WE'RE BACK

It's time to play catch up. So much has happend since we last posted. I'll start with pictures from the spring and then we'll move on to our latest pictures and our latest update. So bear with us and enjoy our craziiness.

Uncle Carlos celebrating his birthday with AJ.

Ben hanging with his cousin Ethan at Lola's house.

Daddy, Mommy and AJ taking a break on the lawn at Arlington Race Track.

Benny and his Godmomma, Natalie.

Billy, Ben, Jack, Lauren and AJ hanging out.

AJ and Kerry chilling on Nani's couch.

AJ hanging with the wild ponies.

Skylar, Auntie Meg, Nani and Ben taking the ferry from Beaufort over to Shackleford island to see the wild ponies.

Nani and Ben having a moment to themselves.(Spring break 06)

AJ and Sky relaxing at the beach during spring break.

Auntie Meg and I taking a walk on the beach during spring break.

Skylar checking out the giraffes at the NC Zoo.

Skylar getting up close and personal with the seals at the North Carolina Zoo.

AJ and Skylar in downtown Asheville.

Lining up before the game.

AJ at his first ever soccer game (Spring 06).

So here are the most recent pictures.

AJ and his teammate, Haven, right after the received their medals. Go Team Extreme!

Ben and his buddy Sage at AJ's last soccer game of the season.

Ben showing Erica his loot for the night.

The boys and their favorite babysitter, Erica. (Who also happens to live across the street and gave them lots of candy.)

The boys and their friends getting ready to go out and hit the streets for those treats.

AJ, Ben, Emma, Clayton and Caroline trick or treating at the nursing home.

I guess the Steeplechase and the Spooktacular in one day was just too much for these little ones.

Power Ranger AJ, Ben the Elephant and Mommy awaiting the results of the costume contest.

Grandma Janet and Power Ranger AJ on the Spooktacular hayride.

And they're off! AJ and Ben competing in the Aiken Steeplechase Stick Horse Race.

AJ, Ben and their friends from the neighborhood having their last lemonade stand of the season.

AJ's first day of school.

Ben and AJ taking turns giving kisses to their friend Emma. Jordan Lake Beach.

Daddy and Ben hiking on Pilot mountain.
(Check out the mohawk. Daddy's idea. It didn't last long.)

Fernando Family Upate

OK, so it has been a really long time since our last post. So here is the latest in the Fernando Family. Summer has come and gone and with it I am able to breathe a little easier. The boys have become pretty good swimmers and both have reached a milestone. AJ can now jump off a diving board in the deep end and swim to the side. Ben can jump off the diving board and can swim up to the surface but needs a little push to get to the side. Both are doing this without life jackets. Hence my trouble breathing.

With the arrival of fall came the beginning of preschool for AJ. He loves it and has met his best friend Le. AJ has also completed another season of soccer. He received his first ever medal at the end of the season and had an amazing time.

We had a surprise visit from Nani, Auntie Meg and Skylar, which was so much fun. We all went to Tweetsie Railroad in the mountains and the kids rode a chair lift to the top of a mountain to feed some animals and ride some rides. They also were able to ride a steam engine train which was held up by robbers.

Not long after that we had a visit with our friend Marlon. We went to the beach and saw six baby alligators in a marsh near the road.

Then came the Fall Steeplechase in Aiken, SC. The kids competed in the stick horse race and ate a lot of great food while sitting by the rail. That night we went to the Spooktacular at my Dad's club. They rode a hayride through the golf course, played games, decorated cookies and ate some really huge hot dogs. We had a lot of fun with PopPop and Grandma Janet. AJ learned a little golf and PopPop learned that even practive balls can hurt if hit into the right body part. And we all went fishing together. That was until Ben took a header into the lake. Then it was pretty much over. The boys cried most of the way home. AJ says he would rather live at PopPop and Grandma Janets.

Halloween was great fun. Our neighbors had a party and the boys gorged themselves on sweets and Filipino food. And then it was off to go trick or treating together. Very fun but very exhausting.

We'll try to keep this up more often.

Happy Halloween everyone!