Go: The Bay Area Discovery Museum

At an activity in our ward, a sister shared some of her family's favorite spots to visit in the Bay Area.  She mentioned The Bay Area Discovery Museum as being a must visit for families with small children, and as you can see...she was right!

This place, put quite simply, is magic!

There are caves to explore...

...tide pools that gush...

...and even several shipwrecks!

You can SEE though things...

...climb THROUGH things...

...go UP things...

...stand IN things...

...get LOST in things...

...scramble ON things...

...and even, 

GONG things!

There are number of crafts to do...

...things to create...

...and blocks with which to build!

But perhaps our favorite of all...

...was the PAINTING!

Have you ever seen anything like this?

They went CRAZY having so much fun!

Moving along,
there were some incredible hands on learning stations-
this one taught about floating and waves!

There was even a full-on mini-Fisherman's Wharf
featuring crabbing and fishing!

Owen and I spend some time in a magical place designed for 2 years old and under-it nearly killed his siblings who couldn't join us (it's strictly enforced)!

And true to form, it was a great place for the tinier tots to roam, and play, and spent some amazing one-on-one time with mom or dad!

I will cherish our time together, Owen!

Playing with the rubber steel head in the river bed...

...exploring a Peter-pan like houseboat...

...running free...

...disappearing down a hole like the white rabbit...

...and playing house!

We caught up with the big kids later...

...and lo and behold,
there were no brothers and sisters to be found...

only chipmunks!

We had a grand time, and of all things, we ended up arriving on a special FREE SATURDAY!  For a family of seven that is an incredible savings!  Woo hoo!

If you're interested in attending, visit the website and make sure you sign up for the emails.  You'll receive a discount on admission, and stay updated on special promotions.

Really, truly, you must go!

It is AMAZING!

A Grand Excuse to Play

We invited some families from our ward for dinner, and the kids could not have been happier!

{Note: Of course, we were happy too!}

It was a grand excuse to play, and it was fun watching their adventures!

{Can't you just hear them shouting?}

Count your lucky stars you didn't hear this!

Just kidding!

These girls put on a wonderful show...

And they were so pleased with themselves!

There was a roaring hot fire...

which was a perfect ending...

to a perfect night!

2010 Easter

Yes, it's embarrassingly late to post about Easter, but really, what's new!

Our annual Easter dinner was delicious!  We had all the usual suspects, and I couldn't have been happier!

What with our crazy weather patterns, our Easter Hunt was held indoors this year.  

The troops took it in stride!

Dessert was Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes inspired by my friend Angie.  One bite of hers and I knew what I'd serve at my Easter table.

No complaints!

Later, we joined Samuel family for a dessert bar of:

Mexican Wedding Cookies,

Congo Bars,

And

Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts

We are so blessed with:

Food
Family
Love
Life

And a testimony of
The Savior,
Jesus Christ!

Happy Easter!

April Hail?

Only in California!

Carving Out a Garden

 

Where there's a will...

there's a way!

Scardy Cats

Owen and Gabriel are so funny.

They are both terrified of swings!

Samuel and I are only allowed to push them very softly, and even still, after a few minutes, they're ready to move on.

I love my little scardy cats!

April Fools!

Cilantro Lime Avocado Salad

This dish is adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe. It's light, refreshing, and a perfect side to anything fresh from the grill!  

Note:

You will love this simple recipe, but keep in mind that once you add the avocado it's best served immediately.  To make in advance, just prepare until that point and add the avocado at the last.

Cilantro Lime Avocado Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Level: Easy
Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 .c of frozen corn, steamed and cooled.
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and diced.1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. freshly grated lime zest

Place the above items in a large bowl and set aside.

1/4 c freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1 drizzle of olive oil (approx. 1 1/2 tbs)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of fresh minced garlic
1/4 tsp of cayenne or chili powder

Whisk together the above ingredients and pour over the vegetable mixture. 

Toss well, but carefully, to maintain the texture of the avocado.

Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Pork Carnitas

This savory pork marinated in spices and olive oil steeps in broth, onions, and garlic until tender and soft.  Perfect for gently shredding and serving in a warm tortilla or over nachos.

Note: 

When I make this, it's typically for a crowd, hence the large portions.  Feel free to adjust the recipe to suit what you need.

Pork Carnitas

Ingredients

7 1/2 lbs. pork sirloin tip roasts

1 Tb. olive oil

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 Tb. onion powder

1/2 Tb. garlic powder

1 Tb. chili powder
Pam Cooking Spray

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Trim the roasts of any visible fat.  Lay on a prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Massage into the meat and set aside. 

In a small bowl combine the spices.  Using your hands, pat the mixture onto the roasts until covered.  Place the roasts in a zip-lock bag and refrigerate overnight.

After marinating, allow pork to come to room temperature.  Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and spray with the cooking spray.  Brown all sides of the meat, and then arrange the roasts in a slow cooker.  Nestle the onion throughout, being careful to leave in quarters (After cooking, the onion quarters will be removed).  Top with the minced garlic and broth.

Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours and the meat is fall-apart tender.  

Remove the quartered onions which will be extremely soft, carefully shred the meat with a fork, season to taste, and serve as desired.

For a colorful presentation, place in a large serving platter and place a mound of shredded red cabbage & cilantro tossed in a lime vinaigrette and sprinkle with feta cheese or queso fresco.

Enjoy!

  

The Black Chasm Caverns

For Samuel's birthday, he took some time off of work and we hit the road!  We ended up at the Black Chasm Caverns, and explored over...and under!

The kiddies had a great time exploring while we waited for our tour to begin.

They also had fun watching water stream from the gold mining sloughs.

Almost there!


We are all anxious to dive deep into the earth!

And so we go!

 

It really is amazing!

And the girls-all but Iris-were mesmerized!

Gabriel was sweet-tart the whole way down and up.  It was only later that we realized we didn't have a bottle on us!  Good thing he's such an easy going baby!

This room was called the "Princess Room".
Iris, who was terrified the entire time, was finally won over!

Back on land we played on the see-saw!  This puppy is ancient and we nearly killed ourselves on it!

The adventure left us starving, and what better way to curb your appetite than a giant pizza from Alonzo's!

Talk about cheesy!


{The Pizza, not Samuel!
Although...}

{Happy Birthday Peanut}

We love you Dad!