One Of These Things Is Not Like the Other

So, when Adam got back from swim lessons the other day, his grandma had some friends over to play Bridge. After asking me numerous questions about the game, he asked if he could go watch their game. I told him it was fine as long as it was okay with Grandma. Grandma said it was fine, so he dragged a chair in and watched...

..with perfect posture...for 40 minutes. Somewhere, the gods of Bridge are smiling.

Sum-Sum-Summertime...

We've been spending a lot of time by the pool. And by "the" pool, I mean any pool we can find. Here are the kids at my friend Kelly's in-law's pool.





Now, don't those pictures just define summer?

Summer Accomplishments

Adam loves the water. He has been taking swimming lessons this summer and has been practicing swimming without his life vest. He has also taken up diving, which thrills his father and terrifies his mother. The next to videos are short. Enjoy.





Jane has also taken a liking to the pool...and Doritos. This is also a short video, the payout at the end is totally worth it.

Summer

So, I lost my camera a while back. We have since purchased an underwater camera and borrowed an old point-and-shoot from a friend, but for a while I had to rely on my friends to e-mail me the pictures they took of my kids. Luckily I have very accommodating friends. I didn't take a single one of these pictures.


Adam took soccer lessons for the first time this summer and absolutely loved it. The coach, Tessa, was a girl from church who was home from BYU for the summer. Adam loves her and thinks she is all things soccer. Scott was showing Adam clips of the World Cup on YouTube and Adam said, "Where's Tessa?"

Tessa did an awesome job dealing with two groups of preschoolers who had no soccer experience and, sometimes, no interest in gaining said experience.
The soccer classes were held in my friend, Amy's, backyard, which was perfect because there was plenty for the siblings to do while the kids practiced. Jane loved finding all of the cool cars and defending them with her life (and her not-petite frame). I think my friend, Dave, who took this picture was trying to capture the popsicle juice running down her face and body (speaking of which, I think we owe you about 50 popsicles Amy).


Jane cannot compete, however, with Adam's fine popsicle eating skills (or lack thereof). There is a reason he is shirtless in this picture, I learned my lesson with the first 10 shirts he ruined (I'm quick like that). Unfortunately, the popsicle juice stained his body for several days. What is in that stuff??!!

We went to the Memorial Day parade downtown with the kids. I am slowly coming to the realization that my assumption that I was going to be the cool, fun parent and Scott the "enforcer" is completely backwards. That is cotton candy that Jane is eating. My fiscally responsible (cheap) husband shelled out $3 for that confection. Something he would not have done for anyone except his chubby-cheeked spawn.


Here's the whole family at the parade.


These last couple are just of Jane. I think that, if you look closely, you can actually see the mischief in her eyes. She thrives on challenging us and seeing how far she can push before we push back.


Oh, help.

Taking One Giant Step Back

A high school friend of mine posted a link to a Redbook article on Facebook about breastfeeding and declared that she would be boycotting the magazine for encouraging women not to breastfeed. I'll let you decide if that is what it really said. I posted the following comment and immediately regretted it. If you've ever had a conversation with a "lactivist", you know why.

April Tripp Holmes

I read the article and it's not about proving a point. It simply gives women permission not to beat themselves up if it doesn't work out. I breastfed both of my kids, but they also got the occasional bottle of formula. I think her point was that we all want the best for our kids and we shouldn't feel bad if the best thing ends up being formula. As someone who has sat sobbing through the pain of a nursing session, sometimes a bottle of formula really is "best" for all involved.

Here is the response of one of her friends (Name withheld to protect the psychotic)

I disagree, April. Feeding children genetically modified ingredients full of corn syrup and certain allergens made by big corporations that discourage breastfeeding by hounding new mothers with their products via hospitals can not be best for all. There are so many better options available. A mother can pump and store excess breastmilk for those times when she needs a break. Also, goat's milk is a healthy option for children, and one can always buy breastmilk from a bank.
Of course, we don't want our children to grow up to have diabetes, obesity, or allergies, do we?
Learning to breastfeed is not easy, that's for certain, but the science proves that despite the challenge, breast really is best!


And that's when I decided that I wouldn't say anything else. But, then my nasty side got the better of me and I said:

April Tripp Holmes

I was formula fed and I am neither obese or diabetic, nor do I have any allergies. I even managed to pull off a Masters degree. But hey, if my mom breastfed me, maybe it would have been a PhD. This is obviously a hot button issue for you. I'll let it go.

And I promise that's what I'll do. But not before I publicly mocked her narrow-minded viewpoint on my blog. Ha!

Wow. Just, wow.

This puts Adam's juice addiction into perspective. Be sure to scroll all the way down and see the video as well.

Sound Bites

Everyday phrases at our house:

"Stop playing with your penis."

"Stop biting Jane's head!"

"I need some personal space right now."

"Make better choices."

"Get your hands out of your pants."

"You don't need to tell me every time you have to go to the bathroom."

"No, you can't pee in the bushes."

"You can't go outside without pants on."

"That sound Jane is making should tell you that she doesn't like what you're doing."

"Jane, what on earth are you doing?!"

"Did you bite her?"

"Did you bite him?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Where are your underpants?"

"Put your underpants back on please."

"It's time for 'quiet time'."

"Daddy will be home soon."


It's a glamorous life I lead.