Growing fast! I think this picture may exaggerate the baby bump because I had just eaten a lot before taking it. But it is growing...I can't wear my regular jeans anymore.
Last night we were invited to the Shaffer home (Pastor Nick and his family) for dinner and a birthday party. Gabe turned 3 this week! He was very enthusiastic about opening his gifts. And everyone was cheering him on so loudly about the cake that we had to light the candles 3 times because he was excited about blowing them out and Gretchen didn't have the camera ready. Then he began to lick the icing off the cake. It was very entertaining :) We had a great time hanging out with them.
We brought Gabe this sword.
We have had a busy December! I was getting ready to erase our calendar to start January, but I thought to take a picture of this month to remember what a busy month December can be. We've had fun, but we're looking forward to slowing down a little bit in the new year.
Last night we were invited to celebrate Shannon's birthday with her at Outback. Shannon and her husband Dennis are in our Sunday School class and we have enjoyed getting to know them over the past several months. It was a fun night!
Dennis and Shannon are on the right in this picture. These are our beloved church friends! Dennis and Shannon's family was also there, at the table beside us.
Aaron and I exchanged Christmas gifts on Tuesday morning. I baked him his favorite cake, apricot pound cake (thanks for the recipe, Krista!). He got a gift certificate to buy some skis and boots, and I also got him some new, very needed, luggage. We went together yesterday to pick out the skis!
Aaron honored me with the best gift! He signed us up to sponsor a child through Compassion International. The boy is Edinson. He is 7 years old and lives with his grandmother in Peru. We are looking forward to getting to know him through letters and pictures, and it encourages me that we will be able to provide support for him on a monthly basis. Thank you, Aaron, for such a thoughtful gift (We talked about doing this a couple of years ago but it hasn't been mentioned in a while, so I was very surprised!).
But that's not all! He also booked a night at a Bed and Breakfast in a nearby town. We are going in January. The place looks gorgeous! 
On Friday afternoon we left Salem, headed for NC. We originally planned to bring Bow, but right around Martinsville we became desperate and called to find a kennel in Danville where we could drop him off. What terrible dog owners we are! It worked out for the best though because our weekend was so packed. Don't worry, we picked him up on Monday on our way back through. I think he has forgiven us (especially after the gift Santa gave him...check it out below).
Friday night we joined the Fernandez family and friends in Spring Hope for a dinner party to celebrate Ben coming home from Iraq. He has been in Colorado for a few weeks now but it was the first time we were able to see him since he left back in April.
On Saturday morning we took some family portraits and then headed to Hope Mills for the Fernandez Christmas party. We ate enchiladas (an annual tradition) and lots of desserts. After recovering from the meal, we watched some of the cousins perform a dance act, and then played the Dirty Santa gift exchange game. It was dirty this year as always. Aaron was "Ghetto Claus" this year and rewrote The Twelve Days of Christmas with ghetto lyrics for everyone to sing along with. It was hilarious! That night, some chose to play a serious game of poker until the wee hours of the morning while some chose to head home (I was among the latter group...baby Fernandez requires me more rest!).
David and Caleb were the main rappers and introduced the dancers.
The posters are for the song. All of the volunteers did a great job of introducing their number
"5 munts free rent!"
"It's a sweater!" Poor Casey didn't fare too well at the beginning of Dirty Santa. But her mom rescued her by stealing the sweater and letting her pick something else. That's what moms are for, right?
He's going to be a great dad! ahhh!! :) this is Emma, Johnny and Casey's little girl
Sunday morning we left Fayetteville for Lucama, NC, where my dad's side of the family met for Christmas at Granny's. We ate and played Catch Phrase. 
Amy was really good at giving descriptions. She was so calm! Joey is looking over her shoulder to make sure she doesn't cheat.
Megan looks stressed out by this game!
Sunday afternoon we drove to Raleigh to spend time with Grandma. We just relaxed! Aaron met his dad and Ben at the RBC Center for a State basketball game. He forgot to take the camera, but said it was a fun time. And State won!
We got up lazily on Monday morning and came home. We spent most of Monday evening preparing for Christmas (last-minute gift wrapping!) and hanging out together.
On Christmas morning, we exchanged gifts and then went to the Flores home for brunch. Then in the afternoon, we all piled in to go to the movies, where we spent the rest of the day. We watched 3 movies in a row...National Treasure, Charlie Wilson's War, and Enchanted. We ate popcorn and drank root beer ALL DAY :) !!! What a treat! 
Mom and Dad, thanks for the thoughtful gifts and for making breakfast for us. 
Santa brought Bow a ham bone!
Christmas has passed, but it's fun to reflect on what a wonderful time we've had. And I have the rest of the week off for this reflection!Mom and Dad, thanks for the thoughtful gifts and for making breakfast for us. Santa brought Bow a ham bone! Hope you've had a great Christmas also.
We had our first winter snow last night. It was a big surprise! Usually people talk about it for 3 days and then nothing happens. This time we never heard anything about the possibility of snow, and when we woke up this morning...winter wonderland! It's beautiful. Wish we could have seen it falling.
Last night we had our annual Cherokee Hills Christmas party. This includes the families who got to know each other while living in that neighborhood. Even though no one still lives there, we all still stay in touch. We eat, talk, and take pictures to update the album. Here are some of the good ones we took last night:
All of the "kids". There are some grandkids in there, too! We are missing some: Casey and his new bride, Joey and Sierra, and Shannon, Nat, and Graham. Hope they can join the picture next year!
Of course, there's always a funny picture, for which I never know how to pose.
The ones who started it all.
And their silliness.
My hubby is comforting me...I'm fighting a bad cold this week :(
We are so glad the boys are home from UVa! Get them away from that place and take them down to NC where the !
Do they look related?On Monday night we hosted a party for some people I graduated high school with. It's hard for us to keep in touch through the year, so at Christmas we make an effort to hang out. It was pizza and Dirty Santa night at our house!
Aaron and I worked as a team and stole this Pirates of the Caribbean set. (Dirty Santa was gag gifts only. Some of them were pretty hilarious!)Last night I was under the weather and Aaron was exhausted from a hard day's work, so after exchanging gifts and wolfing down some subs, we created a soft spot on the floor to watch a movie together. It was a relaxing date!
We took the cushions off the couch and loaded them up with lots of blankets and pillows. We watched a 90's romantic drama.
Aaron sent these beautiful poinsettias to work for me yesterday!
You aren't home from work yet, but I am looking forward to celebrating our 3rd anniversary with you. The Lord has poured a lot of favor on these 3 years, and you have faithfully led us toward holiness. I am so thankful for you.
Anniversary pictures to come soon!
This past weekend the Fernandez family came to visit us! We enjoyed their stay. On Friday night we only had cookies and talked because it was around 8:30 when they arrived. On Saturday we relaxed...well the girls did...the guys got up at 5:30 to run 11 miles :(
We met the Flores parents for breakfast and then did a little shopping at the mall (girls only). That night, they attended our program at church- We Believe. It was a blast! We were glad to host our families at our beloved church home.
At the Cracker Barrel. It got really cold up here this weekend.
Aaron is on the far right, singing in a quartet on the song Glorious Impossible. It was one of my favorite songs of the night! Aaron also did a great job on a solo, Sing Noel. I was so proud. We are so thankful to be in this choir together.
If this looks like chaos, it's because it is. The children performed on the song, Come and See What's Happenin' in the Barn. They were adorable...the highlight of the program!
Joey and Sierra came to watch on Sunday night. There was a reception after that performance.
At the Cracker Barrel. It got really cold up here this weekend.Aaron is on the far right, singing in a quartet on the song Glorious Impossible. It was one of my favorite songs of the night! Aaron also did a great job on a solo, Sing Noel. I was so proud. We are so thankful to be in this choir together.If this looks like chaos, it's because it is. The children performed on the song, Come and See What's Happenin' in the Barn. They were adorable...the highlight of the program! Joey and Sierra came to watch on Sunday night. There was a reception after that performance.
Today I went for the 12 week appointment and was able to hear our baby's heartbeat again...it's around 150bpm. Everything looks great! It has been a wonderful pregnancy so far. I've rarely been nauseated- only when I hadn't eaten anything, so it is a quick fix. Before becoming pregnant, I had frequent headaches. They are gone now! I've had only one in the whole 12 weeks. What an encouraging 1st trimester!
I know this is a terrible picture. Aaron and I are still working on how to take these belly shots. We will keep practicing and post another one in a couple of weeks.
This is your official invitation to come join the Christmas celebration at our church this weekend! If you can't read the print, it's Saturday and Sunday night at 7pm. Aaron and I are both singing and it will be worshipful and Christ-exalting!
On Sunday night we had some guests for dinner...one of my 1st grade students Leo and his mom and sister. They are from China and we had a great time getting to know them better. They were so thoughtful to bring this HUGE gift of everything chocolate:
How are we going to consume all that? Good thing "I'm eating for two"! :)
How are we going to consume all that? Good thing "I'm eating for two"! :)Last night we merrily drove to Greensboro for a Christmas party at Jonathan and Joy's. We listened to our choir Christmas music on the way down there, so once we arrived we were definitely in the holiday spirit! It was a great party...a good reunion of State grads and Nash County residents. There were also new people to meet that are from Jonathan and Joy's church. We had a great time mingling and having meaningful conversations with people. And if that wasn't enough, the food was awesome! They had a chocolate fondue fountain!
The hosts greeting their guests (and making faces at me because that's just what he does in all pictures).
The Nash County boys getting into the pose. Poor deer.
Joy (left back) with some friends from church.
We were planning to spend the night, but had to change that at the last minute because Aaron was singing this morning at church. Our sweet hostess, though, had prepared this helpful arrangement for our stay! (we took the Andes mints anyway)
The hosts greeting their guests (and making faces at me because that's just what he does in all pictures).
The Nash County boys getting into the pose. Poor deer.Joy (left back) with some friends from church.
We were planning to spend the night, but had to change that at the last minute because Aaron was singing this morning at church. Our sweet hostess, though, had prepared this helpful arrangement for our stay! (we took the Andes mints anyway) It's a girl! Ruthie was born to Chris and Kristen on Wednesday, December 5th around 7pm. She weighed 7 lbs., 2 oz. and is perfect and beautiful! We are so happy for you, Chris and Kristen, and we can't wait to meet your little one!
On Sunday night we hosted a Christmas party at our home for our Sunday School class. We had lots of food! In fact, we have many leftovers, so if you are in town please stop by to help us.
Everyone was spread out in different rooms of the house, since the rooms are not so big. Praise God for the growth of our class, that we have many new friends and fellow students of the Word!
We were glad that Tyler and Jenny joined us!
Aaron built a fire outside and most of the guys were hanging out there. I think some people even made s'mores :)
I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the food before it was half-eaten. We had Chik-fil-A nuggets!Fernandez Family
About
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This blog is a way for us to journal about the fun events and milestones of our days as husband and wife and new parents. Enjoy catching up with what's going on in the Fernandez family!
Aaron and Lisa
Married December 18, 2004
Vivian Gray: born June 18, 2008
Kate Leigh: born August 5, 2009
Hank Michael: born August 8, 2012
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