“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.
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. This month is dedicated to my oldest little one.
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…
Our Caleb
,,, 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.
Great Grandma & Grandpa Wong
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.
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 & 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Life is an adventure, especially with you too. I’m so glad I get to enjoy life with you.
In the fall I had the pleasure of photographing the Q family – in their home, with the kids doing what they loved: playing with their trains, jumping on the bed, snuggling with their parents and walking around outside. What made this session wonderful for me was that the kids were relaxed, and the smiles were real. Mom and dad really love these boys, and the love they have for these two really shows. The love they have for each other shows too. I hope when they look back on these images, they remember how fun their kids were at the ages of 2 and 4, and despite the hard times, the busy schedules, the long list of appointments, and the stress of being working parents – they were also four people who love one another, love to play together, and love to laugh together. Thanks for sharing a morning with me Q family.
I’d love to capture your family this way too. If you are interested in booking a family playtime session or a day in the life of us session please contact me. I’d love to help you showcase the love you share with your family in your everyday moments.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
Happy 2015! I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday season with their loved ones. This year I am once again trying to complete another 365 on my big camera… third try will be the successful attempt, right? I am also doing a 365 on my iphone through Instagram – this will be my third year, and the previous two were successful. I’m squishyprints on Instagram if you want to follow my 365 over there.
Here are my first four days of my 365. I will be posting them every Sunday night.
Thanks for joining me on this journey once again! I’m excited for this new year and all things coming for Squishy Prints Photography in 2015.
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.
Every day people are devastated to hear the news that someone they know and love – a co-worker, neighbour, friend or family has been diagnosed with cancer. It comes in many forms, and destroys in many ways. My family has been faced with this demon a few times, and this year it has touched particularly close. So when a friend of mine asked if I would take some photos of her celebrating her mum, I was honoured and very greatly touched to be a part of it. Lynn had her last round of chemotherapy today in her fight against breast cancer. To celebrate and spread awareness, her daughter-in-law, my friend, Stephanie shaved her head in solidarity, and as part of a fundraising effort for the Run for the Cure. It was such an inspiring and loving event to witness, as Lynn removed Stephanie’s long locks. (It also had it’s fun moments too – you can really rock an ’80’s punk mohawk Steph!) I am so proud of you, Stephanie, for being brave and putting yourself out there in support of your mum. And Lynn, I am in awe of how brave you were to do this as you journey through your battle.
Steph has surpassed her fundraising goal. But every dollar towards research to end breast cancer or cancer of any form helps. Please consider donating to this very personal cause for Steph, Lynn and the Nelson family: Stephanie’s Fundraising Page
Thanks for letting me be a small part of this. You are beautiful Steph, inside and out!
Sometimes I need to really remind myself about how blessed my life is. I have two beautiful children and a loving husband. I have two careers that I am good at. But sometimes it’s hard not to get caught up in the stress and business of life. Sometimes keeping up with life really takes it toll. Sometimes I really want to scream – ENOUGH. I’ve had enough. And then I take a moment and I breathe… just breathe. And I break things, throw things, hit things, eat sugary and salty carbs, drink adult drinks… and then breathe again. It’s hard not to give up. It’s hard to keep going. It’s hard not to keep yelling at my kids. I’m hard on me.
Then I breathe again.
And I remind myself to just be.
Just be.
Then suddenly I catch a moment when I see the world through the eyes of one of my children… the big wonderful, awe inspiring world. And it is enough. I take a breath and I can feel blessed once more.
So in the main office of my daytime job lives a little gnome named Gerome. He sat on a long time on my manager’s desk – and then Gerome would vanish for little short spurts. We found out that this little gnome was travelling the globe. He recently stowed away in our luggage as we went on a family vacation to Tofino, BC. (I will have to post my photos from that amazing week later). But here is what happens when a gnome stows away with a photographer and her family.
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.
