diagram of an italian dinner

One of the things that I appreciate the most about Italian cuisine is the freshness of the food and the slow pace at which the dining experience moves along. But, after dealing with delayed and long international flights, the last thing you may want to do is to take your time at the dinner table... you just want to crash. After traveling for almost 24 hours, I decided to dine at the hotel before catching up on sleep in my room. I'm pretty certain dinner took nearly 2.5 hours and I believe this is what may have happened...

happy, happy, joy, joy

ho! ho! ho! merry christmas!

the week in review

Today marks a momentous occasion.

I finished a magazine.

Yes, that's right, a magazine. Not a book, mind you, but a simple periodical: 46 pages long. This may not seem like an accomplishment to many. But, with twin babies, reading anything beyond Clifford's Bedtime is an absolute luxury: one I savor at the end of a long day for exactly 4.1 minutes [or 5 paragraphs] before falling into the deep sleep [the deepest sleep one can achieve when they're sure to be awakened by strange breathing or a pacifier leaping out of the crib every 30 minutes or so].

It's this short attention span that has left me unable to complete a single issue of The Week for six and a half months before another week passes and another magazine arrives in my mailbox. Yes, today is a turning point.

mr. moptop

Edgar doodled The Beagle and this 'cool kid' last night. Every time I've run across them on my desk today it's made me smile. I'm lovin' that hair!

illustrated journaling

Last week I mentioned my desire to freeze time in sketches. As much as I want to do this, Edgar is much better at actually making it happen: drawing daily, without fail, in his journal. As a result he's created quite the record of this past year...something I'm sure the boys will treasure as they get older.

Here's is a tiny portion of the entries from the last few weeks...

Arriving home from vacation:

Before a super-busy time at work:

When he was sick:

[check out my cleavage]

When I needed my own super hero! [AKA my mom]:

On his dad's birthday:

Pokey and Reilly's thoughts on our new furniture:

Discussions between Max and my mom:

And working late, like tonight:

'tis the season

...to eat within reason...

Now its your turn! Fill in the blank!
'Tis the season to ___________.
[Clever responses may very well merit clever illustrations!]

brown hand-drawn packages

Checking some items off your Christmas list today? We hope you'll follow Santa's lead and visit our shop.

We're pleased to offer special personalized packaging this season, allowing your prints to go straight from the mailbox to under the tree. No additional wrapping necessary. Simply let us know who your gifts are for and we'll take care of the rest.

See our ever-expanding variety of prints, perfect for all the good girls and boys [and the bad ones for that matter!] here.

santa's in the house!

Yes, it seems a little early to me too. Nevertheless, we're busy little elves these days preparing goodies for Santa's list. Don't let those rosy cheeks and that belly of jelly fool you. He's quite a demanding boss!

no, they're not identical

Edgar and I have been working for months now, struggling to define how Max + Miles should look in cartoon form. Yes, I know...isn't this the dilemma that every new parent faces? Anyway, today I think we've finally stumbled upon something.

I'm certain they will continue to be refined...an extra roll here, another dimple there...but it's a start. Mickey Mouse wasn't completed in a day, afterall!

And as for the title of this post, you wouldn't believe the number of times we've been asked this.

the basketball diaries

Tuesday: Louie and I got our butts kicked playing basketball at the Rec Center.

Wednesday: Prepared and seeking revenge, we returned to the Rec Center, only to find the court was already reserved for a dog-training class. Bummer.

getting to know max + miles

Our boys may not be able to talk yet, but in their first five weeks we've gotten to know their body language quite well...especially in the middle of the night.

This is a cheat sheet we've set up for future babysitters in an effort to help them better decipher and respond to the boys' ever-changing moods. Good luck there!

Click HERE to see a larger version.

roots

Suzanne and I watched Roots this past winter. I was deeply touched by the scene in the movie where Omoro Kinte raises his baby Kunta Kinte in the starriest night and says: "Behold... the only thing greater than yourself."

No way I could ever do that with two... only if I grab them by the legs I guess.

pokey grows up and out

Scattered throughout our studio on tiny bits of paper are Edgar's attempts to give Pokey a makeover. You see, Pokey has had the same cartoon persona for quite some time...but as he ages [and grows more three-dimensional in the process] we think so should his look on paper. This incarnation, in particular, is from last week when Pokey wasn't feeling so hot. Poor beagle.

brown knight + pf changs

In the last two months, Suzanne's mom broke her ankle...bummer; and my mom broke her wrist...double bummer. As they both recover, they deserve extra care and attention. On Tuesday, Suzanne and I decided to give my mom a surprise visit in Raleigh along with takeout from P.F. Changs. She was so pleased! and so were we.

baby fro

Another sketch inspired by a friend's child. Sooooo cute.

royal wedding at reilly's

Oh well...since Reilly was not able to see the Royal Wedding in person, she decided to have the girls over and have a Royal Wedding Party. She was very meticulous about all the arrangements and details of her party that morning, but it seems Ally Mae (our neighbor's dog) did not meet Reilly's dress code.

By the way, only 4 Royal Wedding Hat Prints left!

looking forward

A little something-something from Edgar's sketchbook...

With about three months to go until delivery, the babies seem to be getting bigger [and heavier] by the day minute second! So far, so good for me. Not so sure the same can be said for Edgar's stork!

groundhog's day and the shadow of doubt

According to this morning's News & Record, our local groundhog, Woody, a resident of the Natural Science Center, saw his shadow yesterday...thus casting doubt on the predictions of his more famous cousin Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania.

So, with winter storms reeking havoc on half the country, who do you believe...our local, down-to-earth marmot, Woody, or the more popular prophet, Phil?

dragging my feet

All the energy I've regained during my 2nd-trimester seems to have abandoned me overnight. I feel just like this sketch: only my legs aren't nearly as tan...or skinny...and I'm not wearing shorts, green sneakers or fun athletic socks.

Otherwise, it's pretty spot on.