Hernandez Fam

Dance Party at the Cook's!

2009-11-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

Ok friends here are the details.
Dance party at my parents house TOMORROW Monday Nov 30th at 7:00
Please bring your kids!

1456 N Harris
Mesa, AZ 85203

Just take Brown road heading west and go past Gilbert Rd. The next light is HARRIS
Turn RIGHT on Harris. Go 1/2 mile and it will be on your left hand side right across the street from the church with white Christmas lights.

Come ready to make your own sundae from the ice cream machine. Can't wait to see you dancing under the disco ball!
PS sorry this is on a Monday night, just have your FHE lesson before you come and this will be the most memorable activity of the YEAR!!!

Scofield

2009-08-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

The end of June we went to Utah and stayed a few days at my grandparents cabin in Scofield.

We all had a great time fishing, but on the second day Carlos was SO excited when he caught the biggest fish of the weekend. Nicholas was great at scooping the fish up with the net.

The kids loved driving the boat, and seeing the fishes flop around.

Nicholas and Eliza got really good at burning their marshmallows.

My grandma came up the second day to see everyone. Here is Nico, Eliza, and Chambry (Melissa's baby) with their great grandparents.

On the way there we took a little different drive, but it was the most beautiful part of Utah I have ever seen. If you ever get a chance to drive through Moroni, Fairview to Scofield in the summer time don't miss it. It is a little windy though, but very worth it. (it was a little too windy for Eliza's sensitive stomach...)

Eliza turns 3!

2009-08-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

Eliza turned 3 years old on June 18th. She had a very fun filled day. Nana took her to Build -A- Bear and to lunch. She loved dressing up her bear she choose, then came home and took the clothes off the bear and they have not been back on the bear since! Then she came home for a Tea Party Birthday. Her and her friends loved eating tea cakes with lemonade. We had a Dora pinata (she is very into Dora right now) and her favorite ice cream with strawberries for her cake. Then if that wasn't enough excitement we went out for Italian food and they sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her a huge piece of cake. We love you Eliza!

This is out of order, but I didn't want to miss Nico's mother's day program for his pre-school. They sang songs about mothers and had so many cute things they made us. My favorite was when they sang "I often go walking" and handed us some flower pens in a pot they had made. Nico did such a great job singing, and was REALLY good at all the actions.

May

2009-08-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Alex is a sweet baby and is really a mix between the two kids. Nico and Eliza love to play with him and have been a big help when I need someone to feed Alex or run and get me something.

Carlos and Nico had a great time at Fathers and Sons. On the way home they went fishing with some people from the ward and Nico caught his first fish- the ONLY catch of the day!

One morning the kids were being extra quiet, so I went to go check out what was going on. Nicholas decided to display his artwork ON his sister. PAPER KIDS PAPER!!! NOT our bodies.

back to blogging...

2009-08-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ok I have no more excuses. My baby is now almost 6 months old and almost sleeping through the night. So my goal for the next week is to blog about something from a few months ago and hopefully by the end of the week I will be caught up, right? So back in March....(wow that seems like a long time ago) Carlos took Nicholas to LA to see the Venezuelan team play in the World Baseball Classic. They made it to the semi-finals and had a great time at the game, even though they lost.

Egg decorating at Easter...

The kids had fun at the park Easter Egg hunt despite the pouring rain. We were all soaked by the end.

Carlos and baby Alex Easter morning.

We had Easter dinner with our cousins the Millers.

Ok close your eyes and hold out your hands for your surprise...

Baby Alex

2009-02-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

He is finally here! Alex Joshua Hernandez was born Wednesday Feb 18th at 5:02pm. He weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 21 1/4 inches long. He is a happy healthy baby and we are so glad he is here.

The kids were so excited to meet their new baby brother.

He has lots of dark hair.

At first he looked a lot like Nicholas did, but now he is starting to have his own look.

Checking out his dad.

Ready to head home from the hospital.

Eliza is glad to have baby Alex home.

Family Pictures

2009-02-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Trevor Dayley for taking these pictures of our family a few weeks ago. For more info on Trevor's photography see his website at:

http://www.thewayiamstudio.com/

He did a great job and we love them!

Now that our painting projects are done are finally ready (just in time) for baby Alex to be here. I have an appointment this Wednesday morning to be induced, so we hope we will be able to see him by Wed night. We will post pictures and info as soon as we get home!

Happy New Year 2009!

2009-02-15T20:58:00.000-08:00

For New Year's we went to Pei Wei for lunch. The weather was perfect outside and it was great to just relax and walk around the shops after we ate.

Eliza loved playing with cousin Chambry.

At night we have a tradition to ring in the New Year. We toast in the year by saying things that are going to happen that year and then we all raise our glasses together and say, "Cheen Cheen!" (it's Italian)

"Here's to getting to see baby Alex in Feb... CHEEN CHEEN!"

At 12:00 we went outside and let off some fireworks. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Christmas part II

2009-02-15T20:48:00.000-08:00

Later that day we headed to my mom's house so we could talk to my brother, Danny, who is serving his mission in New York. We even got to webcam with him! We loved having Stephanie home from Utah and Melissa, Brian, and baby Chambry even made the long trip from Japan to be home for Christmas.

One of Eliza's favorite toys was her new baby doll. It has been great practice for our baby. She loves feeding her, rocking her, dressing her, and putting her to sleep. She is such a little mother!

Melissa brought these funny glasses from Japan. The kids love them!

A few days after Christmas we went to McCormick ranch railroad park to ride the train through the decorated light scenes. We even rode the little train which I do not recommend if you are pregnant. Very small space to sit on and very uncomfortable- I thought I was going to fall out!

Christmas morning

2009-02-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited to finally see if Santa Claus had come. The loved all the presents and we had such a great time together. There is something truly magically about Christmas morning.

The kids have loved riding their bikes.

Carlos even got me a bike with a trailer and we have had so much fun being able to take family bike rides together.

Christmas Eve

2009-02-15T20:35:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner at my mom's house. After that we read the nativity story and Twas the Night Before Christmas. Then we opened new Pj's and headed home to set out cookies for Santa.

Christmas Cookies

2009-02-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

The kids were so excited to decorate cookies at Uncle Brodie and Aunt Lindsay's house. We made gingerbread cookies and had a great time decorating.

Brodie was so excited to show us his roaring fire (in his TV).

Here are the kids in their Christmas outfits.

Pre-school Program

2009-01-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

Ok I am finally back! After a 2 month break during Christmas and some major house painting projects I am finally getting back to my blog! I have a lot of catching up to do so here goes...

Nicholas had his pre-school program and did a great job. They sang so many songs and everyone had different props that went with it.

Here are the kids with friends Eden and Sarah.

Great job Nico! We love you!

Happy Birthday Carlos!

2008-12-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday Carlos turned 31! Yes, he is a whole 2 weeks younger than I am. We were so glad that he was able to spend a few more hours at home on his birthday, since he has been gone and so busy lately.

Carlos was excited to get some new clothes, ice cream gift cards, and some Orange Patch orange juice!

Thank you Carlos for being a wonderful husband and father. We appreciate all the sacrifices you make for us and how the house just seems complete when you are here. We admire your dedication to your business and calling and hope you had a wonderful day!

Last night was our ward Christmas party. The kids loves the fun toys, singing and gift from the 3 wise men. It is so fun to see them get excited to see their friends. Each time one of Eliza's friends from the nursery walked in she would say, "Look mom, there's _____!"

So cute!

November stuff

2008-12-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

This is my catch up blog for all the rest of the stuff that happened in November

The kids loved the Gilbert days parade a few weeks ago. Who dosen't love watching bands, floats, and have candy thrown at you?

Thanks to all my family and friends who helped me have a wonderful 31st birthday. And 31 is not nearly as bad as turning 30. Everyone came over that night for cake and ice cream and even Melissa skyped in from Japan.

The next night we went to the Zoo lights and even saw Santa.

Thanksgiving was great at my mom's house. Everything was delicious as always.

Here I am with four of the things for which I am most greatful: Carlos, Nicholas, Eliza, and baby on the way.

Our Thanksgiving tradition continued the next night as we went to see the lights come on at the temple.

"Playing" with the baby

2008-12-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

I can't say I love everything about being pregnant, but I do love being able to feel my baby move. Lately we have been "playing" with the baby. He will start to move and then we will kind of poke my belly around where he is moving and then he will kick back. It is so cute. The kids are getting more excited too. Eliza loves to tickle my belly and Nicholas talks about how he wants to play with his little brother when he gets bigger. Now only 11 more weeks to wait!

San Diego

2008-11-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

That timeshare presentation finally paid off! We had a great time in San Diego going to the Zoo and Sea World.

This was on the bus ride around the zoo. We were happy to save this part for the end when our legs needed a break.

The panda bears were one of our favorites. They were so cute, especially when they look at you. There was something about them that just makes you want to give them a hug!

The next morning we got up and headed to the beach at Coronado. The kids loved finding sea shells. Carlos and I enjoyed driving around Coronado Island.

This was inside the polar bear cave.

At the shark exhibit. They were swimming right above us!

Carlos fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams of seeing Shamu.

All the shows were great, but our favorites were the Shamu and dolphin shows.

Before we drove home we stopped at the Harbor and walked around. They had some great old boats out, along with some huge war ships. We had some delicious fish and chips at Anthony's. Carlos claims it was the best he has ever had in his life.

Halloween!

2008-11-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

Thursday we carved our pumpkins. I asked Nicholas what he wanted to pumpkin to look like. He ran and got his favorite Halloween book and picked out which one he wanted.

Eliza was a BYU cheerleader. If you ask her what a cheerleader said she would say, "Goooooooo COUGARS!!!"

Nicholas was a ghost. He didn't like the white make-up though and wiped it all off.

Halloween night we all went over to the Wayas' house. We had a great dinner of chili and hot dogs with all the extras and then played games.

Eliza found a fellow cheerleader to cheer with!

The new babies stole the show as always, and don't these new moms look great?

We all had a great time trick-or-treating and hanging out eating candy.

Elder Cook

2008-10-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Nielsen's with everyone to celebrate Danny leaving on his mission. (If you haven't had thier Peach Cobbler it is amazing!)

He gave a great farewell talk on Sunday and afterwards we all said why we love Danny.

Danny is one of the most serving and selfless people I know. He is always willing to jump in and help out. Whether is it moving a trampoline, hauling stuff with the trailer, or watching the kids he never complains will rearrange his schedule to help someone. He is an amazing brother and uncle and the kids look up to him so much.

Saying goodbye.

Here is a very excited Elder Cook ready to enter the MTC.

We love you Danny and miss you already!

(Nicholas asked me on Friday if he was back yet...two years is a LONG time for a four year old!)

Family Pictures

2008-10-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

I want to learn to take better pictures. Just look at what professional pictures can do for your kids! It can take them from looking like this:

to THIS!

A few weeks ago Amy Kroff (see link to site below) took some family pictures when everyone was here for Chambry's blessing. She did a great job and we love the pictures.
http://web.mac.com/kroffamy

Other updates:

My belly is getting bigger by the day,

we are about to launch the Office Keepers website (more info to follow)

Nicholas can almost write his own name,

and Eliza's finger is healing very well. We are finding that she is going to keep us on our toes. Just Sat I was noticing how well her finger looked. Then Sunday during sacrament meeting she stuck a raisin up her nose. I told her to blow her nose to get it out. Before telling her this I should have explained the difference between blowing and sniffing. She quickly sniffed as hard as she could and made the raisin disappear up her nose. After church we tried to get it out, but could find no sign of the raisin. She sniffed it up and all the way back down her throat!

Never a dull moment!

Show Low

2008-10-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went up to Show Low for the day. It was so nice to be able to be in cooler weather since it was still so hot here. Friday night we hung out at the Syrek's cabin since they
were up there too.

The kids had a blast playing on the trampoline and swing set. My favorite were the S'MORES!

Katie was the professional marshmellow roaster, and Joey, Jason, and Nico got really good at burning theirs.

Nico and Jason played on this glider for at least 45 minutes straight!

The next morning we walked down to the lake and then went to Pinetop for a little while. It was a quick trip, but great to be able to escape the heat for at least a day!

September stuff

2008-10-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

There were a few things that got missed in September, so here they are!
Nico started preschool at Mrs. McClure's. He loves it and is learning a lot.

Carlos came with us to drop him off for his first day. He wanted to walk up all by himself, even on the first day!

Around Nico's birthday we took the kids to the Rainforest Cafe. (A restaurant that looks like you are in the jungle complete with moving but fake animals.)

Nicholas thought is was great, but we had to convince Eliza that the animals were not real. During the first "thunderstorm" she was literally shaking in her seat!

A few weekends ago it was a Friday afternoon and we didn't have much going on. I suggested we take off to Sedona for the night and find a time share presentation so we could have a free night stay. We had a great time walking around Sedona and it was so great to get away and be just the two of us.

The next day they had some kind of Mexican festival where we walked around and heard live Mariachi music.

We thought now that it was getting "cooler" in the evenings we would go to Freestone Park and feed the ducks. We had a great time, although 90 degrees still is not COOL weather yet.

It's a BOY!!!!

2008-09-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had an ultrasound and found out we are having a baby BOY!!! We are all really excited and can't wait till he is here. It is always so exciting to see the baby moving and to be reassured that he is ok and growing well.

This is a little video clip of the baby. I think he is sleeping because he is not moving much, but you can see his mouth opening and closing.

Mini me's and now....?

2008-09-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Many people have told us that Nicholas is a little mini Carlos and Eliza is a mini Marci. Here are some pictures of the us when we were about the kids age.

The question has always been "Ok now you have one of each of you, what is the NEXT one going to look like?" Well we will soon find out in February! I am 18 weeks along and we will find out what we are having on Wednesday. We can't wait to see if it will be a boy with blue eyes and light hair, or maybe a girl with brown eyes and dark hair...? Too bad ultrasounds can't be in color!

Happy 4th Birthday Nico!

2008-09-19T15:06:00.001-07:00

This past Thursday Nicholas turned 4 years old! I can't believe he is getting so big. He was so excited all week for his pirate party. At pre-school he got to bring the cookies he decorated for snack time. Then he went to lunch with his Grandpa and Nana.

Everyone had pirate bandannas and eye patches so we could all play pirates. We had musical chairs to the "Pirate's Life for Me" song, then had a sword fight with long pretzels and fished for pretzels with a pirate hook.

Then we played pin the parrot on the pirate. Carlos drew this pirate free hand- great job Amor!

Finally we had a treasure hunt and filled our candy bags even more with the pinata.

Nicholas with his pirate ship cake

We love you Nicholas and are so glad for all the joy and excitement you bring to our family!

Eliza's Birthday

2008-09-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

Eliza turned 2 on June 18th. I was going to post about Nico's birthday, but I figured I still had not done Eliza's birthday, so I will do hers first.

It was so fun for Eliza to have her friends come over for her party and she especially loved the pinata and dancing.

Eliza is such a sweet girl. Even with all the things her big brother does to her she never does anything back to him. She loves to play "mom" and play with her big brother.

Education Week

2008-09-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ok I am finally back! I have a lot of catching up to do so here goes!

Last month I went up to Utah for Education Week. I arrived on Sat and that night my brother Danny and sister Stephanie and my parents went to Sundance to watch the play "A mid summer nights dream" We were all very tired and not really into the play, so we left at intermission. We still had a great time. Stephanie and I were playing with my mom's phone and laughing at the posts on "seriously so blessed" blog. Maybe that's why we couldn't really figure out the play.

Sunday we went to hear Steph teach a RS lesson and then Danny took us to the MTC to the call center where we made some follow up calls to people who had received videos like "The lamb of God" in the mail. I even made some calls in Spanish! It was so cool.

Monday Mom and I started classes. We were serious about learning all we could at education week and were there everyday from at least 8am-5pm. Tuesday I met up with Nicky and Terese and her sister Holly. We had a great time attending classes and walking around campus.

Thursday we went up to Anna's to celebrate her 30th birthday a little early. Even Melanie flew up for the occasion! It was so fun to be all together!

Thanks again to Carlos and his mom, Arlene, for watching to kids and taking care of everything while I was gone. You guys are the best!

Finger

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

Labor Day weekend we planned on spending a nice quite time at home doing some fun activities with the kids. We were getting in the car to go to the Zoo and I turned around and Eliza's finger was caught in the door jam of the heavy door to the garage. When I opened the door and got her hand out I knew it was serious. ***WARNING*** If you don't like to hear about gross stuff STOP READING- When I looked down I saw the top part of her finger hanging by a thread. It was hurting her so bad she was trying to grab at it and pull it off. Right away we knew we had to leave. Just before the door shut on her finger the garage door spring broke. Carlos and I both tried frantically to get the garage door to release and open, but with no luck. Carlos said for us to just go in his car. So we ran out the front door and jumped in the car. We arrived at the urgent care by our house and Eliza was in so much pain she wouldn't even let me hold her and was screaming on the floor. They got us back and told us they wouldn't be able to fix it there, but that we should got to Scottsdale where they have a hand specialist on call in case she needs it. They did give her something for the pain there and a few minutes later and we were on our way. After a while in the ER they told us they would stich her finger back on. After the pain medication she was doing much better and was so brave. They had to reposition her finger nail back on and sew the sides of her finger back together. After that we went and got some lunch and she was even dancing to the music. After several other doctors appointments we found out she did chip a piece of her bone in the accident, but it should be fine. Her finger seems to be healing well and a few months from now we hope you won't even be able to tell.

Thank you to Arlene for watching Nico while we went to the hospital, for dad for bringing a much needed pacifire to the urgent care, and mom for taking us to the hospital and staying with us, and for the support and prayers of everyone.

Slip n' Slide!

2008-08-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

According to Target they must think summer is coming to a close because a few weeks ago they had all their swimming and summer stuff half off! I couldn't resist this slip n' slide for $5!

Joey, Jason, and Nico played on it for about an hour and a half!

What cute boys!

Wasn't everyday supposed to be like this?

2008-07-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Carlos and I were both very busy with work and I felt like the kids were getting a little bored. So we decided to have a fun Friday and headed to Scottsdale. First we went to Penzey's (a great spice store) and as Melissa described it had a "party for our noses." Then as we were heading to the mall we saw Sprinkles and decided to have a party for our mouths too!

They were delicious! I highly recommend the red velvet flavor.

Then we went to Build-A-Bear Workshop and the kids had a great time picking out a new friend. Nicholas chose a dog and Eliza picked a cute teddy bear. None of us had ever been so it was a great new experience. Then we headed to the play area for a while, got some lunch, and finished off at the pet shop. As I was driving home I remember thinking when I was younger that this is how everyday would be when I had kids. Too bad it feels like these kind of days are so few and far between!

Last week Eliza woke up early and decided she wanted to get going. I was in the kitchen and she walked in with all of this stuff and announced, "I'm ready!" This was about 6:45am. What a funny kid.

It was last Tuesday and I was trying to think of something fun we could do while it was still summer and we could be a little more flexible with bedtimes. I found out the the drive-inn movies were only $4 per person on Tuesdays and that the kids were free. So we tried out Carlos' new work van and took out the back seat so we would have a place to sit and watch the movie. We saw "Journey to the center of the Earth" Not the greatest movie, but the kids had fun. *Just a caution if you want to try this- it was very hot! For some reason I thought it would cool down a little at night, but inside the car with no breeze it got pretty warm!

Parade

2008-07-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here is Nico and Erick, Nico's cousin, marching to the band at the parade.

Here are a few seconds of the amazing fireworks show.

Happy Birthday America!

2008-07-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

I love the 4th of July and the do it up pretty big in Provo. We went up to see Carlos' sister, Gaby, and her new baby Amelie. The kids loved the parade and going to Stadium of Fire. Too bad they weren't a few years older to enjoy seeing Hannah Montana. Although if you ask Nicholas what he liked the best he will tell you it was playing with my sister Melissa's dog at the park.

Eliza liked the fireworks, they were just a little too loud for her. What she didn't like was the four F-16 fighter jets that flew over us and literally shook the stadium.

The next day we got to hang out with the MacFarlane clan for a little bit. Crazy how kids change so much in just a few months.

Eliza was so excited to hold her new baby cousin.

This was the morning of the blessing.

Beautiful baby Amelie.

We got to see Gaby and Luis' new house they are going to move into in just a few weeks.

Summer Fun

2008-07-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went to Show Low so Carlos' mom could see AZ is not just desert. The kids had a great time trying to fish at Fool's Hollow Lake.

The next day we went to Sedona and walked around Main St.

My sister, Melissa, wanted a pet for the summer and bought some tiny baby turtles. The kids have loved playing with them. Well, Eliza can't play with them anymore because she was holding one a little too tight in her hand. Yikes! Sorry Melissa!

Carlos, Nico, his mom, and I went to a D-backs game.

Hope you are all having fun this summer!

Maui

2008-06-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

Nicholas and I went with my family last week to MAUI! Carlos felt like he couldn't leave his new business so soon, so he stayed home with Eliza and his mom. We missed them so much!
Here are a few of the highlights:
The view from our room:

At church,

Outside the Aloha mixed plate restaurant- the best pulled pork ever!

Scoops ice cream- all the island favorites: macadamia nut Carmel, coconut, pineapple just to name a few!

On the way to Hana we stopped to hike to this waterfall.

Sunset from our room.

Nicholas holding a macaw.

This is one of the few BLACK sand beaches

One day we drove up to Haleakala to see the volcanic crater and an amazing view of the island. Then we drove down to about 6,000 feet and they dropped us of to bike the rest of the way down. I thought the bike ride would be on a separate bike trail, but we were going to be on the ROAD with CARS where there was a VERY small bike lane and sometimes none at all! I was very nervous seeing how the last time I really rode a bike I was probably about 10 years old. I made it through the very steep part of the mountain that was all swichbacks and after about 40 minutes decided I was not having fun at all. Just then the van that dropped us off at the top came by and I waved them down and let them know I would rather have a ride back in the van. Call me a wimp but I couldn't do it! This is Danny and Stephanie at the top of the mountain.

Nico loved the playground right there at the hotel- very convenient!

Our last night there we had a great BBQ and even roasted some pineapple- I highly recommend it!

Our last day we swam, shopped and ate at Bubba Gump's.

Being in Hawaii was amazing, but some of my favorite times were just hanging out with the fam. One night we had a whip cream pie contest. The winner to find the candy in the plate of whip cream first got to pie their partner in the face. It was hilarious. Then the girls designed the boys hair with whip cream. Eventually it just turned into a huge whip cream fight. This video is from our family dance. All you need is an ipod with some dance songs, and ihome, and a light switch for the club effect. During one rock song Nicholas was even body surfing. Thanks Mom and Dad for the great trip!

Suprise!

2008-06-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

Carlos' sister, Gaby, surprised Carlos' mom and came down to visit Memorial weekend. Arlene had no idea Gaby was coming and she was in complete shock for about half and hour. Gaby came down with her husband, Luis, and son, Erick. The only bad thing was that we only were able to spend a few hours together before Nicholas and I left for Hawaii with my family. It was great to see them though!

Arlene with 3 out of 4 grand kids.

Everyone together!

Gaby and Arlene

Wedding!

2008-05-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Brodie was married to Lindsay Freeman, his high school sweatheart, in the Mesa Temple. We are so excited for them and so happy to add Lindsay to our family.

Bienvenida Arlene! A few days before the wedding Carlos' mom arrived from Venezuela! We are so happy she is finally here and have been loving the great company, help, and wonderful cooking! The kids have had so much fun getting better acquainted with their abuela.

Me and the kids at the temple

Sisters picture- now there are 5 of us!

Brodie and Lindsay with their favorite niece and nephew.

This is the "am I still smiling" or "are we done with pictures yet?!" picture.

Congratulation Melissa and Brian!

2008-05-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to walk around BYU, except for the fact that is was freezing! The kids loved visiting the Bean Museum that had every kind of stuffed animal you could think of. It was like a miniature zoo but without all the walking and heat, and the animals were dead. Oddly enough we kept finding ourselves saying. "Look! Just like at Grandpa's house."

Besides seeing his best friend Johnny and hanging out with family, Nicholas LOVED playing with Roslynn, Melissa's dog. He had been holding on to this one stick he found weeks ago and telling me everyday before we came that he wanted to take that stick to Utah to play fetch with Roslynn.

Here is everybody after the graduation. That night at dinner I commented how it was 4 years ago that Melissa told us they were moving to Utah because she wanted to finish her degree. They planned for Brian to graduate at the same time with his MBA. She told me also she hoped to be pregnant by the time she graduated. Fast forward four years and they made it! Two degrees, a great job, and a baby on the way. Congratulations guys- we love you!

Friends Forever!

2008-05-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Utah to my sister and brother-in-law's graduations from BYU. (GO COUGARS!!!) We wanted to come up early to make sure we could spend time with the Macfarlane's! Nico was so excited all week to see his best friend Johnny.

We hung out with Anna and the kids for a while at her cute house in Lehi, then thought it would be fun to go to Thanksgiving Point and go the the farm there. It was cold outside, but we thought with our light coats we would be ok. It started to snow a little on our way there, then by time time we arrived it looked like a BLIZZARD! It was so cold outside we didn't even want to get out of the car! We decided it would be better to do something inside. Luis (Gaby's husband) is a general manager at Carl's Jr and we went there the kids could play and Luis treated us to a great lunch. Thanks again Luis!

The kids loved the play area and were sad to say goodbye so soon.

This one below is just after Johnny planted a big fat one on Eliza, hence the big smile from her.

We love you guys! Come and visit soon!

Easter

2008-04-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know Easter was a month ago. Anyway, the day after we got back from our trip we went to the park for our annual Easter Egg hunt. It is over very quick, but the kids had a great time. Nico was very excited he found a camophlage egg.

Then I remember Sprouts was having an Easter Egg hunt too, so we ran over there for more eggs and to meet the Easter Bunny.

Decorating eggs has to be one of my favorite Easter traditions.

We had a great time that night at the Easter pagent and a wonderful Easter dinner with everyone the next day.

One last time...

2008-04-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

We had a few hours on Friday morning before we had to leave so we decided to get up early and hit the kiddie rides one last time. The kids had a great time and we hardly had to wait for anything. Then we headed out to Mickey's Toon town and met some on the characters. We rode the train back to the front of the park and were headed back to AZ. It was an unforgettable trip and we had the time of our lives. Thanks again Mom and Dad!

This dessert was quite possibly one of the best desserts I have ever had in my life! At Epcot they have the world showcase and one of the country's is Germany. We stopped for some German chocolates and I saw this cookie that looked amazing. It was a huge thick chocolate chip cookie with German chocolate cake filling on top and then shaved chocolate on top of that. I was in heaven!

Here is my Dad with the kids checking out the lake and animals.

Eliza's Ice Cream

2008-04-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is just an example of how not to mess with a very tired little girl and her ice cream.

2008-04-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Eliza loved all the cute dolls from "It a small world" ride. Ok I loved it too...

Nicholas finally got to shoot Zurg!!! (for those of you not up on your Toy Story characters Zurg is Buzz Lightyear's enemy.)

Doing our best pirate faces before the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride.

This is my dad waiting for the parade. Two different people came up as asked us if he was real or a wax statue!

2008-04-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

Mickey suckers- what could be better!

2008-04-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

At the Animal Kingdom Danny, my dad, Carlos, and I headed for the water rapids ride and my mom took the kids for an ice cream treat. The ride is wet, but very hit or miss. Some people get soaked and some just get a little wet. Danny and I got hit the worst and were wet for the next few hours. At least it was warm outside!

Here is Eliza waving to her favorite character, Donald Duck, in the parade.

This has to be one of my favorite pictures of the trip. Danny is explaining to my dad the new Everest ride. This ride was crazy! It was the fastest and scariest ride ever. I had no idea till I was on the ride that it went backwards. It is hard to explain, but you go up the mountain one way and then they switch the tracks and you come down backwards another way. I used to think the Rockin' Roller Coaster was fast, but it is nothing compared to this! Here we were waiting for the Nemo musical to start.

Here is Nico trying to act tough.

Animal Kingdom

2008-04-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

Our first day at the parks we went to the Animal Kingdom. This was at the Bug's Life show. Eliza was a little scared, but did great.

They had all kinds of great animal exibits around the park. The gorillas were our favorite. They were so close and HUGE! Nicholas loved the safari where he got to see real hippos and crocodiles- something you can't see even at the Phoenix Zoo!

Cruise part 2

2008-03-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

This is on the streets of Nassau. Carlos loved the culture and atmosphere of the country.

The next day we spent on Castaway, which is a very small island owned by Disney. The beaches were beautiful and the weather was perfect. They had one of the pirate ships from the "Pirates" movies there. The picture doesn't do it justice, but I couldn't believe the detail in the ship.

The kids loved playing in the water and sand.

My mom, Danny and I went on a banana boat ride. The water was an amazing crystal clear blue color. We went out about a mile or so from the boat and were riding around. We stopped for a minute and I looked down expecting the water to be deep since we were very far from the shore. I was shocked to see the water was only about 10 feet deep and you could see all the way to the bottom! Bahamas actually means "low waters." Now I can understand why!

That night we ate at Triton's. All of the restaurants were delicious and it was fun to talk to the servers who were from all over the country.

The morning we left we went to the top and walked around a little and saw the sun come up. It was a great end to an unforgettable cruise- now off to Disney world! As we drove away my mom asked Nicholas what his favorite part was. He said he liked it, but where was the Dumbo ride and the Fasari? (Safari) She told him we were on our way...

Cruise part one

2008-03-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

What a cruise! It was the first time we had been on a cruise and we LOVED it! It was a Disney cruise for 3 days that stopped in Nassau and Castway. We started out at check in and there was Mickey himself to greet us! The kids were estactic!

I was amazed at how much there was to do. As soon as we got on the ship we had a wonderful buffet lunch and then took a tour of the boat. It was HUGE! Then some of us headed to the spa while Nicholas, Carlos and I went to the embarcation party. It was a huge dance party with all the Disney characters. We took off and didn't even feel anything. I didn't even know we were moving until about a half hour late when I look out the window. That night the kids when to their kid's club groups and the rest of us headed to a nice dinner. It was a dining experience like none else. We looked outside and saw the sun was setting so we ran out to take a quick picture.
The second day we spent on Nassau. We first took a tour of the city and then went to some gardens. They had a few animals, mostly birds there. They did have a flock of flamingos that marched together. It was funny to see. Then we walked around the city a little and did some sight seeing and shopping. The people were all very nice and the beaches and water looked amazing. That night back on the boat we ate at the Animator's Palate. They had Disney painting on the walls that changed color throughout the night. They also had a huge pirate party that night called "Pirates IN the Carabean" They gave everyone bandanas and Nicholas even had a telescope and gun to add to the outfit.

Sacrifice?

2008-03-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ok I know I am really behind, but I am going to try to catch up on this last month. My sister, Melissa, announced they are having a GIRL when they came down for Sean's wedding a few weeks ago. YEA!!! We are so excited. They asked Nicholas what they should name the baby and he said sacrifice. I thought that was a very strange word to pick, especially since I can't remember any FHE's or other lessons on sacrifice. He was didn't want to pick any other name- just sacrifice. After a few minutes my mom commented that it was probably a very appropriate name. Think about it. When you are getting up for the third time in the night and it is only 1:00 AM- SACRIFICE. When the hospital bill comes in the mail- SACRIFICE. When you are changing the 5th dirty diaper of the day- SACRIFICE. When they have a breakdown in the store and they are inconsolable and screaming- SACRIFICE.

The week after that Nicholas had to say the closing prayer in primary. I came it to watch and make sure he was ok. He wasn't nervous and all and got right up there and said a beautiful prayer. At the end he said, "Please bless the missionaries so they can teach the people and get baptized, (slight pause) and help them to be safe in the water because there are crocodiles. In the name of Jesus Christ amen." As soon as he said amen the whole primary burst out laughing. It was hilarious. That kid always keeps us laughing!

Freestone Park

2008-03-01T21:11:00.000-08:00

Last Friday Anna and I thought it would be fun to have a picnic in the park. The day before was a beautiful and sunny spring days in AZ , but for as our luck would have it it started to rain just after we arrived. Then we went over to the playground and it was closed for cleaning. We still had fun eating our snacks and blowing bubbles. The boys loved throwing the chips as far as they could in the pond to the eager and hungry ducks. Nicholas and I are so lucky so have such great friends!

Future Missionary... in 16 years

2008-02-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

Last week Nicholas wore a new white shirt and tie and he looked like a little future missionary. I remember my Grandma Porter had given me a little future missionary badge when I was young and I managed to hang on to it till now. I got it out and Nicholas was so excited to wear it. So look out world- 16 more years and he will be able to wear a real tag!

Eliza's First Haircut!

2008-02-15T13:10:00.000-08:00

Today we took Eliza for her first official haircut. She was a very good girl and didn't cry or move around at all. She seem a little scared at first, but after a few minutes seemed a little better. Her favorite part was getting a sucker at the end.

I've been tagged!

2008-02-14T14:02:00.001-08:00

I've been tagged I was tagged by Tallie Menzie. I'll do my best answering these...

4 "people" who email me regularly: 1. Mom 2. Carlos 3. Flylady 4. RS reminders

4 places I would like to visit: 1. Italty 2. London (to see where Carlos grew up) 3. New York, NY just haven't ever been 4. back to Jerusalem

4 favorite restaurants:1. Wildflower Bread Co 2. Sweet Cakes 3. Tia Rosa's (green salsa yummmm) 4. Picnic Co

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year:1. Disneyworld in less than 1 months! 2. Sean's wedding in March 3. 2 new counsins in June and July. 4. Getting totally organized and staying that way.

4 things I am not looking forward to in the coming year:1. My baby brother Danny leaving in Oct for his mission, I don't know who will miss him more me or the kids... 2. My friend Anna moving to Utah 3. having vacations over with early and no place to go for the long hot summer. 4. My kids turning 2 and 4 this year- they are growing up too fast!

All right, I tag Becky, Steph, Mom and Anna.

Girl for Gaby and a vote for Mitt

2008-02-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

This picture of Eliza was taken today. I think she was trying to pose for the camera.

Yesterday Carlos was able to vote in his first election EVER! Since becoming a citizen last Oct he has been so excited to be able to vote for Mitt Romney. He said it felt great to be able to vote. Watching his excitement to vote to participate in electing our government officials has really made me realize how greatful I am to live in this country and what a privelage it is to be able to vote!

Gaby (Carlos' sister) called us yesterday to let us know they are going to be having a GIRL!!! YEA! We are so excited for Gaby and Luis and for Erick to have a baby sister!

I just had to add this picture of Nicholas becuase I think it is so funny. If you can't tell buy the box it is a pair of shoes and his face just makes me laugh.

Moses Gonzalez

2008-01-31T12:51:00.000-08:00

Ok I know this is 2 months ago, but I wanted to add our trip to Mexico story since this is now my journal and I didn't want to forget anything about our adventure down there. For a few years now we have been going to Mexico a few weeks before Christmas to give blankets, clothes and food to needy families who live near the city dump in Nogales, Mexico. In coming in to Mexico we entered the wrong port and were headed for the wrong city.

About 5 minutes later we discovered we could not get to Nogales on this road and we would have to now go through the border again and leave Mexico and then come back in through the correct boarder. The only problem was that the line to leave to country and then get back in was about 5 hours long and by that time it would be too late to give out the stuff and get back across to USA before they closed the border.

So with the 7 cars we had with us we tried to get back in line to get accross. At this point we were in stand still traffic and Carlos got out to see what we could do. A young man selling newpapers saw what we were trying to do and came up to Carlos and told him there was a way we wouldn't have to wait in line and we could get to Nogales. We had no idea what was about to happen, but we had come all that way with car fulls of stuff and wanted to be able to give it away. We agree and he lead the lead car in our caravan to where all the semi truck were waiting. Then it hit us. He was going to take us through the semi's going the wrong way and then go back the wrong way again on to on coming traffic to get through to border. Sorry if this is not making sence, but it is very complicated to explain. At first the semi's were stopped. This young man, or "Moses Gonzalez" as we later called him had to get these huge semis to litterally part the road and let us through the middle. Many didn't want to do it, but this little Moses conviced them to and to let our group get by. Finally we had made it through that parked semis. Now we were driving on the wrong side of the road going about 35- 45 mph with oncoming SEMI traffic! Carlos and I were the last of the 7 cars, but I was still scared. We finally made it to where we could turn around and then had to go again onto on coming traffic heading back to the border for a few more miles. We got to the border and the border patrol didn't see us. It was a miracle. No one stopped us, we didn't get hit by on coming traffic, we didn't have to wait for hours, and Moses has saved the day! We were able to deliver these much needed items to families who were freezing with no electricity or heaters. It was humbling to see how they lived and how greatful they were for everything. That night I told Nicholas about the kids we saw and how happy they were to have a new warm hat or gloves. I told him many children that we saw don't have a warm bed and are very cold at night. That night and everyday since he has prayed at night that he is thankful that he has a warm bed.

Visit from Aunt Lissy

2008-01-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

Nicholas now thinks he can take pictures. The one of Carlos, Eliza, and I he took himself. The one of Eliza in a pink chair was taken at a cute store full of fun little girl things. Melissa and I were looking as some little girl books and Eliza picked up a little stuffed dog and said, "ohhhh cute." It was so funny. The next day we made some Oo-bleck (sp?) from corn starch and water. Eliza didn't like getting her hands dirty, but Nicholas loved it. It was a great weekend and we can't wait till everyone comes back again in March for my brother Sean's wedding!

Kitchen

2008-01-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

Latley Eliza has enjoyed playing IN her new kitchen. She is my little climber and is all over everything!

Uncle Danny

2008-01-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

Eliza loves her Uncle Danny. Everytime we go to my mom's she runs to him. This was also on New Year's Eve where we all went out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory.

baby for Melissa

2008-01-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

On New Year's Eve my sister Melissa announced she is having a baby this summer! We are so excited for her and especially because she will be here for the summer!

laughing

2008-01-09T22:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know what they thought was so funny about spitting on the wall and then looking at each other, but both Nichoals and Eliza thought it was hillarious! Oh to be so easily entertained.

Santa in Sedona

2008-01-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

While we were in Sedona we saw the Red Rock Festival lights and SANTA! The kids loved it!

Jeep Tour

2008-01-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

Friday after Thanksgiving Carlos the kids and I went to Sedona with Melissa, Brian, my mom, and Sean and Brodie. We took a jeep tour. It was so fun, but a little cold towards the end. The views were amazing and the kids loved being able to see out and be in the open.

Finally Starting!

2008-01-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Ok after almost a year I am finally starting my family blog! We had a great Christmas and Nicholas and Eliza especially loved having so many aunts and uncles to play with them. This picture is from Thanksgiving Day.