lucas, 7 years old:

Lucas' seventh birthday started off sort of rough but ended well.  I made some carrot cupcakes for him in the morning, but it woke Isaac up, which made him (Isaac) grouchy.  Lucas doesn't like frosting, which is quite alright with me, so I didn't put any on the cupcakes.  Naomi got Lucas some presents using her piano rewards and also made birthday coupons that were perfect for him.  She is so thoughtful.  However, Isaac kept trying to claim everything for himself, which made Lucas quite upset.  So Naomi took him to her room and played "Happy Birthday" on the piano, which made him feel better.  We had to hurry off to swim class after that.  After swim, I took the kids to the store (yes, in their swim clothes and cover-up/towel) and said they could all pick one item, and Lucas could get two.  He chose little bananas and powdered donut holes, the latter of which he almost never gets to have, so I think he was very happy.  Isaac chose watermelon, and Naomi chose plums.  Then we went home and celebrated a little.  I made lunch and let Lucas play some video games before he went to his tutoring session.  

His tutor had checked his files and found out it was his birthday.  She bought him this awesome Lego Neil Armstrong shirt.  His birthday is so close to the moon landing anniversary, and he loves Legos, so it was just perfect for him and probably a limited edition tee.  She'd also asked him the week before about his favorite candy bar (it's currently Hershey's Cookies n' Cream).  She got him a big one, and she told me it might as well have been a bar of gold.  He ran out to show us when we picked him up, and he beamed about it all day.  When Isaac took a nap, I told Lucas he could have it, and he gave half to Naomi!  It's so wonderful to see how generous he's become.  The tutor sent me a text that she could tell when she gave him the candy that he is a child who has not been indulged.  I don't want to be prideful, but I was really encouraged by that pat on the back.  

Lucas said he loved the coupons Naomi gave him--one was for her to make him either a smoothie or hot chocolate, the second was for her to draw something for him, and the last one was good for one of her stuffed animals.  He chose her Work of Heart Care Bear.  She has always been so good to him on his birthday, and really just about every day.  Sometimes he crosses the line and Naomi has to put her foot down, but most of the time I attribute their lack of fighting to her patience and kindness.  I've seen Lucas grow in his kindness toward others as well.  Just even in the past few months, I've seen him display more courage, independence, and love.  He still has his moments, but these moments used to be entire days.  

Naomi had aikido class after dinner, and I used the McDonald's gift cards Grandma gave us to get the boys chicken nuggets and fries while she was in class.  This is a big deal to Lucas because Isaac didn't like nuggets, but Lucas was the first to get him to eat them.  We hardly ever go to McD's, but I am actually happy Isaac's eating something from there other than fries and apple slices, even if it's processed chicken.  

When Manny got home, we got together to sing "Happy Birthday" to Lucas and have him blow out the candle on his cupcake, but he wasn't in the mood anymore.  That's okay, because during this weekend we celebrated again as a family with a Mexican lunch and dessert from a Korean bakery.  He was super happy about that.  I would say we indulged them that day!

Lucas' interests at 7 years old:  Minecraft and other video games, Lego, playing catch, riding his Fliker scooter and bike, natural disasters (esp. tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions), Jurassic Park/dinosaurs, nature walks, climbing, ocean waves, factory processes (especially how juice is made), and card games.  He really wants to visit New York for some reason.  He can't read yet, but he does like to be read to and is getting better at narrating stories back to me.  He also has become more curious lately about how things work.  He doesn't eat vegetables as well as he used to, although he still eats them.  He likes burgers with only pickles on them, beef tacos, tostadas, salmon, spaghetti and meatballs, stir-fried broccoli and carrots, bacon, macaroni and cheese, steak, noodles, kale chips, chicken, tofu, green beans, various fruits, fruit snacks, and fried rice.  I'm probably forgetting a few things, but he eats a decent variety, although he's become pickier over time (like he used to love broccolini in oyster sauce, but now I have to make him eat it).  He's never had a huge sweet tooth, and thus likes the less sweet Asian cakes, but it seems to be developing...

Lucas still likes accuracy and order, and I'm sure it's frustrating to him that he makes a lot of mistakes language-wise.  But when he's determined, he's really determined, and I love that he's grown in his perseverance as well.  I tell him he's like the tortoise--slow and steady, but it's better than being the fast but overconfident and sleeping hare.  Naomi has also observed the growth in his courage and determination.  I know she's only 10, but she's often accurate in her observations.

I left him this message on Facebook, but it was more a reminder to myself to never put a child in a box that God never made for him.  

Happy belated 7th birthday (it was yesterday) to Lucas. People may have labeled you or written you off because of your dyslexia, size, or shyness--even I've done it--but you've pressed forward despite it all and with a smile on your face. You've grown so much this past year in independence, courage, perseverance, and love. May you be who you were meant to be and not what others think you should be.

Presents from Naomi.

After swim class.

His two birthday picks from the store:  donut holes and baby bananas.

Naomi's coupons were the best part.  Plus she made him a Minecraft card and played Happy Birthday for him on the piano.

Now that is a cool t-shirt.  Thank you to his tutor for that and the Cookies n' Cream bar!

Fancy desserts their dad bought for them.

Some photos from this past year.  Love his smile!

beach day:

Manny is set on taking the kids to the beach once a month this summer.  We went at the end of May, but didn't make it in June due to busy weekends.  Here is our July trip, this time up to Half Moon Bay.  We originally went to Francis Beach, but the parking lot had been full since the morning.  However, just a couple of miles ahead was Venice Beach, which had plenty of parking.  It was $10, but worth it to us.  We usually run into traffic and parking problems with the beaches in northern California, even midday.  Manny figures we should leave earlier in the morning.  I don't really like the idea of waking Isaac or letting the kids go into water that hasn't warmed up, but most of the time with these trips, I just try to go with what he says (and often misunderstand and fail at whatever it is he's asked of me).  I am wary of family trips lately because of this, but this beach day went pretty well.

The beaches are lovely.  I grew up around beaches all my life, from Asia to the east coast to the Gulf of Mexico to SoCal.  With Isaac so young and so afraid of the water (different from our other kids that way), I have to stay back with him, except for the small window where he musters up some courage and then quickly changes his mind.  I think maybe if we sat closer to the water, I wouldn't feel so distant from the rest of the family.  Isaac is actually quite fearless about a lot of things, but something about water just bothers him.  He'll probably end up being our strongest swimmer.  Lucas doesn't swim well yet, but loves to be in the waves or run from them.  Venice Beach delivered, with waves larger than any the kids had seen recently, but small enough they could still play or boogie board.  Naomi caught some pretty good waves and had a great time.

There was a sign stating the creek was contaminated and not fit for contact play, but people were letting their kids play in it freely.  We weren't near the creek, or I might have tried to tell them.  Please read all signs!

After a successful day at the beach making childhood memories, we went to a highly-rated roadside diner called Daddy-O's, but it was all sold out of food just 10 minutes before we arrived.  So we looked on Yelp and went with whatever looked good.  The Flying Fish was a pretty good place, although I splurged on a seafood "paella" that turned out to be more like a seafood jambalaya.  I don't mind jambalaya, but I can make that at home.  Paella I haven't ever tried to make (partly because saffron is so expensive), and it is one of my favorite foods.  But the kids ate really well, and that is always a plus.  Manny inhaled his dinner as well.  He'd eaten very little all day.  Naomi orders off the adult menu unless we tell her to order off the kids' menu.  She usually makes tasty choices and eats a wide variety of foods.

Pretty beach with big waves.

Isaac excited to make sandcastles by himself now.

Naomi had to bring the water to him since he wouldn't go out to the water.

Manny went to a Mexican bakery that morning and got pan dulce and this happy face cookie.

Naomi boogie boarding.

She likes to embellish her sandcastles.

This one had a drawbridge, seaweed that looked like ivy, and a spire at the top.

Naomi's delicious grilled chicken sandwich.

more summer fun:

Wow, how is it we've been back for almost three weeks already?  This summer is just flying by with summer activities and daily tasks.  I haven't had a chance to finish all the reorganizing I wanted to do.

Naomi and her friend finally had their sleepover after a number of postponements.  Naomi had the best time there.  They swam, watched a movie, told riddles and stories, and had pasta for dinner.  Then the next morning, her friend's mom took them out to Denny's.  Naomi has been longing for a sleepover.  Sometimes she returns from her time off a little too refreshed and talks to us with a little less respect, but then she's back to normal.  The parents always tell me she is completely respectful and really sweet, so that's good to hear.  

The kids and I go to the park regularly, but we hadn't been in a while as a family.  We went to this newer park that actually still has water running (but we didn't play in it) and has the spinning apparatus Lucas loves so much.  I think he spun on it for almost two hours, so he was feeling a little ill afterward.  

I also went to the optometrist since I'm out of contacts.  I've been going to this optometrist since college.  I asked about LASIK again since my sister-in-law recommended it.  I wasn't a good candidate back then, but technology has changed since.  The good news is that I should be okay for it now, although they'd still have to map the shape of my eye first.  The bad news is that it's still pretty costly even with insurance, and I'm going to need reading glasses in a few years anyway.  I notice with my contacts that I'm getting more far-sighted and have to hold things at a slight distance when I read.  It's a little easier to read when I'm just wearing glasses.  I'm getting more white hairs and flab, too.  Forty is just around the corner!  (Plus, Naomi's first two years probably took 10 years off my life.)  We've also done some car maintenance and gone back to our classes and ministries.  Busy, but a good busy.

Naomi got sick for the first time in ages, so we had to cancel or postpone some things, but at least it didn't damage her appetite.  She seemed to be going through a growth spurt at the same time and wolfed down a lot of food.  Usually she's over her sicknesses in a day or two, but this one lingered, perhaps due to the spurt or hormones or something.  She's all better now, and we were able to keep the illness from making its rounds through our family.  

I was able to get out for a Moms' Night Out with friends A and J.  It's been so long since I've been out with girlfriends, and I was super excited.  Isaac has been crying a lot, but he "only" cried for a half hour this time, and seemed okay.  Manny did great having all three kids.  We had a delicious Indian buffet dinner.  I probably could have eaten two more plates, but I was enjoying our stimulating conversations and also am trying to cut back a little.

Right now I'm just trying to clean and prep for my in-laws' arrival and Lucas' party.  It's so stressful with Isaac either trying to "help" or throwing things around like the laundry I just folded.  And then I have to cook or finish some tasks and we're running off to our next gathering or activity or class.  The kids have three classes each, and they are important to us (like Lucas' tutoring, swimming, martial arts for Naomi, music lessons).  However, I've learned to work in spurts, be efficient, and not wait till the last minute unless I have to.  I'm thankful for the kids' help, although they can't do some of the major things yet.  

Friend took this of the sweeties at breakfast after their sleepover.

Love how Lucas likes to push his little brother.

The kids going round and round and round...

Isaac was mesmerized by the water bucket filling up and pouring out.

Trying to take a selfie with Isaac, but he was in a kissy mood.  :)

Indian dinner with A and J.

First day of beginner swim classes for Lucas.  He's really enjoying it this year.

Naomi doing backstroke laps in the advanced class.  I think this will be the last year she needs them.

epilogue and isaac's first movie:

We returned home on Sunday and had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes.  We thought we might be able to make Chris' daughter's first birthday party that afternoon, and we all wanted to go, but we just physically couldn't do it.  Manny had hardly any sleep the night before and then drove over six hours up, so he was done.  I'm glad he and I rested, because the next day we'd have to hit the ground running again.  After a rough week for our relationship, we reconciled.  From my time with both sides of family, I came back a changed person.  I can't get into all the reasons why, but I've a renewed hope and strength.  I saw this quote once that said, "Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom so you that you can see He is the Rock at the bottom," or something like that.  I'm really not big on God quotes, but this one pretty much sums up my week.

Manny went back to work on Monday.  After saying bye to him, I rushed to pack lunch, get the boys ready, and get the kids in the car.  I made good on a commitment to my J. to take our kids to a $1 summer movie together.  I know, I know--how hard for me.  But you have to understand that being a mom of three is hard work if you do what you should be doing.  It is harder than when I had to work with blood at a hospital and later at a diabetes clinic, and I'm super squeamish.  It's harder than when I burned myself with chemicals for the government and later for medicine.  It's harder than writing code (the one aspect of engineering at which I am particularly poor) to design computer chip packages.  It is even harder than getting yelled at or harassed by large, intimidating men at my last job in the semiconductor industry.  Not that I would ever trade or change anything, but in my current line of work, I accept the reality--no pay, no breaks, often no accolades, and sometimes no logic at all.  Sometimes I make almost no effort but suddenly I'm Woman of the Year.  On the other hand, I've made a boatload of effort and had nothing at all to show for it (at least in the physical sense).  I mess up on a regular basis.  I have three little lives in my fatigued, unsteady, and inexperienced hands.  The only way I make it is because of God's grace.  

I didn't really want to go only because Isaac cannot sit through movies.  The one showing was How to Train Your Dragon 2, which I knew would be a bit intense for him.  My friend offered to take turns taking him out, but I figured that wouldn't work out with Isaac.  But I just got the sense that I needed to go.  I was okay losing the $2 to spend time with them.  Isaac started out well, excited and telling my friend, "This is my first movie."  He made it through the first 20 minutes with a lot of coaching, food, and drink, but then he'd had enough.  He did not like how dark it was and how fast everything moved.  We came back to the theater three or four times in the next hour, but he just couldn't handle it.  I don't normally let our kids leave when they feel like it, but it would be cruel to force a two-year-old to watch anything when it's not even important, and it would be inconsiderate to the rest of the families there.  My friend stayed with Naomi and Lucas and her two kids (ages 4 and 2), who were fine for the entire movie.  Lucas missed me a lot, though, and always hugged my arm the few minutes I'd be in my seat next to him before I had to leave again with Isaac.  Outside there wasn't much for him to do, so I had to be creative.  We ate lunch together afterward.  Her kids were coughing and getting into our food, but we had to be gracious.  I usually don't let my kids share food with each other that their mouths have touched, so Isaac didn't deal well and kept screaming about germs (well I confess he says what I feel).  Still, I'm glad I went, because afterward my friend shared some very serious matters with me, and I think I needed to be there for her.  I don't have a clue why anyone shares anything with me.  Not to be self-deprecating, but I'm not an expert at anything, and I don't have much wisdom or advice to offer.  However, I do try my best to listen and pray a lot, and I can usually relate in some way.  I also keep it to myself or just tell Manny.  Maybe that's all they need.

Edited:  Found the photos!

"This is my first movie!" he said.

more photos from cousin's wedding:

More photos from my mom's camera.  Many of my dad's siblings were out of the country and could not make the wedding, but there was still a good turnout from the family.  

My uncle (on the left) is an engineering professor at University of Hawaii.  He is spending the summer taking care of the grandchildren with his wife.  My uncle on the right is a retired engineer.

My parents, us, and my aunt and uncle.  My dad comes from a tall (for Asian) family, and I'm the shortest cousin.

Bride and groom with Uncle C and family, including his granddaughter, the flower girl.

My other cousin P., representing her family.

Bride and groom with bride's family.

hernandez family reunion part 2:

The next morning, I dropped Naomi off to go swimming with her cousins at their hotel.  Sounded like a great time until they ran into elevator trouble.  In Naomi's words:  "We went to the pool and had a nice, refreshing swim.  The hot tub was relaxing, with bubble city.  After that, the cousins headed upstairs and waited for the adults to come up, because they had to pack up the stuff.  We started hearing a bell, and Peanut suggested that it might be a cry for help.  We went to where the elevator was and saw a lady with a walkie-talkie telling a guy that someone was stuck in the elevator.  Peanut heard her dad laughing, and we knew that it was her parents.  When they came out, the mom was shocked and scared, and the dad was really mad, so he kind of yelled at the lady [because the kids had taken the other elevator, and it could have been them who got stuck].  One elevator was okay, and the other one was broken.  There was only a tiny strip of paper saying not to use to elevator on the right.  But when they pushed the button, they had no time to read the sign, because it was on the door of the elevator.  They should have turned off the elevator ahead of time, but sadly they turned off the elevator when they were riding it.  Then we went to the room and had apples.  The End."

We wore our turquoise tees on the second day.  Manny's late grandmother loved turquoise.  Things felt a little different on the second day, but it all ended pretty well.  Isaac had come down with terrible diarrhea, and had several bouts throughout day.  He was clingy and didn't want to play as much.  He ended up with a diaper rash so bad that he still has scarring from it now.  Between that and some other drama, I was a bit preoccupied and took fewer photos.  Lucas and Manny stayed indoors and watched TV all afternoon.  They wanted to be out of the heat, and I don't blame them, but still I felt a little more scattered.

Some of the under-21 guests were getting very hungry and parched.  By noon, when the party was to start, we'd already run out of bread for the sandwiches.  The younger ones were rationing the lemonade, and they couldn't drink the alcohol and didn't want the tea from the day before.  A few kids asked me to make more lemonade, but I didn't know if anyone had plans for beverage dispensers.  I tried asking, but nothing came of it.  So I pulled out the container of apple juice from the fridge that might not have been for the party (sorry!), and it was gone in a flash.  I was put in charge of the kids' activities.  It was hard to manage because of Isaac's stomach issues and clinginess.  He threw the bingo pieces everywhere during bingo and hogged the sharpener during the coloring activity and was pretty disruptive in general.  I couldn't leave my "post" to discipline him.  I overheat easily, most likely due to my anemia, so I was really dying out there and had a headache and nausea.  I asked Manny for help, but I guess he was unavailable or mad at me.  Thank God for Manny's cousin's wife, who came along to help with Isaac so we could finish our activities.  It was a very long game of bingo.  We only had a few cards being played, and Isaac insisted on dispensing and calling out each and every ball himself.  I probably should have given out three cards each or something.  The kids still had fun.  Lucas came out and joined in musical chairs later, but was a little disappointed there weren't more rounds.  He takes a while to warm up, and by then it's often too late.  Maurice won the first two rounds, and Naomi won the third!  We'd also brought Lucas' cornhole toss, but once Isaac saw other kids playing it, he threw a fit and wouldn't share, so I put it away.

Dinner wasn't started until later in the evening after a private group discussion.  Isaac couldn't stay awake anymore, so I put him down for a nap.  I did make it back out in time to get dinner later on, and then I stayed inside to listen for him.  I was glad he woke up in time for the talent show .

Once there was food and the weather cooled down, things seemed a lot better, especially when the talent show started.  We had comedy, singing, dancing, magic, and artwork.  Manny's cousin's art is pretty amazing.  She could definitely do it professionally, and she said she's just begun looking into that.  Naomi wanted to do some magic tricks.  Her talent is engaging a crowd, I think.  She didn't want to sing or dance or play piano.  She can do those things, but she was more excited to do the magic.  Manny also likes magic, and I like watching it.  When we got engaged, Manny made good on a promise from our early days to take me to see David Copperfield.  Anyway, Isaac was more than happy to get up and sing for us, although the microphone wasn't on when he was singing the Lego Movie song, so we just heard a little "la la la" from him.  It still earned him a lot of high-fives and cheers from the family.

Some of the family went to go see fireworks at the church Manny grew up in, and Peanut's family took Naomi.  She had a great time, and was sad to have to leave the next morning.  The poor dogs were quite unhappy.  I feel so bad for dogs on the 4th of July and New Year's Eve.  We ended the evening with 4th of July cupcakes and watching a movie back at Aunt Dolly's house.

We missed the breakfast and luau the next day, but saw lots of festive photos,  It really did look like a luau in a tropical paradise.  Some of the family stayed longer and also went to visit Manny's grandmother and grandfather's grave site.  All the party contributors did an amazing job honoring their memory.

Yes, my gross feet.  I wanted to paint my nails turquoise, or close to it, in honor of Manny's grandmother.

Just horsing around.

Isaac happy in his yellow shirt (they ran out of turquoise for his size).

Coloring straw cups.

Manny took this photo of Isaac waking Grandpa up.

Naomi and her volunteer with magically multiplying bunnies.

Musical chairs.

Bingo time!  Longest game of bingo ever.

Grandpa and Uncle Abe.

Isaac getting a lot of high fives for going up to sing.

Best brisket ever, potato salad, Texas toast, and corn.  They also served hot dogs, burgers, and hot links.

Enjoying our food.

The elders at their special table.

The boys snuggling with Aunt Dolly.

Some photos of the third day from Facebook:

Half the party, including us, had to leave on Sunday, so there was so much extra food.  Manny's mom's siblings were happy to help with that!

Manny's mom and dad with his cousin.  Very tropical!  I hope we can go back to Hawaii with them someday.

I love kabobs!

Beautiful watermelon fruit basket.

This is really sweet.  I love seeing the love between long-married couples.

Visiting Aurora and Manny's graves.  They have amazing stories, from her service in the army to his being a boxer and a chef.  What a legacy they left.