Thank you!

I really just wanted to take a quick second to say THANK YOU to each and every single person that has served our country, is currently serving, or will serve in the future. You have given up so much for us to keep our freedom. May God truly bless you and your family!! I watched Surprise Homecoming tonight and Wow. I just cannot stop thinking of how blessed we really are because of all the sacrifices the brave soldiers and their families make. Thank you!!

Our weekend wasn't anything super amazing, but yet, we had some great family time! It was definitely a nice sneakie peek to what our summer has in store for us! We enjoyed the Pool at Sally's Y, grilled out, played outside, went to the park, had some ice cream, went to Church :) ... We just enjoyed each other. It's always nice when D has the weekend off. It was super nice that the Pool also opened this weekend, and that the weather was sooo beautiful!

The boys have about 2 weeks left until Summer break, and at this point, I think we are ALL getting a bit anxious! No more alarms, stay up a little later...What's not to love about Summer?!

My brain is now exhausted and can no longer think..so I'll be back soon with more to say :)

OH! I did quickly want to post what Nate said to Heath earlier as we were coming inside, "Come on, ya little horse!"......I was like, "Horse? Really, did he just say that?"....Um, yeah...NO idea why he called his little brother a horse, but he did...and so I laughed. haha! :)

Happy Memorial Day! I hope all of you had an amazing weekend!!

Catching You Up! :)

Wow. It's been a LONG time. I'm really sorry, I wanted to keep up with it better than this..over a month! Goodness, that's bad! Why didn't someone yell at me?!!

It's amazing how life works. My last post still brings me to tears. I still remember the whole thing like it was yesterday...However, you know when God starts working, Satan does too...Wasn't any different for me, unfortunately. I've definitely been in a bit of a valley recently, I'd truly appreciate your prayers. :)

So, what's been going on in our house the past month and a half? A lot, I guess...haha! We went to Indiana to visit family for Spring Break. (Love and miss you all!) Dustin had to stay behind for work, so he wasn't able to enjoy the getaway. Wellll...don't get me wrong, we had  fun, but my, the weather sure was frightful! I was glad to come home just to see the sunshine again! It rained every day we were there, I think! We didn't get to spend as much time with everyone as we'd like to - a week just doesn't seem long enough. It passes by so quickly! Don't you worry though - the boys will be back this summer! Plans are already being made ;) haha!! Yes, I said the BOYS, Mama and Daddy need a break! :)

What else? I took Riley and Heath to the Zoo with our good friends Dakota and Jake (and their beautiful mommies - Holly and Sarah). The boys had SO much fun!! The weather was perfect and the Zoo is the perfect size. It was a great day!

They were tired and ready to go home at this point, but they really had fun!! 

I've been hitting the gym (Sally's YMCA) every day lately. I try to do at least an hour class daily, if not more. Riley calls it his 'Y School,' he loves it! So does Heath, so it's a win-win for all of us! Dustin is still working all the time it seems. I know really he doesn't, but it feels that way sometimes. Boys are still in school - last day is June 9. They're already in summer mode, though. It's hard to get Nate to sit down and do homework anymore. Luckily, I think this week was the last week. Hooray!

Speaking of, Nate had tubes put in his ears because the poor boy could barely hear a thing. God is good, and after the tubes were in, his hearing is perfect again! They also removed his adenoids, and that seemed to affect him more than anything. After about a week, he finally stopped complaining of the pain in his neck. He loves school, but because of his hearing, he isn't doing as well as we'd like for him to be. His teacher, Mrs. Brewster, is AMAZING. I can honestly say that we love that woman! She loves Nate, too! She has done so much with him and for him this year, she's truly awesome. So, if he does stay in Kindergarten, I know it's for the best, because I trust her, and he'll be in her capable hands again next year. However, the year is not over yet, I can still pray for a miracle :) He's a good little helper...when he wants to be ;) I look at him and think, "Wow, my baby is 6 years old. Where in the world has the time gone?! He's growing up right before my eyes." I don't think I like it :(

Birthday boy!! I love him! 

Heath had a tube blocked before we left for IN, but when we got home, it was clear and he was put on allergy meds, which has helped SOOO much!! While we're talking about the lil booger - he enjoys the tub so much that he has now jumped in TWICE fully clothed. Yes, FULLY clothed. I have noticed though, both times it was with Nate....He swears Heath jumps in all by himself...I don't know if I believe that ;) haha! The boy LOVES water, I get the feeling this summer will be interesting around the pools! He's just like Nate, NO fear!! He's been talking so much lately, and he loves to dance! He is just SO much fun right now! I am loving every minute of watching him grow every day. But, it would be okay if he wanted to slow down a little :)

Isn't he the cutest?! The hat is too! A dear friend, Danielle, made it for lil man!

This is really how he felt about the whole photo shoot. haha! I had to put it in here..it was too cute! 

Riley is well, Riley :) That boy. He is too sweet and innocent for his own good sometimes. LOL! He's in the WHY stage..and lemme tell you...he wakes up asking Why and goes to bed asking Why...and in between I probably hear it at least a thousand times!! I finally said to him the other day, "Baby, I wish Mama had all the answers, really, I DO, but I just DON'T KNOW."  The response? Why, of course! Luckily, we were walking in to the Y, so I was able to divert his attention elsewhere. haha!! I love that he's so inquisitive, really, I do, but I really sometimes just do not know! What do I tell him then?! He's so funny - Walking in to the house last night, I hear "Bruddah, come on! Come on Bruddah Heaf!" Then tonight, "Mama, my bruddah is awake." I LOVE it! He's my little cuddle bug and I am sooo hanging on to every second of that!!

So rotten. Gotta love him! 

Dylan and Cody are doing well...they both had EOG testing recently, hopefully they did well! We'll know the results soon. I'm sure they did, though. Cody was staying after school one day a week for extra help, and it seemed like it was paying off. They're both ready to go back to Indiana for the summer to be with their Mom. Spring Break was just an itch for them, thus their reason for summer break mode already!

So, it's late...and we have to get up early for Riley's T Ball...I think I forgot to mention that. He started last Saturday and it lasts for about a month. He is soo excited, every day I get to hear all about it! Never a dull moment around here!

Hopefully the next time I post won't be in a month and half! Someone needs to yell at me, and do NOT let that happen! :)

I leave you with this quote I found :

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.




Good night! 

Blessings rain down on us....

Warning: This is long....super long.  eh, you don't need no warning, just read it and cry along with me :D Love you all!!



Oh my. What a weekend for the Isaacs clan! Without a doubt, it was probably the best we've had in quite some time. I went to a Women's Conference in Hendersonville, NC Friday and Saturday. Mina Oglesby was the guest speaker, and she is so funny, but even more than that, she's REAL.

Let me go back to March 15 - the day I reassured my salvation.  First, let me say, it wasn't easy. For SO long I felt that I had been saved. I remember being 9 years old and saying the prayer to ask Jesus into my heart..I remember saying it 2 more times after that...Yet, I still had my doubts. Let me tell you - living with the doubt, and the fear was soooo much harder than asking for Him to save me - again.
This time it's for real, this time, I know, without any doubt in my mind, where I'm going when I leave this world behind. I was scared for the longest time to do anything about my doubts, I didn't want people to look down on me! I didn't want them to think I had been living a lie! I promise, it wasn't something I had done on purpose. I really thought I had been saved already.
The doubts kept creeping up...on a more continual basis. I realized that I could no longer handle doubting myself..My boys were asking more and more questions, and I needed to be sure, before I could really answer them.
At that point and time, what other people thought of me no longer mattered. They won't judge me when the day comes, Jesus will. I have to answer to HIM, not to anyone else.
So yes, I was scared, I was nervous, my heart was beating a million miles a minute! However, I knew it was time to settle this. Maybe I was saved long ago..Jesus is the only one who knows for sure. This time, I needed to know. My heart was so heavy; I couldn't carry the pain, the doubts, the fear any longer.
I grabbed one of the most Godly women I know, and with tears in my eyes, barely speaking, she knew. It was the hardest thing to do, as far as making the decision to step forward again, when everyone thinks I'm already saved. It was scary! However, I KNOW that the thought of spending eternity in Hell is even scarier!! I've been praying for faith and courage for a while now, after hearing a Revival message, my heart was stirred enough that it was time to settle this once and for all. After getting past my own pride issues, because, really, that's all that it was, the decision to ask Jesus to save me was a no brainer! Of course, that's what I wanted! Why wouldn't I?!
My heart is sooo much lighter, it was the second I asked Jesus to save me. It's an amazing feeling, I have no words to describe it really.
I just want to say to anyone that may be reading this - if YOU are having your doubts, please don't wait the way I did. It wasn't two seconds after praying, I looked up and said, "Man, I wish I had done that sooner!"  I can PROMISE you that no one will look down on you, they will be right there, rejoicing with you!! Don't be nervous, don't be scared, just do it, it's the best thing you will EVER do for yourself. . It's something that just EATS at you, until you settle it. I feel like I've been set free, the burden has been lifted. Thank you, Jesus, for dying on that old rugged tree to save ME. I haven't done one single thing to deserve it, yet you did it anyway. Oh, how much He loves us!!

So that was really long....so if you're still reading along, you're awesome!! :) haha!

Fast forward to Friday, March 25 - First day of Women's Conference. We left our Church around 930a. {My boys were in great hands. They were with Daddy til about 4p. Dylan and Cody stayed with a good friend - Jeremy, while Daddy had to work. Nate, Riley, and Heath stayed with their favorite Crystal! I didn't need to be worried about them at all while I was away, so that was a blessing in itself. Thank you both for watching my boys!}

There was about 25 women from our Church that went. We had an absolutely amazing time! When I tell you that God is awesome....like, seriously! It still amazes me that every.single.thing I heard impacted me...and not just a little bit. It has changed my entire outlook on things in my life. It's amazing how you hear EXACTLY what you need to hear, EXACTLY when you need to hear it. I've been struggling with a few things for a while now, but He took care of that for me. The tears just haven't really stopped, haha! I'm just in awe at how GREAT our God is.  Questions were answered, with some pretty awesome answers. The speakers up there were amazing! They definitely had God in their life, and you could tell! It's time for some changes around here, but some pretty good ones, at least I think so ;)
There was a workshop for Moms - She spoke of Bathsheba, and if you know your Bible, when you think of her, you think of how sinful she was. However, she was also Solomon's mother. Solomon was probably one of the most wise men in the Bible. David was his father, however, he was busy ruling the Kingdom, so his mother - Bathsheba, is where he learned his faith. To ME, this was really meaningful. Right before leaving, I was talking to a good friend saying boys learn from their Daddy..and to be honest, I was worried! But now, I can feel better knowing that I can teach my boys to have faith, and to pray, and to be good, Godly men. ME, I can do this, it doesn't HAVE to be their Daddy. In fact, I am with them more than he is, anyways. After all, I stay at home, I really am the one they learn from. They see ME deal with different things on a daily basis. They watch ME, to see how I handle it. Really, women express their feelings more so than men, so they see when we're angry, upset, happy, sad, whatever emotion we may be feeling, our kids SEE it in us. Then they watch us to see how we handle that emotion. I want my boys to see me take my fears and frustrations to the Lord in prayer, I want them to see me give Thanks to Him for all that He has blessed us with. I want to be a Mommy that has faith, and I want more than anything in this world to pass that on to my boys.  That workshop touched my heart in more ways than anyone will ever know.
I also learned that if the Holy Spirit can't convict a person, well then I surely can't! So basically, it's time for me to let go of some things..and let God. Told ya......absolutely amazing conference!! I'm feeling so overwhelmed with the Lord's love for me right now...I don't want this feeling to go away. Ever. If you ever get the chance to go to a Conference, I highly, HIGHLY suggest you grab it and go!!! You will never regret it!! I'm already itching to go back! :)

Being a mom means SO many things. I think at the top of any mom's list though, is their child's salvation. That's a pretty important thing. It's eternal. My heart is overflowing with joy right now. With tears running down my face, I'm so thrilled to say that Nate asked Jesus to save him tonight. I know where my baby will be when his time here is over. What an awesome feeling that is! I just can't describe it!! God is SOOOO good!!! I was told the night I was saved, just over a week ago, that He will never disappoint us. I believe that whole heartedly, and this weekend is only proof of that! I feel that this is the start of some pretty amazing things for my family!

Now that I've cried my little heart out, and wrote ya'll a book, it's bedtime for me. I just wanted to share my heart with all of you, I love you all dearly and pray that He rains just as many blessings down on you as He has for us!! Nate was told tonight by a dear, Godly man - "Don't EVER forget how much Jesus loves you. That's why He died on the cross for you, because He loves you SO much." Nobody ever said life would be easy, but I know, with Jesus in our lives, it will be worth all the trials we will ever have to go through, and we will never, ever go through any of them alone. He is constantly walking by our side, and it says in the Bible, he will never leave us, nor forsake us. Thank you, Jesus, for everything you've ever done for me, for things yet to come. Right now, life is good and I am loving every.single.second of it.

-Heather

Happy Birthday, Nate!

I just wanted to post real quick to Mr Nate. Today he is 6 years young!! It was official as of 11:16 pm :) It's still so hard for me to believe that 6 years ago today I was laid up in a hospital room with my first born baby boy! He was a whopping 8 lbs, 9 oz and 21 in long. It amazes me how I still remember it like it was just yesterday.

I love you so much, Nate! You are such a rotten little man! I wouldn't change one thing for the world, though. You're an amazing helper, you are so kind and thoughtful. Yes, you can also be mean, but it's quite obvious you love your brothers, too. I think you would do absolutely anything for any one of them. You are my sensitive, kind hearted, free spirited, rotten, stubborn, loving boy. Don't you ever change...for anyone! Keep that twinkle in your eye and don't you EVER give up on any of your dreams! I am so proud to be your Mommy!! 

I'll be back tomorrow with photos from today. He had a great day!! Thanks for all of the birthday wishes!!

The tale of a 3 yr old and his 'itches'

WARNING: This post may be graphic....

Well, today marks 1 wk and 1 day of little man's accident...If you haven't heard about the bloody, gory story by now, I must say, I'm shocked! ;)

The little man in question would be Mr. Riley Alan. That's right, none of the other CrAzY boys...my sweet, innocent, RILEY! hahaha So here's the story, with pictures, even!

Don't forget...I warned you!

Our Sunday morning started as every Sunday morning starts - crazy! Dustin worked the night before so he was tired and in bed, of course...Thus the reason the insanity pursues...I, by myself, get all FIVE boys ready...I mean, yeah, Dylan and Cody do pretty well themselves, but they still need to be prompted to do many things. So anyways, our morning was semi-normal...See, Mamaw Shelly was coming in for a visit. We were to pick her up at the airport after Church. It seems that usually when Mamaw comes to visit, someone is generally sick or just not feeling up to par...I was thinking, WOW! Everyone is feeling good this time, we'll have fun! HA!

Fast Forward through Sunday School, into Worship Service. Which, as it so happened, was MY week to be in the Toddler classroom with Mrs Charlene. Class went great, Rambo (our horse puppet) went great, the walk TO Rambo went pretty well....the walk FROM Rambo....yeah, notsomuch. The sad part? Well, other than the fact that I was my child's teacher that day....He made it back to our classroom before he crashed! He was just steps away from being in our room and sitting at the bench..from safety! So, he was running..not even that fast, really..and tripped over his own 2 feet and slammed straight into the doorjam...the corner. Um, let's just say when my child looked at me and all I saw was blood coming out of his poor little head...REAL insanity pursued!!

I scooped him up and we rushed to the restroom....where he saw himself in the mirror. At the point, he was not only hurt, but also scared, this is when I lost my cool. I didn't know WHAT to do, and that is probably the absolute WORST feeling EVER. It puts tears in my eyes even now. I honestly don't remember many of the details after this. I remember we made it to the Nursery where my favorite Nurse EVER, was finally able to gain control of the situation and calm me down. Thank you SOOOO much, Carla!!!! She immediately got some sterile gauze and cleaned my little boy up. It was decided, no, it was TOLD to me, that he had to have stitches. Carla was an angel and drove us to the hospital. Ready for the worst photo EVER?! Here we go....

So yeah, upon checking in at the hospital and waiting for a bit..we decided it was time to take a few pictures. So when I say, I could've gone my WHOLE life without ever seeing the inside of my child's head, I totally mean it! This is NOT something I needed to see...EVER!! But there it is...for the whole wide world to see now! If you look super close, you can see his skull. For real. It was that deep. Carla did an amazing job of bandaging little man up!

Look how absolutely content and painless he is here with me :

So yes, by this  point, we were both calm...and slowly getting tired of waiting. We are both SO blessed...beyond words...to have the amazing Church family that we do. The phone calls, messages of support, and prayer were amazing! I am so lucky Carla stayed with us. Thank you for not leaving us! :) I'm not sure certain, that I wouldn't have been able to make it on my own.

I honestly don't remember how long we waited, but it was long enough for a little boy with his head gaping wide open!! They eventually took us back, and put some 'Spiderman' Goo on his head to numb it...Then they put a blue headband around him to hold it in place.

Rambo? Karate Kid? He was like a SuperStar!! Spiderman, and Rambo, and Karate Kid all rolled into one!! After this part, he thought he was done...he was a tad disappointed to find out that wasn't the case. After letting the goo soak in reallll good, they came back in, and that's when I was informed how bad it REALLY was. Carla didn't want to break the news, and I was TOTALLY cool with that! haha The Dr told us it was clear down to the bone, and because of that, he would also need the numbing shot inside the wound. :(

I honestly believe this was the WORST part..for both of us. I'm gonna cry again, so let's hurry through this part....Not only was Riley, Spideyman, Rambo, and Karate Kid, he was ALSO Superman!! I'm tellin ya...Superstar Kid! :) They put a pillowcase around his arms so he couldn't move them, and then wrapped him tight like a mummy. He definitely cried and whimpered during the shots...as I'm sure any adult would also do, but he really didn't fight them at all. After that....it was a piece of cake! He sat SO still and patiently while the Dr did the stitches. He ended up with 2 inside and 7 outside, for a total of 9 'itches' for my sweet boy! The Nurse and Dr bragged on him saying how well he was doing and that they hadn't had a little boy handle stitches like that possibly ever. Woo hoo, Go Riley!! :) 

End Results:

And after all that, he sat and waited patiently with his little hands in his lap for the discharge papers. I am SO proud of how well he handled himself..especially for being all of THREE years old!! He truly was a superstar!! As I'm typing this, he's looking over my shoulder informing me, "There's my itches!!" I kinda think he's proud of 'em!

Along with the title of our Blog - THIS is the stuff! However, I cannot forget how BIG I'm blessed....even in this little mess, God was still SO good to us. Thank you, Jesus, for never leaving us, for always being there, and for always being so kind and gracious when we need you the most.

I'll be back soon with a few of the funny quirks that happened over the past week involving these 'itches.' 

And so it begins....

Hello lovely family and friends! I've been inspired by a dear friend to start a blog. We have family and friends all over the US now..so I guess it's time ;) The name of this blog came about because I'm currently in love with the song - This Is The Stuff, by Francesca Battistelli. If you haven't heard it, you really need to! Here are the lyrics :)


I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please 'Cuz I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines while I'm running behind
Whoa

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world
Oh Oh Oh

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
It might not be what I would choose
But this is the stuff You use

Oh Oh Oh Oh
This is the stuff You use

My favorite line is "In the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I'm blessed." Amen. Our day to day life is absolutely insane..as it would be with 5 boys, it's life..but sometimes...ok, OFTEN, I get caught up in the mess...but in reality, compared to my blessings, my mess is quite small. Thank God for that! When I hear Count Your Blessings, Name them one by one...my, how that list could go on for quite some time. Isn't God good? 

 

I want to share our blessings with you, I want to share our trials with you. I simply want to share with you everything you aren't here to experience with us. Our life is wild, it's crazy, but it's also totally awesome!  So, I promise to try my hardest to keep up with this blog! Please don't hesitate to give me a little push if you see me slackin'!

And so....it begins :) 

Love to all!