Yesterday I turned 28.  I remember not too long ago thinking 30 was extremely old.  I couldn't have even imagined being anywhere near the age of thirty!!!  Now, I'm excited for it.  Life is so much more full and I think I have a better grasp on what is truly important to me.

Shaun planned a perfect day.  He made us breakfast, took us for a picnic and play downtown in a beautiful park, shopping for camera supplies and a dress.  He left after Sam went to bed and brought home happy birthday Blizzards.  So much time with the two people who mean the world to me.  Really couldn't have ordered a better day.

Starting the day off with Dad's homemade crepes is one way to make a little boy VERY excited about Mom's birthday.

First stop, car wash.  We whipped through a touchless one (only the best on my birthday!)  Sam was AMAZED!!!

After a picnic in Prince's Island Park, we headed down the a really wonderful playground.  It has equipment for all sizes of kids and Sam loved it.  Lots of fun!

Sam practiced his jumping off this little step.  Super entertaining!

Celebration of a jump well done (and his mommy's birthday, I'm sure!)

Next stop was the splash park.

Doing some water kicks with Daddy!

Up to mom for a towel and a snack... aren't moms the greatest!

Picture is a little blurry but I think that is due to my incredible speed!!!  Sam loves a good under-duck!

LOVE LOVE LOVE swing time.

I realize my pictures make it look like it was Sam's birthday, but he is the greatest gift I've ever been given.  His joys are mine and to see him happy is more than I could ever ask for.


Here's to another year... health, happiness, love and laughter.  Happy birthday to me!

Wedding Tips

Soooo nervous for this weekend... I'm shooting my very first wedding!  I've made list after list to be sure I've packed and organized myself.  Laid awake for the past 5 nights thinking of the perfect shot or capturing the moment.  So, my question for you, either as a bride or photographer or helpful friend... any advice?  ANY?

Wish me luck!

Hugely Embarrassing Mom Move

We finished off our Sunday with a nice evening swim.  We got Sam ready here at home in his suit and then burned down to the pool to get as much water time as possible.  Tons of fun... splashing, watching Daddy dive, floating, jumping off the edge.  In the family changeroom, Shaun took Sam into the shower while I was getting his bedtime clothes ready and I realized I that the only bottoms I had brought him were his swimming trunks!  It was a hot day, so we decided that Sam would be warm enough in his shirt, shoes, hat and diaper for the drive him... poor kid.  As we were quickly heading for the door, we come head on with 12 lifeguards passing by us to go to a meeting.  There's Sam sporting a Batman shirt and a smile.  They had a good giggle at his expense and I left thankful that Sam is sweet enough to pull it off and young enough to not realize how silly he looked.

I'm sure it's the first of many bonehead mom moves that I make.  The only thing that would have made it worse would be if I would have had my camera to catch it all on film!

Calaway Park - Here we come!

What a wonderful way to spend this sunny Sunday then at Calaway Park!  Sam's first time at the park and on rides (if you don't count the Mickey Mouse car in Walmart!) and it was a blast.  We met my parents, niece and nephew for a couple hours of fun.  I got to go on most the rides with Sam because he's such a mommy's boy (I think he wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on the fun... and he knows his daddy get motion sick!)  Interesting fact:  Calaway Park is the same age as me.  18 years ago we came on this same weekend to celebrate my 10th birthday and it was Calaway's 10th birthday too!

Here's Sam with his cousins.  Everyone is very excited to be at the park.  My recommendation... get there at opening (10am) because it's not as hot and the lines are great. 

Sam's first ride ever!  It was a really cool truck that went up and down like it was on a bumpy road... not sure which of my boys enjoyed it more!!!

Hot air balloon ride was neat... it's a young family sized ferris wheel.  Lots of fun and didn't go too high.

Here we are at the top!

Merry-go-'round.  Not a hit.

LONG line by the time we got to this ride.  Sam really loved it because he could stand and turn the steering wheel.  Unfortunately there were tears getting off because the wait was much much longer than the ride.

Egg ride... tons of fun!  There are quite a good number of rides for people Sam's size.    If you can find coupons to get into the park, its quite an affordable day with plenty to do.  I know there are shows to watch as well, but unfortunately they were the same time as nap time.

LUNCH!  Fries... not so yummy unless of course you are teething and then they are a really great thing.  Don't forget the ketchup!  Another recommendation is to bring a picnic lunch - food is expensive and leaves something to desired.  The Burger Bistro is less fancy than the name would lead you to believe.

All funned out!  Another wonderful first for our family.  See you next year Calaway Park!!!

Backyard Shenanigans

pictureAfter two summers of very hard work, Shaun has made our backyard a really wonderful place.  Though it's still a work in progress, it has become a place of fun and relaxation for us.  Growing up, I took for granted wide open spaces all of our own.  I didn't really realize how special it is to own a yard, have a deck, a plot to grow food, a bed to grow flowers, grass to mow and area for our little man to play his little heart out.  Here are a few shot of the fun we've had in the yard so far.  I'll post pictures later when it's complete.

Sam sized footprints after a day of fun in the pool on our deck.

1/3 of the yard is playground gravel, perfect for
sliding into!

 My very first strawberry that I grew in my very own garden.   Delicious little thing!  
Can't wait for more... nothing tastes as wonderful as garden strawberries!

That is the face of one determined little boy!  So funny to watch him "mow the lawn".  He'll turn this dial for a while, push and pull the mower around, then he throws down the handle, says 'bah-bah-bah" and walks away... I think it's the most perfect impersonation of Shaun's frustration with mowing the lawn anyone could do!!!

This is how Sam looks most of the time he is playing in the yard...
just plain happy.  I'm so gratefully to have a place like this special
for him to play and be a silly, busy, dirty, little boy.

Mommy's Boy

This picture is of Sam (17months) and my niece Maeg (8 years).  I wanted to post this picture not only because I love it, but as evidence as to why I'm surprised when people tell me Sam looks like Shaun.  The second photo below is a scan of my own baby picture... 

New lens is a hit!

One part of Mother's Day gift this year was a new lens for my camera.  Not only did I really want this item for the wedding I'm shooting next weekend, but it takes AMAZING portraits of my little man.  Here are the best two pictures from my afternoon of testing and trying it out.

CMac Minis

There have been a large number of babies born in the last two years at my school.  It's been a lot of fun being new moms together - someone going through similar troubles, someone with the all answers, someone with things harder than you and ALWAYS someone to laugh with.  I'm very grateful for this group of friends and their babes... I have no idea what I would do without them.  Here are some CMac-mini shots from over the past year!

First gathering of some of the babies - Sam is only 4 months old 

(bottom left corner)

First group trip to the zoo July '09 - Sam, Jack, Payton, Parker

All the mat. leave ladies out for a walk on the first day of school Sept '09

Mac (Robyn), Parker (Kaysi), Smith (in Rhonda's belly), Jack (Tat) and Sam

Happy Halloween! Oct '09

Payton, Sam, Jack, Sophia, Parker, Mac, Smith

Merry Christmas '09

Mac, Payton, Sam, Jack, Parker, Smith

Momma's and Babies do 2nd Annual dance (1st year we were prego) for the CMac Christmas Celebration... quite the show!

Smith (Rhonda), Mac (Robyn), Parker (Kaysi the choreographer), Jack (Tat), Sam, Payton (pregnant Lindsay)

First group zoo trip of 2010

Mac, Smith, Sam, Payton, Parker

Picnic in the Park May '10

What better reason to all get together than a long lost 

baby friend, Sophia, in Calgary to visit

Sophia, Payton, Jack, Mac, Smith, Sam and Parker

These babies are really good sports!  Can't wait to see what the next adventure will be!

Test, test... new to this blogging world!

One year ago I started a website for Sam... he was tiny, a little wimpy and quite fragile to the outside world.  The website allowed me to share with my family and friends who couldn't see Sam, his growth and newest tricks.  Sam is now a big healthy boy and the website seems to be overkill so...
As my subscription for the website is about to expire, I've decided to change it up and try my hand at blogging.  Here is my most recent favorite photo to kick if off!

Photography - Baby Avery

I’ve always had a passion for capturing the moment.  My photo albums, both actual books and on my computer, are some of my most treasured items.  I really fell in love with taking pictures once I started teaching.  Snapping shots of my athletes in action was something I thought was pretty cool.  It was something that I loved so much and built a webpage to share with the kids so they could see themselves with their game faces on.  At this point, I decided that a dream of mine would be to someday take photos that people would pay money for or that the whole world could see.  

I have enjoyed taking pictures of almost EVERY SINGLE step of Sam’s journey in life.  It’s a rare day in our house that my camera doesn’t come out.  Most pictures are quite average and more to save the memory than to get the perfect shot.  He could be the best little model out there, but only if his mommy is behind the camera!

My close friend gave me the opportunity to try to snap the perfectpicture.  I took pictures of her second
baby belly and we both loved them so much that she also let me take newborn pics of her daughter once she arrived.  It’s amazing how personal and intense trying to capture the real beauty of someone is.  Don’t get me wrong, Lindsay and her girls are gorgeous, but when I talk about beauty I mean something more.  Not so much what they look like, that’s an easy shot.  Trying to put who they are and what they mean to this world into a picture is a challenge.  I think though, once you accomplish this, it’s something that you want to strive for.  Think of your favorite photos... it is always more than cute or pretty or colourful.  It’s more the way it makes you feel.  Those are the pictures I want to take.