Shannon and her 11-month-old Graham came to Salem to visit this weekend and we had breakfast together this morning. Shannon and I grew up together in the same neighborhood. She and her husband are living in Charlotte...he is a seminary student, graduating this summer. Wish they could find a church here for him to pastor because she is a wonderful friend! And Graham is irresistible, of course. 
Today Aaron and I took Cesar and Luis to lunch. They are two of my 3rd grade students, and we thought it would be fun for them to do something a little different during their Spring Break. After lunch I took them to the public library to apply for a library card and check out books. We had a fun afternoon! Aaron got carried away with the camera...
Cesar on the left and Luis on the right
Yesterday we had a great Easter celebrating the cross and the living hope that we have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We went to the sunrise service (had to be there at 6 am for Aaron to help park cars!) and ate breakfast with our family in Christ.
We came back home to get ready for the regular church service, which mom and dad attended with us. We listened to a powerful sermon on God making Jesus both Lord and Christ...listen to it here. While you're there, you should also listen to last Sunday's sermon, Boasting Only in the Cross. Aaron and I are still talking about it a week later! After church we headed over to the Cannon's house for lunch (wish I had taken a picture of all the food) and an Easter egg hunt. We didn't participate this year, but doesn't this picture look very familiar? 
And last night we worked on the baby's room together. This is how it worked: I was painting, and Aaron...
was watching cars go by on the front porch with Bow.
Kidding! He did most of the work...the necessary carpentry. We still have a lot to do, though. (In case you're wondering, that's a paper towel roll between my legs)
I'm on Spring Break this week, so hopefully the blog will get more attention. Things have been busy around here!
P.S. (for my future reference) At the doctor's appointment on Friday, the baby's heartrate was 130 bpm.
On Saturday night we went to a new restaurant in town for our friend Ryan's birthday. Ryan and Sarah go to church with us and Ryan is Aaron's running partner on the weekends. 
What a cute couple! We have enjoyed getting to know them this year.
Sarah thought it would be something different to have Hannah Montana and Tinker Bell balloons for Ryan. My students (the kindergarten girls) talk about Hannah Montana all the time and the first time I actually saw a picture of her was at a 30-year-old man's birthday party. How strange!
What a cute couple! We have enjoyed getting to know them this year.
Sarah thought it would be something different to have Hannah Montana and Tinker Bell balloons for Ryan. My students (the kindergarten girls) talk about Hannah Montana all the time and the first time I actually saw a picture of her was at a 30-year-old man's birthday party. How strange!Last week Aaron requested banana pudding one night for dessert. I had fun making it :)
We have lost this week. Bill Szuch, Carissa's dad, died on Friday. Tonight we will worship Christ for his life at a memorial service at church. Here is the obituary that the family wrote.
This is a prayer from The Valley of Vision that was obviously the prayer of Bill's heart. Surely he has peace in death.
O God,
Thy main plan, and the end of thy will
is to make Christ glorious and beloved in heaven
where he is now ascended,
where one day all the elect will behold his glory
and love and glorify him for ever.
Though here I love him but little,
may this be my portion at last.
In this world thou hast given me a beginning,
one day it will be perfected in the realm above.
Thou hast helped me to see and know Christ,
though obscurely,
to take him, receive him,
to possess him, love him,
to bless him in my heart, mouth, life.
Let me study and stand for discipline,
and all the ways of worship,
out of love for Christ;
and to show my thankfulness;
to seek and know his will from love,
to hold it in love,
and daily to care for and keep this state of heart.
Thou hast led me to place all my nature
and happiness
in oneness with Christ,
in having heart and mind centered only on him,
in being like him in communicating good to others;
This is my heaven on earth,
But I need the force, energy, impulses of thy Spirit
to carry me on the way to my Jerusalem.
Here, it is my duty
to be as Christ in this world,
to do what he would do,
to live as he would live,
to walk in love and meekness;
then would he be known,
then would I have peace in death.
This weekend we began the process of preparing the baby's room. Aaron is putting up the beadboard while I painted. We make a good team...hopefully we will as parents, too! This is a fun part of getting ready for June. I'll post more pictures as the room progresses.
Yesterday Aaron had his last regular volleyball game of the winter season with the Roanoke Valley Volleyball League. I went along to cheer him on (and also to get some Maggie Moo's ice cream afterwards...). His team lost, but he had some good hits. I got a few good action shots!
Monday was National Napping Day. I certainly participated in this holiday! Actually, pretty much everyday I come home from work (the good thing about teaching...I get home by 3:00) and snooze in our TV room. I usually sleep well for 20-30 minutes, then lay there thinking and resting. Bow is a good napping buddy...he curls up at the end of the couch to keep my feet warm. It is very ideal.
I know this is a dark picture, but that's the point. You see, this room has a shade that pulls down which makes the room really dark. Perfect for an afternoon nap!
Stephen and Michael's spring break is over and they headed back to UVa last night. We had a farewell dinner for them (a good excuse to go to The Homeplace!).
Have fun these last few weeks of the semester, guys!
Many thanks to the following families who graciously fed us dinner while our kitchen has been out of commission:
Nathan and Erin Carroll
Pastor Nick and Gretchen (twice!)
Jeremie and Tabitha Shelor
Billy and Crystal Mitchell
Larry and Laraia Flores (mom and dad)*
Dennis and Shannon Maggi* (they brought spaghetti to us 3/6)
Last night the Mitchells invited us over. We had fun talking about our church involvement and coloring with their two girls Gracie and Ava.
Here's Baby Fernandez at 23 weeks, 4 days! He/She had a heartrate of 148 bpm, and according to measurements weighs 1 pound, 7 ounces. That puts baby in the 52nd percentile (bigger than 52% of American babies, smaller than 48% of American babies). As Aaron says, "Sounds like the definition of normal." We are so thankful that everything checked out well...on track for the June 21st birthday. We had a great appointment!
On Saturday we received our first letter from Edinson. It was so sweet! He started his letter with, "I greet you with much love in the name of our Lord Jesus," and he ended it with "I say goodbye with many kisses." In between, he told us that he lives with his grandma and cousins, his favorite color is orange, he likes chicken and rice, and he is very good at soccer. We were encouraged to hear from him.
He drew a picture for us!
If you're interested in sponsoring a child, go to www.compassion.com.
He drew a picture for us!
If you're interested in sponsoring a child, go to www.compassion.com.Sorry for such a quiet blog this week...we haven't had much going on to post about. The baby belly is growing, though, so here's an updated picture:
The men had a church meeting last night, so the girls took the opportunity to have a girls night out. We ate together and Erin and I shared a huge dessert! I'm certainly doing all I can to help the belly grow faster :)
The baby's movements are also getting stronger. Aaron has been able to feel it twice!
I went to a long lunch with Carissa today and then we stopped by the mall to see how mom was doing at her booth. She was advertising for Girl Scout camp.
What a dedicated employee! She made the poster on her own...very cool what you can do with Michael's Scrapbooking stuff.
Bow wants to give a shout out to his cousin Angel (that's what Grandma named her new puppy):
"Hi, Angel! I enjoyed meeting you last week. You're so pretty!"
Joey and Sierra found this puppy to give as a gift to Grandma, and they drove to Raleigh today to surprise her with it. The original idea was to leave the dog on the doorstep in this basket with a note. I don't think it worked out exactly that way, but nevertheless she was shocked. We're glad she will have a new friend!
She is so adorable!We went out of town again last weekend for the 3rd in a row! It was the last of our getaways for a while...we have been taking advantage of these months before the baby arrives to travel. We went to Snowshoe with Jonathan and Joy, and Stephen and Michael met us up there. The guys went skiing each day and Joy and I relaxed at the condo and went to the gym (they are expecting their first little one in August!). There wasn't a lot of snow on the ground up there, but it was COLD.
Saturday skiing, from left to right: Aaron, Jonathan, Stephen, Michael. You can see how the snow disappears where the edge of the slope is...so sad. 
In the afternoons before dinner, we just relaxed together to let the guys recuperate. Looks like Jonathan is really relaxed. 
Both nights we went to The Village to wait in long lines and eat dinner. It was fun, especially for me and Joy to be able to dress in something besides lounging clothes and get out of the condo.
This picture was taken in the lobby of one of the hotels after dinner.See you next year, Snowshoe! Thanks Joy, for letting me steal some pictures from your blog :)
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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