National Night Out!

Our family had a great time at our local...

National Night Out!

This great opportunity to mix n' mingle with our neighbors while learning about bike safety and crime and drug prevention had the kids all a-twitter with excitement!

Owen's first-and probably last-romp in the bounce house. Moments later he burst into tears from the craziness of it all.

We successfully hunted down Mr. Jelly Belly and scored some free samples...yum!

Isabella found her classmate and settled in for the K-9 demo.

The dogs are impressive and everyone could see the change in the dogs demeanor when the "bad guy" entered the scene.

How amazing is it that upon command they can go from total attack mode to sitting quietly as seen above?

Really getting a good bite there!

Towards the end of the demo the officer remarked dryly that the "heroes" were here, indicating the Roseville Fire Department that just pulled up on the scene. We laughed at the fun rivalry and cheered at their arrival.

I wish I could say Owen was excited to see the fire truck, or even the fireman, but really he was just anxious for the fireman badge stickers they were handing out!

Our night came to a close with the kids clamoring over the playground equipment which was literally crawling with kids.

We really enjoyed getting out and about and seeing so many of our friends and neighbors gathered in one spot for the night.

We're definitely saving the date for next year!

Cheater, Cheater Pumpkin-eater

Out of all the kids, Ava (thus far), is the biggest sore loser. And if she sees an opportunity to win, even by fudging the rules a little, she won't hesitate!

So in the final few minutes of every swim lesson, her teacher throws rings into the water so the class can dive for them. You can tell that Ava automatically assumes that the most rings she retrieves the better, but the way she goes about it is kind of funny.

First, she tried to get a hold of them the old fashioned way (i.e. putting your head in the water-like you're supposed to!), but she soon realizes that that is simply going to take way too much time, so she goes into...

Plan B
Hook the sunken ring around your foot, hoist your foot-with the ring-to the surface of the water so you can grab it with your hand. And all done without putting your face in the water! Perfect, except darn! Her teacher caught her soooo...

Plan C
Wait till your teacher looks away, then repeat Plan B. Except double darn! Teacher's too smart soooo...

Plan D
Yes, there is a plan D.

Wait until teacher throws the rings, but then catch them BEFORE they have a chance to sink to the bottom. Except triple darn! For some reason the teacher has her eyeball on her soooo...

Plan E
Time's up and time to go home!

You gotta love that little stinker!

The Toothless Wonder

While walking into the Aquatic Center for the girls swim lesson, Ava exclaimed:
"My tooth popped out!"

Sure enough, yet another jumped ship, determined to make her look like a jack-o-lantern well before Fall!

Congrats Ava dear!

Brothers

The highlight of my childhood was making my brother
laugh so hard that food came out his nose.

{Garrison Keillor}

Sometimes being a brother
is even better than being a superhero.

{Marc Brown}

A friend is a brother
who was once a bother.

{Unknown}

"This Old Heart of Mine..."

My mother-in-law recently celebrated her birthday,
and as a gift from us kids
she received tickets to see...

ROD STEWART!

She was thrilled and her and my father-in-law had a great time at the show.

Happy Birthday!

Gabriel's Baby Blessing

Gabriel Dodge Lopez Ramos Elmer
Baby Blessing
August 2nd, 2009

This was a truly special day,
and Samuel and I are both grateful
for everyone who made it so.

We love you!

Mother Goose on the Loose

What's got Owen's attention?

And Gabriel's too?

Of course!
It's the Roseville Library Summer Reading Club event:

Mother Goose on the Loose

We enjoyed fun songs, and-oh wait!
What's this?
They give you...

STICKS???
(Can you tell this was a hit with my 2-year old?)

I can only guess what he's thinking:
Music instrument or weapon?

Thankfully he chose the former, not the latter, and enjoyed banging away with the best of them!

Later, after dropping off our library books in the car and suffering a major meltdown in the parking lot (Owen-not me), we returned for the free craft activity. While the kids colored trees and affixed popcorn "leaves" with glue dots, I caught up with some of my former library co-workers. What fun!

Free programs at your local library?

PRICELESS!

Just keep swimming!

On Monday the girls started swim lessons.

Isabella and Ava took to the water easily, but my Iris played boa constrictor with my leg and refused to enter the water. It took about three minutes to coax her into the capable hands of her instructor, and it was at that moment that I turned and bolted through the crowd to ensure she would lose sight of me. Sounds mean, but I knew if I just walked away she'd have a much easier time of it.

Sure enough, the next time I looked all three girls were floundering in the water and having a great time!

What do I love most about summer swim lessons?

Exhausted kids who fall asleep the moment their head hits the pillow!

Yes!

Ava Miss Gracy turns 6!

For Ava's 6th birthday we celebrated with my family by roasting marshmallows for s'mores. Though it was a tad warm, as the 8 o'clock hour rolled around we were all in high spirits enjoying our sugar-high!

Can you believe that this was my mother's first s'more?

Owen likes his marshmallows black and crispy!

Yum!

Great-grandma Lopez and Gabriel Dodge

Grandma Rose & Gabriel

Dewey (a.k.a. Petey or Ryan), Ricky, & Nicole

Happy 6th Birthday Ava Grace!

You are a delight to not only your mother and father but to the whole world around you. You bring us so much joy with your sweet spirit, and to this day your big brown beautiful eyes melt our hearts!

We love you sweetheart!

Family Camp: Day Five, Say Cheese & Go Home!

The last day of camp is always bittersweet.

Everyone tends to housekeeping matters, and when all is said and done, we gather for a family photo.

From left to right and then snaking back again...
Aunt Patti (in red), Uncle Ron, Houston, Elizabeth, Veronica, Jessica, Luke, Joe, Lillian, Nathan, Clista, Gary, Wyatt, Jesse, Leah, Rachel, Bill, Mason, Iris, Ali, Jacob, Ava, Isabella, Hallie, Abby, Lennon, Gabriel, Olivia, Samuel, Owen, & Meghan.

Loaded up, on the road, and absolutely filthy!

Civilization:

Here we come!