Welcome to 2008. Damn glad to see the end of 2007.



Here was this weeks toon challange for toonweekly.com

Rock Stars! Mine was kinda 80's inspired. Kinda? It was 80's inspired. Thew in some Devo, Van Halen, and bubble gum pop. Can't get must better then that...unless a piano keyboard tie is involved.

I had fun with it. I just can't stand computer coloring. I'm so much more at home watercoloring.


Our Christmas was wonderful. Odd..but still nice. For some stupid reason, Barry and I agreed we'd not get each other gifts this year. There were a myriad of reasons why we didn't exchange gifts. None of them right. Dumb thing to do.

We also agreed that we'd not go nuts on gifts for the kids like we had in years past (we only got a couple more years to still be able to do this, and then the kids are onto us and we're catapulted into the Wii's and Ipod buying realm!).

We'd had a "Day or Reckoning" shortly before Christmas got here. Our "Day or Reckoning" are these periodic things we hold where we go thru drawers, closets, shelves whatever in the vain hope of cleaning and organizing things. I think we just make a bigger mess over in a different corner. We figured we'd go thru toys and games and set aside things we don't use or play with anymore and give those to either a charity or needy family.

Still all the crap sits in a corner on the kitchen floor. I think we've now decided to have a yard sale. Just need to find time to do that.



I tool the kids earlier in the week to Prime Outlet Mall. They had the place decorated really cute. Chloe and Fox wanted to pose for picts by every deer they came across. I LOVE Foxes pink sunglasses.

Anyway, we told the kids we had a surprise that we were going to take them to Christmas eve night.



This is how Chloe gets dressed when we tell her she needs to dress warm because it's cold outside. Floridians have no idea about cold. While we loved the sandals, and the new born baby bonnet (Molly's) we had to do some redressing.



Barry had to work that night so the kids and I drove him to work and met our bestest friend Rene' to hang out together for the evening.

We also met up with Santa! Chloe and Fox were so excited to see Santa. Molly was petrified so she's not in the picture. She ended up clinging to me like velcro!



Chloe fell in love with a totem pole at Wilderness Lodge (mainly because it had a dolphin carved into it) but she also liked the frog.

Far too often Chloe freaks me out by how old she looks. I have to keep reminding myself she's still a baby. Well, my 4 year old baby.




Christmas morning was awesome. Kids jumping up and down...granted they woke up at 9:30 am because they wouldn't sleep Christmas eve night.



Here's Fox not looking his absolute best, but it pretty much sums up the morning!




This one is a little better. He looks a little more awake. Sorta.




Whistful looks like these are what it's all about. I must have been dangling chocolate or something because I usually don't get looks like this.



Chloe loves opening presents!







Molly was more interested in playing with ornaments then presents.



Turns out that she LOVES to tear things up. We thought she'd be absolutely bored and not old enought to open things. Turns out she's feisty enough to just LOVE to tear up stuff!



Fox LOVES his Martian Manhunter. His favorite superhero is Flash.





Chloe only asked for a couple of things. Orcas. Dolphins. More Orcas. Maybe a Barbie or two, but mostly dolphins.



I think we've read this book a dozen times.



Playing with some of her goodies.



Chloe pokes around the big tins of popcorn.




Molly snacks on a candy cane. She LOVES those things! That hat? Not so much.



She was kept busy while the other two openned presents by eating popcorn. She particularly liked the carmel corn. Well, duh!




Fox goes nuts over his Cars slippers.



Molly playing around.



Poor Fox was all tuckered out! We had to try and dance around him while we fixed breakfast.

Tradition in these here parts is that after you open presents you go to a park. We live a hop, skip and a jump from Disney (duh), Sea World and Universal. We went to Sea World. Mainly because we live at Sea World due to Chloe's obsession with whales and dolphins.

They had the most beautiful Christmas tree set up. We took a few snaps.





I think this photo of Chloe is Soooo sweet. She looks so happy.



Shes trying to hug him. He's trying to escape. Looks like she's choking him.








A few drops of rain and they both freak out.





Chloe's Christmas Zombie



One of the coolest creatures there is...a leafy sea dragon. Yep...it's a real animal!




I steal a smooch with my li'l gal




Daddy dons his hat and steals a kiss, too!

NIght Terrors

Seems like more and more the kids are sneaking into our bed. We had a good run there for a while when they actually stayed in their own beds. I think it's because we used Santa and presents as a bribes. They fall asleep either on their bed, the tent in their bedroom or...just on the floor. Fox has thing THING for sleeping on floors.

Go figure.

But before you know it--they stand there.



Do you know how disconcerting it is to be sound asleep then feel a presents by your bed, staring, watching? Damn freaky, let me tell ya.

Happy New Year!!

Still working on my as yet untitled period piece comic. I'm excited. I've got 13 pages done. Well, penciled anyway. I'm undecided how to proceed.
Do I computer color it? This would be MUCH easier to do...much less time involved. But I really want to watercolor this thing. Problem is, I see it as an ongoing series (well, 7 issues or so) and can't think of where I'd find the time to do all that painting.
I'm thinking about trying to learn Adobe Painter. It's supposed to give you more painterly effects the photoshop. We'll see.






Also working on my China story. Kinda played around with a character design. I LOVE autumn time. We don't really have seasons here in Florida so I've had to draw on memory or fall colors. I like this piece. I wish I'd had more time for it.



Some of the cards I sent out as thanks you's for out wonderful time in CA. Takes me forever to do a watercolor and drawing (yeah, I know I complain about that alot!). But I had fun.





Every once in a while after I drop Barry off at the office I take the kids over to Festival Bay (a sorta kinda mall/tourist trap place). Fox and Chloe have become really familiar with the place and know where these coin operated rides are. Fox goes NUTS because one of these gadgets is a car and Chloe goes nuts because she likes to make me spend money. No, really.





It's hard to get pictures of the whole family together. Luckily I always have my camera with me. So I ;l;lk a few in.



We got a package from Mawmaw. The kids went nuts. Chloe fell in love with the outfit that she got--it has orca's on it. I occasionally can get her out of it long enough to wash it.



Same with Fox. His has trucks on it and he couldn't be happier.



He was the one that discovered the tin of homemade chocolate chip cookies in the box. He lunged for that in spite of seeing the truck outfit first.



Molly waits patiently for her cookie. Sorry baby : O (

Good note on Molly. WE got her last PKU results and she had her lowest numbers EVER!!! She was 3.1!!!

Her numbers before that were some of the higher numbers--4.6. Don't know what changed but I sure hope she keeps it up. Dr Malone said that her numbers were ALMOST normal!! There never will be a true "normal" because this is a genetic thing, but the fact that her phe levels are down really makes us proud, happy and more then a little relieved. We can't add meats to her diet at all yet--who knows when or if, but we'll take good news when we can get it.

We had our 2 year check up for Fox and 9 month check up for Molly on the same day. They both are doing really well. Fox is in the 95th percentile for size still. He's just turned 2 and is 37 inches tall. He weighed almost 40 lbs.

Molly was 26 inches tall, was in the 75th percentile for her group.

Dr. Kahn was kind of concerned about her head size. Who'd a thunk head size would be an additional problem. Anyway, he said she's in the 95th percentile for her group. He's concerned because her head seems to be growing rapidly. We have to take her back to see him Sept 13th. He's going to measure her head again and see if we need to do a CAT scan. He thought her head size could also be familial. I'm not too worried about it. I'm betting it's just genetics.

But we try to make light of if. Her super hero name is now: Noodle noggin or Super Noodle. We also say her head size is because of her advanced cranial capacity.






Took the kids to the park (the one down at the end of our street) for a few hours yesterday. It was fun.



Molly LOVES the swings.



She's always in such a good mood. Curious about everything.




Such a handsome kid.





He's never without at least one truck1





My rough and tumble Chloe.

Bought tickets to SeaWorld yesterday. I'm glad we did. We can't afford Disney (who can!!!) as they keep raising their prices, and Seaworld appeals to the kids more because of all the animals.



Fox had been there before but this was Molly's first trip out there. Chloe couldn't wait to get to the Shamu area. And the dolphins. Had to see the dolphins.







Tried to get Fox to pet a dolphin but he wasn't too interested.



The underwater viewing area on the other hand was a BIG hit!!






















The kids are looking forward to when they can hitch a ride on a dolphin. Save up know babies.