Pablo Ames Skertich

Some people might look and see the side of a box of crackers attached to some toilet paper rolls.

My more sophisticated audience, though, sees art.

Yep, learning about Picasso in school, thought I'd give him a run for his money.

Well, I know My Name Is Simon

Remember the Saturday Night Live skit where the guy sang, "Well, I know my name is Simon, and I like to do drawings." Well, I like to do drawings, too, and with the window markers we got from Santa, we're all about it in this house.

So every couple days I draw a new scene on the front door window and then I tell Stace to text my Dad and tell him to make sure he goes in through the front door. And when he gets home from work - SURPRISE!!!

Check out some of my work.

Here's a close up of the awesome turtle drawings. This scene was titled, "Dreams from the bottom of the abyss at the Shedd Aquarium from a front row seat." Yep, I'm into long titles for my work.

The Cats In Their Hats

So here in Chicago it has been unseasonably warm so far this winter. And last Sunday didn't disappoint. It was in the upper 40s so we got our gear on and headed for the park.

But first, we had to get our coats and hats on, which was really fun because we wanted to wear our new hats from Aunt Erica.

Mae's is sweet - it's like a little French beret, or as I like to call her when she wears it - "Cupcake Head," because it also looks like the frosting and little sprinkle part on top of a cupcake.

Mine? Well, I don't want to get into it too much because I'm sure there are some animal lovers that read this blog, but I had to go deep into the heart of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to get my hat. But don't worry, I didn't hurt the polar bear - I just asked him to sit down and join me for a snack (peanut butter and crackers), after which he agreed I could just cut some of his extra hair off and make a hat with it... Voila.

Roommates

Well, whatdoyaknow, after four nearly four years of having my own gig, I've got myself a roommate. A few days ago Mabel Jane moved in.

First, we put up Mae's crib and then brought her in the room to get used to it... a little bit of monkeys jumping on the bed never hurt anyone (well, except those five little monkeys, but whatever).

After seeing that things were going swimmingly, we moved the rest of her crew in - Charlie the Bear, Johnny the Giraffe, Turtle Time. I knew Mae was coming but I guess I didn't realize there was half of a zoo moving in as well.

So Finley, how did Mabel's first sleep in your room go?

I'll let you be the judge.

Christmas Morning, 2011

So the creatures all started to stir, and down the stairs we came.

Santa left me a note on the picture I drew for him. I told Dad the reindeer must've licked off the corner area so Santa could write on there.

Looks like somebody's been a good girl...

We kept needing to remind Mae that it was Christmas morning...

That is, until the sandwich set and the window markers were opened.

Apparently the glare from the sun through the windows got to Mae because she went downstairs and came back up with her Elton John shades so she could continue coloring.

I also got a really cool remote control car from Grandma.

Oh, and I'm not just a getter, I got Mom a new mug with an F on it, and Mae got her one with an M on it so she's covered for her morning coffees.

Mae got herself a new tutu from Nana and, as is her staple, wore that sucker high and tight.

Later on, we went to Nana and Papa's for dinner and Christmas night festivities. Needless to say, a very merry Christmas.