What Have You Been Up To??

Well hello!  Has it been about six months since my last update?  I think so, because that's how pregnant I am right now. 
Yup, we're expecting another little girl around the beginning of June, and I currently feel like I am carrying a small planet around and not a tiny baby.  I also look like that.  We're very excited over here, but let me tell you, the first trimester was ROUGH.  Like, constant nausea for weeks rough.  The kind where you don't want to do anything but sleep until it's over?  So naturally all drawing projects came to a screeching halt while I wussed out on the couch in the fetal position.  Once I finally got my energy back I needed to focus on other things, what sort of life stuff do I need to get done before this baby comes?  Getting our office converted into a bedroom, cleaning out junk and storing other junk.  Finishing touches on a children's book I have been working on for a lady who is self publishing (I will be posting more details about that as soon as they are polished up and ready to share.  So exciting!)  We started house hunting in our area which has been about 30% exciting possibilities and 70% sucking the soul out of my body. 
I'm also just wrapping up another 8 week set of art courses at the charter school where I teach.  Though this time around they asked if I could "throw together a middle school class."  Just THROW TOGETHER an 8 week curriculum for kids at an age where the only thing that appeals to them is TOTAL CHAOS. 

And I had a week and a half to prepare. 

IT's bEEN A BUSY COUPLE of MONTHS.

Oh yeah, and I have a two year old too!  Let's not forget her!  She's still awesome and fun and sweet (and she talks so much, she honestly keeps getting funnier), but she's also getting more independent and has waaaay more energy than I do right now.  On good days we're having fun exploring the world together and teaching her to be a civilized person.  On bad days I'm just trying to keep her from digging through the cat box.  We have a lot of both days. 

So basically, what I'm whining about is, look how impressive it is that I finished another page of Arlana's story!  LOOK.  I still draw sometimes!  I wish I was drawing more but you have to measure success differently depending on what's happening in your life at the time.  That's been a good but tough lesson I've been learning throughout my life, but especially as a mother.  I've never wanted to be the "do it all" woman, but there are THINGS I want to make sure I don't let fall by the wayside.  And just taking the time to do a little sketching here and there are helping me make sure I don't stop drawing all together because I'm too busy or not motivated, or what have you. My husband is also so supportive of making sure that I have time to do my art, I can't emphasize enough how important that is.  Don't stay with someone who doesn't appreciate and support what you're passionate about (as long as it's a healthy passion, you know?  I'm really passionate about eating chocolate too but we try to keep that in check.) 
Having you cool people to share it with is also so motivating and keeps me accountable.  I'm sorry if I haven't responded to some of your wonderfully thoughtful comments, I think I kept holding out until I had something to upload.  Now I'm going to try to go back through and answer those. 

Hope to hear how some of you are doing too!  Thank you for your patience, all the favs, and all the comments!