Happy Family

A Year in Pictures

2011-08-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

So, I am finally doing what I have been meaning to do for a long time - update my blog! It's been a VERY long time, so I am not going to try very hard to catch up. I am just going to share pictures from the last 17 months.

Enjoy!
APRIL 2010

Our first tea party

Autism Awareness walk

Talking to Daddy on Skype

MAY 2010
Spence-the-Fence turns 3

Libby "graduated" from Kindergaten

Madison "graduated" from pre-school

We took a trip to Kansas over Memorial Day weekend and it was SO hot!

Spencer had a birthday party in Kansas

The reason we went to Kansas was to work on Lee and Kathy's house

JUNE 2010

Libby had her first dance recital

There were a few hundred people in the auditorium for their number, and only 2 six year old girls! Libby didn't look nervous at all!

We had a lot of fun in the backyard!

Spencer FINALLY potty trained!

At the end of June, Aunt Brandi and Link and Heners came to drive with us to Iowa.

We went exploring at Garden of the Gods

We stopped in Ogallala on the way to Iowa to see Henry's birthmom.

We were at a park, but it was SO HOT (113 without the humidity)

that the kids mostly just layed in the shade!

JULY 2010

We went the the Farmers and Merchants picnic in Iowa, and family tradition!

My brother was kind enough to play surroget father to miss Libby

I thought that Maddy would love this ride

because it spins around and around.

I was wrong.

She did not love it.

We took some Family pictures (w/o Brett)

This is a good illistration of how it felt to have Brett in Iraq

My brothers conjuring up the dark mark.

It is a tradition for us to have our family picture on July 4th. Of course, Brett wasn't there and I have NEVER seen so many misquitos in my life! The kids hated it! But, we got the picture. Mission accomplished.

We went up to Eau Claire to visit Grandma Dode and Grandpa George for a few days and went to this super fun water fountain.

We came home halfway through July.

Near the end of July, Liberty was in her first play. The Aristocats.

She did awesome!

AUGUST 2010

The 7th member of our family came to help me for a few weeks.

She's super cool.

We drove up Pikes Peak on a photography adventure.

We thought this was a very fat squirll. Turns out it is a yellow bellied marmot. I still prefer to think that it is just a

VERY

fat

squirll.

The boys got bunk beds.

This is Jack's first night out of a crib.

Why do my kids keep growing up!?

Grandma came and we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Spencer LOVED feeding the giraffes.

My favorite part of the zoo is the sky ride. It goes straight up the side of Cheyenne Mountain.

Awesome!

After 5 months away, Brett got back on August 12th so he could be here for my brain surgery.

A great big blessing in a not so big disquise.

We really missed him.

A lot.

This is a picture of Brett's wall in Iraq.

I think he may have missed us a lot, too.

At 18 months old, Jack got his first haircut.

It seemed like a sin to cut those golden curls!

I have since learned that they grow back

really fast!

More to come!

Best Friends

2011-03-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Webster's Dictionary defines friend this way:

A. one attached to another by affection or esteem

B: one that favors or promotes something (as a charity)

C: a favored companion

I was able to talk to an old friend today,
and it brought back a lot of memories.
I lived so much of the formative years of my life
with her by my side.
I hadn't talked to her in over 12 years,
and really spent any time with her in well over 16
(wow that makes me feel so old).
It was so great to hear that she was doing well!

When we are kids,
we do a lot of things that don't make any sense.
We fight with our friends over things that don't matter.
Blame it on the raging hormones,
the inexperience,
or the naivete.
It doesn't really matter why,
but it is how we grow
and hopefully learn how to not make the same mistakes again.

To my dear Friend.
I miss you.
I hope that you know
that you will ALWAYS hold
a special place in my heart.
I know that we both did and said things
that we wished we could take back.
I could never and did never
hate you;
Much the opposite actually.
I want to make it VERY clear
that your were such a blessing in my life.
When I think of our friendship,
I am not filled with regret,
I am filled with
Gratitude.

Thank you for being my Friend.

Libby Lou

2010-05-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Liberty turned 6 on
March 4th
I know that was 2 1/2 months ago
but we have had a lot going on
so here is her "un-birthday" post.

For those who may not know her
Liberty is Amazing!
She has always
looked
talked
and acted
beyond her years.
She is heads and shoulders above her peers
she has a huge vocabulary
and she understands fairly complex ideas.
She is incredibly thoughtful
She has such a fun loving spirit
She is always running around
looking for something to entertain her.

She is our little actress too
She usually tells you things as if
she is performing for the audience
often looking at "the audience"
rather than you
for effect.
I have a hard time getting candid pictures of her
because she poses the second she sees the camera.
We always knew she loved to dance
Since she was very young she had a way of
interpreting the music through the way she moved
This year we found out that she really has a talent
She is in Ballet and Tap and she is a natural She is an amazing help to me around the house
especially with Brett gone
it would definitely be a lot harder
without her help.
She is an amazing big sister
just ask her little sister and brothers
They want to go everywhere she goes
and do everything she does
It annoys her sometimes
but most times she is happy to be their friend.
I am so thankful for my
not-so-little-anymore girl
We tried so hard to get her here
and I have been grateful to have her
since the moment she finally came.
Happy 6th (un)birthday
Our sweet Liberty.

Home, Sweet Home

2010-02-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

Brett and I recently moved

I know
We were only in our last house
for 8 months
But Madison was lucky enough to get a spot
in an amazing autism center
and it was a half hour drive from our last house.
I guess it didn't seem like much in theory
but after 6 months of being in the car
for 2 1/2 hours a day
5 days a week
I called Brett and said
"Either we need to move closer
or we have to take her out of therapy."
Well, the clinic she is in is doing
AMAZING things for her
so it was kind of an easy choice for us.
After only 3 days of scouring the area for a
house we could rent
we found our dream house.
It is wonderful.
It's about 4 miles from Madison's autism center
and less than five miles from
anything we could want
Our church
Costco
Walmart
The Mall
REI
Carraba's
Safeway
We are pretty far from post now but that's alright with us
We both have said in the past couple weeks that
we feel like we belong here.
We have both felt a little unsettled since moving to CO
(we loved FT Carson and our ward and friends and home,
but we just felt out of place)
but now that feeling is gone.
I know that the Lord had a hand in this all, and I am so grateful for all our blessings here.
Madison's therapy, our warm and inviting ward,
the beauty that is surrounding us.
It's good to be home.

Here's the backyard
The kids LOVE it,
and every morning we see deer
(usually big bucks)
walking through
They think that's pretty amazing
I think the snow is really pretty, but
I can't wait until summer to let them loose!

Yum

2010-02-07T23:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had the Elders over for dinner.

There are transfers on Wednesday
and we are moving, so we wanted to say goodbye.
These Elders have renewed my faith
in 19-21 year old boys.
We love them.
Whenever we have the Elders over
I like to make them something nice.
Not just Mac and Cheese, ya know?

So I made broccoli cheddar soup
from scratch
with sourdough bread-bowls
(as it turns out, one of the Elders' mom always made soup
and bread-bowls on Superbowl Sunday growing up. smile)
and chicken wings with a tequila-lime glaze
(no, not actually tequila, I substituted agave nectar)
and Martinelli's to drink
and then we had these.....
Red Velvet Cake Cookies with
Cream Cheese and Vanilla Bean frosting.
From scratch, too.
They were so moist and delicious
I almost shed a tear when we sent the leftovers
home with the Elders.
It's for a good cause though, right?
And those good boys did leave us this
on our bathroom mirror
before they left:

Great Elders
and
Great Food
Love it!

Happy Birthday and Funny Hats

2010-01-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

My Baby is 1!

Our baby jack turned 1 year old on January 13

He is getting so big so fast!

Fastest cake I ever frosted! And the coconut tasted so good!

He had so much fun. Here's the before picture.

During

And afterOpening presents

We went and got his 1 year pictures done at the Picture People (love them)
and he was so stinkin' cute that they had us sign a release
so they could use his pictures as a model for the store!Pretty cool.

We love our Baby Jack. It is hard to believe that more than a year has gone by since he joined our family. He has the amazing ability to make everyone in our family happy in even the grumpiest of situations. It was quite a surprise to find out that number 4 was on the way when our oldest had barely turned 4, but he could not have come at a better time. He has made my trials easier and the burden I feel sometimes as Brett is gone lighter. I'm not sure where the blond hair and blue eyes (greener every day) came from, but they melt my heart in a second. I love your kisses, however wet they may be; the way you love your little stuffed puppy and reflexively stop and cuddle with anything soft; the way you take anything and turn it into a car and push it along the floor. Thank you, Jack, for coming into our family when you did. Our family is completed by you. I love you with all the love a mother can have. My sweet Baby Jack.

Funny Hats

When we went to the mall to get Jack's pictures done we went to a toy store and tried on funny hats.

When I saw this one, I thought I would just have her try it on because it was so crazy, but it so fit her personality that I couldn't pass it up.

FREE CANNIE! I mean - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-11-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

I just have to love Halloween

great weather
cute kids
so little work, and yet a great result!
Love it!

Liberty was Aurora this year
She is becoming such a beautiful Young Lady

Little Madison was Belle
For those of you who don't know Madison all that well
This is quite often the face we get for pictures
She was ready for the Candy
Pictures - not so much.

Handsome Man was a Pirate - Argh!
He eventually caught on that he should wait to get more "cannie"
instead of trying to eat every piece as he went.

And sweet Baby Jack was a Monkey for his first Halloween!
Don't you just want to squeeze him!?

Brett took them all out Trick-or-Treating while I passed out Candy

It was beautiful weather - cool and clear.Here are the Pumpkins the we carved for FHE

And here is the whole family at the ward Trunk-or-Treat on Friday night.

It was a pretty great holiday! I was very happy that Brett was here to take the kids.
We had previously thought that he would not be, so it was a pleasant surprise.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!

Life's Billows

2009-10-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings; name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does your cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly
and you will be singing as the days go by.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
do not be discouraged, God is over all.
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Count your blessings; name them one by one
Count your blessings; see what God hath done.
Count your blessings; name them one by one.
Count your many blessings see what God hath done.

1. My Savior
2.Brett - the man who stands by me, supports me
and loves me and who I love with all that I am.

3. Libby Lou - so full of life
4. Maddy girl - so happy
5. Spencer - my handsome man....so loving a helpful and kind
6. My sweet baby Jack - so so sweet
7. My Mom and Dad - so understanding and generous
8. My brothers - so supportive
9. My brothers families
10. My husbands family
11. My friends
12. My Testimony
13. Being a mother
14. being an American Citizen
15. My home
16. My talents
17. Prayer
18. Chocolate
19. Steak
20. good health care
21. Cool, overcast days
22. Sunny warm days
23. Seeing the shoreline of Monterey
24. Being married in the temple
25. My righteous heritage
26. Forgiveness
27. cell phones
28. Digital cameras
29. Safety and protection
30. Good entertainment
31. My car
32. my children's laughter
These aren't neccesarily in order of importance, nor is it even close to a completed list. I just needed to take a little time to think about all I have been given.
Indeed, I am truly blessed.
Now for that "Help and Comfort".

I LOVE the Fall!

2009-09-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

I have to say
I think I may just love everything about Fall!
I am not really fond of heat
and Fall means the end of baking in the summer sun.
It means sweatshirts
hot cider
beautiful colors
cute hats and clothes for my kiddos
fresh, crisp air
Thanksgiving
Trick-or-Treating for my kids
Husker Football
Really, I am trying to think of something I don't like about Fall,
and I am stuck.
I love it!
September 22 is tomorrow and I am very ready to say
"Goodbye Summer!"
Well, appearently here in Colorado, the sentiment is more
"Good RIDDANCE Summer!" because
today it snowed.
That's right people - I said snowed!
I could not believe what I was seeing, but there it was
little white flakes falling from the sky.
It started while we were driving to pick Madison up from her clinic
and I said "Look Libby, it's snowing."
and Liberty said
"It's snowing!?! That stinks!"
I agree. I love fall,
however winter and I are not good friends.
It was pretty though, I must admit.

I tried to get a picture of the snow. It was actually coming down pretty strong.
(You can't really tell from the picture though
If you click on the pictures you can see it better)

My little snow princess (just a reminder - still officially summer when taken)

How could I not love walking out my front door and seeing this? If I haven't said it in a few postings - I love Colorado

And how in the heck could I not love seeing my cute boy in these kinds of cute outfits!
I will readily admit - I am addicted to cute kids clothes! And cute Kids for that matter!

Taken while at a stop light in Jacks little mirror - I think he was trying to uncover his eyes
What a stinkin' cute kid!

Madison's First Day of Preschool (a little late)

2009-09-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why it took me so long to post this
a lot has been going on around here for the last month or so
not the least of which is Maddy starting not only Preschool
but last week she started her Autism clinic too.
She is a busy little girl now, and she seems to be loving it.

Here she is running into her school

She was very excited to see the "fish and birds" that they have in the classroom.

We are very excited for Maddy at the start of her new adventures!
She is learning so much and is growing by leaps and bounds.

He Gave Up

2009-09-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last night was a little stressful at the Hernandez House
Brett and I were being pulled in a million different directions
trying to bathe the kids,
feed them dinner
and put them to bed.
Poor little Jack got the short end of the stick
as all this was going on.
He sat on the living room floor complaining.
All he wanted was to nurse and go to sleep.
But, we needed to get so much done that he had to wait.
After about 20 min's I noticed he wasn't crying anymore.
I went to the living room
and this is what I found:

I guess he just gave up.
The sad thing about this is that it happened earlier
at nap time too.
Poor guy.
I think he might be starting to like sleeping on the floor.
He looked so peaceful.
I love you Jack!
My sweet baby boy.

Madison's 4th Birthday

2009-09-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

Labor day was Madison's 4th Birthday
We went the a great mall up in Littleton
and got her pictures done and went shopping
We got ice cream cones and went to a park
it was a great, carefree Labor Day
and a fun way to celebrate Maddy's Birthday
as a Family.
On Saturday we had a party for her
at the park with a few friends.
She really enjoyed herself.
Thank you to everyone who joined us
in helping make Madison feel like the
very special girl that she is!
WE LOVE YOU MADISON
HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY!

She wanted a Butterfly Birthday
She is WAY into butterflies right now.

The Birthday party Shirts - a Hernandez Family TraditionBig Sister Liberty's Shirt
Spencer's "Dress"(as he called it)
Jack's Shirt
Mommy's Shirt
Daddy Shirt
I had to add this one - It's just so cute
She blew out her own candles this year! YEAH!
And she gave herself a BIG hand for doing it too.
At the Mall on her Birthday opening gifts from Grandma & Grandpa
Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!
Now that's a Happy Birthday Girl!

Her 4 year pictures from Picture People
(Our favorite Picture Place)

32 Years

2009-09-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

32 years ago, my life began.
Now, I know what you are saying:
"But Becky! You are still a beautiful and youthful 20-something!"
While that is true,
My life did indeed start 32 years ago.
On September 2, 1977
A Man Married a Woman
in the Temple of God.
That Man and that Woman had 3 children
and while I know that those children were PERFECT from the start,
They raised their children and taught them
right from wrong,
to Love their Heavenly Father,
That families are FOREVER.
And because of their teachings,
I now have a family that I get to
teach right from wrong,
to Love their Heavenly Father,
and that families are really FOREVER.
Thank you Dad and Mom for
leading me, guiding me, and walking beside me.
If I don't say it enough, I'll say it again:
I love you both SO much!
HAPPY 32nd ANNIVERSARY

We Love Colorado, but......

2009-08-29T09:04:00.001-07:00

Since moving to Colorado we have enjoyed the beauty of this area;
We really LOVE it.
But..
we have also encountered a few nasty things.
The Rattle Snake, the Copperhead...
They weren't as bad because they were far from our home.
However, we have made a new little friend closer to home;
IN our home in fact.
Meet our friend the Black Widow:

Unfortunately, our friend had an untimely passing.
I would say he will be missed, but.....

Liberty's first day of Kindergarten

2009-08-11T08:52:00.001-07:00

Liberty started kindergarten today at STAR Academy, a charter school here in Colorado Springs. We are very excited that she got a spot. It seems to be a very good school, and she is able to go all day instead of half, which we feel she is so ready for.

Here she is, all ready for her first day of Kindergarten!
(They have a uniform, which I LOVE - no worrying about what to wear!)

Liberty ready for her first official Father's Blessing before the school year; a tradition I loved growing up and am so happy to be able to carry on with my kids with my wonderful husband! What a great Dad!

In the Kindergarten room! Looks like fun!

She was SOO excited to go! We know she is going to do so great! She is so bright and talented! We are so proud of our Libby-Lou!

Just a little side note....look at this picture of Libby from September 2007, Libby's first day of preschool....I can't believe how she has grown! (and coincidentally she is wearing the same outfit)

America the Beautiful Park

2009-07-28T15:06:00.001-07:00

We recently went to a new park here in Colorado Springs (there are so many of them) and have a very fun day there. There was a super sweet playground and a cool fountain. We had so much fun! The Park was named after the song written by Katharine Lee Bates, who was inspired by Colorado Springs and the nearby mountains to write this beautiful anthem.

Amen Katharine. Amen.

Super Cool Dude

There are so many lilies here - I LOVE the colors of this one.

The very cool fountain. It rotated slowly...very cool. We did find out the hard way that you could not go up to it, just around it.

Jumping Libby

Jumping Maddy

This is how we found out you could not go up there.
Libby got in trouble for this picture.

My super "handsome man"

Sweet Baby Jack

Just hanging out

Maddy doing her favorite thing at the park.

Spencer doing his favorite thing at the park.

We recently discovered the Spencer can fly!
One of his many super powers (screaming being another of them)

We can't get the kid on the ground! He just loves to fly!
Our Handsome Man - off to save the world!

I made the kids pose for this, and as you can see - they weren't too into it.

Baby Jack
When I looked at this after I took it, he reminded me sooo much of my big brother Jay.

And as a bonus...new family pic's!
Finally all six of us!
Spencer had to hold the guitar or else he would cry.

Sweet Baby Jack's 6 month old pic's

Spencer's two year old pic's - he was crying in all of them.
(Serious stranger anxiety)

SOFT AS A COW

2009-07-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

My Little Girl is growing up way too fast.
On Friday she lost her very first tooth
It was the first she got as a baby
and it was the first to go.
This just as my youngest is starting to cut his first tooth.
Ahh, the circle of life.
Anyhow, so July 3rd was the first tooth,
and I looked in her mouth yesterday
to see how it was healing
and I noticed that the permanent teeth below the tooth she lost
AND the one below the one next the tooth she lost
were both pushing through her gums.
The other tooth was really wiggly too
so I decided it needed to come out.
Liberty did not agree.
To say she threw a ROYAL fit is quite an understatement.
After struggling with her for about 15 min's
and trying to get her to let me yank it out of her
mouth with a string
I finally convinced her to let me try to pull it out with
with my fingers and a paper towel.
Here's how the conversation went:
Me: "Liberty, if I am really careful,
can I try to pull it out with my fingers?"
Liberty:"Will you do it soft?"
Me:"Yes"
(start to pull.she pulls away.)
Liberty:"Soft as a cloud?"
Me:"Yes, soft as a cloud."
(start to pull-she pulls away.)
Liberty:"Soft as a Kitten?"
Me:"Yes soft as a kitten."
(start to pull. she pulls away)
Liberty:"Wait Mom, Wait! Soft as a cow!?"
....ummmm....
me:trying not to let her see me laugh
"Yes Libby, soft as a cow."
Liberty:"Okay then."
So I start to pull again, only this time I've got a really good grip
and when she throws her head back really hard to get away
her tooth pops out.
As she is looking in the mirror and calming down
I say to her
"You know Liberty - you pulled that tooth.
I just held it and YOU yanked it out."
She looks at me and very matter-of-a-factly says
"I know Mom. That's what you call teamwork."

LAND THAT I LOVE

2009-07-04T14:27:00.001-07:00

I know it may sound a little prideful

but I live in the greatest country in the world.
I have always felt this way.
My husband keeps asking me
"But Honey, wouldn't it be exciting to live in (fill in name of other country here)?"
And my answer is always
"Maybe for a little while, as long as we come back soon."
This country is BEAUTIFUL
I am a little sheltered, so I don't know for sure if there is another country with almost every type of landscape; from Desert to Mountains to Rolling Plains,
but I do know that there is nowhere I would rather live.
Regardless of how I feel about the current Government Administration
the things that make this country great are still in place:
The People
The Freedom
The Liberty
The Brave Men and Women who gave
and are now willing to give EVERYTHING in its defense
(of which I have the great privilage of being married to one)
I thank Heavenly Father every day for letting me be born here,
to raise my children here
and for protecting us all in this great land;
Land that I LOVE!
We have been taking our family picture on the fourth of July ever since Liberty was one.
Here we are in front of our home.

Our four little Americans!

"I'm the first American my parents had, so they named me Liberty!"

"Born to be free!"

"What!?! WHO did you say is President!?!
Even I'm more qualified than him!"

"All American Boy!"

ADVENTURES ON CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN

2009-06-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

We live at the base of Cheyenne Mountain.

It is absolutley beautiful.
I was 8 the last time I lived near mountains,
and even then I wasn't as close as we are now
and Brett grew up living near a very large mountain,
so he loves it.
A week and a half ago we decided to drive up a little ways on the mountain
and have a picnic.
It was a total of 4 miles from our driveway to where we stopped for our picnic.
The scenery was amazing!

This is a view of our street through from the mountain through my zoom lens.
The girls going on a hike.

Brett and Jack
Ready for some hiking
Having a picnic
The kids getting ready to go for a short hike.
So we got done eating and while we were gathering all the picnic stuff up and carrying it back to the car, we let the kiddos go down the trail a little ways.
Suddenly Liberty came running back yelling
"Snake! There's a Snake! Snake!"
So Brett took off running to where Madison and Spencer where still playing on the trail.
In my head I am thinking that my imaginative 5 year old has seen a very "snake-like-stick".
I look down the trail and I see a very serious Brett shooing the kids away from where they were just playing.
Once the kids where safely away, Brett walked me back to see the "snake".
He had to point it out to me when it was right in front of me it blends in so well. It was a baby rattle snake. We were very proud of Liberty for acting the way she did when she saw it. She did just the right thing. Spencer on the other hand was a few feet away from it, crouched down looking at it. Liberty quite possibly saved her brother a lot of pain, or even his life.
That was the beginning to our
Adventures in Colorado!

GARDEN OF THE GODS

2009-06-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful things to see
not far from our new home

is a place called Garden of the Gods
It is free, and you can go hiking, have a picnic,ride your bike
or just drive through, which is what our family did for
Family Home evening this last Monday evening.
Here are some of my favorite shots from it:
(my camera's battery died not to long after we arrived)

On the previous two photos, if you look just to the right of center
You'll see a rainbow.
Beautiful.
That was all I was able to get before the battery died.
We will be going back soon though, so you'll be seeing more of this.

COLORADO

2009-06-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

I'd like to just take a moment to say

I LOVE COLORADO!
It is so beautiful, and the people are so incredibly nice!
I love the Midwest - it has always been my favorite place to live,
but until now, my experience was limited to Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska.
I now know that the borders stretch beyond Nebraska and include Colorado.
It's BEAUTIFUL
(did I already mention that?)
I love our neighbors,
I love our home,
I like our ward.
At the risk of sounding cheesy
I'm just so happy to be here!This is our home in Tabor, IA.
We will miss Tabor A LOT!
It was such a great community with great friends
and having Mom and Dad right down the street was wonderful.
We love you, Tabor!
(The Family in front of our old house)

I do want to say good riddance to a few things, however:
The dishwasher that caked our dishes in hardwater.
The stove that took an HOUR to boil water.
(and that's when you remembered to put salt in it and cover the pot).
The bath tub that did not clog all the way so I had to run water the whole time I bathed the kids.
The air conditioner that was about 3 times to small for this old, drafty house.
Having the girls room in the basement with cement floors and a fireplace in their room.
The front door that made a VERY LOUD humming noise when it was windy.
The Landlord who NEVER CALLED BACK!
And Finally, the bad wiring that had us replacing about
100 light bulbs in the 11 months we lived there.
You all will definatley NOT be missed.
But Tabor - you have a piece of our hearts forever!
One of our two moving trucks.
Liberty in the other truck.
Driving into Colorado.

Moving into our new, glorious house!

RAINBOWS

2009-06-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

As we drove into Colorado Last Friday, there were scattered rain showers.
When the sun broke through there was this beautiful rainbow.

It filled my heart with peace to see it. I was driving alone in one of our TWO rental trucks, so it was quiet, and I thought about the reason for rainbows.
They are a reminder of a promise from a loving Heavenly Father.
He told Noah that He would never again flood the whole earth.
I felt like he was promising me that I would be able to handle what lies ahead for us in Colorado.
Brett WILL be deployed.
I will not have my very helpful mother around for
the first time since I have had more than two kids.
We will not know anyone.
And yet, there is this rainbow....filling my heart with not just peace,
but hope.
Thank You for rainbows.

Baby Jack's Blessing

2009-02-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

Baby Jack was blessed at church today. It was beautiful and wonderful and the spirit was strong as Brett blessed our last child. We were so grateful to have David and Brandi there for this their 3rd blessing out of our 4 kids, including Liberty the same weekend they were married. Thank you guys - it means more than I can tell you. Also, Dad who has been to each one - Dad, you are amazing (just ask Spencer). Jack looked angelic. He is such a sweet baby. I feel overwhelmed by the happiness these wonderful people I get to call my family bring into my life! I am living my dreams as a mother and am grateful to have my best friend by my side. He really is everything I always dreamed of. I am truly blessed!
Welcome to the family, Baby Jack!Sweet Baby Jack all ready to go to church for the first time. My Mom made the outfit and Grandma Sutton Made the blanket.
All the siblings loving on Jack - right after this picture, Spencer kissed Jack too, but laid on him to do it, so we had to intervene.

The men in the blessing circle (David, Dad, Brett, Bishop Saufley, Mike Formhals, and John Marley) Thanks Guys!
Proud parents and handsome baby Jack!

Our Family
Jack with Aunt Brandi, Uncle David, and cousins Lincoln and Henry.
Jack and Grandma and Grandpa

JACK LAVELL!! He's finally here!

2009-01-13T14:06:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to let you all know that our forth little angel made his entrance today at 12:15 pm central time. He weighed 7lbs 3.8oz and was 20 inches long. He has a full head of reddish blonde hair, and both Mom and baby are doing FANTASTIC! We are so excited! More to come soon! Welcome home, Jack!

Christmas Baking!

2008-12-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Time to make Christmas goodies, and this year the kids all helped Mommy bake. We had a lot of fun. I was even able to make some really tasty goodies that were "Maddy friendly"(without gluten or casein) and was pretty happy with how they turned out! They are delicious!
Maddy all ready to go!
Our cute little bakers!
Libby all ready to bake. Liberty's method of baking is to stick her finger in the bowl after each ingredient is added to make sure it tastes right. She would be our quality control specialist. Thanks, Libby!
Spencer, like always, is just happy to be doing whatever Mommy is doing.
The kids and I really had a fun and pretty messy time! I hate this picture of me, but the kids are so dang cute. I think Maddy must know that this is some of the cookie dough that is off limits for her judging by the look in her face.

Baby Jack

2008-11-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

Here's Baby Jack in all of his cuddly cuteness! I guess the official due date is January 25th, but we are going to see how early the Doc will let him come because Brett leaves on February 7th. We'll see - at any rate, about 2 months until baby #4! We can't wait to meet you, Jack!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-11-01T12:20:00.001-07:00

Libby the Pretty Pink Mermaid

Madison the beautiful butterfly

Spencer the Triceritops

Happy Halloween from the Hernandez Family!

Oh, How the Years Go By!

2008-10-28T08:14:00.001-07:00

Liberty in 2007

Liberty in 2008

Madison in 2007

Madison in 2008

Spencer in 2007

Spencer in 2008

Our little Artist

2008-10-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

Liberty loves to draw on this little whiteboard that we have. Last night she drew me this picture and said to me " Mommy! This is a picture of me running into you!" I took one look at the picture and said to Libby, "When your Daddy comes in here, I want you to show him your picture and tell him 'Daddy - this is how life begins!'." She looked at me a little confused, but sure enough, when Brett walked into the room, Libby dutifully showed him the picture and said "Daddy - this is how life begins!" I can not tell you how hilarious the look on Brett's face was! He looked at me, shocked, and then back at Libby and asked "What kind of science shows are you watching, kid!?" I did let him on on the joke. I can't wait to see what other things our little artist will come up with! I love being a Mom! You never know what to expect!

2nd Lieutenant Brett Hernandez

2008-09-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Brett officially commissioned on August 22, 2008. Yeah for Brett! The last two years of hard work are finally paying off! We are so proud of him! Super-Duper proud!

2008-09-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

I pledge ALLEGIANCE to the flag

of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

and to the REPUBLIC, for which it stands,

ONE nation, under GOD,

INDIVISIBLE,

with LIBERTY and JUSTICE for ALL.

"Experience teaches us that it is much easier to prevent an enemy from posting themselves than it is to dislodge them after they have got possession." - George Washington

"It may be laid down as a primary position, and the basis of our system, that every Citizen who enjoys the protection of a Free Government, owes not only a proportion of his property, but even of his personal services to the defense of it." George Washington

That is why I am proud to have my husband, the father of my children, serve this country. In the words of Toby Keith: " I don't want to die for you, but if dying's asking me, I'll bear that cross with honor 'cause freedom don't come free."

FAMILY PICTURE TIME!!

2008-09-11T09:57:00.001-07:00

We had Maddy's 3 year old pictures done and got some of the family too! Here they are!

So as not to leave anyone out, here's baby Jack.

Cutest little 3 year old in the whole wide world!

Liberty's First Day of Preschool

2008-09-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Liberty started her second year of preschool today. Once again, like last year, she was super excited to go back to her teacher and her friends!

We are so proud of our little Liberty!

Madison's First Day of Preschool

2008-09-02T10:43:00.001-07:00

Maddy started preschool today! I can't believe she is already old enough for this - but she is so ready! We are excited for her!

Maddy getting ready

All ready to go! Isn't she the cutest?!

"You want me to go home, Mom? No way!"

She had so much fun at school that we had a pretty hard time getting her to leave!

2008-05-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to?

It has been about 7 months since our last post. As you could assume, a whole lot has happened in our lives since then. Madison was diagnosed with Autism, Liberty finished her first year of preschool and started primary, Brett graduated from college, and I was called as primary chorister! We also took a vacation with my family to Tennessee. We have been pretty busy, so I thought I would take a little time to update.

Here's Spencer learning how to crawl. He started crawling March 1st.

Here's Liberty on her 4th Birthday. I can't believe 4 years have passed since we became parents! She is growing so fast. Just the other day she reassured me about something. She said "Mom, don't worry; 4 year olds lie, but 5 year olds don't lie." Thank you Libby - I guess we just have to survive it for 1 more year.

I'm just wondering - Do they come any cuter than this?

I think the reason I love this picture so much is because it's a picture of Maddy just being a kid. She doesn't have a distant look in her eyes, she's not spinning around or rubbing her lips with her finger; she's just being a 2 year old kid. She is amazing us every day. She can do SOO much for someone with her condition. What a wonderful gift these moments where she is just being a kid are. I cherish every one of them.

Our little Maddy LOVES to swing!

And our little Spence loves to be cute.

And our little Libby loves animals!

And we all love Brett to graduate from college!

So there you have it. A very brief veiw of the last 7 months. We are so blessed. Our lives are never boring and we never seem so stand still for very long. We love it!

FANTASTIC YOUTUBE VIDEO - MUST SEE!

2007-11-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y5_q-rWMkg

Spence The Fence

2007-09-25T10:29:00.001-07:00

This is a recent picture of our adorable little guy! He's such a happy boy! We love him. He turned 4 months old the day after this photo was taken - he's growing up so fast!

Finally - a Positive Diagnosis!

2007-09-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

We finally have a positive diagnosis for what is going on in my head. After having another CT scan and talking with the head of neurosurgery at UNMC, we have determined that I have what is called a Chiari 1 Malformation. It is a condition that I was born with and is where there is not enough room for my cerebellum and the cerebellum tonsils are forced down into my spinal collum. The doctor's hypothesis is that during pregnancy with all of the shifts in fluid that happen in the body, the cerebellum tonsils blocked off the fluid flow completely in my spinal collum causing hydrocephalus. If anyone wants to read more about it - here is a link. http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/chiari2.asp
It is geared toward parents who have been told their children have a Chiari Malformation, but is completely applicable in my situation and explains it all. I am happy to finally know for sure what is going on in my head!

Liberty's First Day of Preschool

2007-09-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

Liberty started preschool yesterday! She loved it and did not want to go home when I came to pick her up. She has been talking about it for weeks! She was a little dissapointed that her teacher "didn't teach [her] about letters on the chalboard" but she did like that they learned about "music and animals". She has an exciting year ahead of her!

Liberty enjoying every last minute she could of her first day of preschool. Just before we left she said goodbye to the boy in the orange shirt and tried to give him a kiss! :)

Updates from Hernandesies

2007-06-11T19:03:00.001-07:00

For those who didn't know, I was suffering from horrific headaches 2 weeks before Spencer was born and then started having seisures after he was born, so two weeks after having Spencer, I had brain surgery. Apparently there was a bunch of fluid building around my brain, and so they put a shunt in to drain it. I will have it in for the rest of my life. Aside from a little visual disturbance and feeling a bit dizzy all the time, I am doing great! No more headaches, which is a huge relief! And Spencer is doing great as well! This picture was taken at the hospital - I now have no hair on my head - sad, but it will grow back.

2007-05-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Our Beautiful Children - how we got so lucky, I'll never know, but they are my GREATEST blessings! So beautiful!

Maddy is not to keen on getting to know her little brother just yet :)

Liberty LOVES her little brother! She is so gentle and sweet with him and loves to hold him and know everything that is going on with him.

Our new little man!

2007-05-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

SPENCER GEORGE HERNANDEZ

Born on Tuesday, May 22nd at 12:43 pm. He weighed 7lbs, 5 ounces and was 19 3/4 inches long. He's perfect and happy and we love him! Both Mom and Baby are doing great!

2007-04-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Mighty "Pickers" Soccer

Liberty is in Mighty Kickers Soccer at our YMCA. This is her second game. She has so much fun. It should however, for Liberty's purposes be named "Mighty Pickers Soccer". The field they play on is covered with dandilions and Liberty just loves to pick them. She gives them to the coaches and the other player as well as strangers standing on the sidelines (if you look closely you can see one in her left hand). She is such a sweetie! We are so proud of our "Mighty Picker"!

2007-04-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

How the Time Flies!

This picture was taken today, April 27th 2007.

This picture was taken one year ago, April 27th 2006.
They weren't kidding when they say that kids grow up way too fast!

2007-04-27T05:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Hernandez family website. We have really enjoyed being able to peek in on our friends and family's lives through their sites, so we wanted to make one for our constantly changing family. Our little girls are growing so fast, and with little Spencer coming in about a month, we are going to have plenty to say! We'll keep you all posted!

Our Little Maddy is growing by leaps and bounds! She LOVES going up and down the stairs and is communicating more and more everyday. She lights up our lives!

Liberty is an energetic and smart little girl! She

keeps us laughing at every turn with the things

she says and does. She is her little sisters best friend. We are so proud of our little girl!