Bird Poo - Grrrrrr!

I thought I would start my journaling off with some pretty flowers to brighten your day!

Today, Kim and I had a couple shoots at the beach! The kids were all dressed up and soooo cute. Kim brought a really neat little sailboat that the kids could sit in. The children were happy and amazing. The great outdoors always seems to bring smiles to the faces of the little ones.

The weather was very 'iffy'. One moment it looked like there was going to be a down pour and the next minute the sun would shine. I thought I got hit with a bunch of large raindrops... guess again - it was bird poo - grrrr. It was on my head, leg and arm...yuck, yuck, yuckeeee! I didn't actual realize it was bird poo for a little while until I saw the mom of the children wiping the dads head. Then, I though I would joke (so I thought) asking if he was hit with bird poo - the mom responded yes - ahhhhhh, that's when I looked at my leg and realized what I thought was a rain drop was actually bird poo - grrr again. From what I hear getting hit with bird poo is suppose to be good luck.

Connor brought his report card home and WOW, WOW, WOWEEE! Ryan and I are so very proud of him. His report card consisted of straight A's except one B+. The B was in art and drama. Connor is one amazing child always amazing us with his personality, hard work and dedication. Connor really sets his mind to things and works his heart out. We are blessed with amazing children.

I took Connor to the Doctors on Monday because he was feverish and under the weather. The poor guy has streep throught - NO FUN! It has been a quiet couple of days. Connor also has a mole on his back that has grown and changed colour a little. The Doctor recommends removing it and having a biopsy done...it's never a dull moment. He recommends doind this in the middle of August. Gives me a little time to do some research! If anyone has any thoughts, recommendations or knowledge I would love to hear it. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Have a great evening!!!

Another weekend has come and gone - it is so crazy how fast life goes. We have been in and out all weekend long. I think this is the first time we have sat down and it is to do work. Ryan is beside me doing some work to prepare for his upcoming "busy" week and I need to study for my final exam tomorrow. First, I thought I would add my thoughts and experiences with you!

Connor and Jacob had their lacrosse playoffs this week-end. They are both exhausted. Little Jakie worked hard and his legs were like wheels motoring along on the floor. Connor was a machine working up a sweat. Both of them played hard and ended the season with lots of cheers and excitement. Connor's team was undefeated going into this weekend and they continued that streak winning all four games on their way to the Novice championship! Yeah how exciting is that!!!!!! Unfortunately, I missed a few of their games because I was working both Saturday and Sunday but Grandma and Grandpa came down from Toronto to fill my spot. They were able to catch one of each of their games. Connor and Jacob worked extra hard to show off - yeah...I think they need to attend all their games - thanks Grandma and Grandpa. The boys were thrilled to see you. Even though I missed a few of their games and that made me sad I was very happy working and doing what I love so very much - taking pictures. I was able to still see some of their games and Ryan was there for the others so it all worked out in the end.

I stopped by Quiston (my brother) and Susan's house Saturday night and they had some friends over. Well, there was this cute and I mean cute little baby boy that I just had to capture a few shots of. Joshua is not quite two and he has a great disposition. He was just wondering around the backyard doing his thing. I decided to follow him and take some pictures. This little guy would just make me smile. He was so full of life. Joshua was concentrating on everything. He was watching the people, children, trees, toys and the simplicity of life. He was taking everything in. Even though the pictures were not of him smiling, I loved them so much because he was thinking and moving on his own terms. He knew the camera was there but he didn't care. He just wanted to move freely and be his own individual doing his own things.

I love the challenge of capturing an image of a moving toddler. It really brings joy to me to capture the sparkle in their eyes and natural movement of who they are. I love to freeze these moments in time. It's all a moment, every movement, every pose and every action. I just want to take those natural movements and moments of your child and freeze them for you. Yes, a beautiful smiling face is wonderful but so is the pout, giggle, cry, frown, serious face and all the different faces that your child makes during that moment in their life.

Our children grow very quickly and each of these facial expressions change all too quickly. My goal is to take my camera and freeze it for you forever. Many times a day I say to my own boys that they need to stop growing and stop changing. They were once babies and toddlers waddling around like a drunken soldiers and now they run hard, fast and solid like a child or far too soon teenager - ahhhh! Capture those moments, all of them and freeze them so you can look back and never forget those all too cute facial expressions. Anyway you can see from Joshua's eyes that he will melt the hearts of many!








I am off to study so I can ace my exam! I just loved taking this photography course as I have grown and learned so much in such a short time. I hope I can continue to grow and become better and better everyday. I hope I can photograph many of your children for years and years to come. Children have always brought joy to my life and so now I hope I can capture them for you to bring joy to your life! Have a great evening.

I was scrolling through my pictures looking for a photo to scrap and I came across this picture I took at the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was so cute and fun.

I was trying to pose the two monkeys with the beautiful tulips that were everywhere and Connor said "mom, I have an idea, why don't we take our shoes off and sit on the bridge." That was the most amazing idea as they both naturally interacted. They smiled, giggled, laughed and had a great conversation while I was across the water enjoying their conversation through the view finder on my camera.

The best pictures are often the most natural ones, the ones the kids are leading. If you are looking to get the best smiles and the most relaxed picture let your child(ren) move freely in an area that is a scenic background. I wanted to be here to capture the beauty with my children. Connor and Jacob wanted to be on the bridge - so this was the result. Although, I am still pretty picky and I would be a little happier if the sun wasn't so bright causing so many shadows...oh well, just an excuse to return - yeah!

If you are looking for beatiful scenery the Royal Botanical Garden is definitely the place for you. There are so many fabulous picture spots. Every angle is breath taking! The boys and I love finding outdoor nature adventures to spend our days together. Before long, the two of them will be grown up wanting to spend their time with their friends, so Ryan and I need to take advantage of them while they are little and while we are still the "boss" LOL

Connor and Jacob came home from school today with some of their art work, so I thought I would share a picture from each of them! Jacob's picture is the butterfly and Connor's picture is the tulips and the very large foot - grrrr how is it possible that he is growing so large - NOT FAIR! Can you believe he is actually getting close to my height ahhh! I guess it is not hard when I am only five feet two and a half inches - I am not very tall so I have no doubt that I will be looking up to both boys OMG, so not ready for that. I tell them all the time that they are not allowed to get any bigger...I guess I don't have a choice.



School is almost over. The boys are both done next Thursday and then we head up to the cottage for the Canada long weekend - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!! I hope their are a lot of frogs and toads. Jacob was at the cottage a couple of weekends ago and there were no froggies yet. Poor Jacob was alittle bit sad - soon enough little buddy.

Have a great evening!

It's been a few days since I have had a moment to spare to actually sit, enjoy a coffee and add a new post to my blog. I have been very busy preparing my final assignment to hand in on this past Monday. I have been given 3 separate assignments.

I guess I should first explain what the assignments are for. Well, most of you, I think, already know that I am taking a photography course at Mohawk College, for those of you that don't - now you do LOL!

I see why we go to school when we are young. We have more ENERGY and more TIME. Wow, I have found life very busy and go, go, go...I guess nothing new for our family really, as we seem to always keep ourselves pretty busy - good and bad. Good because we stay out of trouble but bad because every once in a while we feel run down. Like today for instance the boys and I decided to have a lazy morning and SLEEP IN - yeah...they are now at school. That is not something we do on a regular basis, in fact I think it is the first time all year but it felt good! Anyway, back to my original story (I get side tracked easy and loose my focus - comes with this old age ha! ha! ha! The course that I am taking is a studio Lighting course. I thought we would learn a lot more about the creative use of lights in the studio and ways to create different moods through the use of the lighting at the studio - not really. However, I have learned sooo many other things and I feel that I have strongly benefited from this course. I am really looking forward to taking more courses on photography in the future. The practice and assignments have helped me to grow and gain new experiences.

My first assignment was a mood lighting assignment. We need to take three separate shots using the exact same set up with the image but create different moods through the lights. I used natural outdoor lights for the first image, flash for the second and tungsten lights for the 3rd. I have included two images showing the work I prepared for this assignment. The first image I walked around WINNERS forever trying to put an image together - this is what I came up with...However, I second guessed myself and wondered if the picture had too much stuff included (my teacher wanted it simple and plain)...very difficult for me as I am not simple and like a lot of things so I thought I would keep it simple so I removed all the accessories and handed in the second image with just the flowers. I have not included the others as they are all the same just different light. I did receive my mark on this first assignment and I received 78% - it's ok but I wanted to do much, much better. I was always average at school and I had to study very hard to get a 60 or 70% so ideally I would love over 90%. I know in the end the mark does not matter because I am learning a ton and trying my best but if I could be picky I want the mark to be BETTER!





My second assignment was a model shoot in which I decided to use my son 5 year old son Jacob! He is my little poser. If it is just him and I he will do whatever I ask...as long as there are NO OTHER CHILDREN. I made the mistake of taking him to the skateboard park with his brother. He looked cool and his poses were soo cute but his face did not twinkle or sparkle. When Jacob is happy or content his eyes will smile and make your heart melt and give you goose bumps. Well, the skate park was a failure as the sparkle was lost. These are the two photo's I handed in...I am still waiting for the mark!





My third assignment was a product shoot. It took me a little while to decide what I wanted to do. I thought I was going to do shampoo, I even bought the shampoo and the conditioner and then I walked into Spencer gifts in the mall and saw a really cool CORONA cowboy hat...well, my mind starting running. I envisioned this hat on SUSAN my brothers fiancé (for a few reasons). First, she is beautiful and her hair is awesome and most importantly her favorite beer is CORONA. Now, the tough part...how do I get Susan to agree to this. I did not just want her to wear the hat, I wanted lots of makeup and very little clothes. We all know what sells....sex and beautiful women. I did a little begging and pleading and she agreed - yeah, it was for a good cause and why not you are only young once - thanks Susan. Now, as you can see from below she was awesome and very natural...go Susan! Although, her comments were that it is tough being a model and she was sweating under all the lights. These are just a few of the 100's that I took. A lot were the same poses with different outfits and little tweaking of the head, arms or beer.







I have my final exam this coming Monday - ahhhhh, I do not like TESTS...not my strong suit so wish me luck!

OMG where do I begin...well, my day like all days was pretty busy. It was a full day with lots of events and one BIG SURPRISE I'll save for the end - ha! ha! ha! I know what your thinking, your thinking you will just scroll down to the bottom of the page - forget it no cheating! Wait patiently and I will fill you in at the end. Save the great stuff for last!

Well, this morning I met Kim at the Burlington mall to go view an amazing very inspirational well known nature photographer. Him and his wife have a brilliant eye for breath taking gorgeous photos. The neatest thing is the stories behind each picture. Him and his wife travel the world and capture moments in time for the world to see. He waited 6 hours to capture the perfect sunset in Italy - soooo cool. Maybe one day Ryan and I can do the same thing - not anytime soon or maybe stay tuned for the end surprise...considering I don't like waiting for surprises I am being mean but it is fun when it is me making you wait LOL! If you click on the Norman Piluke's Photography you can view some of his photos - to die for. I would love to capture pictures like that...very inspirational and a goal I hope to one day accomplish (or atleast try). I know my photos will never compare but it's important to have dreams and goals - I will work hard and never give up!

After the mall I picked up Jacob from school and worked on my blog for a while - kinda on the behind the scene type of things, like changing some of the font to pink and adding other links and my teams of honour pictures to the right side - I tell ya this whole stuff is addicting.

A great friend of mine Sherry stopped by for a tea on her lunch break so we were able to enjoy a chat for a little while until she needed to go back to work - although, Jacob seemed to steel the air time/talk time as he had so many questions. Everytime we started to talk he would so sweetly have a question - of course he does it in a way that is sooo extremely cute you can't help yourself but to smile and say "yes Jacob" every single time. Jacob and I went to visit Nana and Papa for a short but nice visit and then we went off on our way.

Connor had Lacrosse this evening and then we went to Quiston and Susan's house for a cup of tea. Are you ready for the surprise...are you sitting down - of course you are you are on the computer...silly, silly me LOL!

They have set a date to be married - OMG...those of you that know me and Quiston (my brother) and Susan will know that they have been engaged for eons or it seems like it. Quiston enjoys his toys too much, so the final date setting has been delayed until now - YEAH. They are going to go away somewhere tropical - yeah again...going back to my above sentence, I think I get to travel somewhere beautiful. Not only will I be able to take pictures of the scenery I will be able to help capture a very special time in the lives of people so very dear and near to me - YEAH AGAIN!!!! I didn't get to choose Susan as a sister-in-law but Quiston did and I choose to have her as my best friend and a very special person to me...I could only get away with steeling Susan's birth control pills and ripping up her birth control prescription LOL - I really want her to have a baby and I think her clock is ticking - thank goodness. Susan has a very big heart and she is such a wonderful person. You know I think I say it a lot but I am truly, truly blessed with the people I have in my life. I don't always get to see them or talk to them but do know one thing or a few things I DO always think of the people in my life and I do carry them in my heart everywhere I go. If I don't phone you or speak to you in a while just visit. I get caught up on the computer, transporting my children from arena to arena or sport to sport. Ryan and I just had our first conversation at 10:10 at night as we were running in different directions all day. The lucky bum was golfing - not that I would want to be golfing but it was enjoyment for him which he deserves and then he went to Niagara Fall to represent Bell at an awards ceremony!

There is my day in a nut shell and I have not even scrapbooked today or did any house work - ahhhhh...laundry is piling up.

oh ya I did get to take a few pictures of Connor today. I wanted to get a couple shots of the two boys together as a gift for fathers day but that didn't happen so enjoy the one of just Connor! Good-night

You see, I really can talk a lot - just ask Ryan - I just tend to stay a little quiet and not tell you all these stories because I worry about steeling all the talk time but in this blog I can talk all I want and you can choose to read or move on - your choice but I got to speak my day and tell my life stories - not always exciting but I can definitely ramble - sorry! Hope you enjoyed!!

This picture was taken in my backyard under the overhang to minimize shadows. I hung a black sheet from my garden swing and had Connor stand in front - the little bum would not smile so I told him to do 10 jumping jacks and run in a circle - well, he thought I was retarded and started to laugh. So I snapped a few shots and this was the best out of the series!

Tonight Jacob, Connor and I went to Ryan's (Daddy's) hockey game. Ryan was playing at Ice Sports in Oakville. His team won 5 - 1 - yeah Daddy or I should say "Holy MOLY WHAT A GOALIE". Ryan had an awesome glove save. We were so very proud of him. The kids were thrilled. Little Jakie kept re'enacting his glove save - soooo cute. Jacob is starting to worry me a little because he is my forward (I hope) player!!! It's not a bad thing if he decides he wants to be a goalie like his older brother and like his Daddy but he does a great, great job at scoring goals so I would love to have one of each - a player and a goalie not to mention it is a little cheaper if he decides to be a player...I guess time will tell.

Jacob was suppose to go to Lacrosse but the poor little guy has been so tired come 5:00 that his legs just don't run as fast as they normally do. His energy levels are low - imagine that. We decided to stay home and rest a little so they would have energy to see their dad play hockey. Most Wednesday evenings Ryan's hockey is very late at night so the boys miss the majority of games. I thought I would be a nice mommy and take them to the game. Well, a great game it was. The boys were thrilled and ready for bed.

When we got home Connor told me he forgot my baseball glove at the park this afternoon - grrrrrr, it was a good glove. Connor was rather upset and thinks he is going to be grounded for the next 100 years. He might lose his allowance for the next 100 years LOL! They are both sleeping soundly and Ryan just got home and scared the heck out of me. He told me he was going to the bar so when the front door opened my heart began to beat very quickly and I was a lot worried - I didn't know what to do. I yelled "hello, hello" and the little bugger did not answer at first leaving me to get even more scrared - where was the dog? outside, what good is that grrrrr. A lot of grrrr's today - LOL. Overall, a very good day - I am off to bed as I am exhausted - good night, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite LOL!

On Tuesday June 13th, 2006 Jacob and I went to the Royal Botanical Gardens to enjoy the great outdoors and mother nature. We went with our neighbours Jen, Grace and Simon. The kids enjoyed a fun scenic bus ride around the grounds - that is after we waited forever for the bus to arrive. The kids were so hot but patient. Jen and I enjoyed the beautiful breath taking flowers while the kids ran past all flower beds watching the artisits paint. Above are just some of the spectacular bright and vibrant flowers that were in bloom in Laking Garden. It is so nice that the spring weather is here. The kids love being outdoors and so do I....Have a great day!

Well, where do I start...if you are bored or have time on your hands you can view my photobucket, the link is located to the right. You will find many, many digital scrapbook pages/layouts of my family.

My family is my love and my life. My family is who I am and who I adore and cherish. I love life and want to live it to it's fullest. Once you have browsed through my galleries you will soon understand this is where I started to realize my love and passion for photography. I am addicted to taking pictures and creating family memories. I enjoy capturing moments in time of my family and the many families I meet. I am so thrilled I have found my calling in life. I have worked for an office (Bell) for 6 years. I have been a stay at home mom running and operating my own home daycare. I meet Kim Nicol owner of Kreative Edge Portrait Studio back before Christmas. I was there getting a family portrait done. We started talking and she has taken me on part-time. Everone has a place in this world, it is just finding it - it took me a little time as I am now 33 but I can't tell you how exciting it is. It's like finding your soul mate - you just know! Good thing for a supportive husband ha! ha!

Ryan, is my best friend and soul mate. He has supported me and backed me in every decision and change/challenge in life. Ryan always inspires me with his positive attitude towards everyday challenges and life problems. He is a husband that makes my life better each and everyday!! I am not trying to bore you or take any more of your precious time LOL(I mean that sincerely) - I just am so eager to learn and develop my photography skills so I could one day be half as great as Kim Nicol from Kreative Edge or Kim Hill from CG Essentials. Kim Hill is someone I meet over the internet through a scrapbooking website - CG Essentials.

Kim Hill is a digital kit designer and an amazing photographer. Kim Hill has been my mentor for both scrapbooking and photography. She has been there for me morning, noon and night answering my many, many questions. I owe both Kim's for their faith, support and trust in me. There is nothing more fortunate in this world to be surrounded by people that have confidence in your abilities. These individauls along with my family have made me feel very blessed.

This career means the world to me and I am very determined to master it and learn everything I need to know to be successful. I know there are many people with sooooo much knowledge in their brain like Kim Hill at CG Essentials or Kim Nicol from Kreative Edge and if I could crawl inside their brain to get all of the information I would ha! ha! ha!

On a more serious note, I want 20 years experience yesterday -LOL. I have learned so much in such a short time and I am determined through hard work and practise to master the art!

One thing you should know about me or might already know I am not the best speller or grammar person. If these things bother you, then you might want to stop reading now (sorry, I guess I left the warning alittle late LOL) . I am a crafty or creative person not an english major. I debated setting this blog up as it is primarily a writing thing. However, I thought I would go ahead anyway since the journaling will help me to improve upon that skill set and tell the world my personal stories - ahhhhh, look out world!!!!!