vivian says

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

Yesterday morning while we were getting dressed, Vivian came up to me and said with a straight, convincing face: "Mommy, the outside world is a dangerous place."

(later I found out that she got that from Mother Gothel in the Tangled DVD, but it was pretty bizarre to hear it come out of her mouth! It was also a good teachable moment...we are in the world but not of it, and sent into it :))

On Sunday while Aaron was cutting the grass we went shopping to get him a birthday gift. As soon as we got home and she saw him, she ran up to him and said, "Daddy, Daddy, we got you a new bathing suit!!" Sigh. I learned a lesson! (by the way...today is his 30th birthday!!)

A couple of weeks ago my mom was helping her with something and she said to her, "You're a good little Gramme!"

I might have mentioned this before, but she is constantly asking me "why". It's almost an automatic response from her mouth anytime I say something, and I've come to expect it. Sometimes it can be exasperating, though! Reminding me and humbling me that I don't know all the answers! Here's an example from a car ride:

V: Why we going this way, Mommy?

Me: We are going to Jax and Lilah's pool to swim!

V: Why we going to Jax and Lilah's pool to swim?

Me: To have fun with our friends.

V: Why we having fun with our friends?

Me: Because they invited us to their pool to play and it's a beautiful day outside.

V: Why it's a beautiful day outside?

Me: Because God gave us a beautiful day to remind us of His beauty and to worship Him.

V: Why we turning here, Mommy?

Me: Because Jax and Lilah's pool is this way.

V: Why is Jax and Lilah's pool this way?

Me: Because this is where they live.

V: Why they live over here?

Me: Because God gave them a house here.

V: What time it is, Mommy?

Me: It's 10:02 in the morning.

V: Why it's 10:02?

Me: Because that's what time it is, Vivian. (how do you answer that!?)

V: Why, why, why, why, why, Mommy??

Haha okay well I am kidding about the last line, but this is an actual conversation with her, I promise. It's like this all day long! Sometimes I just laugh because it can get pretty unreal and ends up just being funny to me.

I am thankful that she is so inquisitive and curious. And sometimes it's good for me to be reminded the "why" behind what we're doing each day!

3 comments

great movie

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

Over the weekend Aaron and I went on a date to Abuelo's to eat (awesome!!), and then headed to the movies and met my parents there to see this:

I've been waiting to see it for about a month! After a few weeks of not being able to go, I ended up getting the book to read. I was hooked for 4 days straight :) Novels aren't a great pasttime for me because I tend to lose all self-control with time management and don't get much accomplished until I finish reading them. But anyway, I loved the book which made me want to see the movie even more!

The point of this post is just to recommend a good movie, if you're planning a night out. Or, even better...read the book so you can get all the details that the movie had to leave out!

Thanks to Andrew and Lauren for watching the kids, and for my sweet husband for taking me (and for the record, he also enjoyed it!).

1 comments

i love a child's imagination!

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

Vivian got a bunch of pictures out and made a calendar. She said, "these are my calendar pages" :) I think she got that from a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode, but it was funny!

Thankfully, she did a great job picking them up after she was finished playing!

0 comments

pump it up

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

On Fridays Kate goes to preschool and Vivian and I have a day together for just us (on Mondays it's the same for Kate). I'm going to try and set aside these days for fun times with the girls individually, or also have these mornings for one-on-one teaching. Yesterday I took Vivian to Pump It Up in Roanoke. We stayed for an hour and a half to play and she was nonstop every second! She was just the right size to enjoy all the slides and obstacle courses.

There she is at the top, leading the group :)

The little boy right behind her is Brayden...he came at the same time and they hit it off immediately and played together the whole time...following each other everywhere! I was so happy that she made a friend so easily. I also tried to participate with her and I had fun acting like a kid.

I met a friend from church there and her little boy Luke played, too. She and I met Brayden's mom and enjoyed having some good conversations while the little ones ran around.

Vivian and Brayden...inseparable! They are in all the pictures together because they did everything together and at the same time! I got his mom's number so we can meet them to play again soon.

I had a fun mommy/daughter day with my sweet, playful girl. We all took our kids to the nearby McDonald's afterwards so they could eat quickly and play some more on their indoor playground. :) I did miss Kate, though, and plan to take her there soon...she would love it!

1 comments

Black Bert

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

Meet Bert. The kids call him Black Bert. He is a new member of the Fernandez family.

On Saturday Papa took us to the Salem Animal Hospital to pick out a cat for our house. Yes, a cat! I can't believe it either. Aaron and I are not big fans of these pets (in fact, I'm pretty allergic), but we decided we need a cat to stick around our house outside to catch the disgusting varmints that made their way INSIDE our house last week (mice! eeeeek!!). So a cat it is. It's better than having mice, I say.

V and K were thrilled with the idea and have come to adore our new cat. In this picture they are lovingly singing to him while we were getting the paperwork done at the shelter. They loved the thought that their songs could possibly make the cat stop crying (meowing).

Aaron has helped tremendously with the cat since I won't go near it (on Saturday afternoon and night I was miserable with sneezing and trouble breathing so now I am staying away from it for sure!).

We have kept him in the garage so that he can learn that he needs to stay around this house to get fed, and have been letting him go out for longer periods each day. I think tomorrow or the next day he will be ready to be let loose! We are praying this will solve any future mice problems :)

Welcome, Bert!

2 comments

daddy date night

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

Tonight Aaron had planned on going out for a dinner and movie date, but our sitter is sick (we hope you feel better soon, Lauren!).

So instead Aaron agreed to take all three of his girls on a date night.

I helped the little ones get dressed up and their level of excitement kept growing as they realized that we were doing something special. I actually braided Vivian's hair (yes, I know my girlfriends will be proud of me haha), and put a few curlers in the back. I dabbed a little perfume on them, too. :)

They kept saying, "Look at me, Daddy!"

Vivian's fake smile says it all: "this is a weird picture to take, Dad"

This was Aaron's huge calzone dinner...he wanted to compare it to the size of her head.

mac and cheese and french fries...her daddy knows her well

He took us to Lowe's to end our date...we just browsed but it was great family fun because they were in a silly mood.

When we got home I insisted on a group photo and they were sweet to oblige.

Everyone always says that Vivian looks so much like me (and I think she does), but check out how similar she and Aaron are side by side!

We had a great time with them...much better than a movie, in fact!

Thank you for a special date night!

1 comments

the hill

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

This morning the girls woke up at the same time and were playing so happily together that I didn't want to bother them. I went in there a few minutes ago to say good morning, and this is what I found. No wonder they were having so much fun! Didn't I know that destruction=the best fun?

They called it "our hill" and together they kept singing the gospel song, "we are climbing Jacob's ladder"

Whheeee!!

3 comments

family updates

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

There are lots of exciting things happening within our families that we'd like to share, just because we are proud and want to fill you in!

My brother Joey and his wife Sierra just bought a new house!! They sold their previous home within a WEEK in Salem and have found a beautiful house even closer to us, right near the Glenvar schools. They will love it!

My brother Stephen finished his first year at Seton Hall Law School in NJ and transferred for his 2nd and 3rd year to the University of Richmond Law School. He is happy to be in Richmond and we are thankful for it, too...because he's closer!! He is planning to pursue family law.

Michael graduated from UVa in the spring and moved to Richmond. Actually, he and Stephen are rooming together in a beautiful apartment/house in the center of Richmond. He is currently looking for a job, so if you know of anything in that area, let him know!

Aaron's sister Brooke just started her college career! She is starting with classes at Wake Tech and then will begin at UNC Wilmington for the spring semester. We are happy for her :) She is a very good student and will do well.

Ben is continuing his degree at UNCW and is very involved with different groups there. So thankful for the Army to give him this opportunity to study!

1 comments

s'mores night

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

On Saturday evening, the Carrolls invited us over to make s'mores with the kids. We spent a couple of short hours in their backyard, enjoying the perfect weather and chocolate. Vivian and Kate had a ball playing with new stuff! Nathan and Aaron put together some memorable s'mores for everyone. The kids tried to help the first couple of times but then got distracted with playing. Thanks for inviting us, friends! It is such a gift to watch our children be so excited to play together!

1 comments

last of the vacation pictures

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

The kids enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool and splashing around in the hot tub with Daddy. We visited it once each day for a few minutes.

On Sunday evening after naps we walked them down the boardwalk to a playground on the beach, where they stayed for an hour, happily climbing and sliding with lots of other little ones! It was a good activity for us because Aaron and I could just sit on the nearby bench and watch...good for our sore, sore legs.

We walked back towards our hotel, stopped to dance to the music of the rock band, and then found something to eat. We discovered an awesome restaurant that we will visit again if we ever go back to Va Beach!

We had a relaxing afternoon with just the girls and then took our time checking out on Monday morning. We stopped in Richmond to have lunch with Stephen and Michael and see their new apartment. They live in a beautiful neighborhood, and they have set up their new place well!

We were in some traffic that afternoon, but V and K did well for being in the car for so long. They are quite the little travelers!

0 comments

va beach photo op

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

I don't know if you've noticed, but sometimes I post many pictures of the same pose (like yesterday's 1st day of preschool pics). The reason is because the wonderful camera that Aaron got for me last year takes pictures so fast and easy, that I end up snap, snap, snapping away and before I realize it, I have 8 pictures of the same thing. Then, when I view them on the computer, I can't decide which one is the best, so I end up just including them all. Hope you don't mind!! :)

0 comments

1st day

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

Today the girls went to preschool to start a new year. They were very anxious to get there but I was able to get them to pose for a few seconds!

They are going to Bethel Baptist Church Preschool again this year. Vivian will go on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Kate will go on Wednesdays and Fridays. This allows me to have one day with each girl alone for good ol' individual attention, and one day with no girls at all! :(

Vivian has new teachers, a new room, and almost all new friends in her class this year. She will do well, I think! Kate has a new room but the same teachers, which will be very helpful for her.

They didn't have too much to say when I picked them up today...I had to ask a lot of questions that I already knew the answer to. But from what I can gather, they had fun and there weren't any tears.

"Have fun at school today, sister!"

1st day of school hugs :)

2 comments

biking

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

Saturday afternoon

Kate is just an absolute goofball.

The girls loved riding in the front.

It was an interesting ride...our breaks didn't work very well, if at all, and there were lots of people on the boardwalk to dodge. We also didn't consider how much legwork it required...our race was the next morning! But it was sweet to watch these kiddos enjoy themselves.

0 comments

dancing

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

0 comments

racing

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

On Saturday morning, we left EI and headed for Va Beach for an extension to our vacation :) We just couldn't get enough! We met my family there because some of us had signed up for the Rock 'N Roll half marathon. On Saturday after lunch we went over to the huge expo and walked around for a few minutes after picking up our registration packet and new shirts.

I was not excited to see this countdown banner...I was pretty nervous about the race. I started training 4 months ago, but wasn't very consistent. My longest training run had only been about 9 miles. But it was also a fun nervousness, too!

The girls were very patient while we browsed a little. They slept well for their nap when we got back to the hotel room, though!

Have I mentioned how perfectly delightful they were for our entire vacation? Of course we had our moments, but those were considerably rare...most of the time they were sweet and playful.

Sunday morning we were out of the room by 5:30 to get to the start line on time along with about 20,000 other people. We met Joey and Sierra there, along with their friend Chris. Chris ran with Sierra the whole time. Aaron and I started in the same corral but each ran our own steady pace. This was by far the most fun race that I've done because I wasn't so miserable like in the other ones! I guess I was more prepared than I thought. The live bands and cheerleading teams along the route were great for building excitement. Another thing that really helped was that I decided at the last second to join a pace group. It was awesome to run with the same people the whole time and have conversations to get my mind off the running. They paced each mile the same so that we would finish in exactly 2 hours and 22 minutes. However, for the last mile I felt decent so I ran ahead of them and finished in 2:20. Hooray! The times from my other races were: 2:14 (Va Beach, 2007) and 2:26 (Disney, 2011). So I am pretty consistent!

Aaron really impressed me. He ran at about a 9 min/mile pace and finished in under 2 hours (1:59)! Unbelievable. He is a machine. :)

Sierra and Mom both did well, too, and we all agreed that it was a fun morning. We are looking for another race to do!

My knees weren't too happy about the race, and my legs still hurt today. It's getting better, though, and it was definitely worth it. If you're looking for a good, fun challenge, consider the Va Beach Rock 'n' Roll half next Labor Day weekend!

0 comments

final 2011 beach trip

Posted by Aaron and Lisa

We have just returned from our longest vacation EVER. We left last Saturday morning...that's 9 days!! What a blessing for our family. We are glad to be home and ready to get back to a regular routine, though!

I've been able to upload the pictures from our time at Emerald Isle with the Morgan family. I will get the pictures from our Virginia Beach detour on here tomorrow. These pictures are out of order...the first picture is actually the last one that was taken on Friday...but you can get the general idea of the fun we had and the things we did. Most of our time was spent on the beach, and the pictures reflect that. We did go to the aquarium on Thursday but I forgot my camera, so I'll have to steal some of Joy's :)

We hope that everyone had a chance to get away this summer and enjoy each other!

At the last moment we remembered to get a group picture! There were two and I couldn't decide which was best, so you get both.

Nothing like getting a pedicure while on vacation. Vivian gives great ones (Joy and I also got one)...I highly recommend that you make an appointment with her.

Seth is a surfing machine!

We were very thankful for these little pools that the waves brought up to the beach. We had some almost every day for the kids to play in...they are great because they get to play in the water without fighting the waves.

Aaron took the girls for a short run.

This is a singing face :)

Baby Joel fell asleep at the beach two of the mornings we were there! He got tired out from all the playing!

Jonathan and Aaron caught loads of fish. We brought most of them home in a cooler and are freezing them. Who wants to come over for a fish fry?

We bought a cheap baby pool for the little ones to play in near our tent and it worked out well. Although the men tried to take it over...they put their fish in it!

We got the paddles out for spanking the children and then decided it would be fun to play with them instead. (just kidding!!)

Aaron and I beat our previous paddle record from several years ago (428). We made it to 502 this time!! It was intense.

Aaron caught a sting ray on one of the last days we were out there...the kids were pretty excited. If Jonathan hadn't been there to whisk V and K up at the last second, they would have been up there touching it and getting stung...yikes!

I gave fishing a try but it didn't work out...I didn't catch anything.

Aaron set up games for the little ones, including Duck, Duck, Goose. We also played a lot of Red Light, Green Light...classic.

These other kids in the picture were staying in a house close to ours and were always right beside us on the beach so they joined in a lot of our activities. Aaron called himself the recreation director.

Popsicles on the beach right after waking up from a nap...awesome.

The first day on the beach, Aaron and Jonathan helped them plant a garden. From left to right, as Vivian explained to me: corn, potatoes, tobacco, corn, and cabbage. So creative!