Letters to my Littles | February 2015

It’s time for another Letters to my Littles blog circle.  After you enjoy my words to my children please go to my friend Jess’ blog to see the words she has written for her little loves.

Dear Caleb & Liam,

February has been all about family.  I hope this month has brought you memories of wonderful times that you will always remember – not because of the events, but because of who you shared this time with.

We spent the Family Day weekend at a wonderful and relaxing house on the water – which you two have dubbed “the mansion”.  Our whole extended family stayed together under one roof  enjoying each other’s company, eating, relaxing, play games, watching movies (and hockey), fishing and canoeing/kayaking.  Caleb you caught a lingcod with Uncle Regan – you were both so proud of this first catch.  Liam, you set up Monopoly Junior and taught poh-poh how to play.  I love that we had this special time with her and the whole Sunday dinner clan.

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Your great grandmother has taught me some very valuable lessons in life.  The most important lesson is that family is everything.  Spending time together with those you love, and having rituals together, make family bonds that bind tight together.  Poh-poh has taught me to cherish not just the big holiday traditions, but also all the little moments too.  She has taught me to document and remember all the little moments.  Time goes fast, she always says.  Enjoy life.

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Enjoy life… this is something we are trying to do a lot of.  Especially in these next few weeks and months – I want you to really enjoy and appreciate the life you have.  There are going to be some big changes soon, and sadness.  So for now, enjoy life.

We get busy.  But we will always make time for family and friends.  You both enjoy spending time with your social circles.  Some of those friends you have we now think of as family too.

Liam you always know how to make your friends laugh.  Have I mentioned you also have a new found love of hair coloring?  I’m so happy you are such a loving and accepting friend.  You try to include everyone into your games.  You love to make people smile.  It’s no wonder people love to be around you.

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Caleb you are a loyal and devoted friend.  You are also someone who is accepting of others and tries to get everyone included.  You have such a kind heart and gentle soul.  People are drawn to you too.  I’m so happy that you have some very close best friends.  You and B have been friends for almost 5 years now.  I love overhearing conversations you two have about being roommates in the future and living an apartment with heated toilet seats.  I’m so glad you that you have Cub Scouts together, and still spend so much time together, even though you no longer share a classroom at school.

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I hope as you both grow older you will also see the value in being friends with each other.  Although you fight – a lot… I know you do love each other.  I know it’s hard for you to be affectionate, and Caleb you are indeed having a hard time hugging your brother back.  But family is everything.  No matter what changes life brings – you will always have each other.  Remember as brothers, you’ve got each other’s backs.

I’m glad we’ve been able to have some fun together as a family this month.  I love that as we make present memories we are also reminiscing about the past.  You are learning about your family histories and a little about your culture.  Caleb you have finally embraced the fact that you are half Chinese!  Liam, you like to tell this fact to people.

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Life is an adventure, especially with you too.  I’m so glad I get to enjoy life with you.

Love,
Mama
XO XO

Life in Black and White | February

Once again I am participating this year in my Life in Black and White blog circle with an amazing group of photographers.  After looking at my post please following along in the circle to my friend Pamela’s blog post for a glimpse into her monochromatic life.

This past weekend my boys learned some fishing tips from their great uncle.  They had a great time out on the water, and my oldest even caught a ling-cod.  I’m so glad they get a chance to have this connection with their extended family.  (More photos from the family day weekend to come).

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Letter to my Littles | January 2015

Welcome to a new series:  Letters to my Littles.  I have joined in a blog circle chronicling the lives of our children through monthly letters.   I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my family life.  Please continue to read through the blog circle, after you have read my letter please click over to my friend Ann’s blog.

 

Dear Caleb and Liam,

When you were both born I started writing you monthly letters describing everything you had learned, milestones you had reached, and the fun we had as a family.  Over time, I sadly stopped updating our family blog.  (I think the last post there was from August 2012…oops!)  Recently I showed you this old blog Caleb, and all the stories and photos from your early days.  You have loved looking back on your early childhood.  So I have decided to try again.  I want to be able to share in words and pictures the story of us, so that you can one day see your childhood through my mommy eyes.  I hope you enjoy this glimpse of this moment in time.

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It is hard to believe 2015 is here.  This is the year Caleb turns double digits – I can’t believe my little Squishy will be 10.  How did you grow up so fast Caleb?  And Liam Bean, you will be turning 5 and going to kindergarten in the fall.  It is bitter-sweet for me.  As much as I love watching you both grow up and experience life, I miss out little snugly baby days.

This year started with skating for both of you.  Liam you were so determined to make us keep our promise to take you skating at the outdoor rink.   This was your first time on ice skates ever.  You loved it!  I did too, and I’m so glad daddy captured this moment for us.

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Caleb you also went skating in a school field trip with all the other kids in your grade.  You did not love it.  You struggled a little.  Although you tried to have fun, at the end you were frustrated and tired.  But I am so proud of you for trying.  I know it is harder for you than your peers.  One day we will talk more about your past therapies and your DCD.  For now thought, I just want you know how much I love you and how glad I am that you tried.  Your friends were pretty proud of you too.

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I always find January a little sad because we have to take down Christmas.  You two were sad to say goodbye to our elf Jack, but were pretty okay to demolish the gingerbread houses!

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This month we celebrated great grandpa’s 89th birthday and had our first cousin sleepover.  You loved having our little cousin Brayden spend the night.  You were both so good at watching him and helping to take care of him.

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This month we also registered Liam for kindergarten.  It’s hard to believe this big milestone is coming up so soon.  Liam I know you are ready for kindergarten… but I’m not so sure kindergarten is ready for you and your antics!

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This is going to be a big year of growth and change for all of us.  I can’t wait to see what adventures you will both get up to. I love you both!

Love,
Mama
XO XO

Life in Black & White | December

It’s hard to believe we have reached the end of the year already and December is upon us.  This December is different from last year… we’ve recently lost a loved one, and will be losing another in too short of a time.  So this year we are trying to cherish each moment even more.  In many ways, though, this December has been much like the others.  We have our family traditions that we do, and our holiday routines.  As I have gotten older and become a mother, I have learned to really appreciate the significance of tradition.  This year my children seem to really value and appreciate it too.  And while we may see the same Santa at breakfast each year, and my children will always order the same things for breakfast, there are so many other little details that I can see within the sameness.  Each year, I will see my children physically growing bigger.  I will watch their mannerisms as they eat – how they start to refine their grip on their forks, how they sip their drinks, how they order their meals.  I will watch as the magic gets questioned, as they seek to find the truth and hold on to belief.  And I will watch as they bicker and bug each other.  As they try to push in each other’s photos and compete for our attention.  But I know that my children watch too.  They watch how we do things, and remind me when I forget things.  They tell me about the traditions they find important.  They remind me that these traditions are creating lasting memories that they love to share with others, and that they will grow up to cherish as much as I do.

Thanks for following the Black and White blog circle with me this year.  I have truly enjoyed it.

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Please follow the circle to Jennifer’s post.

Remembrance | Life in Black and White | November

Thanks for taking a moment to catch a monthly glimpse of my life in black and white.

Today is Remembrance Day…

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month we pause and take a moment of silence to honour, remember, and thank those men and women who gave their lives to serve our country and keep us safe.  Thank you for protecting us and keeping my country free.  I hope my children will never see the horror that their great-grandfather’s saw.

Lest We Forget.

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Please continue on through our blog circle to see what Ana has posted today.

Thankful | Life in Black & White | October

It’s time for another glimpse of my life in black and white.  Since yesterday was Thanksgiving, I decided to share about how thankful I am for the life I have.  The last two years have not been easy.  Our family has faced the loss of life, life changing illness, mental health problems, marital issues, job loss, and a car accident.  There are times where my husband and I have hit rock bottom, sometimes individually and sometimes together.  But through out it all we have managed to hold on.  The ability to support one another, and to gain strength from one another is something we work hard at.  I am so grateful to have the love and support of my husband, and my whole external family network.  But mostly I am grateful for my children.  They have been the light and joy in my life that reminds of all the good there is in the world.  Their smiles, hugs and innocent view of the world, has kept me grounded and helped me to survive being an adult.  They remind me daily to slow down and focus on the little joys of everyday moments.  And throughout all the stresses, they have remained calm, happy and loving.

I am thankful that they have sat patiently and offered love during a few too many hospital visits to see family:

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I am thankful that they have have given me hugs and wiped away my tears as we remember the little brother or sister that they lost.  My four year old even offered his loving and gentle perspective on life when he and I recently visited the Little Spirits Memorial Gardens to remember his lost sibling:

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I am thankful at the maturity my oldest has shown as he has persevered through missing a month of schooling.  Now that grade four has officially started for him, he has taken on his studies with such a quest for knowledge and eagerness to learn:

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I am thankful for the way my youngest keeps us laughing with his wonderful personality.  No matter what happens he is the one we can rely on to make us smile:

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I am thankful to be a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a friend, a documenter of all the things that make up our life.  I am thankful that I am reminded daily by my boys to stop, pause, breathe and just be.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please follow the circle to Vanessa’s post.

Life in Black & White | August

Thanks for joining me for another glimpse of my life in black and white.

The last month I have been on such a personal journey to find and define my voice and my style in photography.  I have come to realize that I love capturing those moments that make you look back on life and really remember it – good times and bad.  As I work on my journey, along with my other full time job, parenthood, and marriage, I realize I owe so much to my husband.  He helps to hold things together.  He currently works from home two days a week so that he can look after and spend time with our four year old.  Some days I arrive home to find them at war with each other.  All this time together means they know how to push each others’ buttons.  But they also have a very special bond.  While I was in post c-section surgery, my husband was the one to hold and snuggle Liam during his first year of life.  The very first smiles Liam gave out were to his daddy.  So when I captured these photos of the two of them, I knew they portrayed that special connection they have.  I hope as the years go by, and the arguments get louder, that they will always remember these daddy and Liam days – the good and not so good ones… and that they celebrate this time that they had together.

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Please continue on in the blog circle to have a glimpse at the life of my fabulous friend (who takes the best self-portraits ever) Alice Che.

Life in Black and White | July

It’s time for another glimpse of my life in black and white…

Summer is officially here, and with it come sunny days with harsh bright light.  So,this month I really played with lighting and shadows to try and get some really rich black and whites.  Also, since I featured my nine year old last month, I thought the four year old could use his own post!

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Thanks for taking a glimpse of my monochromatic life.  Please continue on in the circle and check out my fabulous friend Jennifer.

Life in Black & White | June

It’s time for another glimpse of my life in black and white… today’s glimpse is a special one.

Nine years ago today I became a mom.  My world was changed for the better, and a sweet little baby boy claimed my heart and made it his own.  Caleb you are such a friendly, charming, empathetic and caring boy.  You give the best hugs (which seem to be reserved just for me).  You are a loyal friend and try hard to be a patient big brother.  Thank you for making me a better person, for teaching me patience, compassion and composure.  You, with the beautiful soulful eyes, made me who I am today.  As I teach you about growing up in this sometimes difficult world, you have taught me to slow down, look around and appreciate my life.  I love you, my Squishy.  (Incidentally, dear followers, this sweet boy is how Squishy Prints Photography got it’s name… because of my little Squishy!)

Happy birthday!

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And just for comparison – here is my little Squishy nine years ago… and also a glimpse of my photography nine years ago.  Yup, we have both grown!

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Please follow the circle to see a glimpse of Vanessa’s life in Black and White.

Life in Black & White: May

It’s time for another glimpse at my life in black and white.  I have really enjoyed my Composition and Creativity class.  It pushed me to really be dramatic with my use of light  and compositional techniques.  It’s amazing how changing lighting, and direction can really add moodiness and emotion to images.  I practised seeing light with an egg in some different lighting set-ups, and then I also practised a little on my children.

week3_wed1week3_wed2week3_wed3week3_monday3week18-moody_webTo see more amazing black and white images please follow the circle to my friend and fellow classmate Jenn.

Life in Black & White: April

It’s hard to believe it’s April already!  Wow!  This year is flying by.  For this month’s glimpse into my life in black and white, I am sharing a few photos that I have taken while doing a course over on Clickin Moms.  It’s Sarah Wilkerson’s Composition and Creativity course.  It’s blowing my mind.  I was only able to get a study along seat, but I wish I was a full participant.  We are only on week two and already there is so much to learn and absorb.  In fact – five of us in this blog circle are in the course: Myself, Meredith, Jenn, Alice and Felicia!

Here’s a few examples of what I have been working on – I call this series “Left Behind”:

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Now head over and see what Felicia has been up to in between her moments in the C & C class!
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Life in Black & White: March

It’s time for another glimpse of my life in black in white.  I hope you are enjoying the blog circle so far.

This post could also be called – the Week the Superheros Were Not So Super.  We have been battling some health issues in our family, with my husband, and also with my children.  It has been a super sick year so far.  My poor little kiddos – we missed out on the big snowfall, the big Olympic hockey game and a few other things.  But we are slowly on the mend, which means I can hopefully get out of the sick house and start photographing healthy people again soon!

Here’s a few captures of the day the Superheros were down.

March_2014 (1)March_2014 (3)March_2014 (4)March_2014 (5)March_2014 (2)March_2014 (6)March_2014 (7)Although it has not been the best experience, I’m glad that I captured this day.  One day it will all be a memory, but I will still be able to look back and remember how they would each hold their heads when they were sick, and how they each had their special resting place.

Now please take a look at Melissa’s beautiful (and hopefully healthier than mine) blog post!