5K -- Live Love Laugh

Still Alive!

2010-11-30T11:32:00.003-06:00

Yes, we are still alive! This poor neglected blog...I am sure no one even bothers to stop in anymore :(

Sometimes, life just gets in the way and this blog (and the time that it takes to post) seems to have fallen by the wayside. So sorry.

Today, I came to revisit the blog in search of pictures of our family cat who has left us today. So sad :( He has been ailing for a while.... we all knew it was coming.... but when he took a turn for the worse today, we knew we couldn't put it off any longer.

It is such a tough decision to have the life of a pet ended. And it is even harder to try to explain it to the kids. Yes, that's right, we discussed it with the kids. I know not all parents do that. They tell their children that the pet "went to the farm" or "ran away" or....

But we made the decision to have an honest discussion about the difficult but, in our minds, most compassionate choice we could make.

The Girlie said "I don't want to have any pets anymore because they always just die!!" (This is the third pet this family has lost in four years) And as difficult as it was to hear those words between the sobs and tears, it gave us an opportuntiy to talk about life, and death, and how important it is for us to value and appreciate the time we have with those we love.

So thank you, Eddy, for the life you have shared with us and the gifts you have given us all over the years! You will be missed :(

WPS Half Marathon Relay

2010-05-07T12:41:00.003-05:00

This poor blog has been sorrowfully neglected but I wanted to post something so that you all know I am still alive!

Last weekend brought a new milestone to me. I participated in the Winnipeg Police Services Half Marathon and ran the relay with a friend. What does that mean? It means I ran 6.55 (1/4 of a marathon)! Woohoo!

My initial intention was really just to run it. No expectations regarding time, just do it! But as the race got closer and my training progressed, I began wondering what my time could be (I also sort of needed to figure out where to begin the race based on a half marathon finishing time).

At first, my goal was to be in under an hour and a half. Not speedy (by any standards!) but respectable enough for me. Then I began to set my sites a little bit higher and secretly hoped to be in under 1:15. Could I? I wasn't so sure but thought it might be possible.

The morning of the race was cool and overcast, with a light drizzle on and off as I got ready to start. This race was extra meaningful, as it is a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, which is near and dear to me, having lost so many important people to that despicable disease.

And then....we were off. With so many runners starting at the same time, it took me a while to find my groove but a little past mile one, I finally fell into my pace and felt good.

Because of the less than hospitable weather, there weren't too many spectators, but those that were out provided great motivation to keep going. So grateful for those that come out to cheer runners on...whether they know them or not! What a gift!

Around mile 2, I saw bagpipes up ahead and decided I should take off one of my earphones to give my full attention to them in honor of my Scottish grandfather (he being one of the many lost to cancer). As I take my earphone off, I feel my earring fall as well! Oh no! This earring was not just any old earring, but my beautiful diamond earring bought for me by my husband that I never. take. off. What to do?

I stopped in my tracks and started looking for it. What are the odds I'll find it? In the middle of a street? With runners all around me? (Sorry to anyone that had to dodge around me. Oops!) All I could think was "time is a tickin'" and "I'll likely never find it" "How long can I possibly justify looking for it?" when suddenly...there it was! Amazing!! Someone must have been looking out for me :)

I picked it up and started running again...all while trying to get my earring back into my ear (yup...that's right. Straight off the ground and back into my ear. Yuck! But what else could I do?!)

As the run progressed, the crowd of runners thinned more and more and things were feeling a little lonely. Then...there it was! The relay hand off! What a thrill to see my relay partner smiling and cheering me on as I approached her! Fantastic motivation to run hard right to the end. I can't believe I did it!

After the relay exchange, I pulled off to the side to make my way slowly back to the park to wait for my partner to near the finish line so I could join her to run the last few meters. Just as I neared the path to the park the fourth place man finisher ran past me! That's right! He (and three others) ran the entire half marathon in about the same time as I ran half of it. That is incredible!!

But like I said, I set out to a.) finish and b.) do "okay" My official chip time was 1:13:41 so, even with my earring adventure, I still beat my 1:15 goal! Woohoo!

Here is a race photo from the WPS website...taken at around mile 5-ish, if I remember correctly.

I still can hardly believe it!

Growing Up!

2010-01-24T16:04:00.007-06:00

I can't believe that we are nearing the end of January and I have not posted a single picture from the holidays! Ugh. I will...sometime soon.

But, in the meantime, I just couldn't NOT post this...

Last night, the girlie lost her first tooth!!

There it is. So tiny. Yet, I remember how big it looked when it first appeared in her sweet little mouth. Seems like just a moment ago.

She was SO excited to have finally lost a tooth and couldn't wait to see what the Tooth Fairy would bring.

In the morning, she had a wonderful surprise. The Tooth Fairy (whom she says she saw, by the way. Apparently she has long brown hair,a purple stiped shirt, pink tutu, blue wings, green crown with purple and pink jewels and a pink and purple wand. I LOVE the magic of six year olds!!) had exchanged her tiny tooth with 5 shiny loonies. Hooray!!

Not only that, she also found another tooth was ready to fall...right into her open hand!

So now, here she is, with two less teeth than she began the weekend with.

And now the Tooth Fairy gets to make a return visit. (I wonder what she'll wear tonight?!?)

Happy Holidays!!

2009-12-27T22:55:00.003-06:00

I have SO much blogging to catch up on but...

in the meantime....

From our house to yours

We are wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season!

Baby Boy E -- One Day Old

2009-12-16T23:12:00.005-06:00

Check out this little peaunt... just one day after his birth... still fresh and all curled up. Sigh...

What an adorable little face!

Sweet baby yawn (gotta love those!)

And one in color just to show off his lovely baby skin and the hat I knit for for baby boys but hadn't used until now due to the extreme girl streak I was on :)

Welcome to the world little man! Your parents waited so patiently for you....and you were clearly worth the wait :)

I was blessed to be a part of your journey!

Little Miss E

2009-12-07T11:01:00.008-06:00

Another adorable baby girl to photograph!

Here is a hat I knit just for such occasions

SO sweet!

Isn't she cute?

Mom says this is one of her first smiles not associated with gas!

Here is the proud big sister

And the whole beautiful family!

It was such a pleasure to be a part of your journey. Little E is a very lucky girl to have joined such a lovely clan :)

Sisterly Love

2009-11-25T00:35:00.011-06:00

So, can you believe this baby is two months old already?

SO cute!

Sleeping like an angel..

We had so much fun!

I also took a few shots of her beautiful big sisters.

The biggest big sister...

The little big sister

How sweet are they?

Here is a shot of all three

These girls are going to break some hearts, I think. We had a fun afternoon and hope to do it again soon :)

Look at those Baby Blues!

2009-11-22T16:45:00.008-06:00

Isn't she sweet? And look how much she's grown since this shoot less than a month ago!

Sweet little feet

Mother and daughter

Hands on and a sweet smile

Such a cute family! It was so nice to see you again :)

Fun with the Little Man

2009-11-19T19:24:00.004-06:00

I have been slacking a bit in the picture taking/blogging department lately. Oops.

So today, I pulled out my camera and my "fancy black background" and took a few shots of the little man.

Isn't he sweet?

Mr. Cool

I think this one is my fave!

Our days are often spent just the two of us and I enjoy this special one-on-one time with him. Sometimes, we just sort of do our own thing and just check-in with one another once in a while. Other times, we are hanging together, doing crafts or reading books or...taking pictures (when he is in the mood to pose). Luckily today was one of those days!

He is looking so much more grown up since our last "photo shoot" but still cute as ever!

A Rite of Passage

2009-11-13T20:04:00.010-06:00

Today marked another big day. Ear piercing!!

The girlie has been telling me for some time that "when she turned six, she would want her ears pierced". So that magical day came and went in September but she wasn't asking so I wasn't offering. I really wanted it to be her idea and her motivation to have this done...not something that I pushed or encouraged.

Well, that day came. Perhaps it was the teenagers newly pierced ears (THAT is a whole other story!!), perhaps it was just the realization that "hey! I am six now!" but whatever the reason, she asked and I obliged.

We went to a fantastic tattoo and body piercing place in the city to be sure it was done right (sorry...no mall or jewelery store piercing for my little one!) and here she is, anxiously waiting

Giving the thumbs up as they prep her ears

The moment of truth!!

What a trooper :)

And the final product...one proud and happy girl

Today was not just about her though...

Someone else came along for a piercing...

The Bear!!

He has been asking for quite some time to get his ears pierced so it was important to me to send the message that there is a right and a wrong way to do it. Right: professional piercer, autoclaved studs, sterile gloves and taking your time. Wrong: your teenage friend, a kitchen counter, a potato and hand me down studs. Ugh.

Here is his moment of truth

Getting the finishing touches

Although my hubby is of the "you were born with all the holes a person ever needs" attitude, he acquiesced and seems to have come to terms with it.

I think that they both look pretty adorable and they are both thrilled. As we drove away, the girlie said "I am so proud of me! I didn't even cry!"

Guess what? I was proud too.

(sorry about the weird formatting....blogger seems to be a little more possessed than normal tonight and will not let me fix it!!)

Slackin'

2009-11-13T19:48:00.009-06:00

Sorry for my absence once again.

It seems that there has been a lot...and nothing much...going on lately and I have been a negligent blogger. Sigh.

Last Sunday was my birthday and it was a GORGEOUS day weather wise. As a child, all but one in my memory there was snow on the ground. Often A LOT of snow. This year, it was 13 degrees and sunny so we took advantage of it. After a lovely brunch at Cora's (mmmmmm), we spent the afternoon at the park playing in the leaves. What fun!

Burying the little man

Fun in the leaves

The Bear being "cool guy"

The girlie posing (as usual)

It was then back at home for a dinner made for me by my hubby and then cake.

Why five candles? I am not sure. Perhaps one for each of my children? Sounds good to me.

It was a lovely day spent with the people most important to me. What a perfect way to spend a birthday! (I do think that a spa day is still in my future though LOL)

Happy 1st Birthday!!

2009-11-02T23:23:00.005-06:00

My adorable nephew has turned one!

He really enjoyed his cake LOL

While we were there, the bear took his turn with my camera and snapped this picture of the girlie and I

Please forgive the dark circles under my eyes. I still have a night's sleep to catch up on :)

A beautiful new soul....

2009-11-02T23:13:00.004-06:00

I had the priviledge of welcoming another beautiful baby girl in the wee hours of the morning today.

What a gorgeous little girl...just moments old!!

Welcome to the world, little one :)

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-02T23:02:00.008-06:00

The Girlie dressed as a cheerleader and she even worked out a Halloween cheer (that she was, of course, too shy to actually say while we were out :)

And here is our little monkey man. SO cute!!

The monkey was joined by Micheal Jackson

The bear went to hang out with his friends and left before I could take his picture. Boo!

A fun Halloween was had by all!

Another New Soul Arrives

2009-10-26T20:07:00.005-05:00

Awaiting the new babe

First meeting

Weighing in

A lovely birth and a very sweet family. Welcome sweet little girl.

Pregnancy Shoot at the Park

2009-10-26T19:06:00.009-05:00

A beautiful fall day and an afternoon at the park with some lovely ladies. What more could you ask for?

I was so pleased when my client asked if I would take some pregnancy shots of her before "the big day". With only a few weeks until her due date, there was no time to spare.

Here are some of my favorites....

If only every woman was SO photogenic at 37+ weeks

Braving the cold!!

Here is the soon-to-be big sister

Seriously?!? Could she be ANY cuter?

She gave many kisses to the baby but...oh I had to be FAST to catch them!

Look at these two gorgeous girls!!

They are both stunning...and such good sports. They climbed monkey bars, swung on the swings, played in the leaves and we all had a great time!

I am so looking forward to meeting this new little person that is due to arrive very soon. (pictures to follow LOL)

A little sister -- 6 days old

2009-10-26T16:15:00.010-05:00

Hmmm...I am on a "non-sleeping girl" streak. Sigh. I have big ideas for posing sleeping babies but none of them last week would sleep for any of us!

Here is a blink caught in frame

The princess in her daddy's hands

So sweet

Here is one of the proud big brothers (the biggest brother and big sister were at school when I visited)

It was such a joy to work with this wonderful clan. I was blessed to have been a part of both of these children's births and they are so adored by their parents. What a lovely family!

I am so pleased that I could be a part of your journey! I am looking forward to baby number five (nudge nudge wink wink :)

11 days old

2009-10-26T15:40:00.008-05:00

So, this little girl also missed the "newborns sleep" memo but look at her pose :)

This may look like she slept...but it is actually a blink in progress.

And, of course, a cute feet shot. (I LOVE baby feet...can you tell?)

The light faded quickly so I would love to photograph this babe another time earlier in the day. It was great to see you all again and I can't wait to see how much she has grown next time we meet.

(I also tried a new editing technique....let me know what you think!)

Sweet Little J

2009-10-26T15:27:00.006-05:00

Who says newborns sleep all the time? Clearly, this 19 day old didn't get that memo. She was awake the whole time I was there! It made for a challlenging shoot but I did still get a few cute shots. Here's a few faves...

Sweet little feet

Look at those eyes!

Trying out a funky hat I knit

Look at her lifting her head

What a sweetie!

Although no peaceful "sleeping like an angel" shots were taken, a fun time was had anyway. This little girl was very cooperative, despite her lack of nap, and I do hope her parents enjoy the pics.

Welcome little girl!

So much to catch up on...

2009-10-26T08:38:00.002-05:00

Sorry I have been so absent. Busy busy busy few weeks.

I do have 3 newborns, one maternity and a birth to post about....stay tuned!

The First Storm and a New Life

2009-10-10T18:50:00.006-05:00

Who would have thought that I would be driving to the city in weather such as this for a client with an early October due date?

And no, she didn't go weeks over due. We just got a very early taste of winter this year. Phew...what a drive in!!

But, of course, it was SO worth it! It was such a joy to witness this new babes birth and to be able to support such a powerfully strong birthin' mother and her fantastic family!

Here is dad cutting the cord.

And this precious little girl enjoying her first hair washing.

Many babies cry when their hair is washed but not this little princess. Perhaps this is a sign of many future spa days in her future?

Welcome to the world, little one! There were many people anxiously awaiting your arrival (with money riding it as well!) you are very clearly blessed to be joining such a supportive, loving clan.

Just because...

2009-10-09T15:07:00.002-05:00

My weekday daytimes are much quieter than they have been for many years. For the most part, barring sick days and in-services, it is just the little man and I.

As we spent a quiet day together, it occured to me that I hadn't picked up my camera and taken pictures of him "just because" in quite a while. And, believe it or not, he was willing to pose for a few.

Here he is, cute as ever!

TGIF everyone!!

Run for the Cure

2009-10-04T15:57:00.009-05:00

I am blessed to be a part of an amazing circle of women. This group gathers with the changing seasons and forms a circle of strength and support for all who attend.

Each gathering is filled with laughter and tears, love and understanding, food and wine. (oh yes, and usually some chocolate :) Through this circle, I have met many amazing women and today, some of us gathered to honour one such woman.

These gathering we call Red Tent Circles and one of our wonderful Red Tent sisters is battling breast cancer. She is battling with such courage and grace that it leaves me speechless. Anyone who spends just a few minutes in a room with this amazing woman knows instantly that she is special. She shares her heart openly and has a wicked sense of humor. I have not know her long, nor do I know her well, but I do know that I wanted...needed?... to show my support to her in some small way. My hope that our participation in todays Run for the Cure will show her how much she is loved and appreciated and will help her know that there are many people sending her love and strength to call on whenever she may need it.

Here is a group shot without the men (really, there are no men in the Red Tent :)

Our beautiful honouree is center #2058.

The whole group particpating in her honor today could not fit into one frame of my camera without bulldozing the Running Room booth behind me so here are two shots to show everyone.

This event was really quite something! Thousands of runners and walkers and volunteers come together to make this happen. Wow!!

I did not here a final tally for the day but I do know that our little group raised more than $3000 for cancer research.

Here are two other Red Tent sisters "warming up" for the run (J...you had to know I'd post this, right?!? :)

And here is a close up of our team shirts -- the Red Tent Runners

Today we gathered to honour one special member of our circle and to pledge support to all others affected by cancer. Someday, I hope that these events will no longer be needed. That women like this incredible lady will not have to fight this fight, and that families will not have to go through all that they are going through.

Until then, we "Women of the Red Tent" will continue to show our support. (And next year...we'll have costumes!! LOL)

Moments Old

2009-10-03T14:50:00.004-05:00

Another baby girl was welcomed into the world on October 1st.

Welcome little one!!

And Baby Makes Five!!

2009-09-28T23:43:00.014-05:00

Remember this gorgeous family? http://5klive-love-laugh.blogspot.com/2009/08/sensational-sunflower-shoot.html

Here is their newest addition...

Isn't she sweet? A mere three days old :)

Proud big sisters

Sweet little pixie

Super chubby face

Look at those eyes!

A sweet little smile

The Proud Papa

And some fun edits...

What a doll! You have chosen a wonderful family to join, sweet little girl. We are all so glad you have come :)

Thank you, friends, for trusting me to capture her first few days. I am looking forward to taking many more pictures of her as she grows :)

The Elusive Family Photo

2009-09-25T23:38:00.007-05:00

Those of you who have spent any amount of time reading my blog will obviously know...I love taking pictures...especially pictures of my kids. So, while we were all together at Fort Whyte for the Girlie's birthday, I wanted to take a picture of all the kids together. Maybe for Chirstmas cards...perhaps just for us...whatever. I would just like to get a nice pic of my pride and joy.

Humph...easier said than done. Here is all I got...

Hmmmm....the middle child is missing (refusing to get up on the rock because so and so blah blah blah....you know the drill )

Take Two: Where is the Little Man? Exit stage right...climbing a tree

All togther now but wait....don't they look thrilled to be there?!?

Yup, little man gone again.

SO frustrating!!

I think that I may have to perfect my Photoshopping skills (which at the moment are pretty minimal) in order to get a picture of all five of my kids sitting together, looking at the camera, and not scowling.

Until then...this does still give you all a window into my world.

SIX!!

2009-09-25T22:59:00.016-05:00

Thursday marked The Girlie's sixth birthday. Wow!! I can hardly believe it!

Here she is...what a happy looking six year old, huh?

Our first stop of the day was Mongo's Grill for lunch. Birthdays in our family are sort of a big deal. The birthday child basically calls the shots for the bulk of the day: ordering up whatever they want for breakfast, lunch and supper, school can be skipped...you get the picture. Mongo Grill was both the girlie and the middle child's choice so this was our second visit this week. Oh well. it is much better than McDonalds!!

Check out these goofballs!

After lunch, we spent a wonderfully warm day at Fort Whyte Alive. We walked the paths, rented a Bison Buggie, heard geese honking and just generally enjoyed the fresh air.

These two are doing their "cool" poses

On "the rock" where pictures have been taken each year for 6 years

Birthday Girl up close

Daddy/daughter duo

By the end of the day, the princess was tired so The Bear offered to piggy back her the rest of the way. What a good big brother (and S had to get in on the photo action :)

And there they go...

What a great day!

Baby's First Bath

2009-09-25T22:06:00.006-05:00

Another baby girl entered the world on Wednesday and I was lucky enough to be there to provide support to her lovely parents.

Here she is getting her very first bath...less than two hours old.

So sweet!

NINE!!

2009-09-25T22:05:00.012-05:00

Well, our middle child has turned NINE!! Wow, how time flies.

This year, we broke from tradition a bit and celebrated his birthday the day before (usually, we are sticklers for "the date"). There was no school on the Monday so we thought we would take advantage of it (and S was thrilled at the idea of getting his presents a day early!) So, as has been the tradition for the last 9 years, we spent the afternoon at the Children's Museum.

Here is the birthday boy!

Fun with the mirrors (and little brothers)

The girlie goofing around

Our little newscaster

S is many of the things that middle children are. He switches from being a calm and mature "bigger kid" to a silly, goofball, "little kid" on a dime. He can be the pest and the tantrumer one minute, and the peace maker and the helper the next.

He is smart, and sweet, and kind. Quick to anger but also quick to forgive. When the little ones need a hand, he is often the first to offer. When the mood strikes him (and it strikes with some regularity) he can become "Super Cleaner" and will tidy anything that you ask...and then some.

He really is such a great kid and we had a great time celebrating him this week! Next year...double digets. Oh My!!

Sunday Family Fun Day

2009-09-21T23:47:00.009-05:00

A beautiful September Sunday! Who knows how many more days like these we will have left?

We decided to try to make the best of it!

Hanging around...

A stop at Starbucks for Strawerries and Cream

Walking the labyrinth

Father/Son chat

Climbing rocks

Climbing Trees

My favorite flowers

Hopefully next sunday will be just as nice!

A New Life....

2009-09-21T23:46:00.002-05:00

I was blessed to be a part of a wonderful birth over the weekend. Isn't she sweet?

'nuff said :)

Football Star

2009-09-21T23:38:00.005-05:00

Last Thursday marked a big day in The Bear's football "career". His team got the chance to play at a real CFL stadium!! They used the Tron, had an annoucer and music and the whole nine yards! What fun!!

And, although the scoreboard didn't reflect what they wanted...

(Believe me...that is as good as it got!! )

...they had a great time!

Here is our star...

I am so proud of him for keeping his spirits up despite a tough game and, truth be told, a pretty tough season, but his love of the game and his team spirit keeps on shining! There is two more weeks of regular season play...I hope he stays as positive throughout. What a great kid.

Preschool!!

2009-09-14T13:17:00.005-05:00

My baby is a preschooler!

I can hardly believe it. With school for the big kids beginning last week, I think that the little man was feeling a little left out.

Friday he and I went shopping for a new backpack and then he happily came home and excitedly packed it up with his squeaky new school shoes (the ones that have been tormenting him weeks...begging to be worn!) and his fancy red guitar lunch kit.

Today, the big day arrived! He was so excited. Here he is...

As we arrived at the school, he was buzzing with energy. We went into his new classroom, hung his jacket and backpack on his hook and placed his lunchkit in his cubby. I helped him with his shoes, kissed him goodbye and away I went!

Now, I have dropped lots of children (well...four to be exact) off at preschool but I have always had another either with me or waiting for me at home (truth be told, there was a brief time when the teenager was in preschool that I was pregnant with baby #2 but, technically, there was still someone with me...just in utero :).

This time was different. This drop off meant two and a half hours with no child in tow. What?!? That's right. 2.5 hours of whatever I want. Silence? Maybe. Uninterrupted computer time? Perhaps. A long hot shower with no one knocking on the door? Maybe next week. A run on my treadmill without having to answer questions or help with the Wii or...? Eventually.

Today, I actually zipped into the city to see a client that is imminently due and hurried home but, the thing is, there is always Wednesday...or next Monday...or the Wednesday after that. Wow.

The potential for nearly 5 hours a week of time to myself stretches luxuriously in front of me...and yet there is a part of me that is mourning yet another milestone. I will never drop another child of mine off at preschool for the first time. This is the beginning of a new stage of his life and mine. A time of separation and growth...for both of us. This is the time where I may need to start figuring out what I will be when I am no longer the mother of small children. That has been who I am for so long that I wonder...without that, what will I be?

Maybe that is what my 5 hours a week will be spent doing; figuring that out. In the meantime, I think I may sneak in a little shopping :)

Smile of the Day

2009-09-14T13:10:00.003-05:00

We hosted a family BBQ on Sunday to celebrate the three September birthdays (2 of ours as well as our niece). Though my camera stayed untouched most of the day, I couldn't let this little sweetheart go home without at least one shot.

SO sweet!

The End of Summer

2009-09-10T13:26:00.010-05:00

Well, I can hardly believe that summer is over. Backpacks and school supplies and new school clothes have been purchased, sorted, labelled and packed. We had a glorious long weekend full of football, family BBQ's and a fun day of golf. (Hubby took the big boys to golf nine holes and the littles and I went mini-golfing).

Now, fall reality sinks in. Back to routines, early bedtimes, packing lunches and soon enough fall activites.

The excitement has been palpable the last few days. On Tuesday evening, new clothes were carefully selected by each child and laid out for the morning. Special snacks for "first day of school lunches" were lovingly packed and ingredients for back-to-school breakfasts were purchased and assembled by this mother with mixed emotions.

There is a part of me that looks forward to the structure and routine that the school year brings. It feels like a time of renewal and fresh beginnings.

I love the anticipation I saw in the kids and remembered that feeling, that very sensation in my body. I remember being that little girl, agonizing over what to wear on that important first day; the excitement of crisp new clothes, squeaky new shoes and all of the wonder and hope that it accompanied.

I remember that little knot in my belly and the tightness in my chest, the feeling of millions of butterflies flittering around my tummy as I wondered who would be in my class, who would I sit with, would I like my new teacher? It is a visceral thing, I feel it in every part of me... sometimes.

Then there are those other times. The times, like Tuesday evening, that I am short and cross. Those times... after the third glass of water is asked for, the second pee break requested, the bazillionth time I hear "Mom...I can't find my guy!! ...it's too dark! ...or too light! ... or too cold! ... or too hot!" I get angry and snap at them because I want them to be well rested and ready for their big day. I want them to be quiet so the others can sleep. I want them to stay in bed when they have been lovingly tucked in, read to, cuddled and kissed. Sometimes I just want them to STAY IN BED!

*sigh*

I have moments when I wish summer would never end. I long for more time to stay up late, sleep in, have pajama days and host sleep overs and all the fun things that summer means. I love our long praire summer evenings and the toning down of scheduled activities, meetings and appointments.

But, all good things must come to an end, I suppose, and sooner or later the lack of routine might drive me over the edge. Maybe :)

When Wednesday morning arrived, I was reminded again of the excitement of the day. I remembered how I often had a hard time falling asleep the night before the first day of school, so pumped full of adrenaline and nervous energy and I felt guilty for being such a hard-ass the night before. Oh well. It seemed that all had been forgiven (or forgotten) and we went on with the day.

Breakfast was eaten ...waffles and whip cream and berries mmmmmm.

Just so we are clear, it is not everyday that the kids get a hot breakfast and it was only toaster waffles (Super Mom, I am not) but for the first day of school, at least, I will have send them off with more than just cold cereal and juice in their stomachs.

I double and triple checked backpacks and lunch kits, shoe laces and sweaters.

And then they were off..

Off to Grade One

Off to Grade Four

And off to Grade Six

(The teenager is far too cool to participate in the first day of school pictures now *sigh* Off to Grade Ten for him)

Here they are...

And there they go...

Off to learn and grow and explore and expand in a world that I have little control of.

Believe me, there is a part of me that would like to keep them at home forever and I mourn this passing of a new year, but seeing how excited they were yesterday as that school bus pulled up to take them to their new school and then hearing about the best parts of their day when they returned was the pay off.

Watching my kids traverse this new transition with such joy reminds me to do the same. As an adult, so much time is often been spent "not doing" for fear of....what? Failure? Embarrassment? Ego? Hmmm...

This is my children's gift and lesson for me today.

Sensational Sunflower Shoot

2009-08-31T20:34:00.010-05:00

Here is my gorgeous friend at 37+ weeks. Can you believe how beautiful she is?

We had such a fun time...but we also got eaten alive by mosquitoes so it was the fastest photo shoot ever!

We spared her girls the bug battle and stuck by the playground instead.

Could they be any cuter?!?

This baby is so blessed to be joining this wonderful family. I can hardly wait to meet him/her (I already have plans for some pictures :) !

Daddy's Little Girl

2009-08-31T20:12:00.004-05:00

This little girl LOVES her daddy and in an effort to set the bar for any potential future boyfriends VERY high, her daddy semi-regularly brings her flowers (don't worry...whenever she gets some, I do too :)

As the only two girls in the house, he spoils us every once in a while. Who am I to complain?

Here she is with her latest bouquet

Future suitors...look out! This amazing girl will not be the one who coyly orders nothing but a salad at dinner. She is a carnivore through and through...it will likely be surf and turf for her :) And you had bettter bring her flowers...and treat her nicely as she has four brothers that are looking out for her.

(Poor girl will likely not have a date for a long, l o n g time :)

Blessing the way...

2009-08-31T19:39:00.007-05:00

...for a mother-to-be.

I am so blessed to be in a circle of women that participates in the tradition of Mother Blessings. These evenings provide an opportunity to tell the expectant mother how much we love her, how much we value her friendship, and provide her with strength, courage and support as she prepares to give birth to her baby. It is truly a blessing for all who attend.

Here is her beautiful altar...filled with objects of meaning to her and the women around her.

Mother and daughter...offering and receiving love and support

Here is the gorgeous mama and her circle of support

No gathering would be complete without a feast...and feast we did! Now we all await news of the birth...

Much love to you, dear friend!

Calgary Zoo

2009-08-31T18:32:00.012-05:00

I have visited Calgary several times but this was my first ever visit to the Calgary Zoo. I tell you, it really puts Winnipeg's Zoo to shame...but you pay for it!! We paid more for our one day admission than we have paid for a year long family pass here! Yikes!!

At any rate, it was a blast. And thanks to the borrowed telephoto lens I had, I took a few cool pictures while we were there.

Bald eagle..so magestic looking

Gorillas. SO cool.

We LOVE the big cats!!

This tiger had been sleeping on our first pass by but was up and prowling around when we walked by on our way out. I snapped this shot as it came closer and then it turned and sprayed us! Both Aunty B and I came within inches of getting doused with tiger spray! I'm telling you, you have never seen to women scream louder or jump back faster :) Cat spray is disgusting...I can only imagine how tiger spray smells. Ewwww...

Yes, this is the littlest brother pushing the biggest brother in the wagon. Sad, I know LOL

I love zebras!! (We do have these at the Winnipeg Zoo though)

Here is the girlie in her belly-dancing elephant pose

Giraffes...wow.

Camels up close

Here are the three littles and Aunty B.

A fun day was by all and everyone was sad to begin our journey home. The kids are already trying to plan a return visit. Maybe Aunty B will be hosting some house guests next year LOL

For the Flames Fan

2009-08-31T15:42:00.012-05:00

Once we left Vancouver, we drove further into the mountains, with stops in Kamloops and Canmore, on our way to Calgary.

The view

<> I LOVE the mountains!!

More goofy van pictures...the three muskateers back there :)

We arrived in Calgary Friday morning and spent the better part of the day at the zoo (pictures of that in the next post). It was scorching hot and it was lovely to walk around and stretch after spending severals hours every day driving.

The Bear is a HUGE Calgary Flames fan (we have several in our extended family...you know who you all are ;) but Aunty B in the queen of the Flames fans as she has lived in Calgary for more than twenty years now.

So she got to play tourist guide for the Flames lovers in all of us. Here she is with a few of the boys in front of the Saddledome (aptly named, don't you think?)

The Bear

We then visited the Wildfire Grill...better known as Flames Central.

Our plan was to have dinner there but unfortunately they were closed for a private function. They were nice enough to let us come in and take a look around. And snap a few pictures, of course.

With dinner still in mind, we then headed off to to Calgary Tower (yes...that's right. We did two touristy towers in one vacation). Atop this tower, there is a glass floor that you can stand on and look down. Very cool! Even our little scared of heights S-man stood for this photo op. Way to conquer your fears!!

Alas, the two restaurants there were a.) closed down? and b.) booked until 9pm so we were off to Plan C.

Here is the Tower from the street (looks pretty similar to the Seattle one, huh?)

A very busy day but a great way to end our vacation. Saturday morning we headed straight home. It was a LONG day of driving but nice to have one day of recuperation time (you know....filled with unpacking and laundry LOL) before it was back to the grind.

Memory Lane

2009-08-31T14:48:00.019-05:00

One of the highlights of our vacation for me was our stop in Vancouver.

This was where my hubby and I spent the first (almost) year of our married life. It was where we lived our pre-baby married life, where our first baby was conceived, where we used to joke that we had our 9 month long honeymoon. It was just us, two newly-wed twenty-somethings.

It was a lifetime ago.

This trip brought us back. We showed the kids where we lived, where we worked, where we hung out.

This was our corner...

Our apartment building...

Stanley Park...

My tree hugging family...

It took six of us to reach our arms all the way around this magnificent tree!

The Bear and the Girlie

A rare picture of the teenager with a sibling...not even scowling!

The whole gang!!

Love this one

We lived only a few blocks from the market and both worked there. I love it here!

Watching the buskers

A magic show! (Look at the little man... He couldn't be more excited!)

The produce....

I miss this place!

We also lived just a few blocks away from Kits Beach so we, of course, had to pay a visit there too. Here they all are! The six most important people in my life.

Much has changed for us since that long ago life in Vancouver...and as much as I love and miss the west coast, I am certain we would not have the family we do had we stayed...

...and I wouldn't change a thing!

2009-08-31T14:28:00.012-05:00

The first few day sof our vacation was FULL of driving. We saw some lovely scenery...

The Columbia River

Prairie blue skies (although, we did see a lot of rain too)

And a lot of random statues in random small towns

And we did a lot of this...watch movies, eat on the run, all that fun stuff

Our first "real" stop was Seattle.

We visited the Speace Needle

Pikes Place market

Walked around the historic downtown, stopped in for some gelato

Watched the sun set over the bay and watched ferries dock

Anywhere there was a wifi connection, this is what the teenager did (frantically trying to communicate with his girlfriend :)

And then we re-visited the Space Needle and travelled to the top at night.

The view from the top was lovely but difficult to capture without a tripod :(

Tons of fun and more to come....

We're back!

2009-08-23T23:41:00.008-05:00

We have returned from our summer road trip! In nine days, we put 5580 kms on our van, travelled through 4 states and 4 provinces, drove through the Rocky Mountains, saw the Pacific Ocean, and made it home alive!

Here was our general route Mapquest

I took nearly a thousand pictures and will update the blog with more details as I sort through them. In the meantime, here are a few highlights...

The prairies

The Badlands

The ocean

The mountains

The kids...at Kitsalano Beach in Vancouver at sunset

More to come soon...

More than a week...

2009-08-10T18:14:00.013-05:00

has gone by without a single post from me. Oops! Here is a recap of what we've been up to...

The littles finished their swimming lesson session. A fun time was had by all and I am making a commitment to continue in the fall. These two weeks of lessons has shown me again how fear can begin to show up and slow down their progress when we take too long a break. Must. Keep. At. It.

We also spent a day with a birthday boy...isn't he cute?

There were bouncing good times

and Freezies (of course)

And a great time was had by all! So much fun, in fact, that we were back two days later for a party (somehow, my camera stayed home that day. D'oh!)

Another somewhat new development this week is the little man has fallen in love with the sand box.

Darn mosquitose :(

The next few days will be spent trying to get things wrapped up as we prepare to leave for holidays on Saturday (maybe even Friday). We are not exactly sure where we are going but we are starting by driving west and we'll just see how far we get.

Hopefully I'll have tons of exciting photos to post along the way!

Long Weekend Fun

2009-08-02T23:23:00.005-05:00

Today was spent in St. Pierre-Jolys for the "Frog Follies" Festival.

Just the hubby and I went as we were invited to attend the VIP wine and cheese event before the frog jumping competition. This is a rather strange tradition but sure was fun to watch.

Here is the hubby "prepping" his frog at the starting line

And here they are mid race

The weather was cooperative and the turn out was pretty good. Poor hubby and his froggy friend (his name was "mon petit ami") didn't win any medals this year so we headed home and hung out in the backyard.

The highlight was the setting up of the tent that hubby bought and he and the two littlest are camoping out tonight.

They were SO excited!! This made for a rather quiet evening for me (thus my blog update on the actual day I took the photos) and now, I am headed to bed.

Tomorrow ends the long weekend but we have yet to decide how we will spend the day. Folklorama? The park? The Forks? Shopping? We'll see what the weather is like, perhaps. Let's hope for some more sunshine!!

Final Assignment

2009-08-01T21:08:00.002-05:00

Our last assignment for the course was to do a few group shots so, here are the four youngest posing for me "one last time" (well....last time for homework for this class anyway :)

They weren't in the most cooperative of moods and we were all getting eaten alive by mosquitoes so it was quick but...aren't they cute?

Photography Scavenger Hunt

2009-08-01T16:07:00.010-05:00

One of our final weeks' assignments was a scavenger hunt. We had a list of about 30 things and we were supposed to bring in photos of at least 10.

Here are a few of my faves..

"Shake Skin"

Someone doing the splits

Someone playing an "air guitar"

A blue tongue

A musician with their instrument

A hot dog with the works

A milk or kool-aid mustache (this one is actually blueberry smoothie)

I enjoyed the class SO much and hope to take another sometime in the not too distant future. I learned a lot and it was just fun to have assignments to work on that made me make time for photo taking...and the kids got to help mommy with her "homework" so it sort of became a family event.

I also so enjoyed the time spent with my lovely photo partner and hope to plan some photo field trips together soon.

THAT mother

2009-07-29T19:39:00.007-05:00

For years, I have seen THAT mother...that woman at the swimming pool sitting on the sidelines taking pictures of her little swimmers. I would see her, dry and fully dressed, perched carefully on a bench, sometimes reading, cheering, snapping pictures , all while I schlupped myself and whatever infant/toddler that was youngest in our crew into the kiddie pool. I was in awe of her. Green with envy. How does one get to do that?!?

Well, today, I am THAT mother! The little man (and the girlie, and the middle child :) are in lessons this week and next. The little man is in a transitional class that gears them up to take lessons without a parent and today...he did it! All by himself!

Technically, he went in by himself yesterday for the first time but I was poolside with my swimsuit on in case it didn't work out...but today, I was THAT mother, dry and fully dressed, taking pictures and giving the thumbs up from the bench.

Here are "the sea turtles"

Getting a "train ride"

Learning to float

Waiting for the slide (his favorite part)

They are having lots of fun and I am so proud of them all!

Sunday Family Fun

2009-07-26T23:50:00.007-05:00

Today was a beautiful day so we decided to go into the city and hang out at The Forks for a while and then went over to the Basillica and walked around before heading out for dinner.

Here are a few of my favorite shots of the day.

Gorgeous sky

Gorgous girl :)

The three muskateers

Goofing around

What a lovely weekend...although I will admit that we are noticing our lack of central air in the house this evening (and not in a good way). Hopefully that will be rectified by the end of the week.

Tomorrow morning brings swimming lessons in the city bright and early (what WAS I thinking?) so I had better head off to bed.

12 Days Old

2009-07-25T16:50:00.010-05:00

Oh my! What a sweetheart!

Although, I love sleeping newborn shots, this little man had other plans. Luckily, he was pretty darn cooperative despite being awaking the whole time I was there. He is SO sweet!

Here are a few of my faves...

Look at those eyes!

Welcome little one! It was so nice to meet you :)

Birthday Party fun

2009-07-25T16:36:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, we went to a Goldeyes game to celebrate a friend's 3rd birthday.

Here is the guest of honor/birthday girl (enjoying her pink baseball cake :)

Isn't she sweet?

Another guest of honor made an appearance too...

He was a big hit!

Here is the birthday girl and her big sister

And the big sister on her own...enjoying her cake her own special way.

The end of the baseball game (Goldeyes won!!) brought a fireworks display....and I couldn't resist taking a shot of the crowd oooohhhhing and aahhhhing.

A fun time was had by all and goodie bags were enjoyed on the way home.

Thanks friends and Happy Birthday!!

In class assignment

2009-07-22T19:33:00.006-05:00

Last night's photography class took us outside the studio to take photos on the street and then reading our histogram. Here are a few samples.

An architectural piece

Some greenery

and D taking a picture of me while I'm taking a picture of her.

Truth be told, we probably each took 30 trying to get the exposure right, but this was the best of my bunch (too bad she's a Nikon girl LOL).

We are having so much fun. I'll be sad when it's over next week :(

One Month Old Beauty

2009-07-20T23:22:00.013-05:00

I was lucky enough to have a friend come over today and have me photograph her baby on her One Month Birthday! We had so much fun! As always...here are a few of my favorites :)

Look at this adorable little bean.

Cute baby bum

Sweet little feet

Caught a cute yawn

Sleeping like an angel...

Usually, I am all about black and white photos for babies, but for some reason, I think I like these better in colour (I have edited them into B & W too, just in case the mom prefers that)

What a fun way to spend the morning. I am so glad they stopped by.

Playing with shutter speeds

2009-07-20T15:58:00.008-05:00

Last Tuesday's class was all about shutter speeds so here are a few of my faves for this weeks assignment...

In these pics, the trick is to a fast enough shutter speed to get the subject in focus (while panning as they move) but a slow enough one to allow some blurring in the background and extremeties (and/or wheels) to show some movement.

Clearly, not my forte. Oh well...I'll keep trying.

This one is all about a fast enough shutter speed to "freeze water".

Kinda cool. (I am glad that I had a little helper).

I am looking forward to more fun experiments to get this figured out :)

Mommy/Daughter Day

2009-07-20T15:46:00.009-05:00

The girlie and I took Saturday as a lovely mommy/daughter day (she and I really need to stick together...surrounded by testosterone as we are :)

First we went to Walking With Dinosaurs...which was great!

Here are the mommy and baby T-Rex (with the "paleontologist" in front so you can sort of tell how big they are!) This was her favorite part.

The Raptors

After the show, we went out for lunch and then did some shopping. This girl sure can "work the camera" when she is in the mood.

We had a ton of fun!

30 Weeks

2009-07-15T11:59:00.007-05:00

My how time flies!

Here is my gorgeous friend, with her gorgeous belly and gorgeous kids!!

This is one proud big sister...

Another with the toddler (near pre-schooler) on the belly and the biggest sister looking cute and coy...

Here is the little one's face along with the big sister and growing baby belly...

And just an adorable shot of the almost three year old...soon to be a big sister herself! (This is also the little man's "girlfriend"...or so he tells everyone who asks. At least he has great taste!)

Thanks for coming over friends! It was great to see you.

Leading lines....and other things

2009-07-15T11:10:00.010-05:00

I am so excited to be taking my first photography class Prairieview this summer and our first assignment was to take some pictures with some specific composition things in mind. SO much fun!!

Leading lines...and my not so cooperative model...

The little man...looking left off the frame...

And then the "classic" railroad track shots of The Bear (at least he was cooperative!)

And this one in black and white.

SO cute that boy!

Family Gatherings

2009-07-15T01:43:00.013-05:00

We spent the weekend away at family gathering. What fun!

We saw family that came from a distance...

And others that don't live TOO far away but far enough that we see each other only a handful of times each year...

Here is the newest member of the family

"The Boys"

The favorite "Uncle B"

Fun after the "candy scramble"

And flyin' high on the swings

These gatherings have been occuring since I was a little girl and I love SO much about them.

I love to see the kids making those connections with my cousins kids (what are they to each other then? Second cousins? Cousins once removed? I don't get that stuff :o).

I love all of the aunties and uncles around (great and great great aunties and uncles even!!).

I love the songs and the campfires (when they aren't rained out) and the food and the games and the fun. The kids get to run around with one another and laugh and race and...well, you get the picture.

Some people think we are crazy for having these extended family reunions as regularly as we do and maybe it is a bit nuts. But where else can you go, and be with people who have known you your entire life? Who can tell stories about your parents and your grandparents? And who better to keep those stories and memories alive than the eyes and ears of our children?

See you at Christmas!

Another Childhood Milestone

2009-07-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe it but the little man learned to ride his two wheeler without training wheels yesterday!

Wow! He's growing up so fast :( Just barely three and riding with the big kids...

So proud of him...and I love how the girlie is following right behind him.

Ah...summer...

Football season has begun

2009-07-06T23:37:00.004-05:00

Today was the first (of many) football practices for The Bear. He has been waiting anxiously for this time to arrive and was so excited to begin!

There is much to learn and much to practice but he is so looking forward to it.

Here are two of the other kids killing time during practice.

Our family (or at least parts of it) will be spending a lot of time hanging out on the sidelines during these practices so hopefully they find things to entertain themselves as time goes on. I may have to bring out the big guns yet this summer. You know: bubbles, Tim Bits, slurpees...who knows what else...but it will be worth it!

Fun with Friends

2009-07-04T20:06:00.006-05:00

July is off to a great start as we have had friends come and visit on the 1st and the 2nd.

We love company! Especially the families that come and play and visit and laugh without us feeling like we need to worry about cleaning the house top to bottom before they arrive.

The friends whose kids hang out with ours without much conflict or boredom.

That is summertime bliss!

I hope we are able to see both of these families a lot more this summer (and anyone else who cares to drop by and can over look the mess :0)

Randoms from the month...

2009-07-04T19:44:00.011-05:00

Well....the rest of June has flown by and I have not posted anything since the Fair weekend. Yikes.

So here we go in catch up mode once again.

Father's Day has come and gone. This is what we bought the hubby for the occasion (and really, we ALL benefit because th food is amazing!!)

We also got the pool set up in the backyard and it has been very full of children...ours and the rest of the neighborhood's! That is just the way we like it!

(By the way...this is about as far as the girlie ever gets i.e the ladder...because it it TOO cold!!)

On rainier days, when the big boys were at school, the littles had all kinds of fun. These two are such good friends. The little man is really going to miss his sister when she is at school full time in the fall.

This is "pillow world" that she set up for him.

And she also set up at salon just for him.

The final product...

He's pretty happy with his painted nails (his father was less impressed :)

Now school is out and the real fun begins!!

Fun at the Fair -- Saturday

2009-06-15T23:52:00.013-05:00

Saturday at the fair gave the girlie another chance to do her tap dance routine on stage. She. Was. Pumped!!

Here is the troupe...

After her dance performance, we headed straight to the rides. This girl is a daredevil!

Here she is on the Sea Ray (you know, that big pirate ship that sways back and forth until it is almost upside down)

Even with her hands in the air like the "big kids".

Then she went on The Monster with Daddy. This is a ride that scares (or nauseates) many adults let alone 5 year olds! She loved i!

The final ride of the day was on the Dragon Rollarcoaster. Not the high octane ride that she really likes but had fun nonetheless.

Even the little man went on this one. He looks nervous in the picture but is STILL talking about how much fun it was!

It was a great weekend, the weather couldn't have been better and, I frequently hear "I miss the fair" over Monday morning's breakfast :)

Fun at the Fair -- Friday

2009-06-15T23:40:00.005-05:00

The Friday night street party of our community's summer fair is a much anticipated evening for our family. We spent the night on Main Street (with 7500+ other people...GASP!!) and enjoyed great entertainment, good food and lots of visiting with people as we wandered.

We also gave the kids a "taste" of the rides so hubby took the big kids and I stayed with the littles on the smaller rides.

Here is the little man giving the thumbs up while riding his "chariot".

And the girlie on the swings

Here is another taken as we waited for the fireworks to start (take a picture of me with my balloon says the girlie LOL)

The fireworks display was awesome, as expected, and the weather cooperated beautifully. Finally, it seems summer has arrived!!

Bring it on!!

Remember Her?

2009-06-15T23:15:00.011-05:00

It was a priviledge to be present for this little one's arrival and another priviledge to be able to capture some images of her once again at one week of age.

I couldn't have asked for a more cooperative model! Here are some of my faves...

SO sweet!

Captured that new baby yawn!

Sleeping like an angel

Although this one is not balanced the way I wanted, there is just something about it that I really like...

And I think these two are my favorites of the morning

Again, something about the light really catches me in this...

I would love to hear your thoughts!!

25 weeks and counting

2009-06-15T22:22:00.004-05:00

Last Monday's playdate turned belly shoot :)

Look at my dear friends gorgeous belly!

We plan to do more belly shots as the weeks progress. I can't wait!!

Family Fun Day -- June 6

2009-06-15T00:14:00.015-05:00

On the 6th of June, we had a family BBQ to kick off the summer (although it didn't really FEEL like summer...bbrrr!) and to celebrate the visit of my SIL from Alberta. She and her husband come out to Manitoba to visit us so rarely that a get-together was a-given.

Here they are...buddled up to stay warm.

Here is a shot of our host, my BIL

And yet another brother-in-law (my hubby has 4 brothers!!) and his girlfriend. This was the first time she has joined us for a big gathering and she seemed to just fit right in.

Trampoline fun

The little man...dirty dirty dirty (as always)

Here is the youngest one in the group. SO cute!!

With the girlie...the baby hog. She asked all daylong to hold the baby! I guess she comes by her baby obsession honestly considering what I do for a living. LOL

Here is my niece with her boyfriend

Aren't they cute?!?

And a shot of the gang setting up the fireworks for later (no...that is not a real shot gun in my eight year olds hand! It's an airsoft rifle and the boys spent the better part of the day shooting pop cans. Sigh...what's a mother to do?)

And THIS is my favorite shot of the day! My hubby doing his best imitation of the teenager. Uncanny resemblance!!

Food, family, fun and fireworks! What better way to spend a cold dready Saturday? Thanks everyone for a great day!

It's a Girl!!

2009-06-14T23:55:00.009-05:00

At the end of a lovely family day celebrating the little man's birthday, I got the call that my client was in labour. Yay!!

I was so blessed to work with this lovely couple. They were so beautifully connected to each other as she laboured, and it was such an honour to have been invited to be a part of this miraculous event.

I love this picture! Not because it is "technically perfect" (or even close) but to be able to capture a sense of that moment of birth...a sense of that feeling...that "OMG I did it!!!" feeling that accompanies that instant when you hold your baby for the first time...sigh... it is such a wonderful thing.

And here is the newest addition to this lovely family...

Moments after birth

About an hour old (maybe two)

Mother and daughter

What a lovely ending to a fantastic day! Thanks for waiting until after the birthday cake was served to make your imminent arrival known little one! I am so glad that I was able to greet you as you entered the world.

More from the Museum

2009-06-14T23:07:00.011-05:00

Here are a few "non birthday boy related" pictures from that afternoon.

First, two photos taken especially for some very special people in the kids lives (you know who you are :o)

One of the girlie that I like

Tulips...I LOVE tulips!

And a few shots in a couple of the buildings

As always, I welcome your feedback.

THREE!!

2009-06-14T22:26:00.011-05:00

Wow, I have so many posts to catch up on that I am going to skip posting all of the gratuitous flower and nature pics that I have taken to fulfill my 365 challenge and just post the ones that cover the events of our life in the last two weeks.

Beginning with the little man's third birthday!

I can't believe that my baby is three. No longer a baby or even a toddler, he has officially entered the pre-school category. Wow.

As is our tradition, we went to the Mennonite Heritage Village for the afternoon. Here is the gang (the teenager had to go to school)

The famous windmill...

Here is the birthday boy inside above windmill

After a rather wet and cloudy day at the museum, we went out for dinner (little a's choice...Boston Pizza?!?) and then home for Smartie Ice Cream cake.

Then is was back outside to test drive one of his birthday gifts. A new bike...with foot pedals!!

He loves it...

...even after his spill into the muddy ditch when he forgot how to steer (what does the mean mommy do? Runs for her camera, of course!)

I can hardly believe how much he has grown up already. He is a smart, sassy, sweet little boy that can steal my heart in a glance.

There was a time when we thought we were done having children at four. Four was a bunch already! Our house was full...as was our car...and our life was rich and wonderful. Then the little man came along and I cannot imagine our life without him. His sweet smile, his twinkley eyes, his deep throaty laugh or his daredevil energy. He is the icing on our cake, the sweet little something that tops of a wonderful meal....he is our dessert when we had once thought our dinner had been enough. The sweet little something that just completes the meal the way nothing else can.

I love you little man! I am so glad that you have blessed our family with the gift of yourself and I enjoy watching you grow each and every day.

Dance Recital

2009-05-31T23:04:00.011-05:00

Here are some shots from the recital. From a technical photography point of view...they suck. I was playing with a new lense (not mine...it's a loaner :o) and tried a few different settings in far from perfect light but...sigh. Oh well. Cute snaps nonetheless.

Here is the Tiny Tots Tap Class doing Broadway Baby

And Tiny Tots Hip Hop doing Now or Never

SO cute! And the best part? She LOVED it! She was smiling almost the whole time, didn't show one bit of nervousness (despite shoe laces coming untied during BOTH of her numbers! Seriously...can no one down in the dressing room tie shoes or was she just cursed?) and is already looking forward to doing it next year!

Pre-Recital Shoot

2009-05-31T22:46:00.009-05:00

Another day of firsts...

The Girlie's first dance recital, her first fancy costume (and there were two :), the first time I put makeup on her (yikes!). I can't believe how she is growing up!

We, of course, did a little photo shoot before the recital. Here are a few of my favorites.

Isn't she sweet?!?

Childhood Milestone

2009-05-30T17:53:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, The Bear decided to take the training wheels off of The Girlie's bike. Don't ask me why....he just did it. She was devastated! "Now I can't ride my bike!!"

Today, he decided to teach her how to ride it. And SHE DID IT!!

Here he is keeping a watchful eye on her.

And there she goes..still feeling a little anxious but doing it.

Gaining confidence...

Having fun...

Gettin' tricky and doin' it one handed...

Pure joy!

Remember that feeling? That feeling of unadulterated bliss when you conquered something you thought was impossible? The joy of having people you love believe in you more than you believe in yourself?

Wow....does it get better than that?

Now...the wind in your hair, streamers flying, feet a pedalling. THAT is summer as a five year old. Bliss.

As a mother, watching her face her fears, seeing her big brother encouraging her and running behind her "to catch her if she fell"...it doesn't get any better than that.

Another "Random" Post

2009-05-29T23:07:00.007-05:00

Phew! I am finding this quite a challenge. Not the TAKING a picture a day part, but the posting part of the challenge. Lots to catch up on again.

Here are a few snaps from throughout this week.

Flowers from my honey.....taken inside...

And outside...

An attempt to capture a pic of the black eye that the girlie got at school this week. It is actually much more purple now so I may take an updated picture yet.

One of my favorite places. I finally managed to get there to pick up some wonderful herbs for the pots on my front step. Yum!

And just a cool sky from this morning's drive to school.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Doors Open Part II

2009-05-29T22:42:00.009-05:00

Another stop we made during the event was to the Fire Hall Museum in St. B.

Look at these original tin ceilings

And our little vintage fire fighters

Here is a wooden ladder on one of the vintage fire trucks

And looking up the tower where the hoses are hung to dry

(These just didn't look as cool in color)

Doors Open Part I

2009-05-29T22:17:00.010-05:00

I love this event and we try to go each year. This, I think, is my favortite venue. The Millenium Centre. Gorgeous!!

Here is the girlie posing in front of one of the fireplaces in an office on the third floor of the centre. Look at that wood!

Same office...opposite wall. Amazing wood panelling and solid wood doors.

Here is the fantastic glass dome on the main floor...in "Celebration Hall".

And the dome reflected against the solid marble wall above the entrance to "The Tapestry Room"

On the tour, we were lucky enough to be allowed to go up to the fourth floor and view the dome from above. Here is a close up of a portion of one panel.

And one more of the main floor. I love this building!

And to think...the entire thing came close to being demolished to build a parkade. WOW! Six above ground and three below groudn floors with solid marble and wood walls, wood floors and amazing stained glass almost lost. Thank goodness they stopped that...now if only they could find a way to use more of it.

Randoms from the week

2009-05-24T01:25:00.010-05:00

Spring time greenery

A silly soccer player

Bonfire fun

Marshmallowy goodness

A new van!!

A fun week.

Fifteen?!?

2009-05-24T00:53:00.010-05:00

On May 17th, the teenager turned 15. Fifteen?!? How is that possible?

Each year we have brought him to the zoo on his birthday and taken his picture here.

Here's one with the siblings (except the little man...who was too busy running around like a crazy man)

This has always been a family event but...all good things must change with time. This year, he brought his girlfriend.

Aren't they cute?

After the zoo, we came back home and BBQ'd (at the birthday teen's request) and then had a backyard bonfire and roasted marshmallows.

The highlight of the day for this mother? Seeing him smile...a lot. Those smiles are few and far between now-a-days so that made the concession worth it. I am slowly learning to let go...and realizing that maybe someday, all of my children will be bringing new people to be a part of our family traditions...learning to embrace this and welcome them if they make my kids happy. That is, after all, what is all about, right?

May Long Weekend

2009-05-24T00:44:00.005-05:00

We drove out to West Hawk Lake on Saturday to pick up The Bear who went camping with friends.

He even caught his first fish!!

It was a cool day but nice to see the sun. Perhaps Spring really will arrive?!?

Future Engineer??

2009-05-14T11:47:00.006-05:00

All the big kids are at school today so it's just Mommy and the little man...hanging out and doing one of his favorite things. Playin' TRAINS!!

Gotta love the still sort of chubby little preschooler hand

Is this his future? Who knows..and who cares? We had fun all morning, and that is what counts.

What a face :o)

A Rainy Day Visit

2009-05-14T00:55:00.005-05:00

Miserable cold windy weather...a great day to visit with friends.

Isn't she sweet?

After a major spill, the little man borrowed some clothes while his dried. Do you like his 70's leisure suit?

Here are the four muskateers.

The girlie was lamenting on our way home that our visit wasn't long enough and that there was still so much to do!

Our visit turned a potentially dreary day into a fun filled adventure. Thanks friends!

May 12th

2009-05-12T22:31:00.003-05:00

Happy Manitoba Day!!

Here are the littles....

Today, that's all I got :o)

Bird's Hill Park

2009-05-12T22:25:00.004-05:00

With tummies overfull after the Mother's Day brunch, we took a drive and ended up at Bird's Hill Park. The weather was lovely (especially considering the smatterings of snow we have had off and on all week) and the sun was shining and it was just so nice to be outside enjoying it.

Here are a few pics from our day.

I love "lone trees".

And, of course, one of the girlie...in a posing kind of mood.

Could Spring actually be coming? We'll see.

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T22:20:00.005-05:00

Mother's Day brought me a "slight sleep in", plenty of handmade goodies from the three youngest school agers and a beautiful leather bag for my laptop and accessories!

The whole family then went to the annual Mother's Day brunch in town here and then headed out for a Sunday drive (that will be a different post).

Here is the girlie and daddy just before we left for brunch.

And here is a rare photo taken of me by my husband.

It was a lovely day.

Last Week

2009-05-12T22:04:00.005-05:00

Busy week with seemingly few photo opportunities...and the opportunities that did present themselves...well, I missed most of them. Oh well.

I did get to meet Dr. Harvey Karp of The Happiest Baby fame. I have been teaching the Happiest Baby on the Block class for more than four years and I love it! I have been able to help dozens (hundreds?) of families learn to soothe their babies and improve their sleep so what can be better than that? Not to mention, the techniques really saved my life when the little man was small so I am living proof of it's magic.

Dr. Karp was very entertaining and I would love to see him again. My intention in bringing my camera that night was to get a picture of him..and maybe of him and I...but when talking to him, I completely forgot. Duh! Here is a page of his PowerPoint presentation. (I know...lame picture!! People's heads and all. ARGH!)

And yes, folks, it also snowed. Again! In MAY!! Will this winter never end?

I am trying to get back on track with the pics and posting. I promise! I just fell off the band wagon for a while but, in my defence, in the 132 days of this challenge I am sure I have posted more than 200 photos so, I'm not doing SO bad. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it :o)

Post flood

2009-05-05T13:04:00.006-05:00

Although there is still a lot of water around, it has receeded an amazing amount in the last few weeks. Remember this post http://5klive-love-laugh.blogspot.com/2009/04/and-still-water-rises.html Here is that barn today....high and dry.

Driveways are beginning to reappear, temporary dikes are being dismantled and families are beginning to return to their homes.

Now the rebuilding begins...

The shoulder of the little highway that I usually travel every day to take my children to school was completely washed away and there is some concern over the stability of the road now so they are working on that as we speak.

There are still some families that are under evacuation orders and many that still need a canoe to get to their homes but slowly, our little corner of the world is coming up for air.

Thank goodness.

My new friend

2009-05-05T12:58:00.005-05:00

A gift from my hubby...a "personal travel assistant".

This is a GPS system, bluetooth handfree thing for my cell phone, MP3 player, FM transmitter. It is really great! The funniest part is the many many voices you can choose from. Currently, I am using "Daniel". "He" is British and it appears he has a bit of a speech impediment. But he gets me where I need to go...tells me what time I will arrive and keeps track of how long I have been on the road, my average speed...and all sorts of other things I have yet to figure out.

Very fun!

More views from the sky...

2009-05-05T12:54:00.005-05:00

When leaving the Denver airport, we spent a long time on the runway waiting for clearance. Here is a picture as we were about to take off at the "line up" of planes waiting for their turn behind us.

And a few from the sky...

I LOVE the window seat!

Slacking...

2009-05-05T12:03:00.005-05:00

I have been absent lately and will try to catch up today...

Here is what I woke up to the morning I left Boulder. SNOW!! I am not sure why these guys felt it necessary to shovel it off the roof that morning as I am sure it would have melted by noon but...

Here is the pool area in the funky hotel we stayed at...

Boulder is a very cool city and I would love to go back again to do some more sightseeing.

Views from the sky

2009-04-23T16:12:00.006-05:00

Here is our little town...blissfully dry because of the dike that surrounds us.

And here is the town where the kids go to school...surrounded by water. You can just make out where the river should be...but you cannot see the highway that I usually travel.

And first impressions of Colorado...

Here is a picture taken from the Denver airport parking lot. Ignore the ugly light posts etc and check out the mountains in the distance.

Boulder is also beautiful and is where I am spending the weekend. I hope to find some time to take some pictures while I am here. I'll be home on Monday.

Around the house

2009-04-23T16:05:00.003-05:00

The Girlie

'Nuf said :)

Last weekend

2009-04-23T16:01:00.006-05:00

The weekend ws spent at the Scattered Seeds Show so very few pictures were taken.

Here are a few from one of my morning drives in...

And the venue where I spent many many hours

And here is our booth...with my dear friend and partner for these events

It was a fun, but tiring weekend. And we'll be back in October :o)

The Rising Red

2009-04-15T23:10:00.013-05:00

The flood forecast has changed once again as the Red continues to rise. They are now saying that this will be the third worst flood in more than 100 years. I am fairly certain that I picked my children up at school using our regular route for the last time until the waters receed.

Here is "a field" just a mile or so outside town. (Thank goodness for our town's dike!!)

I even saw seagulls flying overhead. Where do they think they are?!?

And another..one taken on my way to pick up the kids, the other on my way home. Nothin' but water.

This is my drive.

The water is creeping over the highway in many spots now (it was just barely touching the shoulder yesterday).

This afternoon, they added the white poles alongside the highway in expectation of the road being completely submersed (see them along the left hand side?)

Here is that same sign...showing the water level a little higher than even yesterdays post.

This home owner was very confident on the weekend that although his driveway was flooding, his house was "high and dry". Yesterday, they began sandbagging the house. That bit of red in the bottom left corner of the picture is the canoe that they have been using to get to and from their home.

These horses had to be brought onto the yard within the ring dike surrounding this house and when I drove by this afternoon, they had jumped onto the dike and were chasing each other around. Pretty cool!!

The water is really unbelieveable. The photos just don't do it justice. This is a drive that I take several times every single day and to see water crossing the highway and nothing but waves and floating debris on either side leaves me speechless.

We will not likely be able to get our kids to school tomorrow and they may have to close school and relocate until this is all over. Today, I received packages from the teachers with some work to do so they don't get too far behind. They have done up these packages for every one of their students.

Already, many students have not been attending as they would need to boat from their homes to dry land..which is becoming more and more difficult to find. Unfortunately, the new flood forecast calls for these high water levels to last for several weeks.

For us, this is an inconvenience..but for those that live all around us, it could be potentially devastating. And still...people manage to keep their sense of humour.

Several of my children's friends have either been evacuated from their homes or are marooned behind their ring dikes trying to fight back the waters. Please keep them in your thoughts.

Tea Party Fun

2009-04-15T22:57:00.006-05:00

The two littlest ones and I went to a tea party this morning. Fun fun fun. After eating muffins and fruit and drinking tea ("lemonade tea" or "iced tea"), they all went outside to enjoy the lovely weather and the mommies get to visit in relative peace (except for chasing cats and the never ending revolving door)

Thanks friends!!

Our lovely hostess, Miss M.

Everyone had so much fun...I hope we do it again.

And still the water rises

2009-04-14T11:14:00.005-05:00

Remember this post? http://5klive-love-laugh.blogspot.com/2009/04/river-is-risin.html

Well, here is that driveway now. A lake....water nearly as far as you can see. Yikes.

This barn was moved into the middle of a field from a farm a couple of miles away a few weeks ago. The field is now an extension of the river. I do quite like the reflection on this picture though...despite what it means about the flood.

I will try to get some more pictures over the next few days but it is a little bit hard. There is very little shoulder left on the highway as most is under water so pulling over to take pictures is a challenge. The crest is not expected for another few days.

Fun with Friends

2009-04-14T11:07:00.005-05:00

Today was our long awaited, much postponed play date with some friends.

Here is the little man waiting for "his girlfriend" to come home from music class.

Then she arrived! And they were too shy to get close enough to one another for a picture together. But here she is...SO cute!

The girlie rarely gets to see this friend but whenever they do, they get along so well and have such a wonderful time.

Here hoping more playdates are in our future soon!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-14T10:55:00.008-05:00

We were blessed with nice enough weather on Easter Sunday to spent the afternoon outside at Fort Whyte Centre. Each year, they do an easter egg hunt outside (these "Eggs" are actually colored, laminated pieces of paper of different colors in the shape of eggs). The kids find enough eggs of certain colors to trade in for candy.

They certainly didn't need any more chocolate but the fresh air was great! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day.

The Girlie

The middle child

The Bear

The little man was far too busy jumping in mud puddles and throwing sticks into water to pose for any decent pictures and the teenager is far "too cool" to even be in the group shots. Sigh...

Someday I will take a few more pictures of him and maybe Photoshop him in so people know that he is still a part of our family and that we haven't strangled him yet. Until then, you'll just have to take my word for it :o)

April 11th

2009-04-14T10:49:00.003-05:00

Today was catch up on house cleaning and laundry day. Beginning with the clothes the little man had worn the day before.

He had such a catastrophic spill last night at the Easter BBQ (hot chocolate...cooled off, thank goodness...that knocked over a can of root beer) all over himself (and the floor and the walls and the cupboards...) that he came home wearing nothing but his 16 year old cousins t-shirt.

Here he is "the day after".

We thought we were nearly finished with taking a change of clothes with us everywhere we went but perhaps was jumped the gun a bit. Oh well. He looked rather cute anyway.

Good Friday BBQ

2009-04-14T10:04:00.006-05:00

In lieu of the traditional Easter dinner, Good Friday was spent at a BBQ at the in-laws. We ate (and ate...and ate) and played games and visited. A fun time was had by all!

Here is a snapshot of the youngest of the clan napping amidst all the noise (isn't he sweet?)

And our 16 year old niece (who is studying Cosmotology in school) offered to do the girlie's hair.

Here is the finished result (poor quality photo but cute pic nonetheless).

Happy Easter everyone!

Full Moon

2009-04-10T02:02:00.004-05:00

I love the full moon....but it's late and I'm too tired to dig out my tripod so this is the best I got tonight.

Now I'm off to bed!