video – ALLYSON ELL PHOTOGRAPHY

April 30, 2016May 3, 2016

Letter to my Littles | April 2016

Welcome to another installment of my letters to my littles – a glimpse of our life with two busy boys!

Dear Caleb and Liam,

It’s been another fun and busy (and slightly stressful) month. We celebrated two birthdays – mine and and Liam’s! Mine was spent picking out a new kitchen at Ikea and chasing you both around Science World. The day trip to Vancouver was fun, but exhausting!

Caleb you learned a very hard lesson about being responsible for your things. You left behind a small backpack at Ikea with a book, your iPod charger, your Nintendo DS and a few games, and $25. We called the Ikea security desk several times but these seem to be gone forever. Sorry Caleb – a tough life lesson for sure.

But we did end up with a new family pet – a unicorn named Agnes!

Liam, your birthday celebrations were much more fun. In addition to all the cakes you had with family, you had all your friends help you celebrate with a big Lego party. Every person you invited came. This also meant that we now own every Lego set in existence! You are such a well loved little boy. It’s hard to believe you are 6 already. Thank you for filling our lives with so much joy. I love your zest for life. The other day I found you lying on the front lawn professing your love of Spring time! Then later you told me you often have trouble falling asleep at night and waking in the morning. You said that you thought you were nocturnal and that maybe you should become a bat. Seriously. You crack me up!

Your new cousin Ethan was born the day before your birthday Liam. He is the cutest little baby! You are both smitten with him. Me too!

Caleb you went with your best buddy Bryson to BrickCan in Vancouver for his birthday. It’s shocking how much you have grown up that you are now leaving the island on trips without us! You are both so well loved by your friends. In fact, everyday the doorbell rings with neighbourhood kids asking you to come outside and play. It warms my heart to see how much others enjoy your company.

Thanks for all you patience as we start our big renovation project. I can’t wait to cook and bake with you both in our new kitchen!

And here’s this month’s video – all about you Liam and all your birthday Lego!

I love you both,
Mama

XO XO

March 31, 2016March 31, 2016

Letters to my Littles | March 2016

Welcome to another installment of my letters to my littles – a glimpse of our life with two busy boys!

Dear Caleb and Liam,

March has completely flown by so quickly! This was the month I left you all to spend a few days with some fantastic photography friends. (But you two hardly missed me). Thanks to the inspiration and renewed energy I got from that trip I took a million pictures this month. So this letter has a lot of images (fair warning!) March was also the month of the world’s looooooooooongest spring break ever.

We did a lot of fun things! During my time off with you we went and explored some beaches. We hike the Pike Road trail of East Sooke Park and had some fun in the tide pools of Iron Mine Bay. Caleb you were like a mountain goat climbing up to the top of a rock. You were so good at helping your brother and I up too. The view was amazing!

We also had a Beacon Hill park day with the goats at the petting zoo. (Those photos will have to wait a little as I shot them on my film camera). We had peacocks circling our car that day too.

We then had another day at East Sooke Park with dad. It was fun to run through the shore line, try to build castles and have you both creating things in the sand. We ended that day with dinner at My Chosen Cafe.

Unfortunately when we got home we found out our washing machine had flooded the house. That’s a whole other big story. But it is also the reason Spring Break kind of went down hill from there. Dad didn’t get to do as much fun stuff with you both as he wanted to during his time off with you.

We did manage to get a few hours in Sidney to explore the aquarium and the park.

We also did a day trip to Salt Spring Island. Although you both weren’t sure at first, you did like looking around at the Salt Spring Market and Ruckle Park. You both loved the sheep farm, the taco truck and the toy store!

We also found some time to just relax at our local beach spot, dig in the sand, climb the logs and fly the kite.

So all in all, it was a pretty fun spring break despite the chaos in the house.

We also celebrated Easter! We glittered the eggs this year. Fun while we were doing it, but messy as we are trying to eat the eggs. On Easter morning you were both thrilled by items the Easter Bunny left. When you opened up some gummy bunnies Liam, you exclaimed “These are just like the ones we used to find at great grandma’s house”. I’m so glad you remembered her. Easter egg hunting at great-grandpa and great-grandma’s was definitely not the same without poh-poh. This is the last of the hard holidays. You two are both so sweet to me still whenever I get sad.

I’ve put together another little family film. This is all about our Spring Break adventures. I’m so glad to have these fun little snippets of our life together.

I love you always,
Mama

XO XO

January 30, 2016February 1, 2016

Letter to my Littles | January

This post has migrated over from my old website. I am sharing content on both sites as I prepare to migrate to this new one. Thanks for being patient, if you are following both sites! I am thrilled that you are on this journey with me!

Dear Caleb and Liam,

Welcome to a new year. Our 2015 was busy and full of ups and downs, major milestones and major loss. This year is promising to be a little calmer, and hopefully a little more joyful.

True to form we started the year with both of you staying up well past midnight. After a good sleep in we started the first day of the year with a beautiful frosty hike. We have been trying to enjoy a little more outdoor time. Our family goal for the year is to be more active and have a little more unplugged time together.

Caleb you have just graduated from the DARE program at school. I’m so proud of everything you have accomplished this first half of your grade five year.

Liam – you have come so far with your reading. You have also learned our phone number recently. It cracks me up because you say “speed” where all the dashes are. Speed…dash… I get it! You also lost your first tooth!

You have been having lots of fun together this year mastering your new video games, cracking jokes and generally enjoying each other’s company more. I’m so glad that you both live for your weekend sleepovers together.

We celebrated great-grandpa’s 90^th birthday this month. We rented a movie theater and watched a video of grandpa (from photos and videos the whole family shared), and had cake. I love how much he loves you both.

This year, one of my goals is to get in the frame with you both, and to have memories of all of us together. I’ve joined in with a group of other moms who are sharing portraits of motherhood. I have also joined in with the family film movement – committed to making a monthly video of our time as a family. So far, I am loving both projects as it allows me some time to really capture and share our story as a family.

Here is our January video showing a typical weeknight at our house.

January nights 2016 from Allyson Ell on Vimeo.

Cheers to a good start to 2016. I can’t wait to see what the year ahead brings to us.

I love you both,

Love,
Mama

XO XO

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016

A new way to share your life story

I’m excited to bring you a new way to tell your family story. Films about your family will be offered in all collections. Here’s a look at what your story can look like.

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