Clarification?

When Ben read my post, he didn't get it. It makes sense to me. Adam found the peach tree, and, like Jason, spent the day sitting under it eating peaches. He didn't want to share his find with Eve. She spent the day wandering around the seedier side of Eden and ran into the serpent. Those apples looked great only because she'd never experienced peaches! So, please, tell me. Did I write a bummer post, or is Ben a victim of post-literary public schools?

Eden in My Garden

I think I know why Eve ate the apple. Adam found the peach tree first and didn't share. What's tempting about an apple when peaches abound?

Water Olympics

The girls decided to play in the boat yesterday afternoon. Libi was being so cute with the hose that I opened the door a crack to get it on film without anyone seeing me.

Why do the kids always react to my presence with whining?

Anyway, I didn't catch Libi exploring the physics of running water, but I did get a pretty spectacular stunt by Sadie.

I was pleased to see that Eve made an effort to comfort her sister. I hope that dynamic continues.

The Sleep of the Just

When you're seven months old and sleepy, you just go to sleep. And you don't hold grudges when your Mom wakes you up trying to get some photos.

Here's another example of his sleep-anywhere skills. I was putting the girls down for a nap and I thought to myself, "I haven't heard Nathan's voice in a while." I went to check on him where he'd been playing in the living room, and there he was -

We went to R.J. Brown's birthday party this past Saturday. What a party!! Monica wins, hands down for best kid party EVER.
R.J. is probably the most agreeable kid you'll ever meet, and that extends to the convenience of picking a new obsession every year. Two birthdays ago it was trains; last year, cowboys; this year, pirates.
When it was time to get ready, I told the girls they could wear whatever they wanted to the party. Eve chose a leotard, Sadie her "Grandma Dress", and Liberty chose her fanciest "Jimmy Jammies." They all wanted braids that stand up like Fancy Nancy's, so I braided some stiff pipecleaners into their hair, which came in handy for keeping their pirate hats on.
First on the party agenda, a treasure hunt with a real Pirate Treasure Map (the hats were in the treasure box).


Then the bucaneers brought their treasure back to the Jolly Roger. Amazing!
Next, a pirate ship pinata!


This was so funny I could barely hold onto the camera. See if you can figure out where Eve's putting her candy.




Now to get it out...


Almost lost that one...And the grand finale - a pirate ship cake!!

But there's more!! What could make a little boy happier than his very own quad?! I hear R.J. and Ryan have already gone quadding (sp? I feel like I'm a traitor to the English language for putting that word in print) together - Ryan on his, R.J. following on his.

A Stitch In Time Saves Nine

Like most Moms, I want to teach my kids the lessons I had to learn by experience. One of the lessons/habits I wish I had learned earlier is dental hygiene. I abhor visiting the dentist. When I was very young, my Dad smoked. Before I started preschool, he started chewing Wrigley's Spearmint gum instead. I don't know if sugarless gum was even on the market then, but if it was, my Dad didn't buy it. To this day, when I smell Wrigley's I can see my Dad's belt and the jeans pocket where he kept the gum. Dad loved to give us girls a half-peice of gum after morning mass or when we went to do errands with him. Unfortunately, the gum, combined with my sisters' and my endless campaign to trick my mom into believing we had brushed our teeth when we hadn't, resulted in many, many cavities. So now I make darned sure the girls brush their teeth regularly and well. They actually won't go to sleep without brushing their teeth, no matter how tired they are.
The last couple times I've been to the dentist, he's told me the girls really need to floss every day. I get them to do it for about a week, and then I get fed up with the yards of floss all over the house, and hide it from them. When they ask for it, I just say, "oh, we're out, I need to go buy more." No wonder Sadie's such a good liar.
But the other day I found these at Winco -
They come 40 in a bag, and I think I spent $3.00. I'm guessing I can get them in bulk on the internet somewhere and pay less. So, with 3 kids flossing every night, a bag of these should last almost 2 weeks. At $3.00 a bag thats $63 a year, or probably $66 or something. A little expensive, but I think it's worth the benefit of a bedrock good habit, and it doesn't offer Libi the temptation to pull and pull and pull and pull. I'll probably save money considering how many yards of traditional floss Liberty has unraveled in the sink.

Big Brother's Keepin' an Eye on You!

I just read an article by Rick Klein; the White House is urging Americans to inform on their neighbors who don't want Obamacare. -

Yesterday, White House director of new media Macon Phillips wrote a blog posting urging readers to flag questionable claims about health care proposals.

“There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is sending a letter to the White House today asking the president to “cease this program immediately” -- or to explain how Americans’ privacy will be protected if e-mails are forwarded to the White House as requested.

Cornyn specifically asks whether those who quote the president’s past statements -- such as his 2003 statement that he was a “proponent” of single-payer care -- qualifies as “disinformation.” He also asks what actions the White House would take against those engaging in “fishy” speech.

Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi claims that Obamacare protesters are "carrying swasticas and symbols like that to town hall meetings on healthcare."

If you haven't seen the many videos of protesters at town hall meetings on health care, you're missing out. Here's the best I've seen. It makes my day to see Arlen Specter booed for being an idiot. In the clip, he actually tries to defend himself for not reading the 1,000 pg health care bill before voting on it.

If nothing else, at least these foxes are good for a laugh.

The Dog Days of Summer

I've always wondered what that's supposed to mean. When I hear the phrase, I picture the black lab we had as a kid, sleeping on the asphalt at the top of our driveway. She always looked so hot up there. I remember wishing I could take her coat off for her. I was sure she was miserable.
This year I've been nervous about taking the kids swimming by myself because none of them can swim, and I'm worried about keeping all of them alive. But, I finally broke down and took them to my friend Cathy's house for a swim. Surprisingly enough, no one drowned, and the arm floaties and life jackets kept everyone on the surface.
Encouraged by my success, I took the kids and some friends to the Bear River yesterday. It was great, and I didn't even get a sunburn!
Nathan was really into eating the river rocks. It took me 4 or 5 tries to get a pic of him without a rock or a binky in his mouth. He didn't just gnaw on the rocks and then spit them out, he was actually trying to eat them, and he'd put another one in as soon as I got one out.
And here's Sadie with one of her favorite books. Fancy Nancy is a celebrity ar our house.