Ouch!

Yesterday morning Christian woke up and showed me that he had gotten bit by some random bug. Of course, I get neurotic about stuff like that being in the bedding so I tore the sheets apart, threw out (in the trash) all the pillows in the bed and sanitized everything. I didn't see any bug. I applied Benadryl cream and gave him Zyrtec. I was serving in the nursery so I felt we had to attend and I checked on him before going to church. After church he was quite itchy and applied more cream. We went to lunch and after heading home I took another look at it. It considerable more swollen and red. I called the nurse through Blue Cross and she told me to go to the ER. I took him to Memorial Herman and two doctors examined him concluding it was an allergic reaction to a bug bite. The bites were on his penis which had urological implications so they advised me if any changes to the area occurred to head straight to TX Children's to see a pediatric urologist. Albert came home from work and began checking him every two hours. At 9pm the area was blue. Immediately we knew something was wrong with the blood flow to the area. We called Grandma and she came to stay with the little ones and Al called his friend Brian and sent an email asking others for prayer. I called Cindy and Carrie even though it was late so that they would pray for the situation. I was quite fearful at the time. Cindy prayed specifically for the Lord to reverse what had been done. When the doctor examined him the blue color was completely gone. The swelling and itchiness remained but they treated him with a steroid shot and tons of Benadryl and Zyrtec. We brought him home at 5am and he finally got to sleep. This morning in my reflection on all that the Lord had done in the last 24 hours, He gave me a vision of Him being the Great Physician or the Great Surgeon. He heard our prayers , stepped in like a surgeon to do the part He was an expert in (sudden healing) and left the rest to the medical personnel. And that's just what He did! He chose to heal the part that was damaged by lack of blood flow and left the itchiness and swelling to be treated with medication. Christian gave us some memorable moments yesterday. When one doctor sympathetically said 'I bet everyone has looked at it today' (referring to his penis), he replied no not everyone in the logical Christian manner like that is impossible why would you say that. When he got the steroid shot he didn't cry. The drama that pursued was quite entertaining though. He held up the leg with the shot in it and said oohhhh, aaawwww (like he was in labor) at least 20 times with eyes bulging and loudly. The doctor came back in and was witness to it. He got a kick out of the theatrics. Albert and I just tried to keep from laughing. He was too cute! He talked us into to taking him to IHOP at 3am stating that if he stayed a wake we had to take him. While waiting for our food, he asked if the day was over and wished it had not been. Albert and I have been reading Job together this past week. It was on schedule from our Bible calendar. The verses that I chose to mediate on were Job 13:15 "though He slay me, I will hope in Him," and Job 2: 10 "shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" I am thankful that the Lord showed us what He is doing in Christian's heart and mind at such a young age. Praise Him! Please continue to pray for him to be free of infection while the area continues to heal. Thanks for praying!!

Family of the Month

This morning the kids and I headed over to the Medema's to meet our Sunday School class. Lindsey, Sarah, and Hannah watched all the kids for us at the Medema's. We caravaned to Conroe to Pete Peek's house. Laura and Brandon Powell, Cindy and Guy Medema, Lisa and Brett Farley, JoAnna and Chris Jones, Wayne Holder, Cassie Reed and me all pitched in and cleaned and organized his house. The entire kitchen, bathrooms, windows, were cleaned. His cords to the TV were untangled and sorted. The music from his laptop was downloaded to his IPOD. The cat hair was removed from his furniture and his pantry was alphabetized. We were done by 11:30am. We were all blessed!

Visit to Livingston

Friday we drove up to Livingston to visit Elkin, Chad and the kids. We were blessed to get to see Krissy, Chase, Katelyn, and Tyler. They treated us to pizza at CiCi's in town and then they took us to the pool in their neighborhood. I even got in! We had a fun time. We took Tyler with us and dropped him off at Richard's in Cut N Shoot. We met Daddy at Los Cucos and had a terrific dinner together.

Crazy Week

Sigh! I'm pooped. The kids are having lots of fun this week at VBS. Tonight is the last night. It is lightning so I'm thinking splash day is out. We home schooled Tuesday and the kids went home with Grandma after VBS. Albert and I had a wilderness experience in Friendswood on Wed. and by God's grace we found out about the League City Parkway that is going in right behind the property we were trying to purchase!! What a view that would have been! I expected something when the street name was Wilderness Trail. It definitely was. We learned the entire route of the Parkway (thank you Lord for public information) and will start looking in other areas. Albert has been in limbo with paperwork regarding the Navy Reserve since we got out in 2002. He has been prayerful about it and has overcome his lack of desire to continue the process. Yesterday, Albert went to see the Navy Reserve recruiter and some of the paper work was lost so he couldn't sign the contract to serve for 3 years. I'm having a hard time facing my fears in regards to that. Keep our family in your prayers. Today, Thursday, I went to see my dermatologist Dr. Clark in The Woodlands. She asked me about my vein surgeries and I told her I needed to go back and finish up. I told her who my doctor was and she told me that going back would be impossible. When I asked why she said he was dead. I was in total shock. Apparently, March 11 he got into a domestic dispute with his estranged wife and another doctor in front of his wife's home in Bentwater. He shot at the other doctor and his car (hitting him) and then drove to a friend's house. He told her he had shot at him and the car and that he needed her car keys. She refused so he took a gun out and shot himself. Please pray for Dr. Turley's two children (my kids ages) and all those involved. How tragic. Dr. Clark referred me to a cardiologist for future vein care and she is doing the cosmetic procedures for me in October. Tomorrow we travel to Livingston to visit Elkin and the kids.

Home schooling like a pro

Tonight while the kids were at VBS, I met Charlene and her friend Lara for dinner at Goodson's. Another acquaintance named Terri met with us as well. Lara brought some sample curriculum for us and showed us how she organizes. She has a 6th grader, 4th grader, kindergartner, and two year old. The younger children are foster daughters they are planning to adopt. She shared with us her children's difference in learning styles and how she adapts the work. She likes to use the same curriculum and modify it for age appropriateness. I am going to research Winter Promise more fully now after hearing her plans to use it. Lara is a former teacher with a graduate degree. She is definitely gifted. I really heard to keep each child's work separate (color coded) and schedule. She has a wonderful schedule to follow. They work 5 days a week. The boys are involved in many activities as well. She goes to a co-op at First Baptist Tomball on Wed. for drama and sports. Thanks Charlene for letting me tag along!

School days

We were at it again today. Reading, phonics, and Bible were the courses today. Christian does such a great job reading the devotion and Bible story to the other two. He comes up with some stumping questions. Ethan asks for mercy straight up. We worked on letter Ff today and reviewed letter Bb. Kara and Ethan were sent upstairs to find two things that started with the ph sound. Kara found a frog and firetruck and Ethan two types of fish. They were fast too. Christian worked on the geography of ancient Judah and we both got tongue tied on the name Ish-bosheth, the son of King Saul during reading time. We had swim time for PE and then a nap. The kids are going to First Presbyterian for VBS this week with Aunt Ya-Ya. They learned some of the songs during music today too.

More Birthday pictures

Pony Party

Today we celebrate (in the heat) Kara's party with friends and family. She was blessed to have Angeli, Rachelle, Samantha, Asa, Madison, Laura, and Kyra attend her Princess' and Pony Party. Her gown was hand sewn by Grandma and each princess arrived in royal attire. Daddy bought her a castle pinata which was filled with hair accessories and candy. Thankfully we only put a little bit of chocolate in the thing because when it fell it immediately splatted because it was all MELTED!! Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Dion and Uncle Nick all pitched in to get her the ponies for the day. Thank you Family! The ponies arrived at 11am and each girl got several opportunities to ride. Stamp activities and color pages kept everyone else busy while waiting their turn. We ate hotdogs, snacks,, pink punch, and then had princess cake (thanks Ya-Ya) and ice cream. Kara gave each person a gift and then took her picture with them. She opened her presents and thanked everyone. Daddy went shopping for her and got her a God's Little Princess video and Tea Set Book. He shopped and shopped for her to find an Ariel necklace. The one he found even had earrings. Grandma knows she loves sundresses so she made a white one, a yellow princess print, and an aqua blue Ariel one. She also found a long sleeveless Ariel gown for her to wear and some cute princess T-shirts. The Princess toaster was too much! It imprints a glass slipper on your bread and sings a song whent the toast is done. We'll be eating toast for weeks! Grandma also got her a Hannah Montana mike which lets you sing off of the radio. She also got her a Hanna Montana wig to add to her collection (she has Ariel hair too). Aunt Ya-Ya got her several Hannah Montana hair products (she always fixes Kara's hair so good) and two halter dresses :a lovely dark pink and a terry dark pink . Aunt Dion and Uncle Nick got her the party decorations (I might leave the vinyl clings on permanently) and plates, nail polish, 4 beautiful princess' ornaments, flash cards the cutest princess lunchbox for storing her stuff, and some Dora rings. Uncle Sammy got her T-shirts and Hannah Montana lip gloss. Granny and Granddaddy got her a stuffed horse with its pony and a growth chart. They also sent her $$. Aunt Steph and Uncle Jeremy and Brooke sent a gift certificate to Target. Aunt Angela and Uncle Tom, Seth and Tate, sent her $$. Angeli got her a Write a Bear that you can use markers to design the stuffed bear. Laura got her a design your own ballet set which looks so fun. Kyra got her a sticker art studio which big brothers played and played with. She had to remind them it is hers! Madison, our neighbor, got her a My Little Pet Shop set and a fairy princess. Rachelle and Samantha got her a character building DVD video (thanks Cindy I wanted to get the kids that!), and a Prince Caspian book. Daddy will enjoy reading that to her because he is a C.S. Lewis fan. Thanks Albert for your great photography! Thank yous to everyone who made her day special!!

Camp Hernandez

The kids were overjoyed to find out their friends Mitch and Mikayla were coming over. Daddy had to shock the pool so swimming was out. They decided to get backpacks, snacks, mosquito spray, and water to go on an adventure. They traveled into the dense forest (our yard) until Kara had a get- me- out- of- here moment. Daddy came to the rescue. Check out that painting! They played with the fish from that mornings catch after that.

Kara's 4th Birthday

So many phone calls today. That girl was on the cell phone as much as me today. She would kindly respond "happy birthday to you". Christian and Ethan, her bubbies, were so thoughtful and excited to pick out a present each for her at Dollar Tree. They even got to pay the clerk. They stopped to pick themselves something along the way. Ethan said "Mom, I'll pay you back. I won't even buy a soda." For dinner, Daddy took us to Double Dave's Pizza because pizza is Kara's favorite food behind chicken nuggets. They watched Tom and Jerry without sound and then Albert and I remembered Tom and Jerry never spoke. I made Kara Granny Ruth cake and she ate TWO pieces. We had a great time. Saturday she celebrates with our family and friends with a pony party here at the house.

Fathers Day

Albert had to work today but we celebrated his special day at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I interviewed the kids and put it on a disc for one of his presents. It turned out nice. I called my Dad and he had a nice day with our family. Steph and Jeremy had steaks and potatoes (we did too, thanks Grandma) for everyone. Ange, Tom, Mom, and Dad then went to Lindale to Lowes. Ange and Tom are doing some home improvements (we know their pain) in their spare bath.

Ponies, ponies, ponies

Grandma took Kara back to St. Claire's to see the miniature ponies. She did not want to leave.

Happy Easter, Happy Father's Day!

The Hernandez family rules say that the kids must be at least 7 years old to become a pet owner. However, Ethan's prayer to get a bunny overruled the family ordinance. I went by the pet store to get the weekly supply of crickets for Dragon, Christian's bearded dragon. At the checkout, the clerk announced that I was the recipient of a free rabbit with a cage. Apparently a family returned the Easter bunny because their children wouldn't care for it. I knew it was the answer to Ethan's prayer. There is no coincidence, here. Viper, Ethan's pet turtle escaped two weeks ago. Ethan asked and prayed for a bunny. Ethan is recovering from a bruised middle ear and it can be terribly painful. The Lord heard Ethan's prayer, saw his pain, and comforted him the way a loving father would. He gave him his prayer and allowed me to deliver it. Ethan is now the happy master of a brown floppy eared girl bunny he named Bunny Rabbit.

Baby Brooke turns 6 mos.

Let's celebrate! Brooke is already 6 mos. She had a cake and a party! She is such a beauty! Keep her in your prayers. She is being fitted for a band to help reshape her skull. Thanks for sharing the pics of our girl Aunt Steph and Uncle Jeremy!

Internet warning

Be careful purchasing online. My sister-in-law, Maria was hit by a hacker while using her debit card to purchase uniforms for work on an official website. The thief cleaned out her bank account. They used it for online gambling and other purchases. If you order things online DO NOT USE a card that is tied to your bank accounts no matter if it says VISA or MASTERCARD on the front. One friend suggested using a credit card with a small limit (avoiding having them raise the limit despite the persistance of the credit card co.) just for online purchases. Poor girl will have to wait several days for this to be resolved. Thankfully, the bank was able to stop her direct deposit that was to post today!

Ethan's ear

Please continue to pray for him. He had a rough night with the pain. I am so thankful we have access to pain relief medication. My heart goes out to all the mothers in world who do not have these readily available to them to help their children. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 says "blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

Ear injury so prayers needed

Ethan got stepped on by Kara two nights ago. She was acting crazy and decided to step on his head. He said it hurt and was crying at the time. Well, two days later after coming home from the sleep over, he complained his ear hurt. Albert had me call and make an appointment with his ENT to check it out. With his past ear problems, we don't take any infection lightly. When we got home, we had him lay down because he was tired. When he woke up, he was crying in pain. He said his ear hurt on the inside. Albert and I both thought he had swimmer's ear because of all his swimming. Albert took him in and he has cauliflower ear. The cartilage near his right ear is either bruised or torn. They prescribed steroids so it will heal. If the extreme pain persists until Monday, he will need to have surgery to repair it. Please keep him in your prayers. He is to take it easy for the next few days. That is going to be tough because Ethan is one busy little guy.

Our first sleep over

The boys were too happy to hear the news that they had been invited to their first sleep over. Carrie called and offered to let the boys stay so Daddy and I could go out on a date. Albert took me to Pappadeauxs and to see Prince Caspian. We had coffee at Barnes and Nobles and enjoyed each others company. It was so nice! Thanks for the blessings.

Kara went over to Grandma's for the evening so they could go to St. Claire's Monastery in Brenham. Grandma took her to breakfast and then to see the minature ponies. Grandma said one pony took a liking to Kara and tried to eat the flowers off her sundress. Kara did not want to leave.

Christian did a little dance when we told him about spending the night. Our boys are growing up! Carrie had me crying over the email with the pics attached. We are going to miss them when we move :(

Spanish curriculum

Please let me know what you would suggest on this. As a family, we want to learn this language. Any tried and true method would be helpful. GRACIAS!!!

Play date

We had a great time visiting with our friends Carrie, Cody, and Justin. The kids were thrilled to get together within two days of the last playdate. Carrie and I had a nice time "holding up the couch".

Washington on the Brazos and Tiny Horses

Well, we attempted to go to the St. Clair Monastry between Brenham and Navasota. It was closed. We had a very upset little horse lover on our hands. Grandma is taking her back on Thursday to see them. We then went and had a picnic lunch at the park. Grandma took them to the visitor center for a gift. Christian got a flying bat, Ethan an armadillo and Kara a horse of course. We then decided to go see the Brazos River. The trail was much longer and hotter than expected. Kara said we went on a long journey at the end of it. Grandma and I were dying!! Grandma then took us to the Barrington Farm which is in the park too. The workers were dressed like pioneers and they actually run the farm. We saw two day old piglets. They were cute! The kids washed clothes on a washboard and hung them to dry. They did other chores like bringing in firewood and shelling peas too. They also got to go to the crops and pick peas to shell. We had a wonderful time!!

Blue Bell Ice Cream

Today Grandma and I took the kids to Blue Bell. We got to go on the tour and eat some yummy stuff!

Lunch buddies

After church today, we got to go to lunch with the Centilli family. They are our house building sojourners, church mates, and friends. The boys were overjoyed probably more for the play date that followed than the ice cream they got to pick out. They swam and played upstairs. We are blessed to have them in our lives.

Berry picking and bicycle repair

After dinner, we headed back outdoors. I was reading a home school book and the kids, Ryan, and Dad were going for a ride. Christian's tire was flat however. Dad, who is embracing home schooling after reading the how to manuals I gave him to read while on his trip, took the opportunity to teach bike repair. Ryan and Kara decided to pick blackberries while they waited.

Pool days and the pool guy

Ryan, our neighbor came over to go swimming with the kids. Dad is watching everyone and doing pool cleaning duty. Glad your back Honey!