The Hernandez Family

I've been hacked

2012-01-10T12:02:00.001-08:00

Please don't open any messages that were sent out by me without a subject. They were not from me! So sorry.

2012-01-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

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It's been so long~!

2009-12-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

Since my last post there has been so much. I am not sure I can possibly remember all that has happened in the last 5 months. In August we move to Tangier. A new city about an hour away from Tetouan. It was a very hard move on all of us. But now, I can say that we are adjusted and growing to like our new city more and more. We have made a lot more friends here and feel like it's a good fit for the most part for us. The boys started in the new school and that went a lot smoother than last year! They have made friends quickly and they are talking so much Spanish! It's neat to hear them talk.

Dom and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We were blessed with a trip to Paris and Rome. It was awesome, no words to describe it. We needed the break away and enjoyed every minute of it. A good friend stayed with the boys and they were well taken care of. It had been so long since we had been out of the country and it was nice to just get away and be refreshed a bit. It was nice eating new food, seeing new things, being around more English, more familiarity, it was just plain good! We loved it and are thankful that we were able to do it!

We are getting ready for Christmas. I have decorated the house as much as I can to have it feel like Christmas time. We have two fake trees, more like Charlie Brown trees, but they work. I miss the smell of a real tree. It's hard this time of year, missing all of our family and friends. It's not the same, but we are making it work.

I hope I do a better job at updating this. I will try. ;-)

Summer, summer, summertime...

2009-06-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful to live where we do on days like today. We live in a complex near the beach and in the summertime it fills up with families. The boys have been swimming like crazy, everday, all day! They get out once in awhile to play tag or futbol (soccer) with their new found friends. There are about 10 other boys now living in the complex that the boys get to play with and have fun with. I am so thankful that they went to school this year and have learned to adapt to new language and new culture. It is such a joy to our ears hearing them running around with their new found friends and speaking 3 different languages; Spanish, Arabic, and ofcourse, English! It's pretty cool.

Evan being silly!

DJ and Evan

Mr. Jules...He LOVES the water!

DJ, going in backwards! The boys are doing flips and diving like crazy!

I'm 30!

2009-06-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I turned 30! I actually turned 30 before Julian, but am just now getting it posted! LOL...On my actual day, the boys made a cake for me and treated me super great! Then for the weekend, Dom took me away for a little gettaway. It was so needed. It was the first time we got to get away alone in over a year and a half. It was so nice! They say the 30's are great, I am looking forward to them! I hope to grow closer to the Lord and become a better woman, mother and wife!

Julian is 4!!!

2009-06-25T03:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my baby boy, Julian! He isn't so much my baby anymore, he is quite big! I cannot believe he is 4 years old sometimes! It blows my mind how fast time has gone.
For his last day of school, we took some cupcakes and celebrated with his class. They were very glad to have homemade cupcakes!!! Then the next day for his actual birthday, we just kind of chilled at home. We had a really nice mellow time with him. We took him to our traditional birthday spot for dinner, McDonalds, and then went home and watched a movie. It was nice and he had a great time. Isn't he soooo cute!!!??? ;0)

Getting birthday kisses from all his classmates, one by one :0) it was sweet. They sang "Happy Birthday" in 3 different languages; Arabic, Spanish and English. They were dying to eat!

Look out, he means business with his goggles and new water guns. This is my attempt at a football cake, only the white part was melting quickly and spreading out. Ugh...

McDonalds, Baby! Such a treat for them!

Last Day of School pic's...

2009-06-25T03:12:00.000-07:00

Julian and his teacher, Miss Sonia. She loved him and he really liked her too!!!

Evan and his teacher. She was...ok. Liked to yell a lot, but for the most part did well with him.

DJ, with his teacher, Miss Angustias. She was a great teacher and it was nice because she spoke a little English and that helped him to learn so much!!!

Already a ladies man...;0)! They play a kind of cops and robber game on recess, boys against girls...well all the girls seemed to go after DJ!

We finished the school year!

2009-06-25T03:10:00.001-07:00

My boys are truly wonderful boys! I am so blessed to have been given them and to watch them learn and grow. We started out two years ago homeschooling the boys in preparation for our move to Morocco. I was pretty certain when we came here that I would be homeschooling them. I brought all the materials with me that I would need. (It took up most of the weight in our luggage, man the things I could have brought had I known ;) ) But, after getting here and seeing things a bit more clearly and God totally opening up my heart to a different option for them we pursed putting them into the Spanish school in our city.

What a journey it has been since those first days of registration, nerves of mine on edge because it was hard enough for me to understand and communicate and we were about to drop our 3 young boys into an environment that we really didn't know too much about and that they couldn't communicate in at all. Everyone told us that they would get it and learn because they are young and their minds are small. I was still nervous. We went through a few months of a lot of tears, not just theirs :0) , and decided we would stick it out until the end of the year, that we would push through and do whatever it took to help them become successful. That meant at first spending about 3 hours a night with DJ doing homework and talking to the boys when we could with the Spanish we knew. We had to teach the boys what to say when someone would bother them, was fighting with them, or teasing them. We had meeting after meeting with their teachers and now, THEY FINISHED!!!

We now officially ended the school year. They did it! We did it! I am so very proud of my three boys. They are such troopers. They are so brave. They have courage that inspires me. They are my little warriors. I am thankful that God put such amazing little hearts in my hands. They have taught me a lot! Despite all the challenges, frustrations, anxiety and learning curve, they did it!!!

DJ has grown so much this year. He by far had the most challenges to overcome. He was going into the second grade. Most kids his age are all in third grade, but I pushed hard to let him go into second grade because of his birthday and how it falls in the States, he would be in second. By the States standards, I thought he was doing great and right on track for entering the second grade in a Spanish school. After day two, I realized just how far behind we were compared to what I thought. I am proud to say that after literally hours of studying, working hard, having to redo papers, my son has successfully finished the second grade and had a GREAT report card! I am SO proud of him! He learned to write in small cursive handwriting, knows all of his multiplication tables, can read, write and talk in Spanish. He knows all the right accent marks and how to pronounce things correctly. He is helping me even! He has worked his little booty off this year and he has done amazing. He made a ton of friends and even got to play basketball. I think that was the highlight of the year for him. Also, on top of learning all of that, he has managed to learn some Arabic and really enjoys it. He can write it, and also has begun reading it! Amazing!!!

Evan had been so brave this year. His personality is so different than DJ's and he struggled a lot in the beginning. The way he dealt with his frustration of no understanding the language or what was going on was to act up. We had a lot of working with him to do. Kids are not always nice, teachers here act way different than they would in the States, and we just had to push through and teach him what to say and what to do when he got in those situations when he wanted to act up. He improved a lot over the course of the year. He has done amazingly well. He went from not knowing anything to understanding and knowing a lot. His teacher is amazed at how well he does in mathematics! She actually sent him out of class a couple of times to do math with the first grade class. He is bright in that area and really likes it. He is shy about speaking Spanish around people who can speak English, but when we listen from a distance while he is talking to his teachers or friends, he just goes and goes! It is quite impressive what he has learned. Today we got his report card and he improved A TON from the first trimester, which consisted of mostly C's. This time, he got mostly all A's and worked really hard for being only 5 years old when he started! He will soon be reading too! I am so proud of his brave little heart. He really had a rough few months and we were ready to pull him out, but he pulled through and really enjoyed going towards the end. His teacher told us he is a very intelligent little boy. We knew that, but it was good to hear!!! He will be moving to first grade next year! He has grown so much this year!

Julian. Wow. He had done so great this year. When we moved here to Morocco, he hated to leave me and had major separation anxiety. It was hard to even go on a date with Dom and have someone watch him and then we moved here and for the first few months of being here all he was around was me all the time. We would go to friends' homes and he wouldn't leave my side even when all the other kids were playing in a different room. The first couple of weeks at school were heart wrenching watching him go into school with huge tears in his eyes and not really being able to comfort him until he got home. I mean, he was 3, that is when all the kids here start school. It was tough, but we continued and really thank God for his teacher. She was really great with him and worked really hard at helping him to adjust and feel safe. Within a few months he was waving goodbyes to us and even woke up ready to go to school. He got used to it slowly but surely and he has done amazing. He speaks Spanish really good and understands almost everything. There are now even some words that he knows in Spanish that he doesn't totally know in English! He learned all his colors, numbers, shapes, letters, and many songs this year in Spanish. He is also doing really well in Arabic. And speaks all three languages sometimes! It is cute. He is so awesome and his teacher was so impressed and happy with how well he did this year. He had an amazing report card as well that showed major improvement from the first trimester!

So, that was long, but I am really truly so proud of these three boys! They not only finished a year of school, but they did it in a completely different country, different culture, and a different language without ever complaining or wishing they were somewhere else. They are such incredible boys and I love them so much!

DJ's end of the year field trip!

2009-06-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

For his last field trip, DJ got to go to a really cool water park! It's called Smir park and it has a couple of huge pools, water slides, and a really cool kiddie playground area in the water! The entire first and second grade classes went and he totally had a blast! What a way to finish the year out! I am so proud of this little guy! It was a much deserved trip for him. He has worked so hard this year. He learned a new language, a new culture, how to write in cursive, his times tables and everything in between all while learning a new language and making new friends! He is such a trooper! I am glad he was able to go to the water park and have some fun with his classmates!

Today's thoughts.

2009-06-09T01:58:00.000-07:00

"Will I believe you when you say, your hand will guide my every way? Will I only see the words you say every moment of every day? Well, I will walk by faith, even when I cannot see. Well because this broken road prepares your will for me. Help me to end my endless fears. You've been so faithful for all my years. With one breath you make me new Your grace covers all I do..well I will walk my faith even when I cannot see. I am broken, but I still see your face, well you've spoken pouring your words of grace. " Jeremy Camp, Walk By Faith

This song really touched me yesterday as I went for my morning jog and I have had it in my head ever since. I thought I would share it. I am constantly learning what it means to walk by faith and am really trying to learn and live what walking by faith means. It is a hard thing to do when your mind tends to go to worry and fear rather than faith. The bottom line is HE has me in his hands, He knows my desires, my fears, my struggles. He has given me much grace. My challenge is to walk by faith in every moment, even when I cannot see, and to trust the Lord in my life no matter what happens, what comes my way, how little or how much we have, how much has changed or is changing. We have God and that is what keeps me moving forward on this journey. He sustains me, He guides us, His grace is a mystery to me, and his faithfulness is overwhelming at times! So undeserving. He is so good!

Evan is fearless...

2009-06-07T03:59:00.001-07:00

So we have had a couple of incidents here with Evan and his lack of fear. It is either his lack of fear or his desire to test everything that mom says. If I say it is dangerous, he wants to know why and usually won't believe me until he tests it himself. The other evening he decided to climb a tree in the back area of our complex, well, he didn't just go up a little ways, he went to the top. Dom was out there and decided to snap some pictures as he guided him back down. He hasn't done it since though! He must have figured out that mom was right and there must have been some fear entering him a little as he had to figure out how to climb back down.

Can you see him hiding in the leaves???? LOL Thank you Lord for keeping him safe. Boys will be boys!

Family night and weekend.

2009-06-07T03:10:00.000-07:00

I just absolutely love family nights! They are just a little piece of heaven. We normally do it on Friday nights, but this week we had to do it on Saturday night instead. Friday night was spent at a meeting for one of our friends to support him and his business. So we chose to do it Saturday evening. We spent the day down in Tanger at a little basketball tournament that DJ was in with his classmates. It was so cool to see him out there with his friends and playing so hard. He did his best and is really learning. We just wish there were more opportunities out there for them to practice more and play more. There aren't many or any good public hoop places. At least he is learning with his friends and Dom. Dom helped coach the team and the kids all enjoyed the day.

After the games, we went to lunch with some friends and then drove back home for dinner and family movie night! It started out looking like it was going to be a lame evening just because the kids were so tired and whiny as I was getting dinner together. But, once the movie got started the whole mood in the house changed, the boys and us all snuggled together and we watched the movie. The best part is just sitting there being together and then when there are funny parts in the movie, hearing the boys cracking up, especially Julian! He seems to be so small to me to get really funny things, but when he does and cracks up, it just touches my heart. Also hearing DJ and Evan enjoying our time together was awesome, it was so great!

Now today, DJ and Evan woke up with fevers and not feeling well. I woke up fine but now am struggling with a nasty tummy ache and Julian is kind of grumpy...poor Dom! Hopefully we will be better by tomorrow!

Challenges.

2009-06-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

There are great days and then there are rough days when you live overseas. Today was one of those days that was just rough. There isn't any real explanation, it just was. My attitude started last night and continued throughout today. Gosh, I want a fridge that doesn't drip water because the freezer doesn't work and is just filling with frost, I want a washer that works and doesn't take 3 cycles to get the soap out, I want things to go smoothly... I want, I want, I want...all what I cannot have right now! It is humbly and very stretching but also so good for me. In the midst of thinking about those things, I have to stop and be so thankful that at least I have those things to use and that our life here is overall pretty simple. A lot of the people here live very hard lives and work hard for everything they do. (have to handwash everything, no fridge, etc.) Really, at the end of the day I have nothing to complain about. HE has been so good to us thus far! I am blessed with a wonderful family! Today was just a challenge and need to get the right perspective! Just keeping it real!

The latest.

2009-06-01T02:21:00.001-07:00

Well, It's June 1st. I can hardly believe how fast time is going by. We have 23 more days left of school and then are off for summer break. I am sooooo ready for the break. This month is going to be nice because the boys will be going from 8-1 instead of 8-12, home, then back from 2:30-4:15. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time in the car when the siesta is in effect! But this month I will be able to breath a little. The boys are doing so incredibly well in school. It is quite impressive at times. Both Evan and DJ are one of the best students in their classes with mathematics and they are speaking and learning so much Spanish. DJ is also learning and reading a little bit of Arabic too. They are able to hold their own with their friends and are gaining more understanding everyday. It shocks me at times when I hear them playing with their friends and how much they know. Julian is a little ball of fire. He has grown so much this year, going from a clingy 3 year old who wouldn't leave my side, to being excited to go and be with his friends. His teacher has been great this year and he is understanding A LOT of Spanish. It is really awesome to see the boys thriving. We were really worried at the beginning of the year, because it was so difficult, but we have pushed through and so glad we did. It is paying off for them and they are adjusting so much better to life here.

So, we may be having to move again. We aren't certain, but it is looking that way. Dom's office moved to Tanger and they are wanting him out there. It is about an hour and a half drive and he does it now at least 3 days a week. We have tried to get the kids into the Spanish school there, but it is a lot more competitive. We had to be interviewed, the boys had tests that lasted an hour and a half and we had to turn in a bunch of paperwork. We should find out this week if they are accepted in or not. Once we know, we will begin the house hunting. If they don't get accepted, it is likely we will stay where we are at and keep them in the school they currently go to. It's a lot of unknowns, but that seems to be how life is since moving here! There are pros and cons to both options so we are just praying that God would open the right thing and know what is best for the boys so we can make the right decisions we need to make.

My highlight, since we are unable to come home this summer for a visit (sigh) is that a friend of ours is coming and bringing her son with her (YAY). Her son and the boys are really good friends so it is going to be a blessing for them to have a familiar friend and such a blessing for me to have a girlfriend to hangout with! It will be a breath of fresh air for us and we are so excited about it. She is coming in August and we can hardly wait!!!

Business, well is business. It has it's highs and lows for Dom, but since he has taken all the management responsibilities there is a lot more on his shoulders. The company is still fragile and the economy and everything is still effecting things, but all in all, it is good and Dom is learning a ton.

Me, well I am doing well. I go in and out of lonely spells, wishing I had something and someone familiar nearby but I am so thankful for the internet and Skype. It is such a blessing having those things and makes me feel somewhat connected to family and friends. My latest focus is my health. I am trying really hard to lose the weight I have put on over all these years. Since January, I have lost about 15 pounds and have another 30-40 to go. It is a slow process and gets discouraging at times, but I am super motivated and trying really hard to do it. I have been working out again and it feels so good. Once we know were we are going to live, either here or there, I will then start taking language lessons and focus more on learning the language. But for now, I am thankful for the time I get to workout a bit and focus on my health. I feel so much better!

Well, that's it for now. I will let you all know when and if we get accepted into the other school and what our plans are next!

Saturdays.

2009-05-09T03:46:00.000-07:00

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It is so nice being home on the weekends. The rush of the week is done, we can sleep in, watch movies, play outside, have fun and enjoy our time together as a family. Saturdays and Sundays are much needed in our home!

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Evan is 6!!!

2009-05-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

Evan turned 6.

I can hardly believe that my little boy has grown so fast! We had a nice time. It was different, but we had a great time. Instead of the typical big party that I am used to throwing we just hung out as a family and enjoyed the day. I didn't even bake a cake, shame on me! I am trying to get over that, I have never not had a cake!

The morning started out by Evan waking up and not even noticing the presents that we put out for him. So, we covered his eyes did a count down and sang him happy birthday before revealing his bike and other gifts! He was so happy. Dom had to go to work for a little bit and when her returned we took off to go bowling and ended up spending the rest of the evening in Tanger. Evan didn't want to wait for his papa to get back before riding his bike so I took him outside and it took him like only 2 times of me holding the back to figure it out and he was off and riding! He is just so cool!

So, that's 2 birthdays that Evan has celebrated abroad. It is kind of a weird feeling for me now that we are starting to go the second time around celebrating birthdays and the holidays. It makes me miss family and friends and brings me to the reality that we are really living overseas. Anyways, we had a great birthday, and instead of the cake, he got his own huge ice cream sundae.

2009-03-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

Julian racing the other boys. He wasn't able to ride the quads, so he got to ride these. He had fun and we loved watching him!!!

DJ and Evan racing....

2009-03-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Evan was determined to win. He loves games, racing, and winning. The boys had a lot of fun and it was fun watching them!

More pictures from our day, celebrating one year being here!

2009-03-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

More pictures from our fun family day! Our little one year celebration!

We've made it a year!

2009-03-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

Julian riding the big boy motorcycle!

We have survived our first year here in Morocco. Not only have we just survived, but in many ways we have thrived. It has been a good year. There have been many ups and many downs. We have grown, we have changed, we have matured, we have been stretched, we have learned so much and continue to learn, we have faced trials, we have made mistakes, we have seen the Lord provide for us in amazing ways, and our family is closer than it ever has been. Our boys, are amazing little warriors. They are learning so much. They have faced so many chages over this last year, they have had to say so many goodbyes that have been a little heart breaking. But, inspite of it all, they are doing well in school, learning the language and making their own little friends here. We are still trying to figure many things out and there is still much to learn, but we have made it to our 1 year mark. We don't know exactly what the future holds for us. We just know that for right now, we are were He wants us. The business that Dom works for has undergone a lot of change as well. It isn't doing the best and really if sales stop we could be facing it shutting down completely. We are pushing through, Dom is working really hard and if it does close, well, we knew we didn't go down without a fight. And, if the Lord chooses to keep it going, then we will continue to live life here. We don't know what is to come, but this past year, has truly been a blessing from the Lord. He has really been close to our hearts and drawn us nearer to Him.

"The passed is history. The future is a mystery. All we have now is the present; and that is why they call it a gift."-Kungfu Panda ;)

We are thankful for each day we have here. It is an adventure that is not always easy. We miss family and friends more than we can describe. But we are thankful for this time. Yesterday we took the boys into Tangier and spent the afternoon playing at an amusement type park. It was kind of like a little anniversary treat for us all making it to the one year mark. It was the first time we got to do something like that, and they had a blast. We love it and we're thankful we were able to do it. Here are some pictures of our day. We had so much fun!

We've been under the weather...

2009-02-06T03:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a very cold and rainy month. It reminds me so much of the Northwest! Most days have a glimmer of sun but that is about it. The fields are flooded with water. It is the most rain they have seen in quite some time from what I have heard. We have all seemed to catch some kind of bug that has been hard to get rid of. We have all had fevers, terrible coughs, and yucky noses. The kids haven't been to school this week and I am recovering, but the cough won't seem to go away. Hopefully soon.

We are almost to our one year mark. March 6Th will be the exact date of when we left Portland. So much has happened this year. There have been many highs and many lows and we have grown so much. It has been a good year. I will be working on my one year update to post on here soon, we are one month away from it, and boy has it gone fast! This journey has been amazing. It is so hard being away from family and friends, but I am so thankful that with today's technology it makes it easier to keep in touch!!!

Some Pictures from our trip...

2009-01-06T02:56:00.001-08:00

2009-01-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Christmas. It wasn't the same, but it was nice. We decided to treat the boys to a special night of Mcee D's for Christmas Eve! They loved it! We had no where else to go, so that was their special night. Christmas Day we had some friends get together and did a nice Christmas dinner that consisted of WAY to much food. We had a good time though. It was actually kind of relaxing not having to do the run around from place to place that we are normally used to. I wasn't able to cook/bake ALL the holiday goodies that I am used to, but we managed to make a few. I decorated the house as much as I could. Thanks mom for all the little decoations you sent. We used everything and it gave it all the more "Christmassy feeling."

The day after Christmas we embarked on our first outing as a family out of the country, to mainland Spain. Our three month tourist visa was up, so we had to leave. (We are currently just a couple of weeks away from getting residency though, and that will make things much easier for us.) We had a really great time. We were blessed to be able to stay in an apartment that a friend of ours owns. We traveled up to Malaga, got to go to an aquarium, eat lots of "american" type foods, see a huge mega mall, and lots of other little things. The highlight of our trip though was going to Gibraltar. We visited there and spent New Years Eve there. It was a blast. We had monkeys climb on our backs! It was aweseome, the boys loved it and we got to see fireworks, like the fourth of July fly overhead. We even had a huge ball of fire fall out of the sky and land literally about 10 feet from us! That was a bit scary, but we were ok, no one was hurt thankfully!

Now, we are just trying to get back into some routine. With the New Year comes new goals, new dreams, new challenges, but we feel that we are ready to face them! It will be a great year! I turn 30! Wooohooo! and It's our 10 year anniversary! So, we are hoping and praying that 2009 will be an awesome year for our family.

Programa Navidad

2008-12-19T09:25:00.001-08:00

Ahh, we are now officially on Christmas break! I am so looking forward to being able to sleep in a little bit more and not hit every morning with a rush. Yesterday they had a little performance at the school with each of the boys' classes. It was a mixture of cuteness and chaos! Julian was enjoying it at first, but then got stage fright or something and got a little scared looking. When Evan's class walked up on stage a teacher grabbed Evan's arm to place him in the right spot and that made him mad, so he stood up there upset during the whole song! DJ did great! He knew the song and the motions and was able to participate, but he was standing in the back and we could hardly see him. Each grade sang a song and then went and sat down. It was ok, but by the end the kids were getting bored and wanted to go home since Mama and Papa were there, but they had to wait with their class.

We are looking forward to some down time. It gets pretty hard on me going back and forth to the school 3 times a day (Dom takes them in the morning, otherwise it would be 4). The boys are really excited too. We got some Christmas decorations up and a couple of presents under the tree so it is beginning to feel a little like Christmas here. We sure miss everyone and it is especially hard this time of year! But, we are creating new memories and learning how to keep traditions alive on the other side of the world!

Missing a piece of home...

2008-12-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up to the rush of the day. Getting kids dressed, fed, ironing hubbies clothes, all in about a half hour time span. I was grumpy, kids were grumpy and now I sit here emotional in a quiet empty house listening to the rain outside after looking through all the updated pictures on Facebook. I should be spending time with the Lord and I will after posting but just wanted to say how very much I am missing family and friends. I think being away for so long you really realize that life continues on even if you are not there. Like in some magical way only my kids are growing and everyone else is staying the same...(NOT) Seeing photos of kids growing, families celebrating holidays together, puts me back in reality. We are here, they(you) are there. Seeing my nephews and nieces growing without us there leaves quite an ache in my heart at times. I shouldn't have looked at the pictures this morning, but I did. With how the day started, well it has just made me even more teary eyed. It is amazing the wave of emotions that you experience when you live overseas. It is something I am still learning how to adjust to and some days are much better than others. Today is one of those days and I suppose I will get through it, but it is so very hard. I am missing PEOPLE, not things...just family and friends! Missing creating memories with my nephews, being able to talk daily to my sister, hearing my kiddos run into the arms of their grandma, driving to a friends house...seeing people who are familiar.

The bottom line is that life is a journey with many crossroads and paths and today even though it is difficult I choose to cross the path of thankfulness and not fear. I choose to walk down the path that says I am thankful that I have so many wonderful people in my life TOO miss, thankful that HE has given me wonderful friends, and thankful that He has called us here, thankful that we have a job, thankful for the Internet which makes it easy to connect with people. It could be much worse, and I am grateful.

He answers even the smallest prayers!

2008-11-25T05:24:00.000-08:00

So, one of my frequent prayer requests while driving around is, "Lord, PLEASE help me find a parking spot." You see traffic here, is kind of like the traffic you would experience in down town Portland, but without much order, people everyone, crossing anywhere they would like, not just the cross walks, and lots and lots of honking. In most areas there is kind of like a security guard guy that helps direct the traffic, help cars to fit through really tight places, and may even watch your car for a couple of dirhams. So, today, after driving 3 times in a big circle to try to find a parking place in front of the boys' school I realized I hadn't prayed my prayer and so I did! Low and behold, the guy that helps with the traffic told me to go around one more time and he would help me. There was NO where to park. So, I said ok and tried again. Well, he saw a car leave, held the spot for me and guided me so I could park the car. It did entail driving in reverse for about a block...but I did it without hitting anyone and I got a great parking spot! HA-HA-HA!!! It normally isn't a huge deal because I would just park in front of the school where you really aren't supposed to, put the hazards on, and go and get the boys, but today I had a meeting with DJ's teacher and would be there longer! Oh, He is just so good!!! It really helped me with the stress of it all!

Sardines Anyone???

2008-11-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

The longer we are here, the more we get to learn and experience life here. A lot of the learning process includes friends taking us around so we can learn where to go and what to do and basically just how to get around. Well, today we got to go to the port and eat with our friends. The sardines that the fishermen just caugth are brought in and grilled for the customers. We picked out which place seemed to have the freshest catch in and waited for them to be cooked and ate lunch right there at the port! It was fun and a great experience for the boys. Evan seemed to enjoying the "picking" at the fish rather than eating it! He was thrilled with picking out the eyes! Yuck! Our hands stink, but the experience was great!

So, I am trying to start posting again...

2008-11-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

We are doing well. It has been a little over 8 months since we have been here in Morocco. We have two blog pages started, but I like blog spot a little better for some reason and I have finally figured out how to sign in and get the language setting back to English and not French!!! I have to admit, I have gotten quite caught up in Facebook and do a much better job at updating in there, but to those of you who don't have a Facebook account I suppose I should write in here more!

Everyday seems to come with a new set of emotions. Some days are GREAT and some days are really DIFFICULT! But overall, we are really enjoying life here and the journey that we are on. We are growing in ways we never dreamed and being stretched beyond belief at times, but we are thankful because it is all a part of the process that God has us on. He is shaping and molding us and hopefully in the process, we are becoming better people because of it.

The boys are doing good. They got their first hair cuts today by a Moroccan. I usually do it, but I take way to long and just didn't feel like doing it. So for about $1.50 each, all the boys got their hair cut and they all look so handsome. Evan wants to grow his hair out to look like Anakin Skywalker....hmmm...I am trying to convince him otherwise ;) we will see how I do!
Julian has been climbing into our bed every night and it makes for a pretty rough sleep. A couple of nights ago he fell off of our bed. I was trying to let Dom at least get a nice sleep so I put myself in the middle, and somehow he rolled off and landed straight on his nose. Not fun at 4:00am!
DJ is growing so tall. He is doing well, but definitely has his rough days of missing his friends and family from "home."

So, for now, that is my little update as I try to figure this out again! I will try to add to it more!

MOVING DAY!!!

2008-02-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it! Yesterday we moved everything out of this house! (well, with the exception of some of my clothes, packed bags to take with us, this computer, and cleaning supplies!) But we did it! Thankfully, my prayers were answered and we got a rain free day to move our stuff and there were even a few sun breaks! It was a beautiful day. I couldn't have done it alone! Thank you Mom and Zeno for your amazing help and for getting the Uhaul for us! Jeff, you don't know how much your and Tim's help blessed me. I am grateful to you and Joanne for letting us store so much at your place and for your help in getting it to your place. And finally, Dave, thank you so much for driving all the way from Molalla to come help out your sister in law! It was truly a blessing having you there to help as well and to help unload all the stuff at my mom's.

Daily I am amazed at His faithfulness and goodness to the boys and I while Dominic is gone. We have had so much help and support and everything has gone pretty smoothly. I feel so blessed and am so thankful for the Lord's goodness! He is AWESOME!!!

As I drove away from our home, I must confess I did shed a few tears! This home has been such a blessing to us and even more than that, this neighborhood is irreplaceable! More than the house itself, which is beautiful and we've poured a lot of hard work into it, I am going to miss our neighbors the most. They have truly become life long friends. I am glad to say that when I shut the door one last time to this house, I have so many wonderful memories that I get to take with me and will hold close in my heart. There have been so many good times here that I treasure.

So for now, goodbye house! Goodbye neighbors! Thank you for all of the great times and the memories!

The boys at class!

2008-02-09T16:36:00.000-08:00

Tuesday and Thursday nights we take a break from moving, packing, cleaning, etc. and the boys go to their Martial Arts class. They seem to really like it and enjoy the break from all of the chaos. Julian wants to be a part of it so bad, but he is too young. He likes to stand on the side of the mat and do the moves and yell with everyone else (something he has perfected quite well :) )

The boys are getting excercise and learning a lot through this class. I am glad that we were able to sign them up for a couple of months!

A successful garage sale!

2008-02-05T11:02:00.001-08:00

We are moving steadily along. I had a great weekend and despite the very cold weather we managed to have a very good garage sale. I sold most all of our big items, a ton of small items, and everything else got taken away! I had so much help. It was truly wonderful and God continues to show me His faithfulness. On Friday, Kaaren and my neighbor Lauren came and helped all day during the garage sale. That allowed me to go through the house and grab more things that I thought I could get rid of. The boys stayed the night at Grandma's house so I was able to get A LOT done! Then, on Saturday, Lauren came and literally stayed all day. I cannot even begin to tell you the blessing it was to me. I got so much done in the house, the rooms cleared out, packing, organizing, etc. 8 months pregnant, and she took on the cold to help a friend out! Lauren, I am forever grateful for your help!!! Cheri and Kyra also came to help Saturday morning and that was such a blessing as well. Cheri, thank you for the coffee!!! It made my day. Then, another neighbor came and took everything that was left over in the garage. Literally everything. She works with an orphanage in the Ukraine and is always doing fundraising and stuff for them. She also sends a huge container of goods to the orphanage. So, she blessed me so much because it saved me a trip to Goodwill on my own with all of that stuff, and we were able to be a blessing to her by giving her all of the left overs. All I had to do was help load some of it in the car for her. Wow!!! He is so faithful to us!!!

Now, the house is pretty empty and we are staying at my mom's house. It feels much more like home than our empty, echoey house. We are so much closer to leaving. I can hardly believe it. My boys have been incredible troopers through the process. It is so hard on them to see everything changing and wondering where papa is, but they are doing ok. We miss papa so much. Julian runs around the house at night saying, "Where's my Papa, I want to see my Papa." It is so sweet, but also puts an ache in all of our hearts! We miss you and love you more than you know papa!!!

An orange shovel...

2008-01-31T22:27:00.001-08:00

Who ever knew that an orange shovel would mean so much to a 7 year old boy? Well, I learned just how hard it could be. As we are preparing to leave and getting rid of an enormous ammount of "stuff," I take for granted the little things that mean so much to my children. I get on drive mode and go. Well, yesterday I was getting rid of some yard supplies and put them in the car to deliver them to our friends. DJ, our oldest said, "Mom, you can't get rid of the orange shovel." I asked him why not... His response, "Everytime I see it, it reminds me of Papa and the time I helped him shovel out dirt from the trailer and if you get rid of it, I won't have anything to remind me of him." So, then I was faced with what to do... Do I keep it so he can look at it every once in a blue moon, or do I create a diversion and when he isn't looking toss it really quick, or do I use it to teach a life lesson...? I chose to use it to his benefit and told him that it is only an "item" and with Papa and other people in our life it is a "relationship" and what is the most important thing? Our relationships with the people around us. So, he parted with the shovel and said good bye to it. He seemed relieved to learn that simple lesson. Then he asked Amy, "Hey, when we come back, can we get the orange shovel?" It was incredibly sweet and something I will remember for a long time.

So often we find those "things" in our lives to have such a siginificance and an importance to us, but when we truly sit back and look at our life, it is the relationships that mean the most. Everything else can fade away, but friendships last a lifetime!!! I am learning that as I prepare to get rid of many of my personal things from home. Things that I too am having to say good bye to, and through the process it is helping me to realize the significance and the importance of the friends and family in my life! What a blessing!

5 bags packed!

2008-01-29T22:44:00.000-08:00

So, it has been a very long week. Lots of sorting, going through things, deciding what to keep, to take with us, and to just get rid of. 8 years worth of stuff and 3 little boys to go through takes quite a lot of work. Most of the house is empty. All of our cabinets in the kitchen, the downstairs and kids' bathroom are empty. Our bedroom has turned into the catch all for all the things I would like to take with us. However, looking at the huge pile of "stuff" I am realizing I am going to have to go through it all again and decide what I "need" to take and maybe put aside some of the stuff I "want" to take.

It is a stretching process, but it is so good! God has been so faithful to us. He has blessed us with an incredible support of people around us. Sunday, my dear neighbor, (a.k.a. surrogate grandmother to the boys) Liz, brought us a delicious dinner. On Monday my other neighbors, James and Lauren invited the boys and I over for Pizza, and today, my other neighbor behind us (our occasional babysitter), came and played with the boys and helped me to sort through all of the stuff in our garage that we are getting ready for our garage sale this weekend. Tomorrow, my dear friend Amy will be coming to help and then on Thursday my other great friend Melanie is going to help. Wow!!! Isn't it amazing! I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. God is so good and I couldn't do it without all the wonderful help. Thank you everyone!

I have 5 bags packed and ready to go so far! 2 more weeks and we will be out of this house. (We have renters moving in on the 16Th of February.) The boys and I will go and stay with my mom for a bit and then go down to my lovely sisters home and spend a week with her family. I am so looking forward to spending time with her and my nephews! Then my love comes to get me! What a journey! I am so ready to be with him and miss him so much!

Trying to upload photos...

2008-01-27T00:07:00.001-08:00

Age 2
Age 7
Age 4

Ok...I am not sure I figured out how to post pictures yet... I will try again.

Setting up the Blog!

2008-01-26T23:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I have finally done it, I think. I got our blog set up to keep our family and friends up to date on what is going on with the Hernandez family. Dom is busy getting things established overseas and I am getting everything packed up and ready to go for when he returns.

Thanks a million to our dear family. Mom, thank you for coming and working so hard today to help me get packed. David and Kelly, thank you guys for coming twice this week to help in any way you can. You guys have been an amazing help. Thank you Jesse for coming to help move things after a long hard day at work. Thank you also to the Shengs for taking the boys today and for Jerry and Sharon for taking them yesterday. There are no words to express my gratitude. You have been a huge blessing to us.

Here are some pictures of our kiddos...If I can figure out how to upload them ;)!!!