Roseville Citizen's Police Academy

On Thursday July 23rd, 2010

I graduated from

the City of Roseville's

Citizens Police Academy!

It's a two-week course that gives you an

inside look at the daily operations of your local police force.

The highlights:

Standing on a rooftop to watch the K-9 units below

find a hiding suspect,

track marijuana,

and go plain nuts in the back of a police car

when the sirens start to blair.

{The car was rocking!}

Getting to be a fly on the wall of the dispatch center.

I freaked when they got a call about someone that had a knife...
{Yikes!}

Visiting the local jail and checking out the booking rooms.

{Talk about creepy}

Walking the underground shooting range.

The best part was spotting bullet holes in random places

that were way, way off target.

{Who's shooting behind you on the target line?}

Handling the SWAT team equipement and

learning what it takes to qualify.

For example, timed pull-up exercises...

while toting 70+ pounds of extra weight?

{No thank you!}

Learning that on average

there are only eight officers on patrol at any given time!

{No wonder there's never a cop around when you need one!}

All in all,

it was a GREAT experience!

I learned so much,

and have a whole new appreciation for what these

good people do in our behalf.

...

The kids were a bit confused though.

Owen thought mom was a cop now...

No,
mom is just mom, son.

Sorry to disappoint!

And Samuel came away hoping that I was
finally up for packing some heat!

Again,
sorry to disappoint!

Though I wouldn't mind trying my hand
at the range sometime...

{smile}

Happy 5th Birthday Iris!

Iris Luciana

She came out crying...

and hasn't stopped since!

Okay, that's not exactly true.

But sometimes it certainly feels like it!

This girl graces us with plenty of smiles,

tons of sweet laughter,

and a heart so big and pure.

And yet,

there's definitely some sass

sprinkled in there.

And every now and again,

it gets her into a fair amount of trouble!

Samuel nicknamed her,

"Sweet n' Sour"

And that is no joke!

...

Iris,

Your mum and dad love you to pieces!

 You bring us great, great joy,

and it is so fun to watch you grow!

Have lot's of fun today,

and every day after!

Love,

Your parents

Your celebration began with Grandma Rose and family!

Grandpa Jose with grandsons, Gabriel and Owen!.

Ava Grace and Lola

Samuel giving your new helmet a try.

Then, we had "Birthday Sunday" at Grandma Clista's!

Happy Birthday Iris & Lennon!

Aunt Rachel did a great job with the lego cakes!

After all the celebrating with family,

your real birthday finally arrived.

What better way to start the day,

than with a chocolate cupcake for breakfast!

I love your smile!

Since it's your special day,
you were in charge of the dinner menu!

What did you pick?

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza, of course!

A cupcake for breakfast does NOT count as your official dessert!

Let's see if you can muster enough air to

blow out candles for yet another cake!

Well done, baby girl!



Iris,

We hope you had a wonderful,
wonderful birthday!

We love you so much!

Keep on being you, sweetheart.

Remember,

"We love you because you're you!"

Love always,

Mom & Dad

A Work of Art: Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

I love it.

It's such a contradiction too.

A true beast of a pie.

Hefty,
in your face,
and
don't forget the spikes!

And yet,

it's got an etheral quality.

Very delicate. 

Very...soft.

Hmmmm.

Either way,

it's so, so good.

And while it takes a good bit of work to make,

it's worth all the trouble!

...

Now,

where's my fork...?

Cherry Tomato Summer Pizza

If you're like me,

you planted one too many cherry tomato plants!

We eat, and eat, and eat-

but still,

there's no catching up!

Here's where pizza comes in.

It's a huge surface area of delicious dough just

begging for toppings!

Using your favorite made-it-yourself dough-or courtesy of the store,
cover with gobs of tomatoes, shredded parm, fresh chives,
minced garlic, a crackling of black pepper,
and a drizzle of your best olive oil!

Done!

And all ready to pop into the oven!

425 degrees & 18 minutes later...

Bubbly,

Cheesy,

Crispy,

Crusty,

Crunchy,

Sweet goodness.

...

Now that's summer!

Our Outdoor Theater: Singin' in the Rain

Samuel surprised the family

with the best family home evening ever:

"Singing in the Rain"

Projected on the house in our backyard!

The kids were so excited

-and so was I!-

and we had the best time watching the movie under the stars!

We had typically movie fare...

...and made the most of not being in public

and having to wear those
pesky pants!





Owen: Chronicles of the First Day of School

The day dawned bright...

Owen look snappy in the clothes he picked out for himself...

and yet...

...no smile?

You'll notice the backpack came OFF

at this point.

I was informed:

"I'm not going."

Into the car we go then!

And that's when it hit Gabriel like a ton of bricks!

{It's a brother thing...}

Two hours later,
it was all over.

Owen had a great time
(as evidenced by his HUGE smile)
and loved showing off his class work!

Gabriel and I survived a morning by ourselves

(turns out moms aren't so bad to hang out with afterall!-),

and all was right with the world now that we were

all back together again!

Well,
at least until the next time
Owen has to go to school...

{smile}



Simple Refried Black Beans

I cannot tell you how many times I have choked down refried beans as a child. 

Looking back, it seems like we ate them nearly every single night.  I can even vividly remember cracking open the fridge and seeing the bacon lard container staring at me.

Taunting me.

Ugh.

{Shudder}

Now that I am all grown up,

{It does have it's benefits!}

I've successfully avoided refried beans,

refusing to order them in restaurants,

and certainly not cooking them at home!

Until now.

This considerably lighter version uses absolutley no lard and very little oil.  The flavor come from the beans themselves and chicken stock, making them a tasty-and simple!-side dish for those delicious Latin entrees!

Refried Black Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 15-oz can low-sodium black beans, drained of half the liquid

1/2 c 99% fat free chicken broth

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, deveined, de-seeded, and minced (1 tbs)

1/2 c 2% mozzerella cheese, shredded

Directions

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in the oil.

After one minute put in everything except the cheese. 

Lower the heat to medium-low,

combine well,

and allow to simmer,

stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes. 

Mash until nearly all the beans are incorporated. 

{I like mine "beany" and leave some untouched.}

Turn the heat to low and stir in half of the cheese.  

Top with the remaining cheese, cover for one minute,

or until the cheese is melty on top,

and...

Enjoy!

Gabriel Dodge

While we waited for Owen and the girls to finish up

with their dentist appoinments,

it struck me how much this little guy has changed.

He was just sitting on a little chair,

happily swinging his legs,

completely content in just being there!

Little does he know that in a few short months

he'll be in the dentist's chair too!

And that this is just the beginning of
all kinds of wonderful

-and some not so wonderful-

things to come!

But until then,

we'll just wait!

Owen's Joyschool Kick-Off Party

This is the first year ANY of our children have

participated in a pre-school.

I'm not against them,

I just enjoy having my children at home!

But when some girls in our ward and neighborhood

asked who was interested in getting a small co-op together,

Samuel and I gave some serious thought to it.

We went back and forth,

but in the end,

thought that Owen would not only benefit

from regular interaction with other kids his age,

but that he'd just have fun!

I was able to help coordinate the

Kick-off Party,

which meant the planning of fun activities...

...and a tasty

-and very kid-friendly-

brunch!

Gabriel loved the menu!

Owen,

giving the evil eye!

And we haven't even officially started school yet!

Owen was a bit of a mess this whole day.

He knew something was up,

and was pretty sure he didn't want any part of it!

...

Don't worry, Owen.

With anything,

there's bound to be a few bumps

along the way!

Keep pushing on, son.

You won't be disappointed!

I love you!

Love,

Mom



Impromptu Soccer

It's a shame Ava's not in these pictures.

Actually, I think she is in one. 

Only she's teeny-weeny

(see the far left-bottom shot).

The reason it's a shame

is because she's the reason we get the ball out!

She loves to kick it around-

and that's something that she's been doing

since she was a little girl!

You think we'd have her in lessons or on a team,

but every time we ask she refuses.

This is the year,

I think she would go for it,

however with Samuel in school three nights a week,

I don't see how it's possible to haul five kids around

for weeknight practice.

We'll see how it goes though.

If she's game,

I don't want this window of opportunity to pass her by.