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This sketch is the very beginning of a long shot project. You know the kind.

Church Folk: Applause

Made these sketches in church today. I had under five minutes before R or M jumped on me or decided they really NEEDED my pen to play with. I threw some color on them to make them easier to see.

When hymns start, Miriam likes to look up from whatever she's playing with on the floor and start clapping.



And here's a guy who was sitting on the stand.

IF Safari

Something totally different. I felt like I was falling into a rut and missing the color. So here's a quick scribble for the IF topic safari.

My niece loves zebras. I don't really see the appeal. At the zoo, I am repeatedly surprised at the arrogance of an animal who is content to eat the straw it poops on. It's like they know there are no unicorns and all those sweet five year old girls are going to have to settle for them. Just like that jerk boyfriend that'll come to dinner in about ten years.

Mom 15

Mom 14: Merilee C

This is a sketch of my mother in law from a picture that was taken in the early 80s.
Conclusion 1: We seriously need to get some updated family photos in our house.
Conclusion 2: My husband takes after his mother. He has her nose, the shape of her face and eyes, her coloring. He's easy going but productive, loyal, fun loving but dutiful. It's cheesy, but I can't imagine having a better husband or a better mother in law.

PS Aaron wants everyone to know that his actual mother is much more attractive than this sketch.

Mom 13: Meetings

The moment you meet your first child is pretty amazing. The moment when your first child gets to meet your second, I think, is even more interesting.

Here's my awesome friend Rebecca introducing her new daughter to her son. I love Rebecca. If she was doing this project, she'd start late tonight and be done before me. She took the China town bus from NY to DC WITH a 18 month old to visit me. In college, she let me persuade her to skip class to go get lost in Puerto Rico using only stand by tickets and a few crumpled dollars in our pockets. Being around her makes you think everything is possible.

Mom 12: Coping

Here's a sketch of my friend reading while her kids play around her. She describes reading as her coping mechanism. Amen, sister friend! Sometimes I need to experience a fully formed, grammatically correct sentence during my day.

Mom 11: Sarah Familia

My friend Sarah sent me this image when I asked who wanted to be drawn for the mom marathon. While it took more work to draw four people instead of one, I think it makes a good point. Motherhood is something we do not do alone. I think that's one of the reasons I find it so challenging. I am a person who likes to be alone.

Sarah is a fascinating person. We met as newly married BYU students. When she admitted she'd intentionally given birth to her daughter at home in her little apartment, I was intrigued. I continue to enjoy learning her thoughts and opinions. Lucky for me she has a blog. She now lives in Tunisia.

Mom 10: Nancy

There came a time, shortly after college, when I realized the women who had raised me were beautiful. They had been before, of course, I just hadn't ever thought to notice. In revenge, I expect the same treatment from the rising generation.

Anyway, case in point. This is my middle school best friend's mom. She gave me a lot of rides in her van. She taught me how to do a lay up. She coached and cheered our basketball team. It being middle school, there weren't a ton of people around who were especially nice or supportive so I really appreciated Mrs. S.

I saw her again after about ten years. I was walking out of a store and she was walking in. I was surprised at how pretty this petite blonde woman was. I couldn't tell exactly how old she was. Then I realized I knew her.

I made this sketch from a picture taken at my friend's wedding. As soon as I saw it, it reminded me again of all the times I had seen her cheer for her daughters and thanks to proximity, my sister and I.

Mom 9: Jean Cummings

Jean Cummings. This is Aaron's grandmother. I knew her at the tail end of her life but never felt like I could keep up with her. She was a ball of energy. When she passed on we inherited a good portion of her library, which I think might be the most intimate way to get to know someone. She had books on everything from Macrobiotic diets to string theory to copies of the bible in ancient greek. She reminded me a lot of her era, she had the miraculous optimism of the space age.

While drawing this I got the impression that she really would want the DC Mormon temple included so I added it.

Mom 8: Against a Wall

So much work to do. I'm lagging. But I'm hoping you all will soon witness my rally in which I will bust out a whole lot of great looking moms. Prepare yourselves.

Church Folk - Mom 6 and Mom 7

There is always a lot of baby juggling at church by both moms and dads, grandmas, grandpas, helpful neighbors, etc. I'm always impressed at the baby skills on display during long meetings. But since it's still the mom marathon here on the blog, here's two young Mamas I saw doing an amazing job today.