Blog Posts – Page 2 – ALLYSON ELL PHOTOGRAPHY

October 28, 2015February 28, 2016

Letters to my Littles | October

Welcome to my monthly Letter to my Littles. After you enjoy my letter please continue on through our blog circle to see what my wonderful friend Allie has written to her littles here. Keep reading through the circle – it’s a wonderful glimpse of motherhood from various corners of the world.

Dear Caleb and Liam,

It’s hard to believe it is already October. We’ve had a very busy month. You are both fully into the school routine now. During our recent parent-teacher interviews, both of your teachers had only positive things to say about both of you. Caleb, two of your teachers have recommended you for a role as a peer counselor. Liam, you are starting to move ahead with your phonics program into sight reading – your teacher says she will keep challenging you, even if you move ahead of the class!

Caleb you and I participated in the Run for the Cure for Breast Cancer this year. I am so proud of how much you are enjoying getting physically active and helping with good causes.

You both participated in Scouts Apple Day this year – you rocked the Tim Horton’s drive-thru, and got lots of donations. Liam you are so proud of the badge you got for this! Caleb you are now a sixer – a leader in your cub den.

In addition to all our weekly busyness, I had a little get away to San Antonio, Texas for a photography conference. It was wonderful to spend a few days with my photography friends getting inspired. But I sure missed you two and your dad. Liam you were so excited to get a cowboy hat!

I returned home, after some lengthy delays, on Thanksgiving Sunday. Between being really overtired, really missing your great-grandmother this year, and being happy to hug you both again, I was really emotionally overwhelmed.

So I decided I wanted us to each write down what we were thankful for this Thanksgiving. No one look at each other’s answers. We all wrote our own – even you Liam. You only had to ask me how to spell “friends”. Caleb, the maturity of your response really made me realize how much you are growing up and how much of the world you now understand.

Caleb you currently completed a project at school on democratic reform. You had to present to the fourth graders, and then the grade 4 and 5 classes got to vote in a mock election. You have been so intrigued by the federal elections. It was great to see you so excited in politics and current affairs. You made me pay more attention so that I could made an educated vote on your behalf. It really is amazing how mature you are. I can’t get over how fast you are growing up.

We went on our annual pumpkin patch trip in search of the best pumpkins. I love that these traditions have become so important to you both. The two of you chatted about last year’s trip and last year’s memories as you walked through the patch together. I hope you will always remember some of these fun times that are interspersed among our too busy work/school days.

As the days get colder, I know our morning walks to school are going to get a little wetter, colder and harder on the spirits. But I love that we have ten minutes every morning together to walk, talk and enjoy the pretty forest that surrounds us. I cherish these days, as I know they will pass quickly.

Thanks for making more memories with me this month boys. I love you both.

As an added bonus to your letter, here is a little video I made of our pumpkin patch trip. I kind of love it!!

pumpkin patch 2015 from Allyson Louie Ell on Vimeo.

Love,
Mama
XO XO

September 30, 2015February 28, 2016

Letters to my Littles | September

Welcome to my monthly Letter to my Littles. After you enjoy my letter please continue on through our blog circle to see what my wonderful friend Christine has written to her littles here. Keep reading through the circle – it’s a wonderful glimpse of motherhood from various corners of the world.

Dear Caleb and Liam,

How has the summer ended and fall begun already? We finished our summer with a fantastic adventure and dream vacation, and then headed right into the school year. It is a milestone year for both of you. Caleb you are in your final year of elementary school, and ready to rock grade five. You are a lunch monitor this year and a leader at the school. Liam you are on the other side of things. This is your first year at the school and you are finally in Kindergarten. (You’ve been waiting two years to get yourself into the big school!)

Another exciting thing that has happened this month, is that Island Parent magazine contacted me to use one of my photos for their September issue. Caleb -it was a photo of you! I was trying to keep it a surprise for you to suddenly see as we walked past the magazine rack. But while we were in Florida I kept getting Facebook messages and shots of the magazine cover so I had to tell you early. It was a whole week later that we finally got to see it in person!

They also gave me a quarter page ad, so of course Liam I had you and daddy end up in the magazine too.

September means that we are back to swimming lessons – Swim Kids 5 and Red Snapper. Caleb you are in your final year of cub scouts. Daddy is a cub leader again. Liam you are now a Beaver and so excited to finally get to officially join into Scouting. Daddy is now also officially a Beaver leader too.

You both are trying to squeeze in as much of the end of summer as you can. Until today Caleb, you were still wearing shorts everyday. And both of you are still outside as much as possible. Lately you have both been obsessed with finding insects and bugs with your friends. Recently you ended up relocating a slug that you and the neighbourhood boys named Yo Sluggity. Caleb you are reading all the time and Liam your imagination takes flight more often than not. It’s a good well rounded mix. Now I just need to get you to stop fighting so much with each other!

The finally hooray for September is another milestone of mine that you have both been a part of. Back on January 1, 2013 I started taking a photo everyday – with my big camera and my iphone camera. This photo a day project was documented here on my blog as well as Instagram. Well, I haven’t been very good at editing and sharing pictures from the big camera as much as I wanted. But I am still taking a photo everyday – sometimes with both the big camera and the iphone, sometimes just with the iphone and sometimes with the point and shoot. But every day I have gotten a photo – and 95% of the time one of you has been in it. This last Sunday I took photo number 1000! It’s hard to believe I have been taking a photo everyday for 1000 days! I know you both have had times were you really didn’t want to take a picture. But you are both also really good at coming up with ideas and asking me what the “photo of the day” will be. So thank you both for keeping me inspired and helping me to document our days.

I’m so glad that this was photo 1000…

Here’s to our next 1000 days and the wonderful journeys those days will take us.

Love,
Mom

XO XO

September 25, 2015February 28, 2016

A Dream Vacation | Part 3 – Universal Studios

Disclaimer – this is a long, image heavy post. Photos are my own taken with a Canon 5d mk iii, Fuju x100t, or iphone5.

As we headed back to our hotel after a long last day at the Disney World theme parks, Caleb began talking about how much fun he had, and how much he was going to miss our vacation. As we sped along the highway he asked “Are we going home tomorrow”? So we decided to tell him the truth… nope, not going home – we were going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Huge cheers from half of the backseat of the rental car. The other side of the backseat was snoring and missed the announcement!

We spent Thursday at both Universal Studios theme parks – Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure. This part of our trip was also all done with our airmiles. (Trust me when I say that I did a lot of shopping at airmiles sponsors and even today feel compelled to go in and buy extra stuff to get the bonus miles!) We had a few very specific things we wanted to see: Minions and the Wizarding World. Having the park hopper tickets for these parks was definitely worth it.

We started with Universal Florida first, and of course our first stop was the minions mayhem ride. It was so much fun. OF course after exiting the rides we had a chance to meet a few of them. Liam had fulfilled another thing on his bucket list… hug a minion – check!

After meeting Bob and Stuart, we had a chance to meet Shrek and Donkey. Donkey really does talk a lot! When he found out we were Canadian he gave the kids heck for not bringing him any maple syrup for his waffles! Here’s the video:

After the Shrek 4D adventure, we then headed off towards Diagon Alley – stopping first for the popular London phonebooth pose, and to chat with the knight bus driver.

Diagon Alley was amazing. We literally walked right into this magical wizarding world, exactly as you imagine it from the books and movies.

Of course the first stop was for a few glasses of Butter Beer. It was super hot out, and these wonderful concoctions were delicious!

We had a quick chat with one of the Gringott’s bankers, then Adam and Caleb rode the Escape from Gringott’s ride. Universal Studios has a fantastic parent swap program. Liam (who did not meet the height restrictions) and I got to tour inside Gringott’s with the other ride goers, then we got place in the waiting room right next door to where people are seated on the ride. As soon as Adam and Caleb got off I could have jumped onto the next empty ride car with Caleb, but once on that ride was enough for him.

We then headed to Ollivanders to gets some wands for our little wizards. Caleb got picked from our group and had his wand chosen for him my Ollivander himself. Or I guess, the wand chose him after a few unsuccessful wands!

The wands came with maps and special spells. As we wandered Diagon Alley (and later Hogmeade), there were special spots the boys could stand at and do spells. As they point their wants and wave them, things would happen: water pour out of cauldrons, dancing skeletons, lights flickering etc. It was great interactive fun. We then took a break for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron.

After wandering through Knockturn Alley, the Weasley’s shop, and a few other fun Diagon Alley stores, we headed for the Hogwarts Express. It was a very fun train ride.

We were now in Hogsmeade! The boys and I wandered while Adam rode the Hogwarts Express a few more times to retrieve a few missing wand boxes and maps that got left at the Leaky Cauldron. Oops! We grabbed a few more butter beers from the Three Broomsticks and then headed to Hogwarts. Again they let us too short and too scared non-riders all the way through so we could experience the inside of the school. Adam went on the ride, while the kids and I waited in the air conditioning!

Crossing into Hogsmeade on the Hogwart’s Express is also how you get from one theme park to the other. Hogwarts is part of the Universal Adventure theme park. So we spent the rest of the afternoon going through Dr. Seuss Land and part of Marvel World.

Adam got to ride the Hulk coaster, the boys met Spiderman and we all rode the Spiderman ride together. The kids wanted to jump back on and do it a second time! We then crossed back over to the Universal Florida park – missing the parade but getting prime spots to watch the 100 years of movies evening light and water show. It was wonderful – but still not as amazing as those Disney Frozen fireworks!

As per usual – Liam ended the night like this. He passed out at the food court in the Universal City Walk.

Friday morning we packed up the hotel room, and grabbed some Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast. Then we spent a few hours at Downtown Disney getting a few last souvenirs, and a last family vacation selfie.

We got to experience a torrential downpour on our way to the airport. We have never seen rain like that before. And the thunder and lightening was directly above us. This closed the airport down for an hour, so all flights we delayed. But after a long wait (and also a sick Liam), we made it home by 2am.

It was a wonderful trip – with incredible memories. I love the time I got to spend with my little family. Thanks for letting me share our time with you!

Part one of our trip can be seen here – and part two here.

September 15, 2015February 28, 2016

A Dream Vacation | Part 2 – Disney

Disclaimer – this is a long, image heavy post. Photos are either my own taken with a Canon 5d mk iii, Fuju x100t, iphone5 or from photos purchased from photographers with the Disney Memory Maker Photo Pass.

Welcome to part two of our vacation…

Sunday morning we woke up early to eat a super quick breakfast before disembarking. Our ship had reached Port Canaveral, Florida (after a slightly rocky night) – and our luggage was already leaving the ship. We took the last few minutes in our cabin to tell the kids the next surprise in the dream vacation… we were on our way to Disney World! It was pouring rain as we rode the shuttle bus back to the Orlando airport where we picked up our rental car. We got to our hotel, unloaded the suitcases, then headed out for lunch at Olive Garden and to pick-up a few essentials from our favorite places Target and Trader Joes. After unloading our essentials, we waited out a thunderstorm, then hit up Downtown Disney.
Of course the kids bee-lined it for the Lego store. We had a 40 minute wait for our table at the T-Rex Cafe, and all of that time was spent inside the Lego store. Then we had the world’s loudest dinner sitting next to two baby woolly mammoths, and watching asteroids hit the very life-like dinosaurs every ten minutes or so. Surprisingly enough, the Brachiosaurous bruchetta was some of the best bruschetta I’ve ever had!

We then had to stop and shop inside the largest World of Disney store. Liam promptly picked out the mouse ears he wanted for this trip. Disney + Superheroes = Very Happy Liam! All the running around also meant he was a very tired Liam. So yes, the last part of our Downtown Disney trip was a little like this.

The next morning we had to wake up our kids to go to the Magic Kingdom. Like, literally, we dragged them out of bed. Then we found out why the Park Hopper tickets are not really recommended for Disney World. Getting to the Magic Kingdom is an experience in itself: park in the lot, shuttle from the lot to the ticket gate, go through security, catch a ferry, bus or monorail – then you finally get to Main Street! Try hopping parks when you have to go through all that! While on the ferry over, I realized I forgot to switch my camera battery and only had 15% battery life left. (Photographer fail!… But through some very carefully planned photo timing, I made that battery last!)

(These next two photos were taken with Liam on my shoulders watching the “Wishes” Show. Due to the height of the construction fencing Liam couldn’t see – so I gave him a boost. Then, while keeping one hand on him, I would focus the camera and hold it still, and he’d hit the shutter button. I think we did pretty good together!)

We rode all our favorites and a few new ones. Liam and Caleb did their first little coasters, then Caleb rode a few bigger ones with Adam. We did get a little rained out and the park closed the outdoor rides for a few hours while a thunderstorm was happening. But it was a fun day. That night 3 of the 4 of us got to watch the classic Main Street Electrical Parade. Liam fell asleep during the fireworks before the parade!

The next day we let the kids sleep in a little bit, then we went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This was my favorite park. The safari ride was amazing. They also have a great program for kids called Wilderness Explorers. Just like Russell from the movie UP, our kids became Wilderness Explorers and had a handbook filled with activities to complete. These activities ranged from identifying animal tracks, to knowing five characteristics of gorillas, to learning about deforestation. Each activity earned them a badge (sticker) in their handbook. It was a great way to keep the learning interactive and fun.

I did use my 135 1.4L lens to get most of the animal safari shots. It was a ridiculous lens to drag along on this trip for one day of use. But I am glad that I did it. It was a bit of a feat trying to keep my gear dry on the Kali River Rapids – but that ride was so much fun. Adam also rode on Everest. We saw the Bugs Life show, under the Tree of Life, and watched Nemo the Musical. We ended our day at Animal Kingdom watching the Lion King Show. It was incredible. The kids got picked from the audience to participate in one of the final numbers.

Since Animal Kingdom closes at 5:00 we left and actually managed to park hop to Epcot. Park hopping does required shuttling back to our car, driving to EPCOT, and thankfully we were parked close enough we did not have to shuttle to the entrance gate. But it was still about 6:00 when we got in! We did a whirl wind Epcot experience, and even split up a little to do a few separate rides. Adam went on the test track, and we did Nemo. We also did Spaceship Earth and Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure. The kids loved this interactive adventure game. We met a few characters along the way too. We then watched the fireworks performance – and Liam stayed awake for it this time!

Wednesday was our last Walt Disney World day and we spent it at Hollywood Studios. During the summer, there is a really big emphasis on the “Frozen” summer here. It’s really hard to, um, let it go! Despite that we still had lots of fun. This was the hottest day yet. We took the boys on Star Tours, which they loved, and Liam got to battle Darth Vader – something he has wanted to do, since Caleb did it in Disneyland in 2013. The kids met Phineas and Ferb. We saw some amazing shows, although we only got to see about half of the park. The night ended with a Frozen Summer dance party with DJ Chill, and fireworks that summerized the storyline of Frozen. Even Adam was impressed and agrees these were the best fireworks we saw in all the theme parks. In true Disney magic, at the end of the fireworks, Princess Elsa made it snow in Florida. My two Canadian kids thought it was great! We closed out the park!

And of course our last Disney day couldn’t have ended without Liam falling asleep on the shuttle tram back to the car.He missed out on the announcement of our third surprise for the last part of our dream vacation. To be continued…

Part three of our dream vacation continues here.

(If you missed it, part one of our dream vacation can be found here!)

September 6, 2015February 28, 2016

A Dream Vacation | Part 1 – Crusing

Disclaimer – this is a long, image heavy post. Photos are either my own taken with a Canon 5d mk iii, Fuju x100t, iphone5 or from photos purchased from photographers on the Royal Caribbean photo pass.

Anyone who knows me personally, knows that the last few years have not been the easiest. We have had our share of tragedy in our family, and some real lows as parents, as a couple and as a family unit. On Valentine’s Day my husband and I took some time on our date night to meet with a travel agent, Heidi, from Cruise About Uptown. We wanted to price out a family trip – something that would bring some joy to us, and help the four of us reconnect with each other. Pricing turned into booking. For 6 months we kept this a secret from our children. Then at the airport at the end of August we told them the truth – we were going on a Caribbean Cruise. It was the start of a dream vacation! (We only told them about the cruise at this time, keeping week 2 a secret for a little longer – and the next blog post!)

They were in shock and awe – almost silent as they absorbed the news. In fact they didn’t even believe us until we actually boarded the cruise ship after taking the red eye overnight from the Pacific Northwest to Orlando!

We cruised with Royal Caribbean on their Dreamworks Experience onboard the Freedom of the Seas. We originally were supposed to do the Eastern Caribbean – but Hurricane Danny (which later got downgraded to Tropical Storm Danny, and then had Tropical Storm Erika on it’s heels) forced us to change course and we ended up following a Western Caribbean route.

(Above two photos taken with the Fuji x100t while we were on the ship’s tender going to port – settings: ISO 100 | f/2.8 | 1/2000)

Within the first hour on-board the kids were already in the H2O zone – a huge pool/splash park area that our kids practically lived in for a week. Thankfully we had packed the $2 water wings that I bought for Liam earlier in the summer – he lived in those things and was comfortable floating around in the deeper pools. Dreamworks characters – Shrek, Fiona, King Julian and Alex the Lion greeted everyone with a set sail pool party. We went to bed early that night, since we had been up travelling the night before.

Day two of the cruise had us anchored at Coco Cay Bahamas – the private beach island for Royal Caribbean. The water was warm and crystal clear and we enjoyed half a day of floating, suntanning, and frolicking in the water. It was blissful. We had to drag the kids back to the ship, they were having so much fun.

Night two of the cruise was our first formal night and also the first night we put the kids into the Adventure Ocean program. Through Adventure Ocean, each of our boys got to be in an age appropriate group setting with leaders and other children doing themed activities, while we got to have adult time on-board! The staff were amazing with our kids and accommodated Liam’s peanut allergies well. We had brought walkie-talkies with us to use with the kids, and they also had a few mobile phones that they would lend us to contact us in case of emergency. The boys loved going! Caleb was old enough to sign himself out, and we let him have some freedom to wander around the ship on his own a little once he had our cabin memorized.

Day three of the cruise was a sea day. We spent the morning in the H2O zone, watching the belly flop competition and eating ice cream. Caleb went to Adventure Ocean club in the afternoon, and Adam and I spent time with Liam. We mini-golfed, Adam surfed the ship’s Flowrider, and Liam and I met King Julian from Madagascar. After our dinner we sent Liam to Adventure Ocean club and spent some time with Caleb. He had ice cream at the Ben & Jerry’s, and watched the entertainment on the Promenade deck with us.

Day four of the cruise had us in port at Montego Bay, Jamaica. We took a bus tour of Montego Bay and Falmouth – seeing some of the historic sites, some varying communities and then doing some shopping along Montego Bay’s hip strip. We ate at Margaritaville with the kids, taste tested some rum, and had samples of Jamaican coffee and banana bread. It was such a valuable education for our children to see how other children live, and to see another culture. Caleb especially understood how lucky he was, as he watched children selling fruit in the street.

The evening of day four was pirate night for the Aquanauts (Liam’s AO group). They performed the most adorable little parade and show on stage in the theater. He was thrilled to be part of the show. I think musical theater is in his future.

Day five we anchored in George Town on Grand Cayman Island. We had to tender off ship again. We then went to Dolphin Discovery and had a chance to swim with dolphins. It was amazing to be belly to belly on top of our dolphin Copernicus. The kids loved it! We then did some shopping in the town, and somehow ended up at a Margaritaville again – to have lunch and wait out a little tropical rain. We ended up on their waterslide and pool – with Adam and I taking part in some adult waterslide alcohol shots. (It was vacation time afterall!) Although we missed out on 7 mile beach (mostly due to weather) we still had a fabulous time on Grand Caymen Island.

I had the pleasure of having a massage in the ship’s spa when we got back on board. (Thank you Heidi for the surprise treat!) It was formal night once again and we dressed up in all our fancy wear. Adam and I each had lobster tails. We watched the Royal Caribbean show Once Upon a Time – it was fantastic!

We then left Caleb in charge of Liam while Adam and I wandered around the ship’s casino. I played my grandma’s favorite game – a Wheel of Fortune slot machine. I won $12, but I lost $20. Oh well. It’s exactly the way my grandma play too. (Miss you lots grandma!) We also enjoyed the evening white pool party – a club party on the dance floor in the middle of the main pool.

Day six we were in port in Cozumel, Mexico. This is the second time Adam and I have been here – the last being in 2003 when we were honeymooning in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. However, this was the first time either of us, and the kids, had been snorkeling with stingrays. It was a big learning experience for the kids, but we had an awesome instructor William from Stingray Beach who helped out. After snorkeling we got to play with the iguanas, parrots and hermit crabs. One of those parrots even made it into our family selfie!

We then spent time walking through downtown Cozumel. We did some shopping, and had lunch at a delicious Mexican restaurant – with the best salsa and guacamole. Before we went back to the ship we explored the tide pools in the rocks along the coastline.

We then had a dinner reservation on board the Chops restaurant where our kids got their first taste of filet mignon, and of course totally loved it. The kids then had PJ and movie night at Adventure Ocean club while we went to the Freedom Ice show at the ship’s skating rink.

Day 7 was our last full day on our floating home. It was a sea day, and we were busy for most of it. We started our day with a character breakfast, enjoying our eggs and juice with Alex, Gloria and King Julian from Madagascar. I had a facial and body scrub at the spa, the boys went mini golfing and Adam went rock wall climbing. (He was fast at it too!) We then spent most of our time at the pool. It was super windy, and we had reports of rougher weather back in Port Canaveral, Florida, where we were headed back to. We also took a few photos with Shrek and Fiona.

Just before dinner we watch the Dreamworks Move it! Move it! Parade, a final event for our Dreamworks experience. I had mentioned at breakfast to a staff member that we were disappointed that our oldest never got the chance to meet Puss in Boots. She told us a very specific spot to stand and watch the parade. As it ended, Puss came over and gave our kids a hug and paused for a photo op. They were the only two kids that got this special treatment. I am so wowed by the way the staff on board made sure it was a magical experience for our kids. We had our last dinner – and as promised the boys got magic tricks and balloon hats from our waiters Jay and Brian. They did an awesome job taking care of all our fancy dinners on board.

The kids had their final Adventure Ocean time while we packed up the luggage. Adam smoked the cigar that he bought in Jamaica, and I lounged on a deck chair on last time. The next day we disembarked. Although we were sad to leave the ship – week two of our dream vacation was about to begin.

…to be continued!

Part two of our dream vacation is here. And part three can be found here.

August 25, 2015February 28, 2016

Letters to my Littles | August

Welcome to my monthly Letter to my Littles. After you enjoy my letter please continue on through our blog circle to see what my wonderful friend Melissa has written to her littles here. Keep reading through the circle – it’s a wonderful glimpse of motherhood from various corners of the world.

Dear Caleb and Liam,

August was another month full of adventures in the sunshine. And the adventures are continuing!!

We went up to Tracy’s cabin on Shawnigan Lake. You were both water babies this year. Aside from eating, you two were permanently in the water!

Liam- August is the very first month you haven’t been in daycare. After over 2 1/2 years at Magoo’s you have said goodbye, as you move on to Kindergarten. A few weeks ago we threw together a little goodbye to daycare party for you. You have been so sad that you are the only one from your daycare going to your school – all your buddies are going to other schools. So we wanted to cheer you up with some help from a few extra special guests. (Special thanks to Heroes Inc. for donating their time and talents to make both of you happy. Deadpool is still thrilled you are his favorite superhero, Caleb!)

Mom and dad have been working most of the summer – and feeling like we have been missing out on summer fun with you both. So we have spent lots of nights wandering in town enjoying the touristy things – like Darth Fiddler, the breakwater, Beacon Drive-in ice cream and the buskers. Liam you even got to be part of a busker’s show – and earned $5 which was promptly spent on a minion balloon.

(above photo taken by Caleb!)

We also took you up to the forestry museum to ride the trains and have some fun. I had to bribe you with cotton candy to get a photo with both of you. But it was worth it!

We love all the time we can capture with you, and the memories that we make in those moments we manage to steal away with you. Some times it is exhausting for all of us – but it is totally worth it.

We are so excited for the next few weeks and the surprises we have in store for you. We hope that you enjoy the extra fun family time we have planned before the school year starts. I still can’t believe I will have a 5th grader and a kindergartener. You two have grown up way too fast!! Cheers to our adventures as we wrap up summer!

Love,
Mama

XO XO

July 25, 2015February 28, 2016

Letters to my Littles | July

Dear Caleb and Liam,

Summer is here and in full swing. The sunshine is bringing us all smiles again, and we are all embracing life a little more fully.

Our days have been jam packed. Caleb you are enjoying a variety of summer camps – you have learned computer coding, customized your own computer game app, created your own animated comic and spent a week doing canoeing, forest games and beach yoga. And your summer is only half done. Liam you are finishing your last month of daycare ever. It’s bittersweet to see you leave the place that cared for you from over 2 1/2 years.

You are both in an accelerated session of swim lessons twice a week. But you have also learned to love the outdoor pool near us. It’s great to have such a fun place to enjoy time with you.

We’ve been enjoying lots of summer fun with friends and family too. Your dad has mastered the art of s’mores dip. With all the forest fires happening around the province, it’s nice to have a safe (non-campfire) version of our favorite summer food. We did it for dessert during one of our beach BBQ hang outs with Austin and his parents. It was another great night together with them at the lagoon. Not to mention the light that night was perfect!

While we haven’t made it to the petting zoo in town for a while, you are both loving the goats at My Chosen Cafe. You are both learning to wait patiently for dinner and our family meals out are going smoother.

I had such a blast with you a few weeks ago Caleb. We ran our first 5k together, and did a Color Vibe run with one of my work friends and her son. You, Cohen and Victoria kicked my butt at running. But the dance party and the experience was so much fun. Liam, you didn’t run this year, but you still got yourself so dirty. Next year we are going to do this as a family!

Liam, you have been practicing your skills for kindergarten. You are so quirky these days. During the super hot weather you decided you weren’t wearing shirts anymore. You are so good at persisting with tasks. You are definitely kindergarten ready.

You two love being outside after dinner playing with the neighbourhood kids. It brings back memories of my childhood. We’ve had a few late bedtimes as a result – but I remember late bedtimes were one of my favorite things about summer days when I was your ages.

We’ve also kept up with our Sunday dinners, just the way Poh-Poh wanted it. We recently did a picnic at the park – it was nice to see your great-grandpa smiling.

It’s still hard to be working all day – and feeling like I am missing out on your summer days – but we are certainly making up the family time in the evenings and weekends. Our summer is only half over, but the next month of summer promises to be even better. Your dad and I have a few surprises for you both before kindergarten and grade 5 start. We are one month away from an adventure of a lifetime… but shhh…. you two still don’t know yet!

I love you both – thanks for bringing sunshine and joy to me!

Love,
Mama
XO XO

July 15, 2015February 28, 2016

Family of three | Victoria BC Family Photographer

“In the happiest of our childhood memories, our parents were happy too”. — Robert Brault

A month before her second baby was due, Karen contacted me to take some photos of her growing baby bump and her current family of three. They wanted to make a memory of their time with their oldest daughter before she became a big sister. We had such a fun afternoon in their home. I’m so glad Maddie will be able to look back and have these memories – a special treasure just for her of her playtime with her parents.

I also captured a little video of their playtime:

Thank you W family for letting me have some fun with you. I can’t wait to do it again with both of your girls!

Interested in having me be your storyographer and capturing the story of you? Send me an email.

July 8, 2015

The story of a box | Victoria BC storytelling photographer

Whenever my print orders arrive, a big box lands at my doorstep. To my little guy this is often much more than just a box… it is the gateway to his imagination. This particular time it was his way of transporting himself through space. I loved watching him diligently work on his rocketship…

It was all about the details…

These countdown numbers of his… I watched him patiently print those numbers … I melted a little! IMG_7529-1 IMG_7529-2

Time to take off…

IMG_7529-3 IMG_7529-4 IMG_7529-5

This is where I had to put the camera down as someone demanded I push in his rocketship around so he could fly.

These are moments I cherish. What do you enjoy watching your children do? I’d love to document those precious moments for you.

June 25, 2015

Letters to my Littles: June

Dear Caleb,

This month I am celebrating you and the things that make you an amazing kid. It’s so hard to believe this little squishy here…

,,, is now this kid here…

Today is your last day of grade four… in September you will be in your last year of elementary school. How in the world did this happen so fast? You celebrated your tenth birthday this month. I can’t believe it has been a decade since you made me a mom – the most incredible title I could ever be given. The time has gone by so fast.

You are still my sweet little boy yet you have matured into the incredibly caring, empathetic, kind soul. These last few weeks especially, you have shown maturity and bravery that has made me gasp. A few days after your birthday, your great-grandma – my grandma, our poh-poh – lost her battle with cancer. She passed away only a few minutes after you kissed her goodbye. As the oldest great-grandchild, the two of you had a very special relationship. She was so proud of everything you did. She loved having a part in your growing up. For four years she took care of you a few days a week while I was at work. And you have grown to love our Sunday dinners at her house as much as I do.

But I think what she would be most proud of, is that you volunteered to speak at her service. You wrote a little speech and you read it out in front of everyone. You spoke with such clarity and warmth about what you loved about poh-poh, and how you are going to miss her. Watching you deal with her death has shown me how much you have grown up. How emotionally mature you have become. Through your own tears, you have brought me so much comfort. You offer me hugs and have done your best to help all of us. I’m so proud of you. Great-grandpa is proud of you. Poh-poh is so proud of you. You are an incredible boy.

Are you sure you are only ten?

Ten has brought some big responsibilities. You have trained to be a lunch monitor at school next year. Ten is also the age that your dad and I felt that you were mature enough to have your own ipod touch. I love the texts you send me when you are connected to wifi.

You are loving being a Cub Scout, and have finished your second year of Cubs with an armload of badges. You are ready to take on a leadership role in your final Cub year. I love how much it has helped you become more confident.

You had a Minecraft Wild Play birthday party this year. I chicken out at Wildplay. But you… you were up in those trees ziplining with your friends, running across plank bridges and climbing ropes. It’s hard to believe in the first five years of your life we had to work so hard at physiotherapy and occupational therapy to get you learning how to move your body through your environment without falling into things. You used to be so scared to try things. Now you are confident and adventurous.

You have a real zest for life right now. You love to read and will read to me at bedtime. Years ago we struggled to get you talking. It’s amazing to hear you read passages from Harry Potter to your dad; and hear you chat about Diary of a Whimpy Kid or the Origami Yoda books. You are always reading these days. You are also doing incredible artwork. Your teacher has been so impressed with you. In fact she said it best in her write up to you in the school yearbook: ” You have the force in you Caleb”. Indeed you do – the force is strong in you. It is helping to lead you to do so many good things for yourself and others.

It has been my honor to watch you grow up these last 10 years. I am looking forward to the bitter-sweetness of the next ten years. No matter what you will always be my squishy. The one who cuddles with me, rubs my back and tries to make things right and fair in the world. You are a wonderful son, a patient brother, a loving grandson and great-grandson, and a true leader to your little cousins.

I love you Caleb! I will always be your biggest supporter, your loudest cheerleader… I will always be your mom.

Love,
Mom
xo xo xo xo xo xo xo xo xo xo

May 25, 2015

Letters to my Littles | May

Dear Caleb & Liam,

It’s been a very busy month for us all! But we’ve had some great family time together.

Now that the weather is nicer, we are embracing the outdoors. We have gone on a fabulous, and also harder hike through part of the Finlayson Arm trail. You were both troopers!

We have also enjoyed going for more family walks. This sometimes involves food trucks and almost always involves ice cream!

Caleb you and Dad went to Minecraft Wolf Howl camp with all the Cub Scout troops. I love that you are really into cub scouts now, and that you are working hard to earn your badges and to learn. It’s been so great to watch you and dad do something together that you both enjoy. You are off on one more camping adventure this weekend – and it requires a 40 minute hike to and from the beach you will be sleeping on. You are so excited to do it.

Dad and I went to see U2 in concert in Vancouver. You two spent the night with grandma and grandpa. While we were gone we did a trip to Ikea and finally bought you a proper bed Liam. It was a group effort from all you boys to follow the pictoral instructions and get it assembled. At first you were just really wanting the boxes to build forts with, but then you loved your new bed.

Both of you are also back into swimming lessons and you are both loving it. You are both so active now – the bikes and scooters are still always going. The climbing and “parkour” has also begun.

Caleb you balance your physical activity, screen time and socializing well. You are also super into reading right now – and I will often catch you will a book under the dining room table or while you are supposed to be cleaning your room! You are also really into art – and I find origami, drawings and doodles everywhere. You make my heart smile with the beautiful cards you made for Mother’s day. You made Poh-Poh’s extra special.

Liam we are going for your kindergarten orientation in a few days. I’m still in awe of the wonderful, inquisitive and charming little boy you have become.

Thank you both for making me smile all the time. I love how much we laugh together. The two of you bring you dad and I such joy. I can never thank you enough for that. You remind me to slow down, to enjoy the little things and to make time to play each day.

mothers day

Love,
Mama
XO XO

April 25, 2015

Letters to My Littles | April

Welcome to my monthly Letter to my Littles. After you enjoy my letter please continue on through our blog circle to see what my talented friend Christine has written to her littles here. Keep reading through the circle – it’s a wonderful glimpse of motherhood from various corners of the world.

This month’s letter is dedicated to my little Liam Bean.

Dear Liam,

I’m not sure how it happened so quickly, but you are now five… five!!! That’s one whole hand. How did you go from this sweet face…

…to this one so quickly?

You are so full of life! You have a joy and mannerisms that people gravitate too. You have become this kind, compassionate little boy. Recently you had a trip to the ER after having a bad reaction coming off your asthma medications. When you got a sticker, you asked the nurse for an extra one to bring home to your big brother.

Your life has been quite an adventure. You started out so sick with reflux as a baby. Then you had such a bad respiratory illness at a year old, it has done some permanent damage to those lungs of your’s. You now require seasonal inhalers. You are also one of those kids who is deathly allergic to peanuts – you manage this so well. You are so good at reminding others about your allergy and checking in with grown-ups before you eat anything. It breaks my heart to see how sad you get sometimes when you can’t have the cookie or ice cream at a party. But you very seldom complain. You are my tough kid. And my little kid. The steroids for your lungs, and likely the cream for your eczema, have stunted your growth a little – you are in the 3rd percentile for weight and height, and have low iron levels. So you truly are my little bean. But you don’t let your size stop you from trying everything!

For your birthday you asked for a bike – and you are so excited to now graduate from your strider to a pedal bike with handbrakes! I know that you are going to get the hang of this bike in no time!

It is such fun being your mama and watching all the wonderful things you do. It magic for me to see the happiness you have in everyday moments, the wonder as you discover things about the world, and the connections you make with people in your life.

My birthday wish for you is that you will always go through live with your positive, energetic and caring attitude.

You are going to go far my sweet little Liam Bean. You were born with such tenacity. Your first five years have been incredible. I know the next five and beyond will be amazing.

I love you – for always!

Love,
Mama

XO XO XO XO XO