Valentine's Day has snuck up on me once again! Amazingly I managed to get my two shoots with Moses & Chloe done over the weekend in time to edit and send my print order out for my Mom! She saw a bunch of the ones I did with Chloe on Friday, but the ones of Moses will definitely be a fun surprise for her. I had so much fun with both these shoots, going to start composing my blog post tonight!
XO
My mom came over today. She came just as I was setting up to do a Valentine's Day shoot with Little C. It turned out better than I could have imagined and I am losing my mind knowing that I won't be able to post it for another week. I have had this idea/inspiration planted in my brain for a number of weeks and was very nervous about how my version would translate. It is perfect. My mom snuck Chloe into the kids' room to change into a new outfit she had found. Chloe came out in a tiny little tunic that had me squealing like a pig!
Having been enrolled in Catholic Private Schools, I spent my entire elementary and high school years in a uniform. I have to say, I am really loving my mom for dressing Chloe in things that I used to wear. She saved my ballerina leotard and mouse tutu and ears from when I took ballet at age 4. Chloe is in love with the tutu and ears and it just melts my heart seeing her so happy.
We started off this little shoot with a little red beret knitted by high school friend, Sally. Sally lives in Toronto and I only see her every couple of years, but on her last visit she had made this beret with a matching scarf for Chloe and a tin full of cookies for all to share. Perfect match.
Switched to a Hello Kitty headband to match her Hello Kitty book ...
…aaaaand, well no uniform is complete without a little Blair Waldorf (for you Caela!).
This was fun. Really digging the lighting in these photos but really all I can think about is how excited I am for these Valentine's Day ones for next week.
Have a great weekend!
XOXO Gossip Girl ;)
Where does the time go? Motherhood is a crazy place to be. That first year seemingly lasts forever; we anticipate our little one's first milestones and do our best to not feel competitive when Baby Jones meets his/her milestone first. We worry when their progression does not match up with our favourite baby guidebook or worse with other babies in the same age bracket. We almost wish all that time away, eager to end the sleepless nights, eager for them to sit up, roll over, wave/hi-5/pound, hear their first word... to see whom our little one will blossom into. Their first birthday arrives out of nowhere and we wonder how those very long days went by so very fast!
It's different with the second. The first one breaks you in, teaches you the ropes. The second one arrives to calmer arms, ready to rock and soothe. There is less time for panic and adaptation, and more time to take it aaaallllllll in.
Miss Eleanor was featured a week before Christmas while still perfecting her tiny toes and lips in her Mama's belly. Back then, she was Chicadoan to Mama Rita and Big Sis Verity, today she is Eleanor Sky Sheena Beckett.
I tried to look back and capture the things I remembered when my little ones were itsy bitsy ones. The hours spent holding and comforting this very tiny being with their funny shaped body and even funnier bodily movements that would always draw a loving smile across my very tired face.
How I wish I had a few photos of me breastfeeding my kids as newborns. It seems so impossible that I don't have any considering it was what I did 50% of the time. Gazing at their tiny face, covered with down, playing and kissing with their free hand, grasping for dear life onto one of your fingers.
How fast they grow… We forget how tiny they are, how their heads could be cradled like a large grapefruit in our palms with their bodies small enough to comfortably fit the length of our thighs.
The millions upon millions of smooches, barely a whisper of a kiss on their tiny faces once finally asleep...
In the blink of an eye, it's gone. Their chubby arms and legs branch out into lean limbs and that perfectly round belly melts away and stretches itself right out.
Just like that, Verity has become a big sister.
And so begins the journey of these 3 lovely ladies.
It's a crazy beautiful life.
xo
One of the most rewarding parts of being a photographer has been the people I have met and the stories they have shared with me. I have had cried in the car following a handful of consultations and sessions, inspired and overwhelmed by the courage these clients have drawn on in the face of adversity. It is always a pleasure to capture the joyful moments for families and couples to remember, but for those trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I am both deeply humbled and honoured. The stakes are higher. For many of these clients, it is a turning point in their lives, and these photos are part of that first step towards healing and growing.
Rita is due any second now as I write this post. She was 36.5 weeks when we did this session a week and a half ago, we were lucky to have booked a day that worked for both of us before Christmas. These photos mark a new beginning for her, her beautiful daughter Verity, and their new baby, nicknamed Chickadoan! The aim was to capture their special mother-daughter relationship before the arrival of baby number two.
I feel like we got it.
Thank you Rita & Sweet Verity for welcoming us into your home and allowing me to capture these special moments for you. It truly truly was a great honour.
xo
Better late than never! We miraculously managed to schedule our annual Holiday Photos into our crazy schedule with Miss Lindsay Elliott and as usual, she did not disappoint!
Postcard 2013
Lindsay getting in on the action with Momo
Christmas is finally over and I am on a mission to catch up on all the action that has been jam packed into the last month! We hope your Christmas was well spent with loved ones and that your bellies have been filled with delicious food.
A massive thank you to you, Linds, for capturing our family once again. Year after year we are so lucky to have you spoil us with your talent and time. MUCH LOVE LADY!!!!
CLICK ME for last year's photos
XO
