My funny little man...

Owen is such a funny little man.

I say little man because that is just what he is:
A little man!

Doesn't that boggle your mind?
It does mine.

I can hardly believe this fireball of energy and attitude is one day going to tower over his mama-no large feat considering I'm only 4' 11"-but still, tower he will, and he will come to me not to tie his cape on or to put ballet slippers on his little feet (at least I hope not!), but to ask if he can borrow the car or stay out a little later than curfew (and if you're wondering dear, the answer is NO! :).

Here he is completely transfixed with the swim towel his Grandma Clista gave him for his birthday. He insists we spread it out nice and smooth so he can stand and point at it while saying in an awe-inspired whisper, "Batman!"

I love you Owen!

Thank you for filling my day with
craziness,
frustration,
and yes,
love!

Old Sacramento

We've had a lot of fun this summer enjoying some mini stay-cations. For this particular trip, we ventured to a favorite of many, Old Sacramento.

We love checking out the Delta King...

and seeing the murky water of the American River up close!

You can't go and NOT check out the candy store. I love that they give everyone a free sample.

Gabriel's enjoying the view. It's his first time facing out while in his baby carrier. He's growing so fast!

We found this empty lower level plaza and it was the perfect spot to take some pictures of the family.

Owen Joseph

He couldn't resist the gurgling fountain.
He is...all boy.

Isabella Rose

I'm telling you, her smile gets more beautiful every day.

Iris Luciana

Indulging her camera happy mom.

Ava Grace

She loved twirling on this old lamp post...as evident by her huge grin!

Gabriel Dodge

He changes every day. All the more reason to capture him with my camera!

Samuel Dodge

Handsome as all get out. I love this guy!

It's next to impossible to get them to all line up straight!

Heading home!

Park Photo Shoot: My Goobers

Of course I'm totally biased,
but these are some beautiful kids!

Count me as one proud mama
who marvels everyday that I have such
choice spirits in my home.

Are we not blessed?

There was never a child so lovely
but his mother was glad to get him to sleep.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Even when freshly washed and
relieved of all obvious confections,
children tend to be sticky.
Fran Lebowitz

There are only two things a child will share willingly -
communicable diseases and his mother's age.
Benjamin Spock

It is easier to build strong children
than to repair broken men.
Frederick Douglass

You are worried about seeing him
spend his early years in doing nothing.
What?
Is it nothing to be happy?
Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long?
Never in his life will he be so busy again.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762

The Wild West!

Taking the kiddies to the park alone has always been low on my list-it's just too stressful chasing Owen around with a newborn. But on this gorgeous day I bit the bullet and thought it was well worth the effort if it meant getting everyone out of the house for a few hours to burn some energy.

We were really impressed with Mahany Park so I thought we'd check out the all accessible park in Maidu Park.

It has a fun "wild west" theme and the kids had fun exploring the "town".

Isabella in the "gathering place" maze.

Later, we crossed the street to the baseball fields and spread out our blanket for a picnic. We watched kids train for baseball season and munched on ham, crackers, and cheese. It was awesome to be able to eat and not worry about cleaning up the crumbs!

Mental note:
Go on more picnics!

All in all,
Owen came home in one piece,
I retained my sanity,
and I even took a couple of family pictures which I'll post later!

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!