles from the cake...


Issac's friend, Sebby. A good fit for Ikey.



Nana Sue and Papa Gus - Love em lots!



Auntie Felicia and Raul - Fun People!

Big Sis, Savannah and Grammy, Papa Ed, Lauren and "Pinky" (Don't ask) - Awesome Family!



The Lopez Fam with Raul again...



The boys - (Man, Caleb is getting big!)

Dad, Ikey and Sebby - Ikey didn't want to take a picture...

Ski Ball with his friend!

Pirates of the Caribbean Underwear - SWEET!

The Ratatouille Costume - HILARIOUS!

Nintendo DS - Spiderman 3 Game


Uncle Jim and Aunt Jan's Outfit - We miss you guys!

The Transformer Auntie Felicia and Raul got Ikey

The Outfit Nana Sue and Papa Gus got Ikey



There are a few of the highlights! We had a good time with those of you who were there and hope to see those who weren't there sometime soon! We love you all very much. God bless and have nice night!

~Issac