fernandez

twelve

2012-02-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

birthday boy!

isabel, jacob, and sofia

i love you MUCHO jacob!!

Jacob turned 12 in January. What an awesome kid! We celebrated with just our little family, went to Chili's for his birthday dinner, opened presents and ate delicious cake and ice cream. Then, on the 15th, my whole family came down to celebrate his receiving the priesthood. wowza! Love my family! Love this kid!! Simply can't believe 12 years have flown by sooo fast since this beautiful baby came into my life and changed it so perfectly!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

These photos were all taken courtesy of a disposable camera, that would be why they are of such a high quality{insert sarcasm}. my camera broke, so sad, and had to get a disposable to document the holidays. we sure are spoiled by digital cameras today. this disposable took me back to 1993. good times for sure.

stockings

2012-01-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

These are the Christmas stockings I made this year for my kids. They were so fun to make! I was kinda bummed when I finished them and wanted to make more. Next year I'll have to make me one as well. Thanks KO!!

turkey day/weekend in p-town

2011-12-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

any family gathering starts and ends with a good game of rummy.

Jacob getting a haircut

at woodland lake with the fam...and aunt laurel!

we bird watch when aunt laurel visits.

messing with the ducks.

on top of porter mtn

jenny and sofia and isabel on porter mtn.

hiking up porter mtn

before the hike up...the usual group shot. minus dad and myself

a little target practice in the backyard. sofi did pretty well

jacob and his best shot out of 5

so careful in his aim...

getting the thanksgiving table ready

made a lemon meringue pie for the first time for aunt laurel. our usuals are pumpkin, pecan, key lime, and apple.

no thanksgiving is complete without the delicious wessel family rolls

isabel and aunt jenny working on the rolls

table set and ready

isabel's target shooting...did better than me!

sofia's turn at helping with the rolls.

camelback

2011-11-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

I love hiking...and this valley certainly has some super mtns to hike. My kids and I all agree that camelback is our favorite so far. The parking is a nightmare (I had no idea!!) and we were lucky to find a spot on our third time looping around. It helped that it was an overcast cool day.

eight is great!

2011-11-11T16:25:00.000-08:00

halloween 2011

2011-11-11T16:13:00.001-08:00

my baby is 8.

2011-10-28T17:26:00.001-07:00

Isabel's birthday was during her October break from school. She spent the week with her brother and sister in California with her dad. So she was away from me on her birthday!! It was hard for me, but she had a super time with her dad. That's what matters. When they returned to me we had a 'birthday party' for her. Love her!

what a surprise!

2011-10-10T18:19:00.001-07:00

My mom threw my dad a surprise party for his birthday this year. We all headed up to P-town to join in the celebration. We stayed at a hotel in town cause mom and dad are remodeling their home and their is currently no room for us, also so we could be a 'surprise' for my dad. The party was held at El Rancho. MMMmmmm! He was certainly surprised...a bunch of his work friends showed up along with all us kids. Dinner was perfect, the carrot cake surprisingly good, and we all managed to have a good time. Love having reasons to get together. And it was COOL, rainy and the perfect weather.

kids hanging out in the hotel room before the party...enjoying CABLE!!!!

another year passes...

2011-09-22T22:21:00.001-07:00

Had myself a birthday this week. Don't really look forward to bdays much anymore. Had a nice birthday poster card from my students on the board at school. Took the kids to eat at texas roadhouse, cause I'm certainly not going to cook my bday dinner. Somehow, they talked me up onto the saddle and sang to me...embarrassing. I didn't coach the kids on NOT telling anyone it was my birthday and Isabel told our waitress as soon as she came for our drink order. I need to learn how to say no. Cause I really didn't need to sit on the saddle and have the restaurant sing to me. Getting a scoop of free ice cream made it all good! Thanks to all my family and friends who made me feel so loved on my birthday this year!!!

star student

2011-09-22T22:17:00.001-07:00

Sofia's 10!!!

2011-09-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sofia and her mama at Chili's

Sofia is growing up on me. Don't quite know how to handle it! She is a love. So good to others and likes to give. I'm grateful to have her in my life. She woke up and the balloon fairy had been in her room delivering her tons of birthday balloons, chose breakfast at McDonald's, took treats to share with her fellow 5th graders, chose Chili's for her birthday dinner (yum), opened her gifts, then blew out her candles on a delicious chocolate cake. We had a fun day with her. LOVE HER!

drenched...

2011-09-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

Took the kids (minus Isabel, who was at a friends house) on a bike ride on Saturday evening. We got about halfway through our ride when the skies opened up and kinda got us wet. It was ridiculous. We couldn't see in front of us, the rain was coming down so hard, couldn't keep our eyes open, so we had to actually stop for a few minutes. It was awesome!!! After so many days of HOT and SUN, it was cool and we were thoroughly sopping wet. I haven't had that kinda 'kid' fun for quite some time. We made it home eventually, had fun riding through all the huge puddles, and had to take pictures to actually document rain that actually fell in Mesa.

boating

2011-09-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

Took the kids to Tempe Town Lake on Labor Day for a little boat ride. Kids enjoyed themselves, was a nice day (kinda hot), and something a little different. I would've really enjoyed spending the day with a backyard pool and a carne asada. Will work on that for next year. Gotta know the right people! I think next year we will also tube down the Salt River...

fall family party

2011-09-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

The whole family got together the last weekend in August to celebrate all our fall birthdays. Mom, dad and Jenny came down from Pinetop, Kaitlin came from Prescott and Carson, Gaby and their kids came over from Phoenix. We met up at my home, visited for a bit, then went to one of our favorite places for our birthday dinner, Golden Corral. Gaby, Jenny, Carson, Sofia, and I all have birthdays within a few weeks of each other. We had a great time. Tons of loud music, dancing, eating, balloon fighting, helium-talking and craziness made the night! Love my family.

pajamas

2011-09-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

Grandma Wessel made pjs for all her grandkids. SO NICE!! The kids were excited to get a package in the mail. Shout out to Grandma Wessel..."You make awesome comfy pajamas!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

fellow hooligans

2011-09-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

I LOVE THE TEACHERS AT BURKE!!!! We sure had a good time during our 2 week teacher training this year. Lunch at Crackers, chocolate, and pictures!!

suzie and karen

mmmmm, potato soup at crackers

rachel and i

karen, rachel and i

and us again...

suzie on the hot bus ride to happy valley school.

krystal and i on the hot bus ride to happy valley

5th and 6th grade teachers (with one 2nd grade teacher joining us) from burke at our seminar at the happy valley school.

presenting our use of a thinking map to the seminarees. we rocked it!!

becky parsons, rachel and i

learning stuff...

karen and kat...on the way to wendy's (i think that was our destination that day)

rachel, karen, kat, and i returning from wendy's

becky, rachel and i on our final day of training...ready for the year to start? not really...but we did have fun in the photo dept.

first day of school. 2011-12

2011-09-06T17:38:00.001-07:00

So not ready for school to start this year, but oh so ready for school to start this year!!! We love summer with no schedules, nowhere to be, swimming everyday, later nights, sleeping in, and play, play, play. We also like the structure of school everyday with activities and projects and assignments to keep us busy and productive! I just miss my summer Sunday evenings. They are much more relaxing and enjoyable when we don't have school the next morning. Jacob is in 6th grade this year (how did that happen?) Jr. High next year...we are not ready!!! His teacher is Mrs. Hollenbeck and we LOVE her!!! He's going to have a great year! He is an awesome kid. Sofia is in 5th grade. She wanted to be in my class this year, but I have a standing rule of not teaching my own kids, so she was out of luck. She has Mrs. Lesperance and we LOVE her also! The best teachers in the school have my kids this year. Isabel is in 3rd grade. She has Miss Cronk. We LOVE her as well. Isabel has a hard time every year when school starts. She cries, wants me, and this year we added a tummy ache. The first two weeks of school she complained of a tummy ache every morning, at recess, at lunchtime, after school and in the evening before bedtime. Not fun. We haven't really dealt with anxiety before to that extreme. She has been doing better of late. We have a system where she is rewarded for days of not crying and the more comfortable she gets in her class the more relaxed she becomes. Still can't believe my 'baby' is in the 3rd grade and will be baptized in Nov. I have a 5th grade class of 34 students. They are all angels!!! I have the best days with these students. Such a sweet class that I haven't had to use any of my discipline strategies, or call parents, or be frustrated. I don't know what to do with myself seeing as the past 3 years I have had a more than a few 'handfuls' who have made teaching challenging. It's going to be a super year. (Fingers crossed!!!)

And we are still loving the uniforms. Makes getting ready in the morning so simple!!! Who knew!

swimming 2011

2011-08-05T00:34:00.000-07:00

All three kids love the high dive. I'm so glad they didn't inherit my fear of heights! Isabel just started jumping off the high dive the last few weeks. Fun to watch! We had a great summer spending most every day at the pool.isabel

isabel

isabel

jacob (started doing flips this year...also loves to dive off the high dive!)

isabel

sofia

isabel

friends.

2011-07-12T16:47:00.001-07:00

My good friend and old NAU roomie Lindsay is having a baby!!! I was invited to her baby shower at Tia Rosa's. YUMMY!!!! It was so good to see her and visit. And surprise of all surprises another good friend and apartment complex-mate from my days at NAU was there also, Marianne. So much fun to catch up and be reminded of why I love these girls so much and the good times we had!! (and eat some really good food!) And so happy to see Lindsay become a mother!!

Lindsay and IMarianne, Lindsay, and me.

wow...

2011-07-12T16:42:00.000-07:00

So I found this on my camera the other day. Apparently Sofia and Isabel were bored, so they got out the makeup kit. Creepy!!!

Deep Purple

2011-07-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

cousins/p-town

2011-07-12T15:52:00.000-07:00

Spent a few days in Pinetop with my sister and her family while my parents were out of town. The kids all played and played and played. Good times.

Sofia with baby D.

Jacob with baby D.

the girls performing a song and dance.

costumes for the play they put on.

the actors.

performing a song as the band, Deep Purple.

Emmons and Fernandez kids.

"Just A Dream" by Nelly - Sam Tsui & Christina Grimmie

2011-07-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!

prescott and kaitlin

2011-07-03T18:04:00.001-07:00

We went to Prescott to visit Kaitlin for a few days. Super fun time. Although my kids always seem to be louder, crankier, and crazier when we are on the road and visiting others. Good times. While we were in Prescott we...

went to the mall. bought some cute shirts. a certain child cried and threw a fit cause that certain child couldn't buy a certain hat. had yummy DQ. used quarters on the gumball machines. and spent time oohing and aahing over the shoe dept. at dillards...

took the standard sister picture we take whenever we get together...

hung out on the counters...
walked to the park a few times...

played at the park...

walked home from the park a few times...

Sofia learned how to ride the ripstick...

took cute Aunt Kaitlin photos...(isn't she cute? she's single......)

went on a steep, hot, sunny hike up Thumb Butte...

posed with my tall 9 year old...

ate some yummy food...including Del Taco...

admired my cute sandals...

and tried to get a group shot...didn't work!

Had a blast in Prescott, wish we could've stayed longer! Thanks Kaitlin for having us!

Surprise!!!

2011-06-21T14:10:00.001-07:00

My mom's birthday and father's day fell on the same day this year. My parent's were returning to Phx on Saturday from a week-long cruise along the coast of Alaska and we contrived a reason for them to stop by Gaby's house on their way home. We gave them a good surprise...well mom at least since dad was in on it. We had some good food, a yummy chocolate earthquake cake and visited.

The kids watched 'Tangled' while we were getting food prepared and waiting.

Aunt Gaby was kind enough to share with each of the kids her leftover whipped cream from a dessert she made. They were all in heaven!!!!

Mom with her grandkids (minus Dashiell) and her birthday hat and cake.

Mom and Dad are always so good about bringing goodies home for us from their travels. The kids all got Alaska socks with bears and moose. Cute.

And we finished the day off with a good old wrestling match: Kids Vs. Uncle Carson.

Wii day

2011-06-21T13:52:00.001-07:00

My sister Gaby and her family invited us over for a Wii day. We played the Wii all day. Or I should say that the kids and Uncle Carson played Rock Band all day, I couldn't quite seem to get the hang of it. Everyone had a blast. We also loved up on a sweet little baby boy, and the girls put a play together to perform for us. It was a nice way to spend a hot June Saturday.

cousins

2011-06-21T13:46:00.001-07:00

These are all the cousins at Dashiell's baby blessing. Avery, Dashiell, Sofia, Jacob, Isabel, Coco, and Tierney. Now we are seven!!! Seven whole grandkids for my mom and dad.

big lake

2011-06-17T18:46:00.001-07:00

Our camping trip to Big Lake this year was super fun. We had a great time fishing, enjoying the cooler weather, playing games and making smores over the campfire. The Wallow fire made our trip a little more interesting due to the smoke, tremendous smoke plumes, and an evacuation due to the forest being closed. It is just simply a beautiful place to camp and spend time with family.

2011 Spring Concert

2011-05-22T17:05:00.001-07:00

For these concerts, I am outside sitting with my 5th graders, 'keeping my eye' on them until it is their turn to perform. So I usually covertly sneak backstage so I can watch my own kids performances. That's why these are such 'great' shots! Can you pick out my two girls? I couldn't get any of Jacob cause he was hiding from me. Not one open shot of him...I'm sure he's so disappointed!

Isabel

Sofia

Me standing with some awesome teachers at burke! Rachel, me, Karen and Krystal.

twins?

2011-05-22T17:03:00.001-07:00

so sweet.

hair cut

2011-05-22T17:00:00.001-07:00

Short and curly...til I get tired of it.

2011 guitar/violin concert

2011-05-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

2011 piano recital

2011-05-22T16:18:00.001-07:00

Isabel and her good friend Maryn

Isabel played 'The Itsy-Bitsy Spider
Sofia played 'Camptown Races'

Jacob played Minuet in G

The kids with the most AWESOME piano teacher of all time, Lynndsey Ward. Just after this concert her and her family moved...now it's up to me to teach these kids. Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!

sofia

2011-05-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

Sofia picked out these frames at her latest eye appt. The minute she put them on I wanted them off...she looks so grown up in these!! I do not let her wear makeup yet, this is just for play, but even without the makeup on, she looks like an older version of herself...not ready for her to grow up this fast! What a cutie for sure!

a new look for isabel

2011-05-22T16:12:00.001-07:00

New glasses for the little sis. She looks pretty darn cute. She picked them out all by herself. I wasn't sure about the DARK frames, but she's happy and isn't that what it's all about?

adios to the braces...

2011-05-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Now on to the retainer...we had a long talk about not losing the retainer...we'll see! His teeth look so good!! Whoo-hoo!

cutie patooties

2011-04-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

We love playing dress-up at our house.

so pretty...

2011-04-27T21:51:00.001-07:00

I am so loving shoes lately. I think I have my sister Kaitlin to thank for that. My girls and I had too much fun at TJ Maxx the other day just trying on sky high heels. Sofia has found she can almost fit into the smallest womens shoes, and had fun herself trying some on. I'd better not encourage the shoe obsession habit...but we had fun.

And these are my very own...found them at Payless (score!) and just love them.

from kaci

2011-04-27T21:47:00.001-07:00

One of my sweet students Kaci surprised me with this pin the other morning. Love these little treats that come with being a teacher. It's good to feel loved. This same student brought me a chocolate bunny today. Yum!

colorado...by isabel fernandez

2011-04-27T21:41:00.001-07:00

Mr. K's 2nd graders did state reports this year. Isabel's state was Colorado. I was able to pop over to her classroom to see her share her report. Such a cutie...and she did a great job. Definitely love having my kids at the same school where I teach. So convenient.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

picnic and fishing

2011-04-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

While in Pinetop for Easter weekend we went on a picnic up to A-1 Lake. The kids wanted to go fishing so mom bought a permit and we fished also...the kids fished, mom untangled lines and I just pretended. We forgot jackets and it was windy and cold. We still managed to enjoy ourselves, ate good food and were unsuccessful at catching anything.

random

2011-04-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

pomegranate tree that grows over my back wall...thanks neighbor!!!

love my sister Kaitlin's shoes!!! These actually fit me...LOVE THEM!!!

Jacob took a break from changing out of church clothes at his aunt gaby's house to play a little guitar hero.

go mom!!

isabel getting ready to practice her piano...in her swimming suit...in january...go figure!!

a wall in my home.

my three babies...jacob 7 mos, sofia 3 mos, isabel 4 mos. i miss my babies!!

hip-hop and sofia

2011-02-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

Sofia started a hip-hop class about 3 weeks ago. She brought home a flyer from school and talked about nothing else. There are 13 classes spread out over 13 weeks. Luckily for her, the classes fell on a night that is free for us, so we were able to sign her up. She has been so excited, loves to go, really tries hard to learn the crazy moves, and is happy. I love sitting in the gym watching her learn. It is good to see her doing something by herself, with no siblings, that she loves.

loot

2011-02-21T16:04:00.001-08:00

I have never enjoyed Valentine's Day more than I have as a teacher! My students are always so sweet to think of me and bring me a gift. It doesn't matter that I tell them to not bring me gifts, to save their money, it always is a given that I will come home with mugs, teddy bears, flowers and oodles and oodles of chocolate. My own kids enjoy all the hoopla with writing out valentines to their classmates and the 'exchange'.

a pile of one of my kids loot

another pile of goods

mine. one of the perks of teaching!

conquering piestewa peak

2011-01-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

So this last saturday I had the great idea of taking the kids and going on a hike. It is my goal to go on a new hike at least every other Saturday until it gets too warm. I need to get out of the house on Saturday's and it is good for my kids. My dad had taken my sisters and I up Piestewa Peak many times in the past when we would come to the valley to visit Grandma Wessel. Back in the day when it was known as Squaw Peak, we would hike it...I don't know how willingly, but we would hike with my dad. So I took the kids and we were off to Piestewa. It is straight up!!! Didn't remember that too well. My kids are very active, we walk mile every day, they ride bikes, roller blade, ride scooters, and Jacob has been enjoying his ripstick. So I knew they could handle it. A few weekends before we hiked the Wind Caves Trail at Usery Park which is a 3.2 mile hike and they did just fine. But this trail wore them out! It was just too steep. They were fussing, whining, and not happy when they realized how straight up it was and when they noticed how much further we needed to go. We had a 'small' pep talk, seemed to work. They pushed thru the pain and tiredness, and beat me to the top. What a hike! They are troopers, my kids! Was so proud of them and they were pretty pleased with themselves once they were on the top. It was well worth it. They practically ran down the mtn, happy as bugs, while my legs nearly gave out on me. Going up was hard on the breathing and heart, going down was hard on the legs! After conquering the mtn, we headed to my sister Gabys house, she's just about 10 minutes from the peak. Spent a good 3 hours with her, Carson, and their kids. She fed us a yummy dinner and we headed for home.

2011-01-21T19:45:00.000-08:00

New bunk beds!!!! Our 30 yr old bunk beds recently bit the dust. The girls were sleeping on their mattresses on the floor and I was going to have to wait for tax returns to get new beds for them, when our SUPER neighbors/friends offered us theirs. They were set to buy new bunks for their kids, found out about our bunks (thru fb) and offered their old ones. They are sturdy, pretty, and in great shape!!! Thanks Smith family. They even came to my house to put them together for me, which was super because, holy schmoly their were alot of screws! Love the little blessings, or in this case huge blessings that occur everyday in our lives.

2011-01-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

My niece Maggie turned 15 this year. We were invited to the Fernandez home for a small family party in honor of her. They had carne asada which I LOVE!! Haven't had it for a while, so it was heaven. Zilveth was there with her two kids, Arizbeth and Gabriel. Gabriel is just a month old, 1st time I've seen him since he was born and was in heaven holding him all night. The kids liked holding him too. Fun to see them with a baby. It was an enjoyable evening. The kids had fun playing Just Dance on the Wii. I had fun laughing at them dancing. Good times. I'm glad I'm still considered family and I know I am loved in the Fernandez clan.

Me, baby Gabriel, Zilveth, and Magnolia

My beautiful niece Maggie and me

love notes

2011-01-15T23:11:00.000-08:00

so sweet. gotta love the notes i receive somedays on my desk at the end of a long day. they mysteriously appear and brighten my day.

eleven

2011-01-12T19:43:00.001-08:00

Jacob had a birthday this week. He turned a whopping 11 years old. I can't have an eleven year old. Just doesn't seem possible. We started the day with the birthday tradition of doughnuts for breakfast. We stopped at Circle K on the way to school. Boy do they ever have the best doughnuts!!! Jacob had guitar practice after school, then Sofia had piano lessons. Jacob decided on Chili's for his birthday dinner. It was yummy. Then we went home and he opened his presents. He had a phone call from his dad, his Grandma and Grandpa Wessel and his Aunt Gaby, Uncle Carson and Tierney, Avery, and Coco. His Tia Magnolia, Maggie, Yessi and Alex came over with a gift and had cake and ice cream with us. He seemed to have a pretty great day. I'm glad that birthday/holiday season is over for our family until September!! Happy Birthday J!! I love you bunches.

Christmas in P-town 2010

2011-01-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Spent a week in Pinetop for Christmas. Had a great time. Mom and Dad fed us well, I really wish they would move down here and cook for me everyday. Probably one of my favorite things about going home is the good food! We played a ton of games, most importantly, rummy. We spent a weekend with everyone home. Gaby and Carson came with their kids Christmas day and stayed thru Monday. The kids had too much fun together. Didn't get enough photos of that. We went on lots of walks around the lake and neighborhood. I made Kaitlin walk with me at night. No street lights in the neighborhood, pitch black, 30 degrees, BEAUTIFUL stars...made for some fun! At least we knew the bears were hibernating and we wouldn't run into any. We did some shopping and ate yummy food. Did I already mention that? It was too hard to go back to Mesa. Took me a good few days to get back to 'normal' life. Enjoy spending time with the fam!

2011-01-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

These are the Christmas ornaments/gifts my 5th graders made for their parents for Christmas. Turned out very nice. Nothing like good old art projects to keep it fun and to keep us going!

guitar/violin concert

2011-01-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

Jacob and Sofia had their guitar/violin concert on December 13. Sofia started playing the violin this year. This is Jacob's second year at the guitar.

6K

2010-12-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

So today I completed a 6K, which is 3.72 miles. I wasn't sure I would be able to run the entire race...I've been running since the first part of November, but had never run more than somewhere between 2.5 and 3 miles, and just that hurt. The race was in Gilbert, called the 12 K's of Christmas. A bunch of girls from work signed on to run and I thought I would see if I could do it. I think I need a new challenge in my life. For some reason or another each night when I would run, even though it hurt, it felt great. Like pounding all my stresses, struggles, annoyances, and crap into the sidewalk. I hope to continue running...we'll see. The race today felt great, I wanted to die around the last K, but managed to hold out with the help of Sherry, who ran with me. Whoo-hoo! Since it was the 12 K's of Christmas, everyone running was dressed up Christmas-like. We were all given Santa hats, which of course I wore proudly.

school fun.

2010-12-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

Some of the fun Christmas projects my kids get to work on when they finish their work and do a good job. They are great little artists!

my piano players...

2010-12-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

The kids had their first piano recital this last week. They did a fantastic job and they love their piano teacher. She is a great teacher and we are lucky to have her. Jacob played "The Little Drummer Boy", Isabel played "Jingle Bells", and Sofia played "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

turkey weekend

2010-12-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Spent a great long weekend in P-town for Thanksgiving this year. Everyone was there this year which made for some fun, crowded fun! We ate yummy food, played tons of rummy, played in the snow, walked around the lake a few times, and ate more yummy food.

This is what we woke to on Thanksgiving morning...snow!

a fun field trip!

2010-11-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

The 2nd and 5th grade went on a field trip on Friday, the 19th of November. I was looking forward to this day. I love going to the American Heritage Festival. Mostly because I always have enough parents sign up that I don't need to have a group of students with me. It's a nice relaxing day for me and some of my fellow teachers. We walk around, take our own pictures, eat some of the yummy kettle corn, and then sit and visit.

Mrs. Dial and I found ourselves some men in uniforms! Looking good boys!

Mrs. Dial and Mrs. Lesperance.

I thought this would be fun to drive!

The best kettle corn. Looked forward to it after last year.

Shooting the breeze with Karen.

I found George Washington. We had a chat.

Some of the tents where the kids can learn all about the ways of life back in the day.

The AWESOME 5th grade team at Burke.

hmmm...

2010-11-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

So the ex left for California yesterday...good-bye to my babysitter and mechanic. I'm now officially a single, alone parent. He's not around the corner for me to call when I need him to watch the kids. I really depended on that. But he had too many problems here and now I don't have to deal with all of those problems, so I guess it will be okay. It's been a tough week.
I did however run 2 miles last night. I'm channeling my frustrations into fixing this body of mine!! I started running a week ago. I've always hated running, but I think I need a new challenge in my life. Something to keep my body and mind busy. I'm planning on running a 6k with some of my co-workers in December. We'll see about that! It feels good to pound it all out on the pavement. This life is not what I thought it would be, but who's is!?

Veteran's Day

2010-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

This was Jacob's third year participating in the Veteran's Day program at school. He was the one who called out the instructions to the color guard. He spoke very clearly and loudly into the microphone and was awesome! We had a 93 yr old veteran come to speak to the students. He was a pilot in WW II. Pretty amazing! I love that our school is so patriotic and teaches my kids all about patriotism. I also think that Jacob makes a pretty smart looking scout!

miller ward campout nov 2010

2010-11-12T20:47:00.001-08:00

I need to go camping more often! We had the best time on our ward campout. We have the best ward, had the best food, the best campfire, the best weather, the best cabin, the best hiking, and the best entertainment. The mountains are just home to me! Going to have to figure a way to go camping more often.
Sofia enjoying her hot cocoa by the fire.
Jacob enjoying his smores...we lost count of how many he had, but he has the cooking of his marshmallow down to perfection.

Isabel enjoying her hot cocoa by the fire.

What a good looking bunch of campers, it was a chilly morning, but the fire warmed us all up.

Isabel fell the night before while playing tag outside with the kids. She scraped her face on the ground pretty darn good. We didn't lose any teeth, so phew!

Isabel and I on our hike.

Kids playing on the bridge.

Another great group shot of the hikers.

Our cabin. Inside this beauty are 7 bunk beds. We had the place to ourselves. Quite roomy and nice. No huge spider problems like we had on our last ward campout...SO NICE!!! I'm so not a fan of spiders, I would actually prefer sleeping in my tent because I can keep creepy crawlies out of my space by keeping it zipped. But something to be said for comfortable beds and matresses while camping. It was a great weekend, kinda hard to return to the valley.

my firstborn.

2010-11-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2010

2010-11-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

pumpkins

2010-11-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

The annual Fernandez pumpkin carving was a success. I wasn't sure it would happen this year...i'm always so tired after work lately...i almost forgot to get pumpkins...then to have to carve them and clean up the mess...but we managed. The kids had fun and helped a little more this year. I always end up doing the majority of the carving. Jacob did his all by himself and was pleased with the result. Too bad they start rotting so soon after being carved. I miss being in Pinetop where they last forever on the porch without melting into the concrete!

Sofia getting her hands dirty.

The finished product...

Kids sitting in front of their pumpkin.

halloween fun

2010-10-23T18:49:00.001-07:00

Aren't my 5th graders amazing little artists? We had a fun afternoon creating these 'halloween' pictures. Thank goodness for arts and crafts!

fall break

2010-10-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

While in Pinetop for fall break we enjoyed the beautiful weather and...

helped grandma build a cabinet,

played dress-up (which we always do)

more dress-up

went out on the 4 wheelers

grandma had kid helmets this time, they had a blast

we fed the ducks at woodland lake

tons of ducks

had grandma play photographer and took tons of family pictures

helped grandpa rake and bag tons and tons of pine needles

more raking

all 9 bags that we loaded up that morning

and had a fun afternoon playing with cousins (Gaby and Carson came up for a little visit)

we had a fantastic 4 days in Pinetop!!

party time

2010-10-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

Isabel turned 7 the week we were in Pinetop for fall break. Lucky girl got to celebrate with her grandparents and Aunt Jenny as well as us. She had a hard time waiting all day to open her presents. She had a great day!

seven!

2010-10-16T21:48:00.001-07:00

Isabel turned seven this week. Happy Birthday Izzy B! I LOVE YOU!!

at grandma's in August 2004

August 2004

October 2010.

Patience

2010-09-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

A bracelet made a given to me by one of my 5th graders. They sure can be sweet.

Patience is accepting a difficult situation without giving a deadline to remove it.

I will change the things I can change and accept the things I can't.
I will make the most of my spare time.
I will keep trying until I succeed.
I will not interrupt.
I will not complain if I don't get my way.

This is what the kids are learning in school this month. The character trait of patience. All month long I've kept thinking that there is something here I need to be learning. We learn a new character trait every month at school, but this one hits home. I'm going to become a more patient person. I need to be a better mother, teacher, and friend.

a couple of crazy girls on the town...

2010-09-19T20:46:00.001-07:00

So my 35th birthday is today. CRAZY!! I have the best friend ever who wanted to do something for me for my birthday this year. She recently moved back to town...whoo-hoo!!...and asked me if I had any hot dates planned for my birthday. After laughing hysterically I told her no and she told me that she would be my 'date'. What a pal! Since my birthday fell on a Sunday this year, we went out on Friday night. Her husband brought their kids over to my house and watched all 6 kids so we could paint the town...funny. It was a fun night. We went to dinner at Outback, had a funny waiter, ate some goooood food and topped it off with a hot fudge sundae, courtesy of Outback (thanks Outback!) Then we had to get some shopping in. We went to Kohl's and found the awesomest deals ever! We then went to the movies. It was a fantastic night! Thanks Em! I don't go out at all, ever...and decided that I need to. Good times!

GOOD STUFF!!! look at that fudge!

Still had a hard time finishing it all after our dinner!

Emily, the most amazing shopper and deal finder, didn't disappoint! Kohl's...here we come!

LOVED these! Don't know how people wear them for more that 5 minutes at a time, but just loved them! These 4 inch heels put me around 6'1". Someday...

Success!!

my present from Emily...yummy!

This is what we found when we returned at 11:45 pm.

I knew Sofia would be conked out somewhere...she usually doesn't last past 9:30 pm.

We figured Jacob and Jackson would be playing the play station...they didn't let us down!

Wasn't sure what these girls would be doing, but we found them in the girls room sharing a bag of Doritos.

Then, if that wasn't enough, Emily invited us to dinner tonight so I didn't have to cook on my birthday. She made the most delicious salmon on the grill. She also made lemon cupcakes for my birthday and they sang to me. She's the best. Love you Em!

sofia is 9!

2010-09-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Sofia turned 9 this week. She had a great day. Can't believe how fast time seems to fly...but she sure is a sweet, happy, helpful girl who cares for others and is always eager to help! LOVE her!

take a hike...

2010-09-10T22:18:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went to Hole in the Rock with Suzie, a fellow teacher at Burke. Haven't been before. The kids had fun climbing all over the big rock. We are going to start hiking once it cools down. It was a little hot the afternoon we went, but we are survivors!

Suzie with my kids.

hiking up to the rock.

my little people and i.

our 3-day in pictures...

2010-09-08T22:54:00.000-07:00

I gave the kids the camera this weekend and told them to take pictures of the 'fun' they had on this wonderful 3 day weekend. It sure keeps them busy. We should have gone up to p-town for a visit, but by the time friday rolled around I was soooo tired and couldn't think about packing us all up and making the 3 hr drive. So we hung around home and found stuff to do to have 'fun'.

1. first things first...make sure all barbies have a front seat for all the action...

2. build a fort out of the rocking chair, all the couch cushions and blankets.

3. have walkie-talkie communication with the person hiding out in the fort.

4. watch Up.

5. have McDonald's

6. get some chores done...it has to be done people. i had some good helpers this time.

7. get the 6 yr old to push around a vacuum that weighs more than she does...

8. enjoy cookies from our most excellent neighbors.

9. (no picture for #9 because i was slightly upset) kids ripped front door off hinges when they got in a fight and slammed it open. ahhhh! not a stress i needed on a friday evening. it's 105 degrees out, mosquitoes are entering the house, the a/c is exiting the house and i can't shut the door. THANK goodness for excellent neighbors who came over and put my door back on the hinges. same neighbors who shared the delicious cookies. love good people!! Thanks neighbors!!!!

10. go to church (and fight over who gets to sit by mom...i only have 2 sides, what to do!)

11. go on a hike with Miss Suzie Cronk of BBS fame.

12. be good citizens and help a man jump start his car.

13. have a 'sleep-over' at dad's house

14. this one had been waiting, not very patiently, for this 'sleepover' for the whole week.

15. grade the ever growing stack of papers....ugh...

16. and finally model and show off the beautiful necklace made for me by sofia, my little crafter.

Probably not the most exciting weekend, but worked for us.

rain!

2010-09-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

This is how we do rain in mesa, az...put on the swim suits and frolick! A great rain storm arrived one afternoon. It was about 110 degrees when it hit at about 4:30 in the afternoon. Stayed pretty sunny throughout the downpour and had some of the biggest raindrops I've seen in a while. The kids had a blast and got soaked. This is what happens when you live in the desert and see rain very rarely. We just go crazy!

before and after

2010-08-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

A few people have wanted to see some before and after pictures of 'the big weight loss'. I lost 50 pounds from January 2o1o to June 2010. WHOO-HOO! Don't know how I accomplished it since I've been trying for about 10 years to lose the weight. But something went right this time or something clicked in my brain that allowed me to realize I didn't need to eat all the time and I didn't need sweets 24/7! Imagine!! Anyway, I don't have hardly any photos of me from before losing the weight. I am the mom, I am the one taking the pictures, no one took pictures of me, plus I didn't like what I saw when I did see photos of myself. My 'before' picture is from Sofia's baptism in Oct. 2009. I found it on my mom's computer when I was home last month. My 'after' pictures probably aren't the greatest since my kids took them and I'm sure the angle from shorty's taking the photos isn't as flattering, but what to do! So, here it is. I started in January weighing 217 pounds and by the middle of June was down to 167. I would still like to lose about 10 more, but it aint happening, so now I'm just trying to MAINTAIN. Which somedays seems hard because life is hard and I've learned that food makes me feel good and sometimes I feel like there isn't a whole lot of joy in my life. But I will STAY THE COURSE!!

This would be me in teacher mode...so excited to start a new year......or not....

at home with my lovely piano and stack of games in the background.

October 2009. Sofia's big day. We were divorced at this point. Kind of sad to deal with on such a special day...the awkwardness of both families together. His family was great and my family was great, it was just hard for me.

So now the hard part begins of keeping control, finding other 'joy' in my life besides food and keeping the course! Wish me luck... i need it!~

toothless

2010-08-18T20:09:00.001-07:00

She is growing up!

1st day...

2010-08-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

So here are the annual first day of school pictures. We started on the 16th of August. I'm supposed to be at the school by 7:30. This first week we've been getting there by 7:00...whoo-hoo for us! It's easier for me to get work done in the morning before school. By the time school is out I'm beat. I'm teaching 5th grade again. This year I have 32 students. I'm happy to be back to work and have a sort of schedule again, but not ready for all the work.

Isabel is in the 2nd grade this year. Her teacher is Mr. K.

Sofia is in the 4th grade and has Mrs. Parsons as a teacher.

Jacob is in the 5th grade. His teacher is Mrs. Lesperance. He could have been in my classroom, but i declined gracefully! I love my kids, but don't want to teach them. :)

the last mtn getaway.

2010-08-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

One more trip to P-town before summer is over and school begins was needed. We had a super time. Totally enjoyed the cooler temperatures and rainy afternoons. We played games, rode the atvs, went on hikes, and relaxed. It was a perfect last hurrah!

Jacob and his tinker toy airplane.
My sister Jenny and I.

Jacob at the go-kart track.

Sofia ready to go.

Isabel and Jenny

Lovely!

Hiking around Woodland Lake, we found the waterfall flowing because of all the rain.

Jacob got tired and decided to take a nap?

Isabel playing catch with Sofia.

Sofia playing catch with Isabel

Jacob and his Aunt Jenny

Jacob playing a game with his Grandma.

Isabel having her bedtime snack of bread.

Jacob roasting a marshmallow for smores.

YUMMMMMM!

my family.

on the front porch.

ways to beat the heat

2010-07-17T00:06:00.001-07:00

1. Give the kids 10 minutes with the hose.

2. Go to Bahama Bucks for some icy good shaved ice. I've been in Mesa for 11 yrs (ouch) and this was my first visit. Yes, Kaitlin, I finally went! Pretty good stuff, especially on hot, humid July days.

Sofia and Isabel both got grape, my personal fav.

Jacob chose cotton candy.

Isabel

Jacob and Sofia

Utah 2010 Guy and Emma Maughan reunion

2010-07-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Guy and Emma are my great-grandparents. The reunion was held on July 5, 2010, in Brigham City. It is held annually, we just don't go very often. Guy had 12 children so it is a pretty large gathering of people that I don't know. We eat, visit and then everyone goes swimming at the Brigham City Pool. We were all about the swimming that day! and the good food. We do know how to eat and eat well!

My baby and me.

Aunt Vickie and me.

eating good food!

mmmmmmm!

Grandma helping Jacob

Four Maughan siblings in attendance, Uncle Stuart, Aunt Vickie, Aunt Laurel, and my mom.

Me with my aunts, uncle and mom.

It was a beautiful day for swimming.

say cheese.

Utah 2010 Lyman and Edith Maughan family reunion

2010-07-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

Lyman and Edith are my grandparents, my mom's parents. They both died in 2000. All of their kids were in attendance at this reunion, Aunt Laurel, Uncle Stuart, Aunt Vickie, mom, Uncle Curtis and Uncle Jarvis as well as most of the grandkids. 4 were not in attendance with their families. We had a great day. Good food, a good game of volleyball and baseball, card games, and tons of sitting around talking and picture taking. Took place on the lawn next to the Wellsville Tabernacle in Wellsville Ut, July 3rd, 2010.

Jenny, Melissa, Aunt Vickie, me, Isabel, and Aunt Laurel
Jacob
Jordan, Adam, Jeff, David, Gavin, James and Jenny

Clara, Allie, and Isabel, 2nd cousins

Jeff, Gavin, Adam, Tina and James

Jeff, Austin, Ryan, Alex and Jenny

Jordan and his girlfriend

Aunt Maxine, Aunt Vickie, Laurel, Uncle Curtis and Uncle Jarvis

Scott, Heather, Matt, David and Aunt Nancy

Amy taking a picture of Isabel and Allie with the volleyball in the background and the beautiful tabernacle in the further background.

Isabel and Allie, self-portrait

Allie, taken by Isabel

The fun volleyball game. The better team won! :)

Jeremy sacrificed it ALL for this game! good thing he was on my team!

Mark, Ryan, Amy, Scott, David, James, Matt, Uncle Stuart

Aunt Vickie, Adam, Jeff, Jordan, and mom playing a game.

Our favorite family game, rummy.

All of the grandkids who were in attendance.
Top row: McKenzie, Nick, David, Cami, Melissa, Ryan, Kaitlin, Jenny, Amy, Jeff, James
Bottom row: Ben, Adam, Lisa, Alex, me, Austin, Heather, Jordan, and Gavin

All of the great grand kids who were in attendance:
Top to bottom: Jacob, Sofia, Jack, Clara, Nathan, Rowan, Micah, Edie, Craig, Ty, Allie and Isabel. I guess a few babies who were there weren't in the photo. Max and Elise.

James and I

Aunt Maxine and I

Uncle Curtis and I

Sofia, Amy, me, Ben and Cami

Adam and I and some of the delicious food!

Gavin, Jordan and Austin trying out the swings.

Austin and Nick goofing around for the cameras.

Cami and Rowan

Utah 2010 Lagoon!!

2010-07-10T23:33:00.001-07:00

We decided to go to Lagoon this year on our Utah trip, well, Kaitlin decided she was going and invited anyone who wanted to come to come! Thanks Kait! The kids were in heaven. It was a hot day, so running through the fountains helped keep the kids cool. We split up when we got there and the big kids went on the big kids rides. I should have sent Jacob with them then, but he went with us and the little kids. We met up about 2 hours later and sent Jacob with the big kids. He is a roller coaster junkie! Who knew! He went on ALL the ridiculously tall, fast, upside down, turn you around and around, shoot you straight up in the air rides and LOVED it! Kaitlin went on Wicked for the 2nd time and got a 'little' sick. Poor girl. Don't worry K, I won't tell the 'throw up on a kid' story here! :) We finished the day with a wet water ride on the Rattlesnake Rapids where we ALL got wet, an ICEE and some cotton candy (thanks Amy!)

Isabel and Allie

Allie, Isabel, Sofia, Jacob, and Ty

Sofia, Jacob, Ty, and Gavin

Allie and Isabel

Sofia and Jacob

Ty and Sofia on the sky ride, i don't know the official name.

Isabel a little nervous on the sky ride. I didn't help any seeing as I am petrified of heights!!

Tried to get a picture of us to celebrate the occasion of us both in the air, but was too nervous to get both of us. I am barely holding it together!!

But we managed. I seriously was holding onto the rails for dear life, looking at the sky so I wouldn't see the ground and how far above it we were! Trying to distract Isabel so she wouldn't see how scared I was! But I seem to do anything to get a picture....hmmmmm.

Ryan and Jacob are on the last car you can see. Kaitlin in the green shirt with Sofia next to her, and Jenny in the blue and white shirt with Isabel next to her. This is on the old white wooden roller coaster. Isabel did not enjoy it, but the rest did.

Sofia and Kaitlin on the mouse ride. Sofia is my carsick girl and certainly didn't enjoy the sharp jerky turns on this ride.

Jacob and Ty in front, and Ryan and Gavin in back on the mouse ride.

Ty, Sofia and Isabel on the tilt-a-whirl.

Jacob is at the far right, Gavin next to him, and Ryan next to him. This is the Samurai. PURE CRAZINESS!!!

Kaitlin done after her second ride on Wicked. Just chillin with her cup of water!! Isn't she pretty!

Isabel and her Aunt Kaitlin. Taking a break together.

Utah 2010 horses!!

2010-07-10T17:55:00.001-07:00

On Friday, July 2nd, Scott (cousin Amy's husband) was super good to us and brought out two horses for us to ride. The kids were super excited! It was so nice of him. Scott and Gavin took the kids out around the field quite a few times. I'm sure they had enough walking by the time we were done. They let us, the big kids take the horses out by ourselves. Wasn't sure that I would like that! I'm always nervous when the reins are handed off to me and I'm in control, or not in control!! But we all did well and had fun. Thanks Scott!!

Nathan, Isabel and Allie waiting for their next turn by playing in the back of the truck.

Isabel thinking she is strong...

Jeremy and Sofia

Utah 2010

2010-07-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

sparkler fun...

Jacob, Sofia, Ty, Isabel, Allie, Jack, Clara, and Ty. 2nd cousins

Me after a FUN 4-wheeler ride. Just a little dirty...

David, me, Gavin, Matt, Melissa, and Heather. We all went out on the 4-wheelers and found some great dirt roads. I rode with David and there were a 'few' moments when I did fear for my life! These guys are crazy! Totally fun.

More sitting around and talking. Amy, Scott, Heather and Ryan.

Jacob having a great time riding Ty's 4-wheeler.

my pedicure and Aunt Laurel's garden.

kids loved the hay bales.

Aunt Maxine and Amy at Maxine's beauty school in Logan.

Amy waiting for her turn...

Good times... Amy, Melissa, Kaitlin, Lisa, Aunt Vickie, and me.

We found a friendly horse across the street from where we were staying.

more card playing. Aunt Laurel, Amy, mom, Aunt Vickie, and Melissa.

and more card playing...Gavin, Kaitlin, me, Jeff, and Ryan.

smores!

more sitting around and talking. Amy, Melissa, Gavin, Aunt Vickie, Uncle Curtis, Ryan, Jeff, and Kaitlin.

watching the hay being baled from the driveway and our lawn chairs.

Isabel and Allie

Isabel

Isabel, Allie and Ty

riding the 4-wheeler.

teaching some kids to ride. Ty didn't need help, he is already a pro, but my own kids were able to learn. They had a blast.

Sofia

Jacob

cousin Gavin in his leathers ready for the youth trek they were about to go on.

my mom helping Aunt Laurel in the garden.

Me helping Aunt Laurel in the garden. I got to dig trenches and weed. Wasn't wearing shoes and kept being surprised by spiders.....ick!

Utah 2010 kids pics

2010-07-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

I gave the kids my camera a few times to help them keep entertained and busy. They came up with some interesting pictures. These are just a few...

Nathan

Clara

Isabel and Allie

view from basement steps to our card game at the kitchen table

pool balls

game is set, ready to play

about 10 pictures of the dolls in this chair.......

About 10 pictures of Nathan. Too cute.

The front yard and overflow parking.

a rain gutter?

the pretty house

The tire swing that has been around for ages. I have fond memories of swinging on this when I was little.

Utah 2010 shakes at Le Beau's

2010-07-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

These pictures were supposed to be in the previous post about Bear Lake, but I deleted them somehow and didn't want to start all over. As we were ordering shakes, it started raining. Not bad, but enough to try to take cover. We found the kids all together under the pick-up window. Too cute a picture to pass up, so I ran for the camera. The shakes were a perfect end to a great day at the lake.