A&K Family Sneak Peek

Oh goodness. How did i get so behind in this blog?  Yikes! Time to play catch up and show some shots from a recent family session.  We did this shoot indoors, which was a bit daunting but turned out quite well.  This is a family I've known for years so it was extra special to be able to photograph the kids.  The littlest one did a fantastic job of listening and was a great little subject. I was most impressed.  The sweet girl, who is normally quite shy and reserved around me, picked the perfect day to come out of her shell and we had a great time. The big brother of the group was excited to share his ideas with me and was a very cooperative little man.

 

Thanks to the A&K Family for inviting me to your home to photograph your beautiful children!

Learning to Fly!

One day, Maggie decided she'd had enough of training wheels and thus commenced the beginning of learning how to ride a two wheel bike. I must say, I was so impressed with my husband and his teaching abilities. He broke it down in a way I would never have thought to do.  First, he took the pedals off, along with the training wheels of course.  Our kids had to simply sit on the bike and walk themselves down the driveway without falling down.  With our driveway being on a slight tilt, it gave them the perfect incline on which to practice.)  Well, when your toes barely touch the ground, it's much easier said than done.  Many trips up and down the driveway and they were getting the hang of it.

touch and go

hold 'em up

maybe the tongue sticking out helps her balance?

back up for another round

Next, the task was to glide down the driveway without putting their feet down on the ground at all.  Before I knew it, they were gaining speed down the driveway and right out into the street - with Kevin on the lookout.  It was amazing to watch.  So now, they had the balance thing down. Time to add the pedals and the motion coordination.  It was a snap for them.  Off they went.

Peyton on his own

Running to keep up

on her way down

Daddy's nowhere near him now

Just passing by.

I can't believe my "babies" can now ride 2 wheel bikes.  Craziness.  Their first true taste of freedom.....

Two boys and a little girl

Lara and I have known each other for almost 5 years now.  The fact that we both had twins was what gave us the opportunity to become friends.  I had a wonderful time photographing her 2 sweet five year old twins and adorable 18 month old daughter.  They were an energetic group and gave me lots of fun moments to capture.  We started out with family photos on their newly renovated porch. Such a perfect setting!

After spending some time at the house, we went to a nearby park where many leaves had already fallen. The kids had a great time running around, playing with the leaves and just being goofy.

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend some time with the whole family.

Thanks for such a fun shoot.

Sneak Peek - The S Family

Two weekends ago, I hung out with the S Family. We had beautiful weather right up until the end of the shoot.  D and J were great subjects and  had a lot of fun finding things to do no matter where we were.  We trecked to a bunch of different locations, ending up at the Riverwalk with lots to trees to climb on and bridges to cross.

The S Family on the bridge

A pile of stones, a lake and the boys are happy.

Trees are made for climbing.

Off to explore. My favorite kind of shot.

All in all a very fun shoot!

Sneak Peek - The M Family

This past weekend I had the pleasure of hanging out for awhile with the M family.  We did some family photos but mostly focused on the two littlest cuties.   We had lots of fun with bubbles, bean bags and balls.  This late summer weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Their dog clearly has had some experience in posing.

A Happy Little Guy

This one cracks me up. She is clearly very happy in the midst of all the activity, ready for her moment!

The bubbles, well...they were a big hit!

Who wouldn't want to lay around in a basket, on a pillow, with a blanket and all the attention?

L was a good catcher!

This bench belonged to their neighbor and it was perfect for C.

Thank you to C & L for inviting me to their home and allowing me to spend time capturing moments with their little sweet peas. 

And so it begins...

My kids have started kindergarten. Honestly, I have no idea how that happened.  I'm pretty sure that just last week I was dressing them in adorable onesie outfits, complete with footies and snaps and they needed boppies to help them sit up.  It seems impossible that I have 2 five year old kids.  But alas, I do.  And time is fa-lying by!!!!

They were so excited about school and perhaps even more excited about the riding the bus.  I bought each of them a new outfit for the first day of school. Rookie mom mistake...I waited too long. Of COURSE all the fall clothes are out for the start of school.  But, seeing that it was still 80 degrees outside for the first day, I was looking for sundresses and short sleeve shirts.  There were almost none to be found.  At last, after 8 different stores with no luck, finally our trip to Kohl's was my answer.

We got dressed that morning and they were more than happy to let me get some pictures.  

Then, it was off to the bus.  They didn't hesitate for one step...off they went.

Sydney was going to be at the bus and they could hardly wait to see her.  Once all the kids were together, we let them cross the street and they could hardly go fast enough.

Finally, the bus came and everyone was ready to get on.  I managed to keep it together, only getting teary for a few seconds  here and there.    When they got home, everyone told me they'd be tired and starving.  Well, everyone was wrong. They were like little lunatics - running around, doing cartwheels....they all had more energy than I've had in the past month combined!

It's now been almost 2 full weeks of school and you would think they'd been going for 2 full years. They are little pros.  The stories are wonderful.  They are making new friends.  And, their excitement and happiness about being at school...we couldn't ask for more.  

Cottage Country

Many years ago, my great grandpa built a nice little cottage on a lake in Northern Ontario called 4 Mile Lake. The cottage itself was called Beatonia, as his last name was Beaton. I'm lucky enough to have some old photos of the cottage being built and they reside in a photo album that's falling apart. However, I just discovered that the photos scan in rather well.

My great grandpa Blake (left) on the foundation of Beatonia

Beatonia Taking Shape

Blake (great grandpa), Margaret (Grandma), Robert (Grandpa)

When I was 8 years old, my grandma and grandpa put an addition on to the cottage that included 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a laundry room. They took me up to the cottage in the middle of winter and surprised me (and Greg - a very close family friend) with a decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the new living room. I think that may have been the only time I was at the cottage in winter. Starting the following year, I spent 13 summers at the cottage, for 2 or 3 weeks each summer. It's such a huge, wonderful part of my life. From those years, I got to know and love people that were a big part of my grandparents' life who are now like family to me. It's a whole other aspect of my world. My grandparents and great grandparents are no longer with us, but the memories of this wonderful place are still so vivid in my mind.

The cottage is now owned by very close family friends, Roy & Lynda. I feel so lucky that I still have access to it and even more fortunate that I'm able to bring my kids to the cottage. I can't imagine not being able to share this amazing place with them and create our own family memories. M & P are five years old and I realized they have already been there 3 times. Happiness!

We recently came back from a family vacation and added more experiences to the memory bank.

We even squeezed in an impromptu photo shoot!

I had a great time off on my own, having fun with my camera, trying out a bunch of settings and seeing what happened. These images are snippets of what cottage life means to me. And, no matter where I am at the cottage, I still feel my grandparents all around.

Until next time....