As It Comes To a Close

My son's track season has ended. As it comes to a close and we head into football season, I wanted to share his end of the year accomplishments. His main goal was to get that CIF patch for his letterman's jacket (3 year Letterman in Football & Track.)

CIF Prelims Race (he's handing off in the green)

He was the only sophomore on the Varsity 4x100 meter relay team to qualify for CIF. I'm so proud of him! Here are a few pictures from his awards banquet.

the 4 x 100 Meter Relay Team

His dad was so proud he was squashing him!



I'm so proud of him! Congratulations Elijah on an AMAZING season!

Happy 22nd Birthday Joshy

22 yrs old today!

I can't believe my oldest son is 22 today! It was just yesterday when I gave birth to a HUGE baby! He weighed almost 9lbs. & came out looking like a 3 mo. old. He had a full head of black hair & could lift his head up out of the hospital bed to look curiously at all of the family & friends staring at him through the glass window.

My niece (a year and half at the time), was trying to see her new baby cousin, spotted the only one with a full head of hair & shouted, to her mothers horror, "LOOK AT THE BABY MONKEY MOMMY!"

Most mothers think their baby is beautiful no matter how ugly they really are. I on the other hand knew that my baby wasn't very cute & I also was upset that I didn't have a "newborn" for my first time giving birth. This kid was a miniature man!

As the nurse came to give the lady in the adjoining room her baby, I listened as she said, "What a beautiful baby!" Next she brought Joshy into me & said, "WOW, look at all that hair!" I remember thinking, "Even the nurse thinks he's ugly!"

Thank goodness he grew into all that hair & cheeks. But I should have been careful what I wished for, he ended up being the most beautiful little boy. The girls would go crazy for him from the time he started kindergarten all the way through school.

Joshy was an incredible athlete always faster, more agile and athletic than all of the other boys his age. He was a 4 yr. Letterman in track & still holds records at Edison H.S. He also received MVP award for breaking the Freshman rushing record for a single season. He unfortunately tore his ACL his Senior year & was unable to play.

He currently is finishing cosmetology school & working. I'm so grateful that I was blessed with Joshy as my son. He has been such a joy in my life!

Reading my card/book...I always write too much!

Hugging my boy...they never grow up in a mothers eyes.


Joshy & his girlfriend Charmaine...waiting for cake & watchin the X-Games.

Jullien & Elijah...CAKE NOW PLEASE!

Makin' a wish


I love you...Happy 22nd Birthday!

Life, Kids & Lessons

I was excited to see that one of Jullien's recent photo shoots by photographer David Wang was featured on MODELS.COM (Click Here To Leave a Comment).

When he first was signed with Red Models they put his pictures up and it's cool to see that they are still impressed with him as he continues to grow in his career.

I'm so proud of all my boys...Josh is going to Cosmetology school full time and just passed all his tests and is now getting hands on training in the school's student salon. He is also working part time and paying his way through school by himself. I'm so thankful that he has been able to find something that he enjoys doing. He wants to eventually open up his own Rock n Roll style salon.

Elijah just finished football & had an awesome season. He's feeling a little bored with all the extra time he has on his hands. He didn't want to try out for the school basketball team, he wants to play for the fun recreational league instead. He is just waiting till his second favorite sport starts...Track. He received his first progress report and is getting all A's & 1 B.

I have to laugh...I never thought my two manly, athletic boys would end up in the beauty industry. Life's a funny thing...we come up with all kinds of ideas of what our kids will grow up to be. But all we can really hope for is that they are able to pursue and follow THEIR dreams.

I often thought that I was doing all of the guiding and teaching but as the kids got older I've learned that they are also teaching me life lessons as I grow with them along the way.

Happy 21st Birthday Joshy

The first words out of my little nieces mouth as she pressed her face to the glass to see her new baby cousin was, "Mommy, look at the baby monkey!" My sister tried to shush her as all the relatives gathered around to see, Joshua Michael Herrera.

Joshy was a chubby little butterball with a thick head of hair, which looked very different than all of the other newborn baby's. He was almost 9lbs. and could lift his head up to see all of the people looking at him. My first thought was, "Hey, I got ripped off...I wanted a newborn and I got a six month old", LOL!

He was a little spoiled and whenever his little neighbor friends would come over to play with him, he would run to whatever toy or bike they were on and say, "MINE, MINE, MINE!" Grabbing and pulling it away from them or pushing them off his bike. We had to work on this problem...but eventually he learned to share.

He excelled in everything he did. He was always faster than anyone on the field. During a very important baseball game one year, they put him out in center field and told him, "Help the other outfielder's catch the ball, I don't want anything to drop, got it?" Well he understood and when a fly ball went out to left field, Josh raced over, and jumped in front of the kid catching the ball. To the coaches delight and my horror as I sat by the kids parents. He did the same thing with the right fielder...he was so fast that he could catch every ball in the outfield before anyone else had a chance to get it, and thought he was just doing what the coaches told him to.

His first year in high school he broke the record for freshman football rushing yards in a single season. Followed by an amazing track year. His first 4x400 meter relay, he was the anchor. When he received the baton, we were so far behind the other schools...the other racers were already half way around the track. With his lightening speed and sheer determination, he caught the racers down the final stretch neck and neck with one boy...he pushed passsed him to cross the finish line in 1st, sending the coaches and crowd into an uproar of cheers. This display earned him an immediate spot on the Varsity team as a Freshman! He continued to dominate making it to the State CIF Championships as a Sophmore.




Record Holding Relay Team
Joshy has always been an individual...never caring what anyone thinks of him. His style is his own and his smile lights up a room. He has always had tons of friends and girlfriends. When he was 7, I had a neighbor girl come over, who was 14 and babysit my boys. When I got home, one of the boys told me the babysitter kissed Josh. Well, of course being a very protective mom, I marched right over and talked to her mom! This type of behavior from girls still continues..unfortunately I think he wouldn't like me talking to their moms anymore!LOL.

He has been such a joy to see grow and develop, through struggles and triumphs, as he becomes the man he is supposed to be. I'm so grateful for you Joshy...I LOVE YOU. Happy 21st Birthday!

Joshy & Me before his Senior Prom

Anthony & Joshy


Freshman Homecoming Dance

Prom Date (She won Prom Queen)~He knows how to pick em'...LOL~

Josh & Friend Jake


Joshy's First Car

Trip to Virginia City, NV (Josh wasn't happy about having to dress up!)

Birthday Surfboard

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHY, WE LOVE YOU!