The Bizzley Beastmaster

Isobel has gotten serious about food and also about the little people that live in it. You probably didn't know that there are colonies of tiny people in baby food. Well, there are and she told me just the other day that it is her right as Indo-European oppressor to smash what she calls the "Orange Revolution".

Now here is an expensive item at Target. Or so I thought. A few moments before I snapped this photo a manager from the aforementioned establishment said, and I quote "That baby is cuter than a sack of sugar but I wouldn't pay more than $8.99 for her! Plus I drive a fuchsia Geo Metro." That is the third time someone has said that to me this week.

*snarl hiss claw swish bite scream with delight* repeat

Island baby with her haole daddy.

Isobel likes to swing, but is not a swinger.

Ma baby joined the infant naval core where she is forced to wear silly hats and roll around on the floor whilst cooing and laughing at nothing in particular...or wait that is what Christina did to prepare for her piano recitals.

Welcome, welcome. It is said that all good things must come to an end, but this blog post probably won't come to an end soon enough for most of you. Here is a picture that says it better than any drunk Irish clown can:

Isobel Emeline Shiffler is a nice kid who plays by the rulz, keeps a clean nose but secretly has a rebellious side so wild and dastardly that she has to hide it with innocent poses such as this one. It should be noted that this picture was not posed, ladies and gentlemen, it is unrehearsed and presented to you for the first time:

Hail to the Germans that brought the earth two world wars, wiener schnitzel, and some really good eurotrash electro pop like FALCO. This here is our wheels made by our buddies in da Vaterland-it gets us from point A to point B. Point A stands for astute aardvarks astounding amicable ants along affable androgynous android armistices. Point B stands for Bob.

SHE KIDNAPPED MY BABY! SHE KIDNAPPED MY BABY! No, wait...that's Isobel with my OTHER girlfriend, Christina.

Caroline (pictured left) has a fiendish plan to give Isobel the seeds of the Naga Jolokia pepper as part of her plot to render Isobel's taste buds inoperable (the seeds are unseen in Caroline's hands). Once this is accomplished, Isobel will no longer have the ability to participate in the monthly Shiffler "Just try and eat your weight in chocolate!!!!!" contest where Isobel has won for 5 straight months. Then Caroline will proclaim herself "Master of Chocolate" (her title, not mine). Caroline is about to carry out the deed while Isobel looks on, helpless.

Here the model bears a striking resemblance to Linda Evengelista, but without any of the unsightly emotional baggage.

Isobel declares "Anarchy in the UK!"

Isobel the human harmonica.

Also, we need money. Small bills, without a bothersome tracking device like the last sack of dough we received (you know who you are).

We used to be Brooke and Christina; now we are Isobel's slaves

Christina (hereafter islave #1) attempts to give Isobel a piano lesson, but it appears that Isobel is less interested in music, and more interested in being on film. She WILL be a movie star or I owe you a pizza.

Handsome John F Kennedy Jr (islave #2) plays with his offspring.

We agree that Isobel looks frighteningly like George W Bush in this picture and seems to be saying "We will win the war on terror, irregardless of our foes".

A rare moment of reflection after spitting up all over Dagny.

A giant, smiling muti-colored moth with beads for organs would scare anyone.

The Flying Bizzle

The Shiffler family had an eventful holiday season filled with cheer, nearbeer, and sheer unclear queer(unusual) fear of King Lear. We hosted a party this year for all of our friends of old who, magically, have all grown up and borne children of their own. A picture from the party

The winter months can be lonely and dark and can drive a person to do strange things....strange and unusual things...like put your cat in a dress for amusement. Note the obvious shame.

There were also matching Christmas dresses for Caroline, Johanna and Isobel.

Some say that music can tame the savage beast, or at least the savage Izzle Bizzle.


Arushi, international development expert and part time model, holds Isobel at a Cuban restaurant in the District.

Isobel bids you farewell.

Twas the Weekend before Christmas

But then again...every day feels like the weekend when you're unemployed. Sigh. Moving on, B, C and I all made it safely from CO to PA and are feasting on the sweet meats and salty treats of
the Shiffler home. Now, without further ado, pictures from CO:
This snowsuit is a bit big....

A pensive moment for Grandad

Two months young!

Chillin' like upstanding citizens

Happier than your baby

Robert Van Wagenen with I

She Bangs

Please send us money or jobs for Christmas-its the reason for the season.

A smile!

In other news, Brooke's looking for work within a couple of hours of either of our families. So we'll probably be either in the Denver area or the mid-Atlantic region. We'll be in Carlisle starting December 19.

That is all.

Hello, World!

Yes, we Van Shifflerens are still alive! Now that Isobel is one month old (gasp!) it's time for her to make her official blog debut. So, here she is:


If anyone still reads this pitifully neglected blog, it's probably somebody who already knows the details. But just in case:
Isobel Emeline Shiffler was born Oct 12 at 11:19pm here in Colorado Springs where she and I (Christina) are staying with Nana and Grandad. She weighed in at 6 lbs, 6.5 oz., and was 18.5 inches long. As my aunt Sarah once commented, isn't it funny how we're always declaring newborns' sizes? It's sort-of like the catch of the day or something.
And that was much funnier when she said it. Here's Isobel with her pacifier, which she seems to love more than life itself:


And here are a few more pictures, since we know that's what you really want:




If that doesn't satisfy your insatiable need for cuteness, you can check out "Stina's flickr" (see link to the right) for more, so much more. And for those of you who are worried that this is going to become one of those baby blogs, we have a little game. Of the following two pictures, one was taken in Kazakhstan and one was taken in the American West. Can you guess which is which?




In a related story, we have decided to move back to the U.S. That means we'll need to change the title of this here blog, and we're hoping to get some ideas from YOU. Yes, you.

Finally, here is a video of Isobel in Action: