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To My Dear Elijah Luke,

You are sweet, funny, cuddly, warm, silly, and you are always curious and exploring. You are the perfect addition to our family!

Even though Isaac doesn’t always show it, he adores your company. He glows when you enter the room and he so enjoys playing with you! I love that you already admire him so much and always want to be near him. You both have so many of the same interests, I hope that you always stay close and love each other dearly. It is my biggest hope for you. Family is so important and I want you to feel close and loved by all of us.

You are so active and curious, I’m excited to see how year #2 unfolds.  It’s hard to believe a year has already passed! This time last year, you had a wonderful entrance to the world with a beautiful and loving home birth. I held you close and still feel that amazing moment when I hold you today. You make me proud to be your mother. You have a bright and loving spirit. I pray that you will do wonderful things in your life that bless others around you. I love you more than words can describe. Happy Birthday Snuggy!

Mama  xox

It’s 2012 and a lot is changing around here! I’m not going to get into it all now but I will say that the time has come to step back a bit from my work and focus on my family. I’m writing this blog post to let you all know that I’m taking a break from the blogosphere to focus on being a mom and wife.

There are so many amazing artist out there who seemingly can do it all! Some of my favorite artists are juggling successful art careers and a young families while still appearing sane! Maybe it’s just my children, or the fact that I really need my sleep, but at this point I just can’t do it all. I am not completely shutting down my studio but I won’t be posting on my blog for a while. I am happy to entertain job proposals and will definitely keep my Etsy Shop up and running, but I won’t be producing too much new work for the next little while.

There are some exciting changes on the horizon (personally and professionally) that I will post about when it’s appropriate. When I come back, I hope to have a new website, logo, and a slightly revised illustration style. I have big dreams for my work but need to prioritize my family first!

Please feel free to stop by and say hi if you want! I am still here… just laying low :) I really appreciate all the support you have all given me over the years with this blog and I truly look forward to coming back when time permits!

Take care!

Rachelle

There are 32 days until Christmas and my boys (well my older one at least) are very excited for all the fun to come! It boggles my mind a bit that next week is December. This is the first year where it’s really crept up on me! I usually relish this time of year and often break out the Christmas music in October! This year, everything has been so busy that it’s only sinking in now.

I have to say that I’m busier than ever so it’s hard to enjoy all the finer points of this time of year, but the Christmas fun-factor is amplified by a 100 when you have a 3-year-old in your house! We haven’t told him much about Santa but he seems to have it all figured out anyway. He is excited to get our Christmas tree, and the top item on his Christmas list, you ask? Candy. Besides a little bit of candy, we are getting him a Leapster Leappad (an ipad for kids) so he can be just like his dada, a downhill sled, some comfy PJs, and a helicopter station to add to his Thomas Train set. Elijah will be getting a fancy teether that smells like vanilla and some sweet little baby toys that are just for him (so his big bro can swipe them away). The kid’s Christmas shopping is taken care of so now I need to focus on the hubby :)

Hope you enjoy these beautiful photos of the boys taken by the very talented Melissa Kew! You might also spot the sweet little snowman created by Mie Art and Craft :)

If you know my work, you might remember this collection of images I created last year. It’s been on my to-do list for a while now, so I’m happy that I’ve finally managed to create a girl version of this print set. Now that’s not to say the original is only for boys :)

With two young boys, I’m trying to figure out a way to continue on with my illustration business in the little free time that I have. The idea of licensing my work seems to be the best way to generate income without taking as much time as illustrating a children’s book (for example). This is why, along with making a girl’s version of these prints, I’ve also included some patterns and borders that can give buyers an idea of how I can make these images work for products. I think this line would make a great fabric/bedding collection. What do you think? I’ve also added this print collection to my Etsy store. If you buy all three, you save $5 :)

I have to admit that I am really starting to miss drawing. From the very early 5am starts to our day, to the juggling of two young and very active boys throughout the day, and the little time I have to catch up on emails and spend time with my hubby in the evening, it’s been really hard to find the time or energy to draw. I am reminding myself to enjoy and appreciate this precious time with my young family though. Sometimes I have to put some loves aside in life for those more important ones. Please do keep checking back on my blog though as I do plan on popping in here and there and hopefully posting new work or expanded work from time to time :) Have a great week!

Thank you Melissa (Melissa Kew Photography), for taking these beautiful family photos for us. Natural and sweet, you was able to capture some truly precious moments! I was hesitant to attempt a family photo shoot with two young kiddos but I’m so glad I did :) Enjoy!

You can view the full collection of images here: http://melissakewphotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/miller-family.html