J. and O. are adorable!  They are full of energy and curiosity.  To see the world in a new light, all you have to do is spend time with preschool kids.

As I was taking pictures through out their session, I saw so much love within this family.  Mom and Dad make a great team and their love for one another is plain to see.

I love taking pictures of married couples.  So often married couples don’t get pictures together once the kids come along. Focus quickly shifts to all things kids, but the love that grows between couples through out a marriage is beautiful! The type of love where you can finish each other’s sentences, and truly value the time you get together as life is so busy. Love, love, love it

The kids found a frog and J. decided that if her brother would just kiss the frog, he would turn into a “princess”.

J. kissed that frog over and over! It was so funny!

This final image, is one that captures what parenting young kids is all about…where a kiss from Mom and Dad can make anything better.

Thank you so much B. family for spending the evening with me!  You have a beautiful family…you are very blessed.

Tyler is 13, Lucas is 8, and Tessa is 5.  Please note her Hello Kitty socks.  It was very important to her that you be able to see them in the photos.

As a photographer, you may think taking pictures of my own kids would be like any other session.  I’m going to tell you it’s a lot like trying to staple jello to a wall, it’s quite difficult.  They are so used to Mom with her camera…an extension of my arm.  If I wanted to capture frame after frame of my kids looking away from the camera and not even in the same frame (as they don’t stay still long enough)…it would have been no problem. Midway through our little photography session, I realized I morphed into the sideline Mom as well as photographer (mostly sideline Mom) yelling out bribes between frames along with “These are MEMORIES kids…please, for the love of chocolate, SHOW SOME LOVE TO EACH OTHER!”.  I may have to seek out one of my photographer friends to do the job next year!

Every Mom thinks their kids are THE BEST, but I just want to share with you what makes each one of my kids special to me.

This is my oldest son Tyler.  He’s going to be 14 next month.

He’s a teenager now.  This fact still hasn’t sunk in yet.  To me he’s still the talk-your-ear off little boy who was like my shadow.  For 5 1/2 years it was just me, Tyler, and my husband in our little family.  My hubby worked away a lot, so Ty and I spent a lot of time just the two of us.  He was (still is) such a social child.

I remember years ago during our family holidays we would rent a cabin.  My sister’s and their families also rented cabins beside us.   I would put Ty to bed for the night, and my sisters would quietly come over to my cabin after all the kids were tucked in and sleeping, and with the first noise Tyler would scream “Who’s There! Tell me who you are! Come poke your face in my room so I can see who you are!”  When I had friends over to my house, Tyler would coax them into his room, shut the door, and block it while he scream/sang “Jeremiah was a Bull frog, was a good friend of mine” (Joy to the World by Three Dog Night).  He made them sit in his room and listen to the entire song before he released them.

He’s a sensitive soul, has the spirit of a leader, and has a wicked sense of humour.

This is my son Lucas.  He’s 8.

He’s also a people person.  He’s very soft-hearted and definitely marches to the beat of his own drum.  He’s mechanically inclined too.  From the time he learned to walk, he had this desire to go exploring.  He used to stack stools, toys, whatever he could to reach the lock on the door to go outside. He figured out how to open a deadbolt along with an additional door lock when he was just one.  I had to get an extra lock installed at the very top of the door to keep him from going outside alone (that’s three locks on one door!)

He has so much energy. He’s a morning person. He bolts out of bed like a jack-in-the box ready to take on the day.  He has a soft spot in his heart for animals and for kids younger than he is. He’s a natural caretaker, and if we go to the park he usually seeks out a toddler to help down a slide.

This is Tessa.  She’s our baby and will soon turn 6.

Tessa prefers peaceful quiet to busy and loud.  She can play on her own for hours and she is wildly imaginative. She’s already decided she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up.  She loves animals, especially our dog Teddy.

Tessa is also tender-hearted.  She feels not only sympathy for others, but also empathy.  If she sees someone hurting, she’s the first to offer a big hug.  She asks A LOT of questions…about everything and anything. I recently took her for a hair cut, and it ended up taking 45 minutes because she asked the hairdresser questions the ENTIRE time.  ”What’s that thingy over there?  How long have you had those flowers? I gave my Mom a flower once but it died and she put it in the garbage. I like your necklace.  Do you like my necklace? I have a dog named Teddy. He chews my toys. I can jump REALLY high. I have a friend named Zoe at school and she has glasses”  and on and on from there…(you get the idea).

Tessa is so loving.  I love that about her and often all she needs to turn her day around is a hug or a cuddle on my lap.  We have this little game we play.

I start with “I love you Tessa.”

Tessa: “I love you more.”

Me: “I love you to the moon and back.”

Tessa: “I love you to infinity”

Me: “I love you infinity plus one.”

Tessa: “I love you infinity plus infinity…I win”

Me: “You couldn’t possibly love me more than I love you…”

Tessa: “Your the best Mom I’ve ever had”

Me: “Your the best daughter I’ve ever had”

Tessa: “You look beautiful today…now aren’t you going to say something nice about me?!”

She also just learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. She’s so proud!

My kids LOVE riding their bikes, so getting a picture with their bikes was a must.

Ty sticks out his tongue when he concentrates…as all of my kids do.

At times when I realize how fast my kids are growing up, I get a little panicky.  It’s a reminder to slow down and rather than worry about the person they will become,  instead invest time in learning who they are now.

It’s easy in the stress of one of those “I need a dozen cupcakes for school by tomorrow” kind of days to forget how blessed I am to have three amazing, unique, beautiful children.  I love you to the moon and back!

I stumbled across this poem the other day that touched my heart…

“Just for Today”
by Sally Meyer

Just for this morning,
I am going to smile when I see your face…
and laugh when I feel like crying.

Just for this morning,
I will let you wake up softly in your flannel p.j.’s…
and hold you until you are ready to stir.

Just for this morning,
I will let you choose what you want to wear…
and I will say how beautiful you are.

Just for this morning,
I will step over the laundry to pick you up…
and take you to the park to play

Just for this morning,
I will leave the dishes in the sink…
and let you teach me how to put your puzzle together.

Just for this afternoon,
I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off…
and sit with you in the garden
blowing bubbles.

Just for this afternoon,
I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you
scream and whine for the ice cream truck…
and I will buy you one, if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon,
I won’t worry about what you are going to be
when you grow up…
I  will simply love you for the joy you bring me

Just for this afternoon,
I will let you help me make cookies…
and I wont stand over you . . .  trying to ‘fix things.’

Just for this afternoon,
I will take you to McDonald’s and buy us both a ‘Happy Meal’…
so you can have two toys.

Just for this evening,
I will hold you in my arms and tell you the story of how you
were born…
and how much we love you.

Just for this evening,
I will let you splash in the bathtub…
and I won’t get angry when you pour water over your sister’s
head.

Just for this evening,
I will let you stay up late…
while we sit on the porch swing
and count all the stars.

Just for this evening,
I will bring you glasses of water…
and snuggle beside you for hours…
and miss my favorite t.v. show.

And tonight when you are sleeping safe and warm in your bed,
I will think of the mothers and fathers
who mourn for the children they have lost.

I will remember the parents who sit by hospital beds,
watching over the little ones they love.

I will weep for those parents whose children are cold,
hungry and suffering,

and …. this evening,
when I  kneel down to pray,
I will simply be grateful for all that I have

and not ask for anything…

except  just one more day.

She’s turning 1 in a few days!  To celebrate the event, she came over for a cake smashing!

Her mom made the cake and what a beautiful cake it was!  I am so impressed with your cake making skills Carmen. Can you believe this is the very first fondant cake she’s ever made? Amazing! Even though the cake gets smashed, it’s such a treasured keepsake for Caris…captured in photos. Nice work! I have to tell you Carmen, motherhood looks stunning on you.

Caris is just learning to walk.  She’s almost there.

Onto the cake smashing!  The best thing about cake smashings is that you really get to see their personality come out in how they smash the cake. Caris took her time before she sampled the cake. It was like she understood how much time and work her Mom poured into that beautiful cake.

Don’t you just love her Sumo Wrestler pose?

Happy Birthday sweet Caris! Thanks for the entertainment!