5 On A Dime

New Project

2010-10-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

A lot of you (dad) have been asking why I haven't been blogging lately. I have a good reason. I started a new project with my BFF and it's taken a ton of my time.
Its a website created for real Moms. By real moms.

Log on NOW to www.21CenturyMoms.com for your DAILY "It's-Not-Just-Me" boost. Each day you'll get honesty, ideas, and smiles from the world of chaos, caffeine, and kids. Mondays we RANT, Tuesdays we tell you about STUFF WE <3, Wednesdays we play devil's advocate in THE FLIP SIDE, on Thursdays we are THINKING THIN and you never know what you are going to get on our FREAKY FRIDAYS.

plus.. You'll LOVE our Random Reality, Mommy Moments, and "I Wish .." posts each week!

Koalas at The Phoenix Zoo

2010-10-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix Zoo got some new visitors and being members we got a sneak peek. Again Thanks to Grandma & Guy-Guy. We LOVE our Zoo Membership.

This is Sookie she is visiting the valley from on loan from the San Diego Zoo.

Our little Joey's

That's an Iguana

Sno Cones were the best treat for a super hot fall day.

Lily dropped hers.

"What color is ma tongue mama?"

Dancing Girlers

2010-10-03T15:35:00.001-07:00

The girlers just started another round of dance classes (Thanks Grandma & Guy-Guy)

This is Lillian's first ever dance class.
She was excited.

Izzy is an old pro!

Ready to get dancing!

Flag Football

2010-10-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Jesse made the school's football team this year.
His Jr. high plays flag football and after breaking his wrist, I don't think Jesse was ready to go back to full contact.

Our game time set-up! We're ready.

There he is #21. He is the starting Tight end.

Izzy and Daddy.

Me & Lily.

Go Oakwood Raiders!!
Right now the teams is 2-1.

Chuck-E-Cheese

2010-10-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Apparently we hadn't had enough of Chuck-E-Cheese and needed to go back. Good thing we had some unused tokens and uncashed tickets.

Battle of the Sisters.
(Izzy won, Lily was close)

Lillian not so sure about the ride.

Isabelle loves it.

Something Lily does like, Cotton Candy!

her sister, too!

Izzy's Lost Teeth!

2010-09-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Isabelle just turned 5 and already she's a changin'!

I picked her up from school to find out she had lost a tooth!
Really? I didn't even know one was lose.
She lost it on the playground and before she could put it into a safe place she lost it.
No worries the tooth fairy did come.. we used a piece of corn as the missing tooth's stand-in!

A week after that.. another tooth made its way out of her mouth.
This one she lost in the car on the way home from school. We didn't lose this one.

Izzy Turned 5 and That's No Jive!

2010-09-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

Izzy's 5th Birthday Party from Melanie Asp Alvarez on Vimeo.

Las Vegas Visit!

2010-07-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

With Jesse still vacationing in Minnesota.. Ceasar and his girls loaded the wagon and drove to the bright lights of Vegas.

The girlers reading with Grandpa Craig.

In Grandpa's chair.

I Spy with Uncle Cullan.

The parents escape for a very rare night on the town.
The Belliago..

BFF's A&K

A&J

Breakfast Pastrami Hash with 2 eggs. YUM!

On the way to M&M's world the girlers ran into Woddy & Buzz.

Despite being a huge fan, Lily got very shy when her hero's were near.

4th of July!

2010-07-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

While Jesse spent his 4th of July in Bayfield, WI.
The rest of us suffered through the heat and hid indoors until the sun set.
Then it was time for fireworks!

Getting hydrated first it is really HOT outside.

Hope you all had a safe and Happy 4th of July.

Swimming: Round 2!

2010-07-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

The girlers just completed another round of swimming lessons.

A "do-over" for Lily, but no worries she is the smallest kid in the class.
Besides either way you still get the sucker.

Woo-Hoo! All her hard work paid off and she is off to the next level.

We now have Jess in the pool.
More pics of that later!

Adventure!

2010-07-19T20:09:00.001-07:00

Summer is also a time for adventure. Jesse had an fantastic opportunity for adventure in Minnesota. He stayed with his Aunt and Uncle and loved every minute of it.
He caught fish, watched movies and got to know himself and where part of him comes from.

There he goes..

Swimming!

2010-07-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

The girlers are in the swim.
Isabelle and Lily are now on session 5 of swim lessons at the local pool.
They love swimming and are both learning a lot.

Cute Cover--Ups! (Thanks huge sale at the Disney Store!)

Isabelle and Miss Sam.

Lily and Ceasar in the "Parent Tot Class."

Giving this class one more try! But we had fun and learned some new stuff.

Finished and ready for the next level!

Haircut!?

2010-06-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

Isabelle has gone with only 1 trim in her short 4 and 1/2 years of life.
She has not wanted anything but long and curly hair.
Then randomly she decided it was time for a change and asked to go a get a haircut.

Here is the before.

She is enjoying her time in the chair.

The after shot. We had 7 inches cut off.

She is very happy with it and loves the added sass the new hair brings.

Summertime in Pine, AZ

2010-06-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

When it gets HOT in Phoenix a lot of people head up the mountain to cooler temperatures.
Our family did just that. We loaded up the 'ol station wagon and headed to Diam & UB's house in Pine.
Isabelle enjoying her time outside.

Don't worry he did not cut himself!

The girlers LOVED their rides in the cart.

Dirty Lily! She is a country gal.

UB, Diam and our kiddos.

To see more pics from this trip click HERE!

Police Academy

2010-06-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

Jesse spent a week of his summer vacation with the Peoria Police Department.

No, He was not in trouble ..(phew).. He was learning what it takes to become an Officer of the law.
He really liked the experience and is looking at maybe a career in Law Enforcement.
We're told he was a natural at the Police simulator and had a great shot.

Great Job, Jesse!

Summer So Far..

2010-06-10T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here is how the Hernandez family has spent their summer vacation... so far..

A trip to Pump it Up helps beat the summer blues..
Here I am helping the girlers up..

I think they got it...

A little help from Big Brother..

Lily's head peering over the top..

Splash Park with some friends..
Dom, Izzy & Lily

The girlers playing

Lily pouting

A Play Date with the Ladies of Chez Alvarez is always fun.
Mallory is teaching Lillian how to play the slot machine..

After a few tries Lily was hooked!

Water Table fun..

Family Movie Night.

A late night for Izzy & her Daddy.

Come back and visit again to see what other adventures we might have.

A Puzzling Time

2010-06-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

Jesse broke out a puzzle the other day and got so hooked he ended up spending his whole Saturday putting the thing together.

ipod going and he was the puzzle master..

until he needed help..

More help was needed..

Finally finished!

Phoenix Comic-Con 2010

2010-06-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

The Nerd in our house took the geek and dweeb to Comic-Con.
It was a awesome time. Jess got a new book, he even got an autograph.

Jesse and a Zombie

R2D2 and Me

Ceasar met Boba Fett

Kerri met the lovely John Schneider (AKA Bo Duke!)

The Hulk

We plan on attending this event every year it rolls back around.
We hope to someday go to the big one in San Diego.

A Quick Visit...

2010-06-10T21:22:00.000-07:00

Our Vegas family paid us a visit recently.
We all had a nice time.

Cullan & Jesse
Wildlife World Zoo

The peacocks run amok at this Zoo!

Grandpa Craig and his buddy, Lily.

Jesse's monkey buddy

A pretty pic of Izzy and some fish.

I asked Cul to do something exciting..

Lily's has got the right idea!

Grandpa Craig, Me & the girlers.
If you look closely, you can see Grandpa Craig pinching my arm!

Grandpa Craig, Grammy D and the girlers

It was a nice visit and we were all sad to see them go.

Izzy's "Congratulations"

2010-05-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

After 2 years of Preschool, it was time for Izzy to move on.
Her school held a "Congratulations" as Izzy called it.

Izzy the Kindergartner!

Her big reaction to hearing her named called to come get her certificate.

Thumps Up!

All she wanted was the cake!

Isabelle and her two wonderful teachers.
Ms. Rademacher & Mrs. Turzyn.

We believe we had one of the best preschool experiences possible.
Isabelle learned a great deal and is ready for the next chapter.

Congratulations, Isabelle!
We look forward to all the great things you have yet to offer.

Mother's Day!

2010-05-10T12:58:00.001-07:00

Mother's day is a bittersweet holiday for me.
I have 2 wonderful girlers and a fantastic stepson. Even with all that love I still have an empty spot in my heart that belongs to my own mother.
I miss her every day and I wish she could see how wonderful my children are.
I know that she lives on through me and my girlers.

Ok.. that being said.. I did have a very lovely Mother's Day!

It started with breakfast in bed.

Then a visit to Nana Virginia's house.
This is such a nice picture of Ceasar and his mother.

A picture of me and my kiddos.
I am a lucky mama.

Happy Mother's Day!

Broken Wrist

2010-04-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

After only playing 4 games, Jesse's football career is over... for now.
During a game last week Jesse fractured his wrist.

Here is a look at his X-Ray.

Just after they knocked him out to reset the bone.

Jesse and his 2 Moms.

Getting ready to go home after a long night at the hospital.

Here he is feeling better already.

Later this week, Jesse will be getting his more permanent cast put on.
He is doing great and learning to do most things with just one hand.
He can dress himself, tie his own shoes and most importantly for him..play video games.

Easter Fun!

2010-04-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

The Hernandez family had a wonderful Easter Sunday.
Here is a little taste of how we spent our Holiday..

Coloring Eggs is a tradition that we ALL love!

Stop eating the eggs!

Lily trying to get the shell off..

Got it!

Yum!

Izzy on the egg hunt!

I wonder if Jesse can even see the egg with his glasses off!

Izzy found another one!

Jesse's "Too Tall Bunny"

The Easter bunny always fills the kids baskets with yummy grass you can eat..
The kids love it...

Happy riding the sugar high!

A calm moment enjoying the "Easter Beagle"

Happy Easter!

A Visit with E & T.

2010-04-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Uncle Eric and Aunt Tamiko visited us on Easter Sunday.
It was good to see them..the girlers were very excited.

Both Eric and Tamiko will be spending the next 6 months working inside Yellowstone National park. They are "Gone Till November." We are all sad and excited for them both.

Aunt Tamiko playing "Candy Land' with the girlers.
I think Lily's cheating!

Izzy fascinated by Uncle Eric's beard!

She liked the way it felt.

My kiddos and their Uncle & Aunt.

Little Lily getting a lift.

Me and my "little" brother.

Jesse the Teenager

2010-04-01T21:14:00.001-07:00

March is a busy month for Birthday's! We are still getting over our last big milestone, this one involved Jesse who just celebrated thirteen.

The Birthday Boy is good spirits.
We took him out for breakfast. (yes, we made them sing "Happy Birthday' to him)

His Birthday just so happened to be the day of his first big football game
Here he is all ready to go.

Little Sister Izzy is ready to cheer!
Go Rhinos!

Our Game Day Caravan!

A look down the line..

Getting tips and advice from Veteran Rhino and older cousin.

It was a great day. the Rhinos won!

My Girls Like To Party All The Time...

2010-03-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

It was time to celebrate the big turning of 2!
Lillian invited all her friends to come and play.

The big Birthday party surprise.
A house the girlers could play in and color!

Grandma got down and put her mark on the color house.

Looks quiet out the outside...

But it's a party on the inside!

Lily enjoying her special day.
That is her favorite drink.
I bought a bunch of them for her.

Yay! Time for the cake!

Little Lily not enjoying being sung the Birthday song.

Frosting makes everything better.

Mallory and kid sister Miranda having fun!

Izzy resting on guy-guy's knee.

Present time!

Little Miss Riley and all her beads!

The party girls!

Diam reading the "Big sister, Little sister" book

Who's at the window?

It's Isabelle!

Fun with slinkey. It's fun for a girl and a boy!

Cool picture.
They were waiting for a toy animal to come out of the fizz.
It did.. it was a dog.
It was more fun to watch the fizz..

Little Lily Turns 2!

2010-03-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

Our littlest Hernandez had a big Birthday today!
Lillian Hope turned 2 years old.
Here is how she spent her day..

She woke up to a big delivery of Cookies just for her!
Thanks Grandpa Craig, Grammy D and Uncle Cullan!

Next off to the mall for a little shopping.
Lily's visited her favorite spot.
Where she added to her zoo of stuffed animals with a little cute dog.
She named him "Wuf-Wuf"

Izzy and Lil got their bears/dogs and were ready to go.

More cookies!

Izzy Queen of the play place!

Dog tired!

Happy Birthday, Lillian!

See How They Change...

2010-03-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Children grow up fast and there is no better evidence of that, then pictures.
See how much our 3 kids have changed over the last few years.

March 18, 2008

March 18, 2009

March 18, 2010

Give A Day. Get A Disney Day.

2010-03-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Our family LOVES Disney! Disney movies, Disney Shows and Disneyland!
Taking our family of 5 to Disneyland is not a cheap thing to do.
This year the park, in the hopes of inspiring volunteerism, offered a free ticket to any Disney park in return for a day of community service.
That was an opportunity our family could not pass up! So Ceasar sighed us up.
Only Me, Ceasar & Jesse were of age to participate
Gardening at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery was our task

Me and Jesse hard at work pulling weeds.
Jesse lending a hand.
For a teenager he was surprisingly helpful and didn't complain the entire day.

Keeping the momentum going!

Taking a break.

Finished!

They use no pesticides in that garden and with all the rain we have had the weeds were out if control.
They grow vegetables there and the food is harvested by volunteers and distributed to the homeless.

I was posed the question, "If you are getting a free ticket to Disneyland is it really volunteering?" After spending a day helping this is my answer.
Most definitely. Most of the families out there worked hard. We all learned about our community and plan on returning and helping this organization again.
It was nice to feel and be a part of my community and help those who need it.

Renaissance Festival: Part Deux

2010-03-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

What a difference a week makes! With no rain in the forecast, we loaded up the van one more time and headed back to the Renaissance Festival.
We didn't get to bring along Jess this time, but there is always next year.

Ceasar and his girlers on the Swan ride.
If you look close enough, you can see the scared face of little Lily.

Izzy really enjoying the swing ride!

Ceasar and Izzy tried their hands at Archery.

A tour through the dungeon....

Frozen Ice things with Oranges. A favorite of ours.
Lily got orange.

Isabelle opted for Strawberry.

Lillian enjoying her newest concoction.. "Meat Water".
Think steak on a stick meets a bottle of water.

Adam Crack the Whip guy.
Yes, that's his name.. Adam Crack.

No face painting here, this one goes right for the body art.

A meet and greet with Mother Goose and her Goose.

Watching the Joust.

The girlers and Uncle Eric.

A rare shot of me and my brother.

Izzy getting ready to paint the lady.
This lady walks around the festival allowing children to paint her.

Izzy and Aunt Tamiko

Renaissance Fail!

2010-03-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

With spring in the air that must mean it's time for the Renaissance Festival.
The Hernandez family loaded up and headed to Apache Junction to check out the festival and to visit with Uncle Eric & Aunt Tamiko who spend their weekend working there.

It was sprinkling when we left the house, but decided to head out anyway...

Uncle Eric slinging turkey legs.

Jesse enjoying what would be the only food we had while out at the festival.

Despite the rain the girlers were enjoying their time.

then.. the rain picked up and it started to HAIL!
We got out of there as fast as we could.

Everyone was wet, muddy and cold but in good spirits.
We did have some fun.. and plan on returning to the festival another DRIER weekend.

Swinging With Lily.

2010-03-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

When the big kids are at school, Lillian gets some much needed "Lily Time".
She likes to spend that time outside on the swings.
Lily LOVES the swings and if I let her she would swing for hours!

Spring Football

2010-03-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

Football season may be over for many.. but it's just getting started around here.
Jesse is now playing Spring football, it's just a mini-season to get him ready for fall ball.

Many thanks to the other Hernandez family for their inspiration and help making this happen.

His first game is on March 27th, which also happens to be his 13th Birthday.

GO RHINOS!

Little Lily.

2010-02-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a rough week for our littlest Hernandez.
Lily has been fighting a cold/double ear infections.

She has been pretty quiet and if you know Lillian, you know that's not like her!

She is on medication now and I am happy to report the noise level has gone up a bit.

Another School Project....

2010-02-25T18:56:00.000-08:00

It seems the school projects keep lining up for Jesse.
First was the "Family Tree' project, the one he had to do on Volcano's.
Now his class has been asked to invent a product.
They had to design and build it, work on the marketing of it and present it to the glass.

I bring you...

"Swimtacs"
Here is Jesse and his project partner Anatas.

Think of a contact, that covers your whole eyeball.
Sort of like goggles for your eyeballs.

Field Trip!

2010-02-25T18:43:00.001-08:00

Izzy and her Preschool pals were treated to a Field Trip to the farm!
I was lucky enough to get to go along.

Here's the line-up...

On the way!
Izzy is super excited.

Planting corn.

Train ride.

Petting a calf.

Izzy found these eggs, hidden in the hay.

Some kids in her class "farming".

All the veggies, Izzy collected from the farm.

Nothing like a fresh picked carrot.

Valentine's Day Date

2010-02-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Ceasar was a lucky man on Valentine's Day.
He spent it on a date with 3 beautiful ladies.
It was a 70-degree's outside and we took in some rays at the zoo.

Ceasar gives Izzy a lift.

Izzy riding a warthog.
(I love you like a little pig...)

"I, too", says Lily. So we put her up there, too.

Galapagos Turtle up close.

Not a turtle.

Ceasar and the girlers.

A picture of me and Ceasar thanks to Izzy.
(Note: Lillian's head in the background)

Jr. High Dance

2010-02-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

The highlight of Jesse's week .. a dance at his school
The 7th & 8th graders got dressed-up.. okay showered and wore clean clothes.. and hit the gym at their school.

Here is Jess all ready to go.
I told him not to wear the hat, but whatever. ;-)

Jesse and his "Old Man".

And a sweet picture of Jesse and his girlfriend, Alayna.

Valentine's Party with the Preschoolers

2010-02-14T19:11:00.001-08:00

A fun holiday event for the kiddos in preschool.. a party to celebrate Valentine's Day!

Here is a look at the Valentine line.
Izzy was excited to share her Barbie Valentine's with her classmates.
Some of the boys we not too thrilled with them. ;-)

Here she is, bag full of Valentine's and candy!
I think she is happy.

Family Tree Project

2010-02-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

A recent project at school had Jesse searching out his family tree.

Her spent a good deal of time doing research, calling people and scouring various family heritage websites for information.
He was reluctant to start, as are many teenagers forced with a project, but once he got started I think he had a little fun learning about his family.

Not sure the grade he got.. but this was being displayed in the school's library.

Ponytail, Too.

2010-02-14T19:00:00.001-08:00

Lillian is now sporting a new do these days.

Here are a couple looks at her new...look.

A little ponytail.

(Still making weird faces!) A look at her hair from the front.

She is growing-up fast.

Skinamarinky Dinky Dink

2010-02-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

An Early Valentine's Day treat.

Enjoy!

Izzy Gets a Haircut.

2010-01-31T13:15:00.000-08:00

Besides her charming smile, Izzy's long, curly, brown hair is one of the first things people notice about her.
She has refused to allow us to cut her hair for fear it would lose it's curl.
After a lot on convincing she finally decided it was time to cut off some of those curly tendril's.

We chose a kid-friendly place, that helped put her mind at ease.
(I am not sure why she chose to wear that thing on her head, weird kid)

Here she is getting ready for her very first haircut.

This is a look before...

and this is the after..

We had about 6 inches snipped off.
(Yes, I kept that piece of hair)

Izzy and her "stylist" Mrs. Martha.
(Check out Lily in the back, hiding behind Izzy)

Glasses

2010-01-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

A trip to get some glasses fixed turned into a min-glasses fashion show for Izzy.

Right now she doesn't have to wear glasses, but if that ever changes she will sure look cute in them.

Disney On Ice

2010-01-17T19:49:00.001-08:00

Seeing Disney on Ice has become a tradition in our house.
This year we were lucky enough to get the chance to go again.
We had some super close seats and I think everyone had a good time.

Isabelle dressed up as a princess for the show.
She had a smile on her face the whole time.

Tow Mater!

Don't let the picture fool you, Jesse really did have a good time.

Ariel was a hit with the girlers.

Ceasar enjoyed the Lion King part.

A quick pic at the end of the show.

Until next year....

Ceasar's Not So Ordinary Day....

2010-01-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

I am sure it started out as a regular day for Ceasar.
He went to work.. did his thing ..then went to get some lunch.
On his way back to the station.. he spotted a puppy running scared along a freeway frontage road.
It ran alongside his car... then moved to the front... Ceasar hopped out and the puppy hopped in his car.

Back home that same day ... Ceasar walked to get the mail when he saw some kids running out of a near by house yelling "FIRE!".. Ceasar sprang to the rescue and ran in the house and put out a fire in the families kitchen.

We fostered the pup for a few days then she was reunited with her family.
As far as the family with the fire, they are alright and their kitchen is too.

I did go into our closet and looked for his cape, but did not find anything (I suspect he was still wearing it)

Cheese?

2010-01-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

I admit I pull out the camera often...alright.. the camera is ALWAYS out! So I get why my kids don't always want their picture taken.
I am not sure if Lily is protesting all the picture snapping or what, but every time I say "Cheese".. this is what she does.

Maybe she's winking?
(Also not sure why the fridge is open)

What a face!

Even in group shots, she keeps her eyes shut.

Fashionista!

2010-01-17T19:17:00.000-08:00

Our little Isabelle loves fashion. She is always dressing up.
Here is a look at what Izzy wore to school last week.

All I wanted to do was snap the picture, it was Izzy who decided she had to pose in every picture. ;)

MONDAY
Getting the week off right with some blue. (Her favorite color)

TUESDAY
She loves her boots and blue.

WEDNESDAY
Feeling sweet in some tie-die.

THURSDAY
One of her favorite outfit's, she pieced this one together herself.
(Please note Lillian's face in this picture... I am not sure why.. what a crazy kid)

Maybe someday you'll see her on Project Runway!?

Happy 2010!

2010-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

We made it to another year! We don't do a big thing for New Year's Eve, we just law low and spend time together.
This year we played a ton of Wii and Ceasar grilled us up some steaks.

Izzy stayed awake until midnight! What a crazy kid!

Cheers!

Here's to a wonderful 2010! Happy New Year everyone!

Happy Noon Year!

2010-01-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the New Year a bit early.. with a special celebration.
The ladies of Chez Alvarez helped us ring in the "Noon" Year!

Lily liked the bubbly!

Miranda getting ready for the big countdown!

Happy Noon Year!

Woo Hoo!

Staack Family Visit

2010-01-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

Our Vegas family drove over the dam to celebrate the holiday with us.
It was a nice visit and I think everyone had a good time.
It was also nice to have a few Bears fans in the house!

More Presents!

Lily and her Choo Choo!

Izzy really loved her new Princess collectibles.

Dinner time! Hamburger Soup was a favorite of everyone!

Izzy, Ceasar and Grammy D played a few rounds of princess Yahtzee!

Grandpa Craig took a minute to read little Lily and story.

Grandpa and his girlers.

Christmas Traditions

2010-01-01T13:02:00.001-08:00

Getting a new pair of pajamas for Christmas is a tradition in our house.
This year was no different.

Jesse really liked his Jack Skellington PJ's!
(Lily had to sneak in this picture)

Ceasar wasn't sure what to think about his jammies.
He got a pair of footie pj's for adults. ;-)

The girlers and I got Mickey Mouse PJ's.

It's Christmas!

2010-01-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

Izzy left out plenty of food to make sure that Santa and his reindeer stopped by.
She insisted on leaving him chocolate milk.

It worked! Santa came and left presents for the whole Hernandez clan.

Izzy asked Santa for a Cinderella baby doll.
Looks like she was thrilled he brought her one.

Me too!
Santa left Lillian a baby doll also. A pretty Snow White one.

A Willow Tree person for Jesse.
I think this might be one of his favorite gifts.

The Night Before Christmas!

2010-01-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve the Hernandez party of 5 packed up the van with some wrapped packages and headed to the Buchman's.
We all got to open some gifts and spend some time with each other.

Grandma got a great gift.. A new pink laptop.
Grandma is all hooked up to the Internet now and eve has a Facebook account.
Go, Grandma!

Zhu Zhu! The hottest toy of the season was unwrapped on Christmas Eve.
The girlers LOVE them! (Thanks, Aunt Brenda!)

Jesse is playing with the loudest toy the kids were given (Thanks Diam!).
We got 3 of these bad boys.
Ceasar, spent the better part of Christmas Day beating one of the games.

Izzy loving her barbie doll.

Diam and Lily enjoying the sounds of Guy-Guy reading "The Night Before Christmas".

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Sing-A-Long!

2009-12-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

Izzy's Preschool held a little concert to celebrate the Holiday's.
It was very short, only a couple of songs but it was super cute.

A very excited Isabelle just before show time.

The kiddos all a singin'!

Lillian was a fan of the cookies they had after the songs.

A nice shot of the family.

Our Emmy Award Winning Photojournalist Tio has the video of the concert.. I'll post it as soon as he hands it over ;-)

For now.. please enjoy this little song and dance from our girlers.

O' Christmas Tree

2009-12-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

The big debate this Christmas season was over the tree.
Real or Fake?
After much back and forth.. I am glad to say we went out and got a real tree.

Jesse and Izzy on the search of the perfect tree.

Lily checking the needles.

Here it is!

How many lights are you going to make me put on here?

Really, that many?

The girlers get to work.

Lily's turn to put on the star.

Ta-Da! The 2009 version of the Hernandez family Christmas tree.

Santa!

2009-12-07T11:47:00.001-08:00

The Hernandez family got an early visit from Santa!
The man in the big red suit stopped by CBS 5 for a Christmas party with all the kids.

Lillian was not a fan of the Big Guy.
(I got dragged in the picture)

Isabelle LOVED him! She was so happy to meet him.

Even at 12-years-old, Jesse wasn't too big to sit on Santa's lap.

You are never too old to sit on Santa's lap.

Zoolights

2009-12-01T20:49:00.001-08:00

A favorite holiday tradition around our house is Zoolights.
We go every year and every year it gets more fun for us.

This year we decided to cart the kiddos around in their wagon.
(Not the best idea, but it worked)
The girls loved it!

A quick shot of Ceasar and I.

Jesse shot this picture. Not too bad, its a great shot of one of the many trees decked out in bright, LED lights.

Our 3 wonderful kids.

The girlers.

The girlers up close.

Me and my buddy Jesse.

A great picture of Jesse. Even at 12, he still enjoys going to Zoolights with his family.

My favorite new thing this year. This peacock is awesome.

Another successful trip to Zoolights. The kids are already asking when they can go back.

Giving Thanks.

2009-11-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

The Hernandez family has so many things to be thankful for this year.
The number one thing on all of our lists was family.
And we were all glad to share a meal with some special members of our family this Thanksgiving.

Here is a picture of the feast!
Believe it or not Kerri cooked the whole meal!
(Not shown are the pies, cookies and bread also cooked by Kerri!)

Sitting down to eat.

Ceasar loves his turkey!

Fun with black olives!

A nice picture of the girlers & The G's!

Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you all had a wonderful day.

No, Me!

2009-11-24T18:41:00.000-08:00

No, Me! Was what I heard this morning at breakfast. Lillian was hungry and wanted cereal (she marched to the pantry and got the box out!), but she did not want me to feed her.

The proud big girl ate her whole bowl all by herself!

A Sign of the Season

2009-11-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

Whatever has been floating in our air lately is not working for our Izzy.
Breathing treatments have been a regular thing around here.

Izzy is a trooper and doesn't mind them much.

Chalk Board

2009-11-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

The big wall in our loft is empty no more!
Check out what we added for our kids to learn and play.

Izzy's school was getting rid of this giant chalk board and we scooped it up.
Everyone loves playing with it. We mounted it low to the ground so even Lily can get in on the action.

Field Trip!

2009-11-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

Jesse, along with the other kids in PI (Project Ideal: Honors classes at his school) packed up and headed out on a fun and fast paced field trip.
The kids, along with their Principal, some teachers and parent volunteers headed west to California.

Here is our traveler and his dad the night of the big trip.

Jess and his buddies huddled up before heading out.
Comparing snacks, video games and iPods!

This ain't no school bus! The kids traveled to Cali in style!

See ya!

On their itinerary, A trip to the San Diego Zoo, some aquarium action, a trip out to sea to check out ocean life and also a tour of a USS battleship.

Trick or Treat?

2009-11-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

No tricks but lots of treats for our girlers on Halloween!

Ceasar pulled the girls house to house! We love our wagon.

Our little Dinosaur enjoyed her ride and her sucker!

Princess Isabelle taking a candy break.

The end of the evening. Everyone had a great time!

Lily crashed out on the ride home.
Note the sucker stuck to her costume)

Izzy sorting her haul.

Lillian got her chance to check her candy, too.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving Time!

2009-10-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

We all had a good and messy time digging into our pumpkins.

Isabelle not scared to get a little dirty!

Jesse done cleaning out his pumpkin.

Hard work in progress!

Here are the pumpkins!

A playdate sticker pumpkin!
(Mallory, Miranda, Isabelle, Lillian & Riley helped create this one!)

Lillian's little pumpkin!

Isabelle's Cinderella pumpkin (Great job, Ceasar)

Jesse's creation. Its a wolf. (A Jacob from "New Moon")

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

A fun thing we try and do every year around this time is hit up the local Pumpkin Patch.

The kiddos looking around the patch for the perfect pumpkin.

Ceasar and his 3 little monsters!

Me & the Girlers.

Lillian, Isabelle & Jesse

The girlers hitching a ride in the wagon.

Corn Maze time!

Jesse trying to hide in the maze and scare us!

The giggly action from inside the corn maze.

Party at Preschool

2009-10-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Isabelle's preschool celebrated the Halloween holiday with a party!

Here is Izzy and Carsen the cop, working on a project.

Cinderella sharing her juice with her dino sister.

2 Cinderella's came to class.

The kids in Preschool.

Izzy enjoying her snack.

Izzy & Kyle (Her boyfriend)

And I think this picture speaks for itself ;-)

Costumes

2009-10-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

After some careful consideration both the girlers now have some super cute Halloween costumes.

Isabelle really wanted to be Cinderella this year.
The costume was not an easy one to find.
Here she is all dressed up for the ball. Notice the eyeshadow, that was totally her idea ;-)

After protesting EVERY costume we put before her, we had almost given up on Lillian dressing up this year. then.. she stumbled upon this Dinosaur costume.

Give us some candy! (Please?)

The Pumpkin Cake

2009-10-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about my Birthday is the cake. With a Birthday so close to Halloween, its no surprise that cake is always shaped like a pumpkin.
Not sure how the tradition started, but I have had my share of them.
It always drove my mother crazy! and it now drives Ceasar crazy.

This was the wonderful cake Ceasar cooked up for me today.

And a flashback cake!
My Dad created this for my 17th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Crazy Little Lily

2009-10-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

You turn your back for one minute and this happens...

Tent City

2009-10-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

When funds are low and the kids need to be entertained you come up with some pretty crafty ideas to keep the peace.
Forts have become a popular way for the girlers to have fun.
Over the weekend Ceasar took the fort making to new heights.

This fort houses the girls.. plus a TV and DVD player along with whatever else the kids decided to bring in there.

(This thing is *still* up as I type this.)

Sisters

2009-10-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Isabelle and Lillian are fast becoming best friends. They are playing so well together now (knock on wood).
Tonight Isabelle lent a helping hand and assisted her little sister in wash up for dinner.

What a good set of girls we have.

The Kids Are Alright

2009-10-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

Life is back to normal around the Hernandez house. School is in full swing and our kids seem to be doing alright!

I'll start with the oldest.
Jesse was running on the Cross Country team at school.
Ceasar took him to his first and last meet.
Here he is towards the middle of the race. Already walking. Poor kid. ;-)

And here he is at the end.
All that running/walking took it's toll on the boy.
Needless to say, he hasn't been out to a meet since.

Now to Izzy. She is lovin' Preschool.
Last week she got to take home the much coveted "Sound Sack".
The kids are given this red bag and a letter sound. They must collect items from their house that start with the same letter sound.
She was super excited!

Her sound was Pp. I think she did pretty good.

Last but not least.....Lillian.
The video speaks for itself! Enjoy.

Life is a Highway

2009-09-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

It sounded like a great idea at the time.
Pack up the van and drive 19 hours, across 5 states to Missouri.
What were we thinking?

The good news is we made it there and back safely, but not without incident.
The next 17 posts are filled with our crazy adventure through parts unknown.
Hope you enjoy.

Potty Break.. Already?

2009-09-21T16:00:00.001-07:00

Not even out of Phoenix yet and Izzy has to go pee! One of many, many potty breaks we took on the road.

First photo op of the trip!

Nice.

Lillian keeping busy reading her book.

Parks and Recreation

2009-09-21T14:41:00.001-07:00

Being stuck in the van for 19 hours is no fun.
So when we got the chance we got out and stretch our legs.
Local parks were a great way to burn off some energy!

Our fist park was in Grants, New Mexico.
We stayed the night in this town and had pancakes in the park the next morning.

The swings were a major hit.
Lillian decided she didn't need to go on the baby ones and held her own on the big girl swings.

Izzy is still learning the fine art of swing decided to go rogue and swing with her belly!

I couldn't pass up a chance to play!
Izzy gave me a push while Lillian, who refused to get off her swing, watched on.

Park Number 2 of the day was in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.
As you can see Lillian on the swings again!

Both girls loved the thrill of the merry-go-round.
They liked spinning around very fast!

Park Number 3 was in Amarillo, Texas.
That was a nice park in a very nice neighborhood.
Look at Lillian run right to the swings!

The park stops helped fight some of the car crazies!
It was also a nice way to get to know other neighborhoods.

Stormy Night

2009-09-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

The road was getting long.
It was the end of our second full day in the car and everyone was getting restless.

Poor Lillian, she was having a hard time sleeping in her car seat.

A sleeping Izzy, finally catching some zzz's after much protest.

We got caught in a huge storm as we rolled through Oklahoma.
The rain was pouring down and some amazing lightning lit up the sky.
It got so bad we pulled off the road to wait it out and poor Ceasar had to get out and replace our windshield wipers.

That wasn't the end of our stormy night. Once we reached Oklahoma City our battery died.
We were able to get a jump and the van started right up. It was the middle of the night so we had to stop until it was light outside, just in case something when wacky with the van again.
Let me just say that the motel room we stayed in was not the best.

Oklahoma City Memorial

2009-09-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

Our drive took us through Oklahoma City which most of us remember was the sight of a terrible act of terrorism.
We felt the need to go to the memorial and pay our respects

A look at the memorial from the street.

The Field of Chairs. Each chair represents a life lost.

The Survivor tree.
This American Elm is more than 80 years old. The tree survived the bomb’s blast.
Also it kind of looks like a peace sign.

A statue outside a church across the street.

Stuck in Wichita!

2009-09-21T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well the van made it from Oklahoma City all the way to Wichita, Kansas when it decided to start acting up again.
The battery light clicked on and we pulled off the highway and pulled into an auto parts store.
We checked the battery and found it was not the problem. Now what?
With the help of some employees of the O'Reilly Auto parts store, we were hooked up with Armondo.

He came out to us and diagnosed the problem as an issue with the alternator.
He quickly fixed what was wrong and after only a couple of hours we were off and running again!

Thanks Armondo & Marco (the dog)!

Finally!

2009-09-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

After a long ride in the car we finally reached our hotel in Kansas City, MO.
Everyone was so exhausted and ready for showers and bed.

Baths, snacks and TV! Happy to be out of the car

Relaxing just before we turned the lights out.

Check out the smile on her face! So loving this hotel and glad this leg of the trip is over.

Thanks Aunt Brenda!

Parkville

2009-09-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Once we got a good nights sleep, it was time to hit another park.
This time we chose to visit Parkville.

The girlers had a good time playing on the playground.
Izzy met a nice boy (he kept calling her Elizabeth) and Lillian went right for the swings.

The girlers and I strolling around about ready to take a look at the Missouri River.

There it is the Missouri River.
A body of water rich in history. Fur traders, Native Americans and even Lewis & Clark roamed these waters.

Pizza Shoppe!

2009-09-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

The rehearsal dinner was at the Pizza Shoppe. A place that holds many memories for my Kansas City Family.
The pizza was great and I even got Ceasar to try some salad with "Pink Stuff"

The Bride & Groom the night before the big day.

Izzy & her buddy Luke crushing up some crackers (Thanks Scott)

Aunts & Uncle

Cousins (Almost all of us. Eric is the only one missing)

A "Word to My Mother" moment outside the Pizza Shoppe.

A good time was had by all.

Going to the Chapel

2009-09-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Finally it was time for the Wedding.
Stacie & Tim got married at Platte Woods United Methodist Church.
This location is very special to the Buchman family.
It has seen lots of weddings, a few baptisms and many of us kids attended Sunday school there.

The girlers dressed and ready for the big event.

Down the aisle Izzy went.. but she forgot where to go when she got to the end!
No worries, she spotted me and ran right over.

Lillian also got a bit confused, she decided to go back down the aisle and pick up all the flower pedals her big sister dropped!

Ceasar had to step in and corral out little flower girl

Stacie and Scott make it to the alter!

Scott giving away his oldest daughter (It was a little smoky in there.. LOL)

Lillian ready to bust out of her flower girl accessories!

Izzy blowing bubbles at the newly married couple!

Congratulations Stacie & Tim. We wish you both all the best.

Time to Party!

2009-09-21T12:19:00.001-07:00

After the Bride and Groom said their "I Do's" it was time to party!

Here is Isabelle and her good buddy Luke.
They both had a really great time together.

Stacie the Bride with Isabelle, Lillian & Luke.

Aunt Brenda & Uncle Roy, Married 34 Years!

Al my pal & little Lillian hanging out.

Tim the Groom dancing with Izzy.

A look at the girlers tearing up the dance floor!
Enjoy

Boone's Farm

2009-09-20T22:51:00.001-07:00

What wedding reception would be complete without Boone's Farm on every table!

Me keeping it classy.

Grandma posing with her bottle.

My 80-year-old Grandmother chugging Boone's farm.

A proud circle of family cheering her on. (Watch out Abbie has the bottle now!)

Sunday Funday!

2009-09-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

Sunday in KC was super nice. We all went over to Aunt Brenda's for some good food and lots of fun.

The girlers and Ceasar playing in the yard.

My girlers saying Bye to Scott.

S'Mores! Yummy and fun to make.

Ashley decided to decorate Lillian with some Locust skins. Yuk.

Pretty in Polyester.
Ashley is wearing Aunt Diam's Prom Dress/ Aunt Brenda's Wedding Dress.
Izzy is wearing the Bridesmaid dress Aunt Brenda wore to my Mom & Dad's wedding.

Lovely! Ash gave my Izzy a bit of a makeover.

We all had a really great day with family.
Can't wait to visit again.

Frogs!

2009-09-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Our last night we discovered a frog living just outside our door.

Ceasar brought him in so the girls could see.
They thought he was cool.

We let him go (after he had a run in with Grandma). We hope he is hopping along and enjoying the cool KC weather.

KC Zoo

2009-09-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Knowing a very long drive was looming, we decided to take the girls to the Kansas City Zoo before heading out of MO.
(It pays to be a member of the Phoenix zoo. We got 50% off admission here)

First up the Elephants. They were great and we got super close to the massive pachyderms.

Next up a Gorilla. He/She (not sure) didn't seem to care we were there.

An attempt at a group shot near our primate buddy.

We didn't bring a stroller, thinking it would be good for the girlers to walk.
What we didn't know was this zoo is huge!
Lily's little legs got tired.. and Ceasar gave her a little pick me up!

The Lion's were awesome. They were right behind a window. Amazing.

Our path took us around to some Hippos. We hung near them for a bit. So much fun to watch them swim around.

One last photo op before heading out. They both had so much fun.

Izzy really wanted to ride this car, but sadly it didn't work.
She looks cute on it anyway ;-)

Crashed out in her car seat before we could even hit the turnpike.

Stuck in Wichita.. AGAIN!

2009-09-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

There is something about Wichita.
So after a fantastic day at the KC Zoo we were ready to put some miles behind us.
We just got off the Kansas Turnpike and turned on the US 54 when the van just died.
Ceasar was able to coast into the parking lot of a hotel and we were stuck again!
Thinking it was just a dead battery (our logic since we used all the battery power during the alternator incident) we needed a new one. But where and how?

We bumped into two nice dudes (Matt & Tony) who helped us get to a nearby Wal Mart where we could get the new battery and be on our way.

They even stayed around and helped Ceasar with some of the car work.
Turned out it was not the battery.
We quickly called up our good pal Armondo but since it was late, he could not get to us until the morning... so we had to stay the night in Wichita.

The girls and I were going pretty crazy in our motel room there.

Chocolate chip muffins helped ease some of the tension..

After 24 hours in Wichita and the help of almost everyone you can think of, our van was fixed and ready to take on the long road ahead.

So what was wrong? A bad fuel pump caused all the grief.

Getting out of Kansas!

2009-09-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Once our van was fixed all we wanted to do was get the heck out of Kansas.
We were prepared to drive all night if we had to... anything to get our girls home.

Lillian was not feeling well and very much done with being in the car

So we got as far as we could.
Guymon, Oklahoma was our final stop.
One final hotel stay and then home.

The Last Leg

2009-09-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Finally in New Mexico.. one state away from our home and nice, comfortable beds.

Check out this crazy cloud over the skies of Albuquerque.

A rainbow.. just before the sun set on our last day in the car.

We started out this trip on Tuesday, September 8th at 4pm and pulled into our driveway at this time on September 16th. (AM not PM)

There's No Place Like Home!

We want to extend a special thanks to EVERYONE for their help. Without many of you this trip would not have been possible. Thank you!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

2009-08-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

A very special milestone was celebrated the other day by my Grandma, Phyllis Buchman. She turned 80-years-old!

Here is a good pic of Grams from "back in the day"

And my Grandma looking pretty at 80!

To honor this special occasion. My family held a brunch to celebrate.
To see the pics from the party CLICK HERE

"Say... Jesse"

2009-08-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

Lillian's vocabulary is growing by the day. She has already mastered the easy stuff. "Mama", "Dada", "Up", "Down".
She has now moved on now to some harder words. "Sista" is what she says when she wants Izzy, and just the other day, Lily blurted out a "Jesse", for her big brother.

I got it on tape, the video is a little dark, but you get the idea. Enjoy.

Fun with Bonnets

2009-08-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

It all started with Izzy choosing what she wanted to bring to show and tell.
She decided on taking with her the bonnet Grandpa Craig got for her while he was visiting Iowa.

Izzy dressed herself that day, she picked out her Wonder Woman shirt, Strawberry Shortcake socks and her Amish Bonnet.

Lillian loved the bonnet and decided to try it on herself.

Grandpa Craig had bought both girls lovely head gear.. so I got out Lillian's so they would both have one.

And there you have it.. fun with Bonnets. I bet the Amish don't have this much fun with their own hats ;)

Also a Yay for Grandpa Craig. Who knew bonnets were this much fun?

Back to Preschool

2009-08-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

Izzy has been waiting all summer for those 3 little words... Time For School!
Preschool started today.
She had a busy and fun summer but is now ready to get back to learning.

Here she is ready for the big day!

At school, she got right back to it. First thing she did after she hugged Ms. Radamacher, grab the dress-up cloths and start trying them on.

She had a good first day. Saw some old friends and made some new ones.
We are all looking forward to a great school year.

Gotta Go back, back, back to School Again....

2009-08-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

After spending the summer visiting Flagstaff, flying by himself to Minnesota and back, and road tripping with the family to the beach and Disneyland.. it is now time for Jesse to head back to school.

Here he is this morning ready to start the 7th grade.
Jess has it all, new clothes, new shoes, new backpack, school supplies & a fully charged iPod.

Here is to another great school year!

Getting Pretty at the Mall!

2009-08-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Izzy and her BFF Mallory, shard a joint Birthday celebration at Arista Curlz.
The girls along with their little sisters, enjoyed a day of pampering complete with glitter make-up, manicures & fabulous princess hairstyles.
Here is Iz, getting her hair did.

The finished product. All made up.

Lillian was way into the make-up.

Glitter eye shadow & sparkles!

Mallory looking fab!

The ever patient Miranda getting a turn in the chair.

Lookin' good ladies.

Good friend Melanie (mom to Mallory & Miranda) put together a fantastic video of the girls and their pretty play date. Click Here!

Hope you enjoy it.

Summer Vacation

2009-08-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

After months of planning our family took its first vacation to the beach.
Despite a few roadblocks and more than a few meltdowns, we all had a blast.

Our trip took us to Redondo & Venice beaches as well as the Magic Kingdom.
Ceasar shared some of his childhood memories with all of us. I think we even made a few of our own.

Disneyland was magical. We celebrated Isabelle's 4th birthday there. Everyone made her feel special.

I hope you enjoy this little photo montage of our trip.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

To see all the photos from the trip Click here!

The Hernandez family would like to thank:
Nana Gina for once again dog sitting!
Tata Jesus & Nana Irene for allowing us to use their timeshare.
And Grandma & Guy-Guy for Izzy's birthday cash! She loved picking out her own present from Disneyland.

What A Week!

2009-07-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

After a busy and fun week in Vegas it was time to head home.
The girlers, Grandpa Craig & Rocket strike a pose.

Me & Dad

The boys & Call of Duty!

Goodbye hugs.

It was a nice visit. We all had some fun. Thanks for letting us visit!

Happy Birthday, Ceasar!!

2009-07-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

It was a big day for the man of our house.
Ceasar celebrated his birthday Vegas style!

Things were off to a great start when Ceasar won that awesome hat!
A lady had to guess his real age.. she said 29!!!
(He is really 39)

I had to try it on!

We didn't have tickets to the fight, but we got caught up in the hype.

Mean Faces!

The "dude".