High Five!

My dearest sweet girl,
Another year has passed since you came into this world.  Arms raised to the sky, ready to take on anything.  This birthday marks a huge milestone for you and like every day and every second with you, it's been absolute bliss.  Time to look back on another year of excellence!
Since your last birthday you started school.  Real deal 'cafeteria food, hundreds of students and teachers' school.

Most days you wake up and complain.  'I hate school' you tell us.  Only to change your mind minutes later.  Truth is, SCHOOL IS AWESOME!  You've learned to read at an accelerated pace, write, add, subtract and your intelligence blows us away at every turn.  Girls can be mean but you're learning to stand up for yourself.  You've had your first field trip holding my hand the whole time.  I may have had more fun than you did!  You love to tell us all about things you've learned, things you've done and whether you're now 'smarter than Tyler'.  Keep up the good work and you may just get there one of these days (although I think you'll give him a run for his money).

We go EVERYWHERE together.  You're my shopping buddy, my nail salon, hair salon, pet store, tag agency, doctor's office company... all the time!  You still let out those really loud "I LOVE YOU MOMMY"s all the time.  Unsolicited, don't care who's around, lovely sentiments that melt my heart.  You're funny, talkative and ridiculously smart.  I'm sorry if sometimes I try to sneak away without you. Sometimes momma needs to go places alone to maintain her sanity!

You finally made it to Rapunzel's tower.  We had the 'best family vacation EVER' (since the last family vacation).  You couldn't be bothered with waiting in line to take pictures with princesses.  You were all about rides.  "MORE ROLLERCOASTERS!" you'd yell... Then get really mad and cry when you weren't allowed on due to height requirements.  Daddy consoled you while I ran to the ride with your brothers.  Just a few more inches though and I know you'll be riding space mountain till you lose your lunch.  The ones you were able to ride you did so with both arms up.  Momma couldn't be prouder.

You were the world's cutest Christmas tree at the school pageant.  Danced your butt off and waved from the stage to the delight of your entire fan base, sitting proudly in the front row watching.  Santa brought you every single thing you wanted and your mischievous elf made you laugh with every crazy thing he did.  

You traded your usual Valentine for a new one.  Your old one (daddy) wasn't upset though.  Your uncle surprised you at school with the biggest stuffed animal on the planet.  You sleep next to it every night and proudly proclaim your "valentine" is all yours whenever he comes to dinner.  You've named the rhino Elsa... which brings us to the next topic...

Yup... you've caught the bug.  Frozen has taken over your life.  You've asked me to legally change your name to 'Elsa' and now tell everyone your middle name is pronounced Anna.  You sing all the songs from the soundtrack flawlessly.  You're obsessed!  I have to be honest though... I'm kinda obsessed too.  Thinking of your love for this film and everything about it makes me smile!  I'll watch the movie with you anytime... for the 400th time.

You're growing up!  In the loveliest, sweetest most amazing of ways.  I think back on these last 5 years together and I realized something.  I've loved you since before I ever met you.  I've loved you ever since I can remember.  You're the daughter I've always wanted and you make me so deliriously happy that it overwhelms me.  You are perfect... in every possible way.  I know you'll grow up and things may not always be this easy.  I see how you assert your place in life and let your opinions be known.  I just always hope you remember that I'm here for you.  Always!  That you are loved beyond measure and that we all know what a great woman you will someday be.  It's a destiny that will be impossible for you to avoid.  

Happy 5th birthday my tiny, delicious pumpkin!  We love you so much it hurts!

Eight is great! (Tyler's birthday musings)

Tyler Javier Hernandez - December 2013

My dearest peanut butter monster from heaven above, sent down on a little cloud by baby Jesus:

As your 7th year of existence wraps up I felt compelled to remind you of what a wonderous year you've had. You see, sometimes life goes by so darn fast. It's good to take a moment to look back. Momma feels that seeing where you've been helps you see where you are going.

Seven was a big year for you! You wrapped up First grade and started Second. Your teachers took some time to figure you out.  You got into some trouble at the beginning of the school year but managed to mend your ways.  Your new class doesn't have all of your best buddies in it like last year but you managed to make friends fast. "My friends think I'm so funny mommy!" you tell me. You're histerical buddy! Anyone that doesn't see that is either blind or dead. 

Speaking of dead, you're a big fan of 'The Walking Dead'. Not our finest parenting moment, but for a child who grew up afraid of his own shadow this is a big deal for you! You watch the series on Netflix (while mommy fast forwards the parts you shouldn't see) and sit with us every Sunday to watch the show. You even cried when Hershel died (**spoiler alert** wait that should have come sooner.) You've grown up right before our very eyes and when Halloween came around you were so excited! I think even more excited than your horror loving brother.  Lucas tried to convince you to be a zombie along with him.  You went for the more noble Venom (aka the black spiderman).

You lost your great grandpa this past year. "Abuelito is in heaven" you say. Watching over you and keeping you safe. You handled the loss and the funeral with grace and composure. I know abuelito was proud of you that day.

You spent your summer with Ari (and your annoying big brother and little sister). You loved field trip Fridays, playing video games and watching TV. We went to baseball games for your brother and baseball games at Marlins Park. While Marlins games were spent eating peanuts and playing on your 3DS (nevermind there was a game going on), your brother's baseball games (and practices, and batting cage nights, and hitting lessons) were spent asking for money for snacks, playing on mommy's iphone and running around the park with your friends.

You refused to cut your hair until August when mommy convinced you a trim was needed because there was a mysterious glob of goo we couldn't remove. You looked stunningly gorgeous afterward (like always).

You celebrated birthdays, beach days, Valentine's day (with a lovely girl to spoil), picnics, brewed beer with daddy, excelled in school, got plenty of honor roll loot and had sleepovers at Lela's house.

After much begging and pleading you finally got a puppy!  Penny Lane is so lucky to have you.  You clean up after her, play with her constantly and help to feed her and walk her.  You love to pick out toys for her and she loves everything you bring back.  When we head to the vet, you are Penny's main protector.  You don't like to see her getting shots and hate it when they make her cry.  You hold her and comfort her and proudly walk her around the store to make all the other pet owners jealous of your cute pup.  I don't know about nicknaming her 'football' though.  I know she's brown and all but... meeeeh.

You lost a few teeth, got paid to do chores, went on playdates and learned all the words to Ylvis' "The Fox".  You were finally allowed to borrow your brother's Nike Lebrons and now call most of the sneakers your own.  You wore suits and ties, bowties and fancy shirts.  You watched football and basketball, then got bored and asked to play on the computer.

Something else happened on your journey to 8.  You learned about loss, compassion and dissapointment.  You became concerned and sad that someone you loved would be lonely.  I'm so proud of you for showing that kind of love for another.  You realized the importance of family and of defending those you love.  For a kid who never seemed to show a lot of emotion you've really shown what a huge loving heart you truly have.

We went on a few vacations this year.  Naples for 4th of July was so much fun.  We swam, rode bike and were attacked by sea lice.  We stopped in the Everglades on the way home and your sister dropped her flip flop in an alligator pit.  It was so funny to hear you volunteer to send her in there to fetch it back.
Your pre-birthday trip was a blast!  You rode roller coasters and 3-D rides.  Ate popcorn, took pictures and had the time of your life.  I love that you wanted to ride all the rides with me. 

You grew up.  Right before our eyes!  You became sweet and gentle, loving and kind.  You tried new food, tried new things and stayed true to your unique character. 
You got so mad because other kids at school were making fun of your friend (the one with the boogers).  You stood up and demanded people treat him better.  You did the same for your sister.  I was so proud of you for that.

You're hysterical and I love to hear how you reason and think.  I laugh every time I think about you saying "Diabooties" and every time I think about you dancing.  I crack up every time I ask "what do you guys want for dinner?" and you yell PIZZA!!!! Every.  Single.  Time!  I hope you get that game show host gig you've been wanting.  I'd watch the show every single day!  I can even help you produce it, just like I helped produce your very first short film 'The Judge'.

You amaze me and astound me.  I admire you brains and your wit.  You are perfect and you belong to us.  How lucky are we!?!? 

I hope we are doing a good job, worthy of the wonderful person you are.  You are an irreplaceable part of our crazy little family and as your mom I feel so blessed to call you mine.
I could try to explain how much I love you but when I start to try my heart swells with love.  It's overwhelming to think of how much I adore you.  Inmeasurable.

Have a happy birthday peanut.  Eight is going to be absolutely amazing... just like you!

Peachy turns 4!

Four years of pink, of dresses, of fighting to brush someone's hair.  Four years of all things girl, of hugs and kisses and random 'I love yous' in front of complete strangers.
You are loved, cherished and adored.  Hope it was everything you wished for from a birthday celebration.  Family, friends, presents and cake... extra hugs and extra kisses.
I think Tyler summed it up best when we asked him "Do you remember the day your sister was born?" -- he replied "Of course I do!  It was the best day of my life!".

Growing up

I'm not sure how this all happened.  One day I'm in the hospital having a baby, the next I'm dropping off a third grader at school on his first day of FCATs.  It's that quick.... that fast... and still that emotional for your dear old mom.

I waited anxiously to see you walk.  Then patiently waited for your first words.  Now our conversations are deep, meaningful and extensive.  You have a great sense of humor, a dramatic disposition and very strong opinions.  I just can't get enough of our talks.

It's hard to see how fast you're growing up.  You went from cartoons to watching sports (obsessively).  From caring about toys to knowing all the names of all the Nike Lebrons put out since last Christmas.  You've dipped your foot into social media and are handling the responsibility of your very own iphone beautifully.

It's hard as a mom to let go a little bit.  I have no previous point of reference.  I have to learn to let you make your own mistakes, to let you carve out your own path.  I must not treat you with the same overbearing manner I treat your brother and baby sister.  You are your own person and you so desperately crave that little bit of extra slack on the tight rope I fight to keep around you.
But I know I haven't lost you completely, because at night when we spend our last few moments of the day together you still love to cuddle.  You're not shy to hug and kiss me (as long as we're not in school in front of your friends) and you're very quick to show me you can make fart noises with your armpits, backs of your knees and even your neck.  When you do make that trip to the land of teenage rebellion in a few short years I hope we can still be friends.  That you know you can come to me with ANYTHING and that you remember all the things I taught you.  Make people treat you the way you feel you deserve, make good decisions and know that family is the tightest bond of all.
Just like your FCATs, life is a constant test of your will... and just like your FCATs, we've been preparing you all along the way so when the questions come up, you'll know exactly what to do.

An open letter to my daughter

You are crazy.  Not a little nuts.  Full blown, time to lock your crazy ass up, crazy.  I would start to worry, but looking back through your family tree I find a long list of mentally unstable individuals.  Like a small gang of nuts.
Your level of insanity... it's sporadic but consistent.  It begins in the mornings (sometimes the sun isn't even out) where you lay in bed and desperately cry for a sippy cup full of milk like an starving African baby.  Sometimes I have to remind you "it's 3 am Casey, go back to sleep"... other times I'm woken out of bed (the bed you walked over to like a Walking Dead zombie), You kick my back to get me to rise and go downstairs to the kitchen for said cup of chocolate goodness.
Then the tour of crazy takes us to breakfast, where you order things from your brothers like you're at a Cuban cafeteria "bagel please" "can I have cocoa puffs" "can I have chicken" (not a breakfast food by the way)... and you eat none of it, not a morsel.  Instead you carry it around for hours till it either desintegrates or gets plucked out of your hand by an angry mom.
The car rides seem eternal.  You converse non stop... about the most random things.  Requests for plane rides, trips to Rapunzel's tower, why all bugs should die, who is Michael Jackson, who's coming to pick you up from school (still me, like every day for the last 2 years) and who you should marry so you can kiss them on the lips.  You know every lyric to every song on the radio... my favorites:

"don't you worry, don't you worry chiiiilllld... see heaven has a PET for yooouuu!"
and
"you're giving SEEEXY nothing"

You obsess if your socks aren't high enough, if your jacket isn't zipped, if your DS isn't charged, you want to call your Mina every second of every day (your most ardent obsession) "is she doing exercise?"... and you have no concept of the fact that I can't turn around to pick up something from the floor because I'm driving and don't want to crash.  How dare I?!?
Then, there's the faces... the silly faces you make every time I try to snap a picture.  Hundreds, if not a thousand shots of you looking like a hot crazy mess.  Personality is not lacking on you my child.
You burp and fart and walk around with no shirt on... because according to everyone, that's what a girl with 2 big brothers does.  You yell your lungs out at your brother's baseball games.  You swear you're a princess and will gouge out anyone's eyes who tells you otherwise.  You think your bathtub is an ocean and are pretty sure you're a great swimmer.  You love to eat the grain your daddy uses to make his beer and you're pretty quick to tell him you want flowers, chocolates and diamonds (we're Hernandezes, not Kardashians).  The truth is... I love you for that.  There is not one day that goes by where you don't make me laugh... out loud, uncontrollably.  Maybe it's because I'm so madly in love with the spectacular girl you are (I may be biased).  You're endlessly smart, ridiculously funny and can have anyone you meet do anything you want.  That's not a bad thing now is it?
Keep being you... unique, playful, imaginative and absolutely beautiful.  I'll be the gatekeeper of your crazyness and the minder of the asylum, because you're wonderful... crazy wonderful.

Home is where the crazies are

July was a big month for our family.  We sold our house and bought a new place, big enough for all of us.
Parting with our old place was bittersweet.  When we moved in to the old house Lucas was 1.  That house had been the only house Casey and Tyler had ever called 'home'.  We made so many wonderful memories in it.  From birthday parties, to family dinners... from family game nights to friday dance parties.  Lots of wonderful things happened in our old house and it wasn't easy to let it go.
From the moment we walked into the new house it felt right.  It was twice the size of our old house with all the amenities and comforts we had been looking for.  It was a crazy couple of months of paperwork, inspections, appraisals, saving money and finally a closing.
Then the real madness began... packing, moving, unpacking, sorting... garbage piles, donations, new furniture building and lots of eating out.
We are finally home!
What we hope you kids will always remember is that home is wherever we are together.  It's where we can cuddle at night while reliving our day in the dark.  Where we sit down together for dinner and fight about who gets the last piece of chicken.  It's about sitting together to watch TV.  It's about us.
Daddy and I will always work hard and do our best to give you EVERYTHING.  You are our world and we take on the responsibility of being your parents extremely serious.  We raise you... no one else does our job.  What's important to us is making sure you go to great schools, with other kids who's parents strive for the same things we do for their children.
YOU 3 are what's most important and we hope to make many more wonderful memories with you in our new home.  Now please... there are 3200 square feet of living space.  There's no need to sit so close, follow us from room to room or stalk outside the bathroom door.

I'm so pretty... oh so pretty!

If it's OK for Casey to borrow her brothers' superhero costumes, why isn't it OK for them to borrow her princess dresses?

She didn't want to share, Ty wanted the moment to remain "private" and Lucas was happy to look so pretty. He also was getting a kick out of pulling his dress up and flashing.

As uncomfortable as this moment made some of us **cough, daddy, cough cough** it's one that we won't soon forget. It makes us proud that they can express themselves without prejudice, put on fake glass slippers and hair bows and strut their stuff down the hallway of the house.