dear charlie, love mommy

my dear little charlie,
it just occurred to me how big you've gotten and how much you look like a little boy now! it seems like just yesterday, i was up in the middle of the night, wishing that you would fall asleep, and now, i don't want you to get any bigger!! are we ever truly happy with where we are in life?!?! I AM!! BUT, on the other hand, i realize how quickly life is passing us by. you continue to amaze me with your smile, your laugh, and how great you eat your green beans!! we have had you on green beans now for 2 whole weeks, and next week, we'll move onto carrots, YUMMO!! i never knew i could love someone THIS much. i love your dad and all, but you'll know what i mean one day! as you sleep so soundly, your sweet face is still full of that baby-like innocence. always know that your mommy loves you so much!!!

Oh Baby! Obama!

Whether you voted for McCain or Obama - you cannot deny the significance of this historic election as America chose to put the first African-American president in the White House next January. The crux of the civil rights movement had all but passed by the time my generation came into this world - so while the moment may not be as bittersweet to folks my age - I still recognize Obama's election as momentous and historic.

It is my hope that the ignorance of racism that has receded with each generation will finally be eradicated once and for all by the time Charlie's kids are walking the earth. I celebrate this new and exciting chapter for our country with great hope and with a renewed sense of pride.

Amidst all the problems our country is facing right now - there are lingering wounds that need healing. My greatest hope for our next president, is that he will find a way to bring the people of this nation together again. To tear down the petty rifts that divide us into red and blue states. Deep down, I believe we all want the same things, and it is possible to work together for a common cause despite our minor differences.

Out of all the speeches, debates, analysis, and pundints - there was one statement during this long campaign that rang true more than any other and it was said by Michelle Obama during her speech at the Democratic National Convention...

"And Barack stood up that day, and he spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about the world as it is and the world as it should be. And he said that all too often we accept the distance between the two, and we settle for the world as it is, even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations.

But he reminded us that we also know what the world should look like. He said we know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like, and he urged us to believe in ourselves, to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it SHOULD be. And isn't that the great American story?"

"I've got a Halloweenhead..."

The song has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween, but I still love it anyway. If you've never heard it before - check it out, it's by Ryan Adams.

Well little Tink's first Halloween was definitely a busy one. In fact, it could have been Hanukkah with the amount of days we devoted to the holiday. Charlie was patient enough to wear his devil costume on three different occasions and that's including the tights. Hopefully that will be the first and last time my boy wears tights.

Below are some of the highlights from our Halloween weekend!

Little Devil and Mommy at Charlie's first kid party.

Charlie helps solve a mystery with Scooby and the gang (The Briggs Family at the Cumberland Halloween party)

Even little devils can receive love!


There wasn't a wardrobe change - these were taken on two different days.

I'm Cute and You're Jealous

Some of Charlie's most recent paparazzi shots...our adventures in the pumpkin patch will happen this Sunday, pending the status of Charlie's runny nose.

Tinky's standard inquisitive look.

"How does he expect me to get any reading done with all those ESPN highlights distracting me?"

Tinky caught in the headlights.

"After I'm finished chewing on my hands, your nose is next Mommy."

"Mmmmm...this is tasty, but I prefer imported beer."

"Cut me off - I've had too many of those Yazoos!"

"So what if all three of them combined weigh less than me. You calling me fat?" (from left to right: twins Gabriel and George, and best friend Tommy from down the street, then the Tink)

Tommy & Charlie


"I can't get over how much Tina Fey looks JUST like Sarah Palin!"

"I hope you're planning on feeding me after this."

Christmas Card Ordering & Pricing

Most of you have already received the ordering and pricing details either in the mail or in your inbox. If you haven't, you can view it here:


The design styles are shown in the next post. Remember that orders are due to us by November 25th. If you have any questions on anything, let us know!

December is Right Around the Corner!!

OK folks! December is going to be here before we know it!! I know a lot of you haven't quite gotten into the Christmas spirit yet, but all you have to do is walk into Target or Walmart for about five minutes and you will be baptized in the thick sweet consumerism of christmas.

We are going to be somewhat lenient on our deadline date, but not THAT lenient! ;o)
So please get your photos and orders into us when you have them ready. Meeting deadlines will be tough if we are inundated with a hundred orders on the last day. So, again below are the designs and if you need to see the pricing sheet, you can click on the image in the right hand column!! Thanks!


For those of you that are interested in ordering Christmas cards with us, here is where you get to view the different styles we have available. Remember, if you already have an idea in mind or you’ve seen something that you would like us to emulate, we can do that too! Print costs for fully customized cards are the same but will incur an additional $25.00 design fee. Just drop us an email about what you’re looking for and we’d be happy to design whatever you want.

Once you've decided on your style, send us an email (chrisveit@comcast.net) with your photo (we will retouch and fix red-eye if necessary at no extra cost), your card message, and the amount of cards you want printed. Once your card is designed, we will email you a proof to approve and then it will be off to the printer. If you have any questions on anything, please drop us a line.

Here are the design styles, click for a larger view. Remember that each design can be applied to any of the three sizes. For example, if you like one of the panoramic designs but would prefer to have it on a folded card, we can do that for you. Just let us know what you want!

PANORAMIC (P1, P2, P3, P4):






SQUARE (S1, S2, S3, S4):







FOLDED (F1, F2, F3, F4):

Rothko and the Screaming Baby

Charlie got his first dose of fine art this past week, and his reaction was a bit...unexpected.

Katie was taking her people from The Cumberland to the Frist Center (the art museum in Nashville) last week, and so Charlie and I decided to tag along. It doesn't hurt to expose the little man to a little culture now and then after he's been through a grueling two weekends of football with ol' dad. We left early so we could have a picnic lunch outside before heading in to meet Katie and her gang. After realizing we were stuck in a line to get gas and not in line to turn right (this is the day the gas shortage began) we made it in the parking lot and set up camp with a great view of Union Station Hotel (where mommy and daddy spent their wedding night).





This is Charlie watching me snarf down my lunch.

We met Katie and the scant two people that decided to come to the Frist. Of course, Mr. Briggs was in attendance and couldn't get enough of little Charlie.

Well, we rolled Charlie around in his stroller and entered the current exhibit titled "Color As Field" - a collection of abstract expressionist art. It seems a little exposure to color and a large space that echos like the Grand Canyon is all you need to get your kid vocal. The minute we came across the first painting in the exhibit (like this Rothko below) Charlie was screaming with excitment! I don't know if it was the colorful paintings or just the fact that he loved the sound of his screaming in this large cavernous hall! He wouldn't shut up! You could hear him in the entire museum. Katie would peek back at us from the next room with her finger over her mouth trying to shush us, but to no avail.

So we scurried through the rooms rather quickly (which Katie didn't mind since she "window shops" when it comes to art galleries) and got the human noise machine to settle down a bit. There is a room especially made for children to interact with art, so Charlie and I dabbled in the age appropriate station.


Charlie, mommy and Charlie's oldest fan who's not a relative, Mr. Briggs.

Coming soon...Charlie takes on rice cereal and the SPOON!