Happy 7th

7 years ago, some time in the afternoon, little G-man came into the world.  7 years is a long time to try and remember every detail about those early years and how we felt and thought and behaved.  I don't remember G-man being a problem child.  I remember his immediate bouts with jaundice and then RSV, an issue that's turned into his asthma and propensity for allergies.  Aside from that, he slept well, smiled a lot, gave a lot of hugs and really just wanted to be around people.

Not much changed, honestly, as you can see in the photo.  G is a sweet boy with the desire to do only a handful of things; play games on someone's phone, give long, clinging, unbreakable hugs, and make sure everyone is playing.  He's tapped into a vast store of energy that all little kids do and he's barely able to contain it.  He must jump and run and sing and whistle and play at all times.  If he can't, I think he explodes, but we haven't tested the limits.

He and his sister are, while not exact copies of their parents, very close replicas.  Where LMA is more forward thinking, emotional and tactical, G-man seeks homeostasis and just wants everyone to be happy and sweet.  He also prefers to put on a show for anyone who will watch, whether it's a planned drama with his sister or just hamming it up because people will watch him.  In that he is very much like me.  But I see good things for him in the future, provided someone doesn't take advantage of his good nature.  I think, like me, he will be happiest when others are happy and the most blue when he's alone.

I don't miss him as a baby or a toddler.  I lived through it and while I don't remember details, I don't feel like he's growing up too fast.  I always feel like he's been 7 forever or that last year he had been 6 forever and so on.  I'm worried that soon he won't let me snuggle with him or tickle him just so I can hear his laugh, but for now he's my favorite little boy.

Happy birthday G!

Happy 10th

LMA turns 10 today.  All I can say is, "Oh my god, ten years?"

Yeah, ten years.  I can't really say much more about it.  She constantly amazes me.  She and I don't get along all the time, but I try to be her friend and I hope that when she's older she can say she was a happy child.  Happy birthday little lady.

Spring Update

Hey folks, long time.  Rather than apologize about the delay between posts or get creative with introductions, let's just jump right into it.

First the big news:  I've been commissioned to draw a children's book for the iPad.  Now, it's not that Apple contacted me, but rather a return client is developing an e-book for the iPad.  It's a children's book that has games and reading tutorials.  I'm doing all the artwork.  It pays well and I get some exposure and experience.  This is my first children's book and after this I can say I've been officially published.  It's been a lot of work but well worth it so far.  If  it does well, there's likely room for more books down the road.

Second, I'm also the featured artist for May at Bored in the Basement, a shirt site.  An online friend suggested me to the site/shop manager and off we went.  I did one new design and regurgitated some old ones as the book was taking up all my time.  Shirts are on sale through May at least, so go check it out.

TG and I just got back from Festival International in Lafayette, LA.  It was loads of fun.  We volunteered for two of the days and got nifty shirts.  We also were able to see a few really interesting and fun bands, drink festival punch and eat wonderful food.  Most of the weekend was spent at the festival so we didn't do much else while we were out there.  We each brought work to do (studying, drawing) so even while we were listening to music we were hard at work.

On the home front, Ms. Austin took a trip to Mexico with her lady friend and they tied the knot.  The ceremony was done by an Mayan holy man and they came back with rings and smiles and lots of stories.  She needs a site name for LIA, (Ms. El Paso?) and you might see pictures on Flickr.  Those in the know already know.  I've been slowly moving stuff out of the house and into TG's apartment (where I spend half my time) and so far everyone is quite happy.

Lil Miss Austin and Pilgrim are coming up on their birthdays.  LMA is going to be 10 which means she's almost not a Lil' anything any more.  They're growing like weeds and both are enjoying school but definitely looking forward to not being in it for the summer.  No big summer plans yet, though there's talk of going to San Diego as a big ol' weird family.  We'll have to see how that goes.

TL was honored at UT as a Distinguished Student and she will likely graduate (in December) in the top 2% of her class.  We're all very proud.  Her sister, Ms. A's ex just moved to Albuquerque were she plans on going back to school.  I've signed up for another class this summer and Ms. A is still taking classes at Texas State.  We're all so very studious.  Hopefully someone will get a good job out of all this.

Robot drawings are still in demand (though very rare) and the Lego convention is looming.  The kids and Ms. A are planning on another adventurous summer so there's a lot to look forward to.

Carry on.