celebrations

The last month has been a continual celebration in our household. First, we celebrated Summer’s birthday (late… but who noticed), then Ben’s birthday has become a perpetual celebration because it was hurricaned out. So, bonus for Ben, he gets to open gifts whenever they show up… however, I think we are going to try to re-party his party this weekend. Also, the celebration of school began… and frankly, this is one celebration from which Davy and I both have a major hangover. We have so enjoyed a week away from the festivities of school… and are dreading stepping foot into the fiesta known as school tomorrow. We have also celebrated Summer’s first exhibition of her walking skills. She is one savvy mama… high stepping her way around the world. She is already walking and dancing (head-bobbing) at the same time. And for Ben, we are now fully potty trained with tee-tee. The big bombastic dropping the kids off at the pool will apparently come later… but underpants are being utilized in this household. Just a few notes from the household… I will try to post more simply for my friend Jen since she begs me often to up my frequency. Lots of love from the homefront.

No, Ben is not one.. or two… but we ran out of candles? What are we to do? And yes, he is three.

Summer is normally a ray of sunshine… but this is a priceless photo. 

Movin’ and groovin’ and poopin’? (I love it when babies sit like this!)

Ben’s unquenchable spirit

A girl and her dog.

Before and after

Thought I would post these… because they are fun to compare.

Before Hurricane Ike

After Hurricane Ike

sticky

That’s the word of the day… folks, sticky. Well, I must say it WAS the word of the day. I am so thrilled to have my computer on and running, and even more thankful for the ability to take a hot shower and sit in an air conditioned room. No, I am not in Houston… because when I was in Houston, I was sticky. Everything was sticky… not necessarily hot, thank goodness, but definitely sticky and soggy. We weathered Hurricane Ike on Friday night and frankly, I was so scared. It might have something to do with being a mother to young children, or simply not knowing what to do with myself when I am completely out of control of a situation… but I will say I did not sleep a wink the night that storm rolled through. Thankfully, no trees fell on the house (this was a big concern for us) and we only had a few big limbs down and a whole heck of a lot of mess in the yard. I will tell you… that is the scariest storm I have ever been in… wind howling… major suction in all the doorways… trees whipping every which way… and all in the pitch black dark. Davy and I agreed that storms are scarier in the dark. We could never quite grasp exactly what was happening and you just have this sense of being alone against the weather. (Of course, we knew we weren’t alone… but there were moments when we felt like the only people on the planet simply because we could not see anyone or anything else.) The worst part of the whole thing is the lack of power in the Houston area (hence, the stickiness). We are out of power as is about 80 – 90% of the city. I think they are estimating weeks until it all gets back up and running. We assumed (and had confirmed) that there would be no school for a couple of days so… Davy and I decided yesterday that the best thing for our family was to make the most of a bad situation and leave Houston for a few days. We are now in San Antonio, completely spoiled and not regretting it for a moment. Honestly, with the kids, we knew this would have to be an option. (There is only so much food you can prepare when you run out of ice and propane…) So, I have internet access! and air conditioning! and hot water! I feel bad even writing that because so many people are gutting it out… but I actually just wanted to keep all of you informed on our whereabouts because communication is very difficult in the Houston area right now. So, it was bad. But not bad in the sense of loss of human life because of the storm… it is a major headache and possible major problem if the power situation does not resolve quickly. Also, there are a lot of people (like my Grandmother) who sustained major damage to their homes. (Her house was sliced in half by a giant pine tree and will now be torn down.) It is very sad… but I will say I am so thankful for the few lives in the Houston area that the storm has claimed. However, I know that there is a chance that we don’t even know all of what was done by the giant beast known as Ike. Hang in there compadres, and know that love is being sent your way from me… the girl who is no longer sticky.

Whatever…

This is the word that I keep using to describe this political circus being performed before my eyes. I am intrigued… but also to the point of whatever…. I am quite unsure as to whether the intrigue that exists in my mind is positive or negative at this point… but the whatever… is emphatic. WHATEVER! Let me explain.

The primary thought that has been going through my mind over the past few days is this (uncensored):

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN POLITICS?

Honestly, I turn on CNN in the morning and I think, what the hell? (Sorry for those offended by my uncensored thoughts.) Now, please, at this point try not to view me and Democrat or Republican… because frankly I consider myself neither. I guess that makes my affiliation independent? Whatever…

First you have the whole rumor that Michelle O. is not really “engaged” in a marriage with her hubby BO. Fine, great, love the rumor, it’s quite interesting… but really, in the back of my mind, I am thinking, “that’s the best you got?”  We’re not going to spend much time talking about the eloquence and passion this black… yes, black woman spoke with… puh-lease… if I wanted a tabloid, I would buy it.

Next, you have the Obama – Acropolis… or whatever they called that stupid structure at the DNC. Once, again, whatever…

Then, the speech. Well, it was a speech. I didn’t hear a lot of crap about that. Thank you.

Then, on Friday, (or Thursday) or whenever it was… when Mr. Mc made the big announcement… let the firestorm begin. I will say, like the rest of Washington and the country, I was shocked he picked Mrs. SP. I was delighted, and for a moment, I thought that she must be perfect. A perfect choice… a tough lady… a reformer… a mother… a wife… a person who values human life at it’s very fiber… I am sure that she is these things… and possibly more.

But, what the hell? 

Two days ago I heard that she didn’t have the baby with Down’s Syndrome… what? Exactly. What? BS.

Then I heard that no, it was her baby, but just like you, was informed that her teenage daughter was pregnant. Oooooooooohkay. Good. Or okay. Or whatever!

Then today I read that she supported the political party in Alaska that wanted Alaska to suceede from the United States of America. What is this? What the hell is this?

Is this whole campaign a joke? Does the media really think we are idiots? What the hell? Do they really think that we need to know these things? Great, BO might be detached from Michelle and his girls and self-absorbed… whatever… but Mc and SP might also be detached from their families while their children are getting drunk and having unprotected sex and also supporting who knows what in their political past…  but whatever…

The question I ask is: “WHY ARE WE BEING GIVEN INFORMATION THAT IS ASIDE FROM THE POINT?”

Why has politics become the daily dose of Perez Hilton or US Weekly? Is this who, we as the American people are? Are we really just consumers of gossip and slander? Do they really think we’re this stupid?

I am insulted every time I turn on the television and hear about some new skeleton tumbling out of someone’s closet. If this is the way politics work… then I would like to see every politician that looks at porn name published in the NY Times. I’d also like to know how many got drunk last night… Who had an affair? Who stole some money? Who forgot the words to the Pledge of Allegiance? Who picked their nose… Whatever…

I want to hear what this election is truly about. I want to hear what these lovely people plan to do to fix our broken nation. I want to quit with this crap and get down to the truth. 

Who are you really? How do you think? How do you make decisions? What are you going to do? 

GO.

Now, obviously, I have zero access to these people at this time. I suspect I will never really get the answers I am looking for. But, please, do not but into the crap-fest that has ensued thus far in this campaign.

Let’s just rejoice in the candidates as they are… they are who they are… and let the rest unfold.

Note: Please disregard the angry, preachy, disgruntled nature of this post… nothing personal… just dealing with the crapfest the best way I know how.

words…

For those who read my blog often, you may have figured out I love to write. I do. I have always loved to write. Every day it seems I have an ongoing composition inside my head, just a running and growing… I find myself inspired in the usual places… when listening to others talk about their passions, when watching life lived out without notice, when moving, and when listening to music. I will say, that one of my favorite things in the world to do with my best friends is to share music. I think upon the time that one of my favorite people in the world and I got a full three days together of which much of the time together was spent with us sharing a pair of earbuds. Oh, how I love music. It’s the raw truth that accompanies the melody that gets me. I am one of those “words” people. A couple of people I know are “music” people, but it’s the words that get me every time. 

Today, I was at the gym, listening to some of my old favorites and just wanting to share the truth that stands behind the lyrics of these often passed over songs. How the words do challenge and change me…

A lot of these are tiny snippets of amazing songs were written with a strong and lasting message (all of this of course, in my opinion.)

 

“Paint my face in your magazines, make it look whiter than it seems...”

-”Powerless”, Nelly Furtado

 

“He said, I write what I see, write to make it right, don’t like where I be…”

-”Hip Hop Saved My Life”, Lupe Fiasco

 

“I’m not saying

That there’s no hope for this

But you have tried

To change my mind

And we all know

Our system’s broken and I…

I’ll never vote again”

-”Vote”, The Submarines

 

“I picture you in the sun wondering what went wrong

And falling down on your knees asking for sympathy

And being caught in between all you wish for and all you seen

And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in…”

-”In the Sun”, Joseph Arthur (and also re-performed by REM)

 

“Come up to meet you, 
Tell you I’m sorry, 
You don’t know how lovely you are.

I had to find you, 
Tell you I need you, 
Tell you I set you apart.

Tell me your secrets, 
And ask me your questions, 
Oh let’s go back to the start.”

-”The Scientist”, Coldplay (I might as well put every word down, I think it’s that good.)

“What I’m searching for
to tell it straight, I’m trying to build a wall
Walking by myself
down avenues that reek of time to kill…
Build me up, bring me down
just leave me out you name dropper
Stop trying to catch my eye
I see you good you forced faker…

I can say I hope it will be worth what I give up
If I could stand up mean for the things that I believe…”

-”LES Artistes”, Santogold

I love to learn from great writers… I find that alot of the time I listen most to the raw and unforced lyrics of music… just thought I would share those that make an impact on me frequently.

one year later…

I must admit… I feel a tad bit guilty posting this over a month late. But I wanted to share with all of you a few photos of Summer as she turned one year old on July 25th. She is Summer. Our easy, breezy, beautiful baby girl. She is just starting to walk… but true to her personality… is so laid back about the whole ordeal… only walking when she deems it important. She loves people… especially women. She is quite possibly our more tactile child… touching everything… sometimes grabbing… and always up for a game of roll around lazy on the floor. She is a climber… I wonder when she will figure out that she can climb out of her crib. She loves to talk on the phone… do my hair (pull and attempt to put in a rubber band)… and boy does she love to sing. She is so joyful… sometimes feeling the need to express her joy in screams! She loves Ben… to the point of getting her feelings hurt when he instructs her. She loves juice, popcorn, strawberries, and queso. She is our little summer breeze… she keeps us cool and refreshed… always reminding us to slow down and enjoy the simple things life has to offer.

The crust on her face is queso. So ladylike.

First day of school with both the babes. Total success! Praise God.

Can she be any cuter? Maybe… but I am not sure…

Yes, it is all about her.

All of us in one photo… amazing.

Summer has been with us a year. It is hard to believe the year has passed so quickly. She is that child who enters life seamlessly… blending into our chaos with a harmony that is a perfect accompaniment. We love you Summer Sunshine!