come as you are | Sarah Jack + Eli

i really would have loved to start this series off with this session but it was a few days following the other two and i really needed to jump onto editing them before getting too overwhelmed.  Last year, I booked a session with Jayme Anne Photography for Mother's Day.  I loved them so much, I am booked again for the end of May!  I was so inspired by her Project Motherhood series to get MOMS in front of the camera, I decided to also contribute to getting more Moms in front of the camera.  Sarah, however, was the one that pushed me to really focus on the real deal, the maybe-not-picture-perfect-enough-for-Instagram deal.  her words, which i wrote down were:  "meeting moms where you are at, we don't need you to get dressed, clean the house or put on make up..."  this spoke deeply to me because, honestly, that is the photography i started out with.  ithe introduction of Instagram and Pinterest really changed our perceptions of normal as we were suddenly being inundated with everyone's highlight reel and strugginlg not to compare it to our normal.  we are expected to do EVERYTHING, be EVERYTHING, and never falter, never sweat, never show weakness.  that kind of expectation is debilitating and unrealistic.   

...so!  i'm trying to get back to that rawness and honesty, and what better time than in celebration of Mother's Day!  the rawest of the raw.  it has truly been a breath of fresh air!  in spite of how these first three sessions differ SO GREATLY from one another, i love how they still manage to praise the Mother and her story with equal respect and recognition that she, indeed, is doing her best to selflessly love her kids no matter how insecure she may be feeling, no matter how tired she is from whatever issues she may be losing sleep over, no matter what her current struggles may be...  i love that by showing a variety of Mothers in their everyday environment, moms will be able to relate in an honest way with one another and close the gap created by the highlight reels of social media.  by recognizing and exonerating the beauty of Motherhood's everyday imperfections, i hope to encourage a greater sense of empathy and support within community.  we have lost the village mentality.  we need to rebuild that!

this session was awesome because Sarah wanted to capture her morning with the boys.  it was an early wake-up call to arrive at 7am, but it was absolutely worth it.  as it was a Sunday, they were able to enjoy a slow quiet morning without the hectic chaos of the school routine.

eventually, as you will see, Sarah will get to enjoy her cup of tea.

enjoy!

Sarah, what a treat to spend the morning with you and your boys.
Thank you for welcoming me into your home and life.

xo


come as you are | Saara Leila + Millie

 

These are the most beautiful pictures.
You captured every mundane moment and pulled every ounce of beauty from it.

Nick and I both got so emotional over these.
It's like, all the worrying and sleeplessness and feeling pathetic ARE worth it
when I see it from your eyes, from their eyes.

This is beyond anything I could have imagined.
You just gave me so much.  Again.  To be able to give these to the girls one day.

You've seen me at my worst.  And now to see these moments, to share them with you.
Thank you from the deepest part of me, with so much joy and gratitude.


~ Saara C.


It sounds like I did my job.

This session was very close to my heart.  There are so many women that I have become friends with in our little town, all of which I would love to honour with these sessions, but I have to admit that receiving the text request to do Saara really made my day.  She was the first Mom I met when we moved back here in 2009 when Moses was 5 months and her daughter Leila was 11 months.  We were both first time moms, desperate for company, visiting one another's homes numerous times a week for sanity.  In the last 7 years, I've witnessed her struggle as a single mom, seen her through many ups and downs.  To see her now, remarried to a truly wonderful kind-hearted soul and blessed with another gorgeous little child, it means the world to me that she has found happiness.

At the end of this session, I acknowledged all this, and we both had a good cry and a hug on the bottom of her stairs in her new home.

I love you, Friend.
You deserve every last drop of this love + happiness.

xo

 


come as you are | Lissa Bailey + Ocea

Just a few favourites from our first come as you are mother's day sessions from last week in the lovely Beach Grove with a Mama I met a good couple of years back.  We only seem to run into one another once or twice a year, if that, so it was really special to spend this time with her to see where she was in her Motherhood journey.  Her girls, energetic + hilarious, just like their beautiful Mama.

couldn't have a more perfect start to these sessions

xo


Hastie 34 | A Collect + Cultivate Party

Nothing kicks off the anticipation and excitement of the coming summer like a party at The Farm.  We had a party to celebrate Mike's Birthday, organized and hosted by his fabulous earth-mother wife, Emily of Collect + Cultivate.  There isn't really much to say other than IT WAS PERFECT.  The weather was gorgeous, we had an abundance of delicious homemade food and drinks, a skateboarding ramp, multiple forms of entertainment for the kids (trampoline, playhouse, OPEN SPACE TO RUN AROUND), the firepit, and late night churros... 

A few faves from our fantastic evening

Happy Birthday Mike!

Thank you to Em for hosting yet another incredible party!

 


ART CLUB | Week 2 Wrap-Up!

I learned a lot over the 2 week stint of our Art Club.  Made tweaks and took a lot of notes as I went along.  I know I am too hard on myself, but I gotta keep those standards up there!  Everyone had a great time and there were many parents who requested Summer classes through person, text and email, so it seems like I'm not going to have a choice.  This is good.

Anyway, just a quick bunch of photos from Week 2!

THANK YOU to the ladies that encouraged NAY pushed me to set-up these classes.  A special Thank You to the many moms who have been there over the last few years with my photography, for supporting me yet again on this new path.  I am so lucky to be part of a community of amazing women!  And a very warm Thank You to the new moms that I have met for joining in on a fruitful and fun experience!  I truly had a great time with the variety of creative minds and hands, I really loved being able to recognize their different strengths and wiggle them out of their comfort zones.  Looking forward to seeing familiar faces come summer time!

THANK YOU!!!!! 
xoxoxo