sunday (insert sunday night hbo original series music montage).

I used to really detest sundays; now i love them. these days sundays represent great family days; as opposed to: pooh! blah, tomorrow is monday. this is actually a major sea-change in my life. yup, used to hate sunday's THAT bad. today, the usual breakfast (mike makes it for me, we're talking a whole elaborate brunch spread, and i don't even have to clean the dishes afterwards), a film- 'elizabethtown'- sappy, but goddamn, i love cameron crowe, and note to self- MUST drive cross-country, a little yard work (mike mows the grass while henry and i nap), and then dinner at the inlaws (whom i love dearly, by the way-i am one lucky girl). cap it off with a new episode of the sopranos, and you have the most perfect day. (those are some flowers from mike's parent's yard- glorious irises- look totally psychedelic, right? and lily of the valley- heaven scented; mike's parent's have a slot machine in their house- henry loves to watch them pull the handle- little gambler...and a picture of henry after our 'after nap bath'... couldn't resist the nudie pic. he'll hate me for it later, surely, but this is now, right?).

"I'm Just Sayin'"

Last night we had some friends over for "impromptu Game Night" (as t-bird dubbed it). Needless to say, the game playing was minimal; I think I saw Thom and Bobby break out the game and play a bit around midnight. The night mostly consisted of fun stories from the P's about their neighbors (hence the post title); watching their little guy have a blast in his p.j.'s; and Mike and I being amazed our loud voices didn't wake Henry up. Not once. We need to get together more often! P.S. Bobby- you are the master of the Graves Mobile.

indifference.

I would like to preface this post by saying that I am in no way discounting the horror, the loss, or the insurmountable sadness brought about by the recent shootings and resulting deaths which occurred last week at Virginia Tech. Tech is close to my heart- my brother is a Va Tech architecture grad, I lived in Blacksburg for a brief time; I went to college at Radford, which is connected to Blacksburg by a long-winding sleepy mountain road. It really breaks my heart to think of something so terrible happening in such a beautiful place. College is supposed to be a place of innocence and wonderful discovery, and it is sad to see that standard compromised in such a meaningless way. That said, all of this has caused me to think even harder, and feel even sadder about something which hangs constant and heavy in my mind: the war in Iraq. Why can't we see the same kind of news coverage/ media attention devoted to the sham of a war we've been fighting since 2003, that has been devoted to the tech shootings? Each day there have been entire news shows, articles, reports, and up to the minute coverage relating to tech; the coverage of the war in Iraq seems to pale in comparison. I am the daughter of a Vietnam veteran who suffers from severe post traumatic stress syndrome. Because of this, I have been living with war since the day I was born, along with the rest of my family. Perhaps this makes me more sensitive to such things, but I'm just saying that I wish the same amount of talk, thought, memorializing, prayer, and journalism went to the people over there fighting, the people over there trying to live (innocent civilians), the people who have returned home after having been over there, and their families. I wish the same amount of fervor could spur us on, as citizens, to question this war, and how we got involved with it in the first place. When my father returned home from the Vietnam war he was spat upon at O'Hare airport in Chicago, and called a "baby-killer." This "war" today is "different", the climate has changed, and the dynamics are not the same as they were back in the Vietnam days. People say they 'support' the troops. But do they? All I see is a bunch of indifference. And a big phony war which has caused a lot of very real heartache and loss. *As of 4/26/2007 the associated press reports that 3,334 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the war (in 3/2003). A team of American and Iraqi epidemiologists estimates that 601,000 Iraqi civilians have died as a result of violence (brought on by the war, beginning 3/2003).

noses, you know-ses.

the hardest part of my weekdays used to consist of researching the history of entire subdivisions in norfolk; or scouring plats and records for old right of way easements located on streets that exist currently as vacant lots. or running a property back to around the time this area was colonized and people used to buy and sell land by exchanging handfuls of dirt. it seems the hardest part of my days now consists of trying to extract boogers from henry's nose. you laugh. you tisk. you think- all she has to write about now is shredded cheese and boogers. well, YOU try getting a booger out of a seven month old's nose. he acts as if i'm giving him the 'mummy' treatment; you know, the process during which one, using a hook, removes the subjects brain through their nose. in stark contrast is his reaction to a good ear-cleaning. during this procedure he closes his eyes and smiles and sighs, as i swipe the q-tip about his outer ear. these things may sound quite easy, but ten hours non-stop of such things makes for a pretty LONNNNG day. throw in several temper tantrums (the tooth cutting through his gum) three meals of food-flinging, a couple rounds of sesame street, two snack sessions with sticky banana hurling and a sneaky dog trying to swipe henry's sweet potato puffs, a bath session with major splashing and countless diaper changings (ever had poop under your finger nails?)....once those ten hours are up i.e. when mike returns home from work, i usually melt in a puddle on henry's play carpet and raise up my white flag. unbelievable how exhausting that kiddo can be. but i'd much rather be looking for boogers than property lines on an ancient map. the rewards of this job are far greater. like being able to shout out "i've got it!!! i got your booger! ha!"

spring is really here!

and i have a house stuffed to the brim with vases of azaleas. gorgeousness. post note: sorry t-bird. just realized, almost same post title as your most recent.

tooth.

old blue eyes is getting his first tooth!

"fancy"

why are the smaller grates of cheese always referred to as "fancy"? what's so fancy about a bag of shredded cheese? what makes it any better than, say, crumbles, or a thicker grate, or even cubes or strings... or hunks, or chunks... or wheels?

standin' up.

there's henry standing up in his crib. he is doing this new thing where he crinkles up his nose and breathes really hard... actually, it is somewhat of a modified snort. i think he got it from nico. he just adores that dog. and the feelings are most certainly mutual.

the last of the daffodils...

Att: 1888

not sayin' you guys need to tan. i've just started taking pictures of the #1888 when i see it.

week of sound.

Our homepage is Pitchfork Media, a website about all things happening in the musical sense. Tonight I logged on only to be confronted with not one, not two or three, but four people rocking fur hats. what's up with that? And those gold lame tights from American Apparel are JUST what I need for tomorrow night's Flaming Lips show at the norva. Yes, it is the week of sound; what with last nights TV on the Radio show (AMAZING), tomorrow nights Flaming Lips, and then Friday night at the Boot, to hear my husband play with his old band Flourescent. whew. I'm exhausted already, and it is only mid-week. Think those tights are just what I need for a little pick me up.

burg.

my thoughts and prayers go out to blacksburg and to the people of blacksburg. *sigh*... my favorite little mountain town...
JUST WANTED TO ADD TO THIS POST: happened to catch the news last night and saw some of the video diary that the killer mailed to nbc news the morning of the killings. what a bastard, what a sick, sick bastard. narcisistic coward sonofabitch. there is a special place in hell for this loser. i feel so badly for the victim's families.

seven.

little henry is seven months old today! his personal sense of style is certainly evolving.

lamb.

We had an excellent holiday weekend, albeit a rather busy one. Friday we went to an art/craft show, and saturday morning was t-birds brunch. Saturday night Mike and I enjoyed an evening sans the kiddo at the 1888 cd release party. Sunday was a delicious feast with our families all gathered together. It was a weekend made awesome by good times spent with terrific family and friends. Henry was too young to enjoy all the sweet treats associated with Easter, so he sampled all of his plushie gifts instead. Yesterday a surprise arrived by delivery- a beautiful lamb from his dear auntie T. from nyc. By then he was too tired to taste, so he just snuggled instead. Happy Spring Everyone!

kids on fire.

For a lovely evening in, might I suggest the film "Jesus Camp". Be prepared to throw up in your own mouth- I did, at least three times. The film follows a few children who are on their way to a pentecostal summer camp, called "Kids on Fire" (ironically the camp is located in Devil's Lake, ND). These children are homeschooled by their parents and taught things such as global warming is a figment of liberal's imaginations and Bush is the savior of the world. You know- the basics. The summer camp is run by a children's minister named Becky Fischer. She hopes to create an army of children to spread christianity throughout the world, and admits to being inspired by the militantcy by which the Isrealis and Palestinians train their children. At one point in the film she tells a dj on an Air America radio program that the problem with democracy is that "we can't give everyone equal freedom because that's going to destroy us." hmmm. The film is infuriating and heart-breaking. Heart-breaking because these children are so bright and creative, yet their hearts and minds are being destroyed by evil brainwashing. They are being taught to hate and to fear with passion, and never get the chance to just be kids. At one point in the film one of the children goes on vacation with his family to Ted Haggard's New Life Christian Church. Mr. Haggard goes on and on about sin, and the sanctity of family, and honesty. Yeah- the same Ted Haggard that not long ago was exposed for his penchant for homosexual prostitution and crystal methamphetamine! I love it. Hey, don't forget to enjoy a glass of jesus juice while watching this one! (oh yeah- in the picture above those kids are hailing.. I mean... worshiping Jesus Christ... I mean George Bush. way to go Becky Fischer.)

backyard love.

When we decided to buy this house about three years ago, the backyard was the deciding factor for us. It is huge and beautiful. And because our home is on the wetlands, we have no neighbors directly behind us. Just lots of marshy, grassy land- I'm sure one day in the not so distant future I will find Henry Cooper out there up to his knees in mud. The mud is thick and runs deep. When the tide is low and recedes to deeper parts, it leaves behind little fiddler crabs that like to pop in and out of their little tunnels. When the tide is high, we squint and pretend we have real waterfront property. Every day I look out and see geese, grey herons, and beautiful big white herons. Our neighborhood was once farmland, and also home to many horses. According to an old neighbor who was nearly 100, our house stands in an area where the stables were once located. I'm convinced that this, along with the whole wetlands factor, is why the soil is so rich and fertile. It is like black gold; and with only a partially green thumb and a little effort, I have had minimal gardening success (i.e. not ALL of the plants I have planted have died- some, but not all). When I worked before and didn't have a newborn, I used to blow most of my paychecks on the garden. Mostly perennials- which is good, since I am no longer employed- plants that come back every year. This summer, due to the limited funds, I will be growing most everything from seed. I will probably be tracking the progress here.... so hahaha- my boring mommy blog will become a boring gardening blog, perhaps. Anyhow- the whole point of this post (which has become a bit long-winded-- sorry) is that I love, love, love our backyard in the spring. We have nine camelia trees of varying colors blooming at the moment, and scads of daffodils which my husband has lovingly planted over the past two autumns (because they are my favorite, and he is awesome). There are mounds and mounds of bluebells that have naturalized in the yard, various kinds of tulips, rhododendrons, azaleas, and a couple explosions of blazing yellow forsythia... man, I really love our backyard in the spring.

more light....

I love the way the sunlight travels around our house throughout the day.