At mom and dad's house on the front porch, waiting for our friends so we can go swimming!
Eating lunch with Papa at Famous Anthony's
My man is always coming to the rescue for me and our family. We had a crazy wind storm hit here last Friday night when we were on our way to NC for a get together for family. We didn't really know how bad it was until we were driving home on Saturday night and started reading the news reports. For more than half of our car ride home, we discussed what our plan could be about where to stay the night when we got to Salem , since we knew from a neighbor that our power was out. We had several different options, but we decided to tough it out at our own house. We pulled in the driveway around 11:30 pm. After getting the girls settled in their beds, Aaron went to the battery shop where he works and brought home some equipment to rig this up:
It had been 100 degrees that day. The house was HOT. HOT. We threw the windows open, and Aaron used this car battery and an inverter to "plug" in some fans where we were sleeping. It made the night so much more bearable. I was so impressed with my husband's creativity and skill that I had to take a picture. He's the MAN.
Our power was back on by Monday afternoon. Those were several bizarre days and nights...sleeping in 3 different places 3 nights in a row, dragging our suitcases all over NC and southwest VA, and taking showers at the battery shop. :) But the girls were so flexible and never complained a bit, and it was a good reminder about the power of God and His goodness in providing a home with electricity...we definitely had a good glimpse into how dependent we are on Him for that!
As a side note, we did have a ton of tree damage on our property, and Aaron has spent most of his day today trying to get that cleaned up with the help of some neighbors. The whole thing has been a mess, but we're getting past it with thankful hearts, by the grace of God.
Sorry for so much text in this post, thanks for "listening"!
For Vivian's birthday, we got her a dollhouse. She is in love! And I love to watch or hear her play with it (and Kate, too). Thank the Lord for imaginations in these little ones. It's so sweet.
Last Monday, June 18th, Vivian turned 4 years old. She is such a joy for our family and we are so thankful that we have been given this gift.
We loved celebrating her birthday twice last week: once in the Bahamas on her actual birthday, and then once again on Friday in Salem.
Kate is so happy for her sister. She's really contemplating the goodness of God here... :)
Joey and Tasha joined us for our birthday lunch at a restaurant in the hotel. Gotta love a tough man wearing a ballerina birthday hat.
I brought a few presents from home for her to open.
What an excited little girl! At the beginning of the trip, she told everyone that we were in the Bahamas just for her birthday. Ahh, kids are so self-centered :)
The restaurant was so special. They decorated the table for me beforehand with plates and hats that I had brought from home, and then did a spectacular birthday song for her (see video). They provided the cupcake and candles. It was perfect.
She didn't eat the cupcake...she was fascinated by the chocolate writing on the plate.
Here are two videos that capture the birthday song the staff at the restaurant performed for us and her reaction. Please please please ignore the dorky pregnant mom. I was just trying to participate in the fun but I ended up looking ridiculous. Good thing kids don't know that...they just appreciate the effort, right?!
On Friday we recreated the birthday lunch in Salem so that my parents could have a chance to honor her. I asked Vivian where she wanted to have it, and she said the Omelet Shoppe. Haaaaaa! (maybe only those from Salem will understand how funny this is. The Omelet Shoppe is kind of a local version of Waffle House. It's a family favorite!)
Uncle Joey and Tasha gave V her first Barbie doll...ballerina Barbie.
This is out of order, and it's not the greatest pose, but it shows how we attempted to decorate our hotel rooms in the Bahamas for her. I bought a package of birthday cake posters to tape around on the walls. It was fun to try and be creative but simple for her birthday on our trip.
Happy birthday, Vivian! We love you so much!
Kate has always had the funniest facial expressions, even since she was a baby. Aaron loves to get her to do this look. It cracks us up every time. She loves knowing that she's making people laugh. Hopefully it will put a smile on your face, too.
Here are some random poses from around Atlantis. The first few were taken on Monday when we did a little walking around to explore, taking time for photo opportunities.
As soon as Vivian realized that getting her hair braided was an option (lots of people around the resort had done it), she asked to do it often. We saved it for Monday as something special for her birthday.
There were several huts of women who had set up on the beach, selling jewelry and doing hair braids.
They were so patient while the women were working, but really it only took about one minute. They braided that hair so fast, I almost didn't get a chance to get my camera out and take pictures! It was crazy to watch. Each girl got two braids and they're still looking pretty good a week and half later. It was definitely a highlight of Vivian's birthday.
Now if I could only figure out how to get the beads off so I can take the braids out...
There was an aquarium under one of the hotel towers of the resort! We finally found it on Monday morning when we did a little walking tour. It was pretty well done and the girls were very interested.
V carried around this identifier poster so she could match what we saw to its name on the poster. She is such a little student.
Do you see the bracelet that she made the night before?
It was difficult to take pictures because it was so dark in the aquarium, which was kind of like a tunnel underground, but the water tanks were so bright...so sorry for the strange picture settings!
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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