the stuff that memories are made of…

Griff and his friends wanted to have a lemonade stand a couple of weeks ago.  I was busy (as always…) and wasn’t overly excited about it…but decided to help them out.  WHAT FUN was had!  Big brother Parker made chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven…Griff & Dalton & Caden were stellar salesmen.  I of course put a pic up on facebook…and before we knew it - the crowds were swarming (okay…not quite maybe!).  They sold out everything they had…and had such fun.  I am so glad that I decided to step away from the computer and spend some quality time helping my children make a memory…I really need to do this more often.  It’s 1000 times more rewarding than editing pictures!

seriously…

does it get any cuter than this???

a beautiful wedding…with crazy weather!

I had the honor of photographing Greg & Sarah’s wedding two weeks ago…it was quite the day!  We’d had temps in the 30’s for about days prior…but of course, the rain decided to pour on their wedding day!  The gorgeous outdoor venue was hit hard by rain - and the wedding was delayed by almost an hour, while the bride & her bridesmaid’s waited in a pickup, and the groom, his groomsmen, and most of the guests huddled under two tents that were (thankfully) set up on the property.  The wedding ended up starting while the rain was still falling gently…but oooh, the light and the colors were amazing!

Apparently, at 3:00 (when the wedding was supposed to start…), the weather was beautiful.  The bride & bridesmaids were still busy getting ready though - you can’t rush a girl on her wedding day!

After the rains, the rest of the day went off without a hitch - and everyone had the most amazing time…and Sarah & Greg…I hope you live happily ever after!

a great family…

wow, this post is so slow in coming!  This was from our trip to Victoria, where my wonderful friend Allison lives with her family.  Alli & I have been friends since we were 3…my mom used to babysit her.  We are both in a state of shock and denial just how old that makes us now!  It is SO fun to share our families with each other…she has two adorable girls, and a full of spunk little guy.  We spent the evening having a great dinner, some wine…then a VERY windy walk down to the beach for some exploring and photos.  The winds were crazy, and the sun was still too high - but…that didn’t stop us from having a great time.  We must do it again soon my friend!

waiting on baby!

I keep trying to write this blog post…but am having trouble finding the right words!  I was SO excited when Tersia booked me to do her baby & birth photos…I just knew she was going to look amazing pregnant!  I hadn’t seen her for quite awhile before our session…so when they showed up at my house…I almost gasped when I saw how great she looked!  We had the best time on our shoot…Tersia & Sydney are so enjoyable to be around…and their love for each other just shines through.  I can’t wait to meet their beautiful baby girl…(soon I hope!).  Thank you so much Tersia & Sydney for inviting me to be a part of this incredible time in your lives - I’m honored.

welcoming Treyson…

Little Treyson decided to make a bit of an early arrival…so glad that I had gotten home from holidays the night before, and was still able to be with Crystal & RJ as they welcomed their gorgeous new baby boy.  Being present at a babies birth is so amazing…every single time!  It is just so incredibly special to be a part of such a life changing event!  So happy to meet you Treyson!

our roadtrip…so far!

After Ilaria leaving last Saturday, the boys & I decided we just couldn’t hang out around our very empty house, and needed to get away.  We decided a roadtrip was in order.  The first night we spent in Whistler…and Tuesday morning was spent at the Whistler Airdome.  I had planned to drop them off and go shopping, but after seeing the place, decided I needed to stay, in case any quick trips to the emergency room were necessary!

we made it out alive & relatively uninjured…and continued on to my brother’s house in Squamish for some relaxtion…WRONG!   The boys loved Squamish, and hanging out with Uncle Larry…I too love hanging out with my brother, but would feel so much safer if he just wasn’t into so much crazy stuff!  The boys did some AWESOME climbing…The boys loved the climbing - I found it a bit stressful, but great for photos!  We also had the most amazing weather - and spent on day at an awesome little park just outside of Squamish.  The water was great, and helped keep us cool in the +30 temps!

It seemed we hadn’t had quite enough excitement though, and the day before we left, my brother suggested we should hike up the Chief.  I have heard how amazing it is…so altho I was nervous, I agreed.  We were supposed to leave at 5:00pm, but, my brother is pretty much always late, so we got started at about 7:00.  The hike was pretty tough - harder than I expected, but still pretty fun.  At the top though, once we got on the rock - I was suddenly terrified!  Like, rooted to my spot, almost unable to move scared.  This should be pretty obvious, as you have to know that I would normally have taken A LOT of photos in a place like this…if only I were able to move!  Instead, I pretty much had to continue looking down, and not around…and handed my camera to my brother.  I’m very happy to say that I managed to get up the Chief…but am also confident that it will never happen again!  The hike down was pretty tough as well, as it’s very technical, and not easy IN THE DARK!

ahh…finally off to Victoria, for some serious relaxation!  We’ve had a great time here, spending time with Brian’s sister (who’s NOW 40!) and the rest of his family, as well as meeting up with some old & new friends!  Last night, we went to my friend and AMAZING photographer Michelle Loewen’s house for a great dinner, and got to meet her awesome family…and then snuck out for a quick after dinner photoshoot!  Michelle has always been one of my all time favorite photographers, and I am SO happy to have had her photograph my family!  She’s offered me a few sneak peaks - and I am in love!  Thank you SO much Michelle…I am so thrilled with the pics, and can hardly wait to see the rest!

We spent tonight with my lifelong friend Allison & her family…always so fun to share our kids with each other!  I have tons to proof when I get home…just got a few of my boys down on the beach tonight…it’s been so long since we’ve spent time with the boys in Victoria…it’s such a beautiful city!  Off to Whistler again tomorrow on our way home…for just a little more mountain biking fun!  Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far…!

more rodeo faves!

I’m heading out of town with my boys tomorrow…ROAD TRIP!  By the time I get home, the rodeo will be a distant memory, and everyone will have moved on, so thought I’d post a few more of my faves while it’s still fresh in our minds!  It was so great this year!  Perfect weather, great rides…major excitement - did I mention I LOVE the sport of rodeo?  I could go on and on…but, I think my photos show my passion for rodeo much better than my words!

Thanks for looking!

mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys

I had the best weekend photographing the stampede…it is my absolute favorite event ever to shoot…I just love everything about it!

Ilaria’s gone home…

And I am so incredibly sad.  She’s the daughter that I never had…and I feel so blessed that she came into my life.  She was a fabulous big sister to my boys, and we will all miss her so much.  Her beautiful laughter, her quirky sense of fun…just everything…

It was an absolute thrill for me to be a mom to a girl for a year…a joy I never thought I would get to experience, and it was everything I ever wished it could be…and so much more.  I found this quote online today…it’s perfect…

“Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start feeling sad, because I miss you, I remind myself how lucky I am to have someone so special to miss.”

See you soon Ilaria…counting the days…thank you for the most amazing 10 months!

Keats took this picture of Ilaria & I just before we drove her to the airport…and yes, those are tears in our eyes…