Our Journey into Parenthood...

Worshipping a Galaxial God

2011-10-03T23:26:00.002-04:00

This brought me to tears. It's beautiful and convicting, and well worth the time to watch and listen and worship along with. Thanks, Mom, for sharing it with me!

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/the-global-god-who-gives-the-great-commission

If You're Having Withdrawls...

2011-09-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

feel free to stop in over here. It's a big, big week in the Happy Hoogstad Household!

Easter Weekend

2011-08-01T08:38:00.001-04:00

We spent Easter weekend at Mom and Dad Hoogstad's place, which is always fun for us. Despite the rain in the forecast, we had beautiful weather and spent a lot of time outside, which was especially fantastic since we had such a wet spring this year.

Mom loves to plan special activities for when her grandchildren come to visit, and this time was an easter egg hunt. The eggs were huge and there was one per child so they each had to find one. Here, Micah has spotted one hiding under a toy.

Danielle found hers already and was asking me to peel off the wrapper.

Poor Rachel was the last one to find an egg. She was searching high and low!

Leah, all dressed up and showing me her egg.

Sara and Leah had discovered the last egg and were directing Rachel to it.

Success at last!

The best part is eating them, of course.

I was also very saddened to see the little trailer destroyed. Kevin and I have used this trailer for the last 4 years for camping with our family. This past winter, the heavy snow collapsed the overhang on Dad's shop, and "our" poor trailer was parked underneath. That was the end of that! I took some pictures to say goodbye to our old friend. You can see the trailer in some of the older camping posts from this blog here, here and here.

We enjoyed an afternoon campfire with the family.

My beautiful Rachel, loving being outside!

Kelly-Lynn.

Micah, sneezing from the sun. He's just like his daddy!

Ah, that's better.

Danielle fell and scraped her hand, so she was finding solace on Grandma's lap.

But she still smiles for her mama.

Mom and Dad's house is surrounded by sandy loam soil, which is great for the kids to play with. Almost like being at the beach!

Micah will most definitely be needing a new winter coat next year.

Jeremy woke from his nap and joined us outside.

Daddy was going over fire safety rules again. We can't be too careful!

We also got to drive Dad's ATV around a lot, but I didn't get pictures of that. All the kids got rides, too. It was a great weekend!

More Layouts

2011-07-30T07:44:00.003-04:00

I finally finished the Grow With Love: Kids Edition project. Although, I misread the last two prompts (Day 19 was from the kids edition and Day 20 was from the marriage edition) and thought they were two similar (duh) so I only made one layout for the last two prompts. Oh well, I still completed the project. Here are the last few layouts for the album:

Day Eighteen: Retrospect
Journaling: Micah, you have been through the most of any of your siblings in the last four years. Three major surgeries, countless doctor appointments, and a little bit of growing. You’re still small for your age, but you’re starting to eat better (finally!), so you’ve been growing well the last six months or so. You’re still pretty anxious, but that has improved greatly in the last year as well. You’re doing well, my boy!

Day Eighteen: Retrospect
Journaling: Rachel, you’ve done so much growing and changing over the last four years. I love the little girl you are developing into! You’ve always had an independent streak, so that hasn’t changed. Your gappy teeth have all but grown together thanks to getting rid of your soother. You’ve learned all your letters and most of the sounds those letters make. You’re still very keen on learning new things, and also sitting back and observing until you’ve gotten the hang of it yourself. You’ve learned to share and are getting better at empathy. You love to dress up and look nice, so you sit still when I want to do your hair. You’re getting too grown up, little one!

Day Eighteen: Retrospect
Journaling: Danielle, you haven’t changed as much as the twins over the past three years. You’ve always been expressive, and a little bit silly. When you are happy, you’re very happy, and when you’re sad, you’re very sad. You love to dance, and you’re always on the move. One thing that has changed is you’re not as much of a mommy-suck anymore. I’m so glad you still love to snuggle, though!

Closing page
Journaling: Well, here we are, at the end of the “Grow with Love” kids edition album. I hope you kiddies enjoy these letters and notes when you’re older and share them with your own families, God willing. I also hope that you see a common theme running through this album - the fact that we are thankful. Thankful to God for granting us the privilege of being a family together, thankful for providing us with all that we need, thankful for each of you as an individual, and for who you are as a trio. Mommy and Daddy love you so much and we can’t wait to see what other memories we will make together and can look back on with thankfulness. Just… try not to grow up too fast, OK?

And of course, I was continuing on with my regular scrapbooking along side this project. I'm still creating for Sugarplum Paperie, Weeds and Wildflowers Design (although she is currently taking a break from designing), and most recently I asked Megan Farrow of Studio Flergs if I could be on her team and she said YES! I'm so glad I worked up the courage to ask:) You can find links to these lovely designs in my sidebar under "Sites I Love".

I'm Going to Miss This

2011-07-28T08:35:00.000-04:00

We are all looking forward to September when all three kiddies will be starting school. The twins will go to senior kidergarten 2 full days a week and Danielle will go to junior kindergarten two mornings a week. Unfortunately only one of those mornings overlap so that will be busy, but I will be getting at least one morning a week to work/grocery shop in peace:)

But I'd be lying if I said there weren't things I'm going to miss about having three preschoolers at home full time.

Things like the constant dressing up or relaxing mornings or having the kids get all excited when there is a big truck parked on our street.

Things like the constant mess from "crafting" and "scissoring" and making "artzookas".

(OK, well, maybe I won't miss this part so much).

Things like watching Rachel concentrate and cutting with her mouth open. She may or may not have inherited that from her mother... I have a picture of myself in grade two doing this exact thing.

Studio Lighting

2011-07-26T18:53:00.006-04:00

Whoa, how is it the end of July already? This month has been BUSY with family, holidays, work, and volunteering. I thought summer was supposed to be relaxing? Oh well, better next year, right? It's all a learning process.

Back to our chronological posting here, we come to the part when I become even more addicted to photography. I know, I'm having deja vu, too. It's not just you. :D

Long story short, I learned some more about studio lighting this spring. I did some work for another photographer and as part of my payment I received a studio strobe light from her that she no longer used. I had a light stand already for my flash, as well as a white shoot-through umbrella, so I used that for my light modifier on it's maiden voyage in my living room.

Of course, the kids were partially obliging to posing for me yet again.

This was at 8pm. It was dark outside and I was getting this kind of light for my photographs. To say I was giddy is an understatement.

I tried it again the next morning, so I was getting window light and strobe mixed together.

There is a lot less shadow now since the window light is providing a nice fill from camera left.

With this image, Danielle is being lit by the window and the strobe is acting as a hair light from above and behind her head.

A few weeks later, I bought an octabox (that big beautiful 5-foot diameter light modifier on the right). Here, I was experimenting with triggering my strobe (in the octabox) with radio triggers, which in turn triggered my flash using an optical slave system (behind the white umbrella on the floor beside the table). Yes, I was getting very geeky.

This gave me mixed results, but it was fun trying it out anyways.

Look at those catchlights.... *sigh*

In this photo, you can see the fill from the flash more clearly on the (camera) left of Micah's face.

I decided I didn't like the two lights together very much (because I don't have a second light stand and plus flash is daylight balanced and the strobe is tungsten, so the white balance doesn't match). So I went back to just one light the next time I took it out to play a week or three later.

Showing off her new Sunday dress made by Auntie Courtney.

I can't decide which I like more, this one or the next one.

And then there is Danielle...

Of course, Micah needed to get in on all the fun!

Anyways, hopefully I didn't bore you too much with sharing more about my photography. It's one of the things that makes my heart sing:)

Photographing Your Children

2011-06-21T08:26:00.019-04:00

Here are some MORE portraits of the kids (getting bored yet?), which I took for a blog post on my photography blog about photographing your own children.

Miscellaneous Layouts

2011-06-18T10:54:00.000-04:00

Some more recent layouts, all linked up if you want to see the credits.

Spazzy

2011-06-15T18:18:00.022-04:00

I love, love, LOVE these photos of Danielle. She has such a multi-faceted character and she's so passionate! There are many sides to her.

Pretending to be shy.

Giggly.

Silly.

Timid.

Sometimes compliant.

Kind of a baby still...

Enthusiastic.

Beautiful.

Rachel | Curls & Playdough

2011-06-12T18:18:00.019-04:00

Lately if we have time on Saturday nights, I'll put curlers in the girls' hair before bed so they have nice curls for Sunday. It's so cute! Rachel has poker straight hair and looks SO different with curls. She loves it!

Kevin is a hands-on Dad and really good about doing fun activities with the kids when he's watching them and I'm not home. Sometimes he lets them paint, or makes slushies, or makes playdough for them. I think this was a Saturday, and I came home to Rachel playing with some playdough, so I took some photos of course!

Don't worry - she didn't actually eat it:)

Growing Up

2011-06-09T16:46:00.015-04:00

Can you believe how big these kiddies are getting? The twins will soon be 5 and going off to kindergarten in the fall! We've also made the decision to put Danielle in junior kindergarten 2 half days a week. Unfortunately they will be in different schools and in school on some different days... oh well. I know she will still enjoy it and it will be good for her. It will be quite the change for all of us, but we are all looking forward to it.

Bowling

2011-06-06T16:44:00.034-04:00

My Mom is really good about experiencing things with her grandchildren and pushing Sarah and I out of our routined lives (yes, I can be very uptight!) and trying something new with our kids. On this winter day, we went out for breakfast with our families - Kevin, brother-in-law Joel, my Dad and brother Joel were also able to join us - and then went out bowling at Waterdown Lanes afterwards when Dad, Joel, and Joel went to work (Kevin didn't have to go in to work until the afternoon). This bowling alley has been around for a long time. I remember going there for birthday parties as a child!

Since it was a weekday morning, we had the bowling alley to ourselves. It was really fun! The kids LOVED it.

We used the ball guide a lot since the little ones had a hard time getting the ball to the end of the lane:) My Mom and Sarah helping Elyse and Juliana:

Jules getting ready to launch the ball.

Sarah getting ready for her turn - pregnant with James, who is now two weeks old:)

All the activity was a little too much for Elyse, so she had a break and yawned a bit:)

Jules knocked one down!

Leapers done her break and grabbing another ball.

Visiting Oma's

2011-06-03T16:38:00.007-04:00

This is my Grandma, and Oma to my kids so it's easier for them to differentiate between their grandparents and great-grandparents. The last time we went to visit, I brought my camera. Micah wasn't really in the mood to take photos, as you can tell - what a goof, but we got a couple of nice ones. These kinds of photos are SO important in family memory keeping!

Jeremy's Birthday

2011-06-01T15:36:00.039-04:00

In February, we traveled to Sarnia to celebrate our nephew Jeremy's 1st birthday. The last time we were there was for Jeremy's baptism in August, so it was fun to be there again. Michael and Season and their family came from Chatham, and Mom & Dad came from Brighton so we were only missing Doug & Teresa. It was a great day celebrating Jeremy!

Rachel snuggling Uncle Michael.

Rachel snuggling Grandma. She definitely loves attention!

Dad and Kevin.

The Birthday Boy having his lunch after a huge nap.

Danielle loved playing at a new house with new toys and her cousins!

So did Micah!

Niece Leah, Jeremy's sister.

Danielle demonstratively telling Grandma that she was in need of a candy in her mouth...

So she got a kiss instead.

Season & Michael.

Dad.

Jeremy with his daddy, Marc.

Love those South African curls!

Niece Sara, Jeremy's other sister.

Niece Alanna, looking so grown up in her glasses!

Zachie, the next youngest grandchild after Danielle and Jeremy.

Rachel and her little giggle:)

Love his little teeth growing in!

Renée made a really cool firetruck cake.

Singing to the birthday boy!

Opening presents.

Micah gave Jeremy some of his trains and Thomas the Tank Engine books and DVDs. He was so excited to give them to his cousin. It was really sweet:)

And a cool tractor and dump truck from Grandma and Grandpa!

Grow With Love: Kids Edition (continued)

2011-05-29T10:49:00.000-04:00

I'm still plugging along with the Grow With Love: Kids project that I started a few months back. I took a break from scrapping for a bit, but am back now and loving it! Not only do I get to have a creative outlet, I'm also writing letters and notes for my family to enjoy for years to come. That is what I call a productive hobby!

Continuing where I left off:
Day Ten: Write
Journaling: There are many hopes and dreams I have for you, my precious babies. I think the main one is that you will be content in life. God chooses to bless each of us in different ways and seemingly different degrees. Sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated or even jealous when we begin to compare our lives to those of others around us. But, rest assured, God will bless you in ways you cannot imagine. There will be low points and high points in life, and obviously it will be harder to be content in the low points, but hold on to the fact that God is in control and bring everything to him in prayer. He will carry you through, and will bring you back to that place of contentment if that is truly your heart’s desire. Make it a priority in your life!

Day Eleven: Act
Journaling: When our neighbours moved they dropped off some things for us to play with from when their kids were little. One of those things was this slushy maker called the Surf Shack. I’m not too fond of “messy activities” because frankly I don’t feel like cleaning up extra messes, but your Daddy really wanted to try it with you. He’s good like that! You had a blast and great memories were made, but we all agreed at the end of the day that we’ll wait until the warmer weather hits to try it again.

Day Twelve: Share
Journaling: Rach, you are a smartypants. You pick things up really quickly, and find great joy in learning new skills. Right now you are excelling in swimming lessons (the only one in your class that will dive to the bottom to get the rings!), and can write your name in really small letters, and I have a feeling you will even be reading soon. I’m so proud of you, Rachel!

Day Twelve: Share
Journaling: Danielle, you excel at showing affection. You LOVE to snuggle and be held and give kisses and generally drape yourself over your nearest object of affection. I really hope that never changes because I, for one, love it! You have the strongest bonds with Mommy, Daddy and Grandma. You also love to show affection toward various toys, even though you change out your favourite every week or so. Pony, Dora, Teddy, and Pooh Bear are all part of the regular rotation.
You also have a great zeal for life. Many things are a big deal and worthy of great joy to you. You love to explore and see new things. I can't wait to see what other loves you develop as you continue to grow, little one.

Day Twelve: Share
Journaling: Micah, you excel at creative play. You can pick up anything and make it into a toy. You love this little monkey suit and general pretend play. Yesterday you played camping by “roasting marshmallows” using your mini hockey stick, some polly pocket accessories and your sister’s My Little Pony castle for the “fire” (since it lights up). That is fantastic! I love your imagination - it’s truly astounding. I’m looking forward to seeing how you harness this creativity in your life.

Day Thirteen: Act

Day Fourteen: Share
Journaling: Motherhood is many things: exhausting, trying, difficult, but nobody ever warned me about how much FUN I’d have! You kids are hilarious and make me laugh every. single. day.

Day Fifteen: Share

Day Sixteen: Share
Journaling: I have big musical aspirations for you. Micah will play guitar, Rachel will play violin & Danielle will play cello. We’ll see what happens!

Day Seventeen: Reflect
Journaling: Lord's Day 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism

Love

2011-05-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

Kevin is a good man. A great husband and father. I love him so much and am so blessed that God has given him to me!

2010 Blog Book

2011-05-26T07:52:00.001-04:00

Once again, I took a year's worth of posts and made them into a book with blurb.com. And once again I am thrilled! Excellent quality and great, user-friendly software makes for a happy customer. I really, really love that feature they added last spring where you can create your own layouts and save them. That saved me tons of time with this year's book. It took me a week of working on it to finish it all up from beginning to end, where in other years it's always taken at least 2-3 weeks.

Anyways, here are a few pictures of this year's book. I always try to change up the cover colour, but now that this is my 5th book, I'm running out of gender-neutral colours. I think next year I'll have to go with my favourite colour: Pink!

This edition is 385 pages. Not as big as last year's, but pretty big, none-the-less. Perhaps an indication that I didn't blog as much last year:)

Creative Play

2011-05-24T09:48:00.034-04:00

One thing I really noticed this winter was good development in all the kids' creative play. There are times when I can get a good hour to myself without any of them complaining that no one will play with them or that they're bored - and that's because the three of them are entertaining each other. They like playing with small toys like ponies or trucks and love to dress up. Rachel dresses up every single day. Danielle and Micah are less faithful, but they still do it alot.

Micah has a monkey costume that he loves to wear (it's meant for an 18 months old baby, but it fits him anyways...). I wanted to take a photo of my monkey when my littlest monkey jumped in the shot.

There he is! Dancing with Rachel in one of her many princess dresses. I love the look on his face.

Oh, what's this? Rachel crying over something trivial? Never!

*phew* Crisis averted!

On another winter morning, the kids decided to use the My Little Pony castle Danielle got for Christmas from her cousin Alanna as a campfire. They put a blanket over it to make it darker and then pressed the button to make the discs light up on the bottom level and that was their "fire". Then they asked for marshmallows to roast on their fire and they held them in there on mini hockey sticks. I'm pretty sure Micah came up with this as he is usually the brains behind their crazy ideas. I love how creative this is!

They threw some little accessories on their "fire" - this was the firewood.

And of course I had to have some fun with all these little toys and my magnifying filters:)

Off-Camera Flash

2011-05-22T09:39:00.000-04:00

One thing that I did spend some time on this winter was learning more about off-camera flash. Basically, that means mounting my flash on a light stand and shooting it towards my subject(s) through a translucent umbrella. It sounds boring, but it's actually really fun:) And challenging! As an added bonus, it gives me more photos to scrapbook with. Also, my kids are cute. Just sayin'.

Getting Creative

2011-05-20T09:32:00.000-04:00

Waaaay back in February, I blogged about learning to sew. I really enjoyed finally getting a sewing machine and learning how to use it! I went to the local fabric store and dug through their remnants pile and picked up some scraps of fabric to use for fabric flowers also. The result was some flowered sweaters and headbands for the girls.

I bought the sweaters on the clearance rack at Old Navy with this purpose in mind. So much fun! And you can throw them in the wash machine and dryer no problem.

The yellow fabric on this headband is two long strips sewn together that come to tapered ends which tie together. The flower on the left is a dark grey silky-type fabric with tulle twisted through it, and the white flower is from a cotton material.

The top flower on the sweater is made from a translucent white material with some beads sewn in the middle, and the other two are made from the same fabrics used on the headband.

Rachel got the exact same sweater and a different headband.

Hers is on a black elastic and has two rolled flowers with beads.

The girls were so brave about going outside in the snow for some photos. It was cold!

This headband was made from re-purposed clothing. The band itself is actually the neck part of the turtleneck Micah is wearing in this post, and the ruffles are sewn-on strips from another dress I bought from the second hand store for the purpose of cutting it up.

It's fun to try new things! I wish I could give more time to sewing, but it's just not possible right now with three kids around all the time. Maybe next winter:)

Mustaches!

2011-05-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

Another fun prop! Which I blogged about here.

Portraits

2011-05-17T10:01:00.000-04:00

January is such an uninspiring time for me when it comes to photography. My camera didn't come out too much, I'll admit. At least the kiddies got a break from me:) So when I finally felt like doing a little shoot, they were quite cooperative!

Danielle modeling a new headband prop.

Rachel had a turn, too.

My new favourite photo of Rachel - I have this on a 16x20 standout mount!

I love this girl's lips.

Micah, being silly as usual!

His little quirky grin.

Danielle showing me her eyelashes.

Sitting on a "new" chair from Kevin's mom. Another photography prop for me!

The chair up close. It has a flocked floral pattern on it with rich colours. I love it!

Rachel is the only of the kids that can pull off serious/moody photos.

Her profile.

Her eyelashes.

Natalie is 5!

2011-05-15T21:48:00.001-04:00

Natalie, the oldest daughter of my good friend Mel, turned 5 in January. All three of my kiddies were invited to a fun birthday party, however Rachel was sick:( Kevin was home that morning, so she chose to stay home with Daddy. You know she's really sick when she gives up a chance to see Natalie!

The rest of us had a great time at the party - the kids played nicely together while the Moms got to have coffee together! Mel always throws great parties - it's one of her many gifts.

Cake and candles time:

Micah waiting for his cake.

Danielle and Julsie.

Jules.

The birthday girl digging in!

Ethan in the corner, taking it all in.

Landon loved having some boys over to play with.

Lysie was there too!

Then it was present time.

Boy, That Was a LONG Winter!

2011-05-10T15:31:00.000-04:00

Wasn't it? We were beginning to despair that the sun would never return to our fair part of the planet. But, God is faithful, and He has brought us Spring!

The kiddies got a rare treat on Mother's Day: playing outside at Grandma & Grandpa's until after sunset. By the time we were putting the kids in bed at home, the clock read 10:00pm. It's kinda fun to finally be able to do this sometimes with them:) It makes us really look forward to summer holidays!

Learning

2011-02-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

At the start of the new year, I had the urge to learn to sew. Since joining Pinterest, I've been seeing such cute little do-it-yourself projects, and I wanted to join in the fun! I got together with a few girls from church and we took a class together at a sewing store owned by members of our church. After purchasing a machine, and making a drawstring bag and a pair of pajama pants over two classes, I felt I had a bit of a grasp on this sewing business. The week after our last class, a local thrift store was having a 50% off sale, so I went at 7am to go dig for knit fabric treasures to cut up and re-purpose. If you want to learn to sew, this is the cheapest way to do it! I figured that if I messed up, all I'd be out was a couple of dollars worth of material and some time. It is a fun, stress-free way to learn:)

So, for my first project, I found a pattern online for a sienna dress (this was honestly the reason I wanted to learn to sew in the first place!)

This... (cute in it's own right, but I'm not a huge heart fan so this was a bit much for me)

...plus this...

...equals this:

Such fun! Can't wait to sew some more. Now to find the time...

Grow With Love: Kids Edition

2011-01-21T08:19:00.051-05:00

As soon as I (finally) finished Grow With Love: Marriage Edition, Sara and Crystal launched their next project, Grow With Love: Kids Edition! Of course, I was extremely interested in this one since I enjoyed the marriage one so much. The fall was a very busy time for me with Asher Images, plus for some of the prompts I need to make three separate pages, so it has been slow going. But I will keep plugging along and hope to finish this project before spring hits.

Day One: Remember
Journaling: I’ve always wanted to be a Mom. It didn’t happen as quickly as we had wanted, but when it did, it happened in a BIG way! Triplets! And then a singleton 16 months later! Motherhood sure has been a wild ride so far, but I can truly say it’s been the happiest time of my life. What a blessing three little people can be. My heart is forever captured as I take up my task of raising three covenant children.

Day Two: Share
Journaling:
There is a whole lot in your names, children of mine. Your father and I deliberated over each one of them, and they all have special meanings.
Micah ~ Who Is Like God? Daddy and I have always loved the name Micah so this was at the top of the list automatically. We especially like the meaning because this whole pregnancy was difficult to get through, especially not knowing what your outcome would be at the end of it all. It is fitting that your name reflects that your life is in God's hands and totally depends on His Divine Will.
Levi ~ Joined (United As One). We liked this name since you are an identical twin. You were forever joined to Josiah from the moment of conception.
Rachel ~ Innocent/Little Lamb. We had a really hard time coming up with a girl's name we both liked. This one wasn't even on our original list and it just kind of popped up one day. It really stuck with both of us and we liked the meaning, too.
Yvonne ~ from Eve & Anna, meaning Life and Gracious. Rachel, you are named after your great aunt Yvonne, Grandma’s sister. She passed away at the age of 21 from cancer when I was 9 years old. I have great memories of her taking Aunt Sarah and I to the African Lion's Safari and to VBS at Dundas Calvin CRC, and teaching us card tricks on the livingroom floor of the "little house." I have always held these memories close to my heart and thought it appropriate to include her name in our family.
Josiah ~ God Has Healed. Josiah suffered in the womb due to Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. God chose the ultimate healing for his little body and brought him into His arms in heaven.
Asher ~ Blessed, Happy. We know and are comforted by the fact that Josiah is also very blessed and happy as a result!
Danielle ~ God is My Judge. Danielle, I’ll be honest. We had a really hard time picking out your name. Your first and second names were late additions to the list. We struggle with girls names. But now that you’ve grown into your name a little, it fits perfectly, of course! It was important for us to find a Biblical name, and I’m so glad we settled on this one in the end.
Justine ~ Just and Fair. I’ve always liked the name Justine, and it has a solid meaning. I pray that you will grow up to be a just and fair woman.

Day Three: Share
Journaling:
M is for Monkey, I is for Intuitive, C is for Considerate, A is for Anxious, H is for Helpful

Day Three: Share
Journaling:
R is for Radiant, A is for Astute, C is for Crybaby, H is for Huggable, E is for Extraordinary, L is for Lanky

Day Three: Share
Journaling:
D is for Daring, A is for Adorable, N is for Nutty, I is for Irresistible, E is for Empathetic, L is for LOUD, L is for Lovable, E is for Extraordinary

Day Four: List It

Day Five: Reflect
Journaling:
It is so interesting to see your personalities grow and develop. Micah, you got your particularness from your mother - sorry about that! Rachel, you are a little more laid back like your Dad. Danielle, you are very extroverted which you get from me. It’s always difficult to analyze your own children and pick out things they inherited from each parent. You are each so unique and not really like your parents in many ways. That’s what makes life with you so much fun!

Day Six: Reflect

Day Seven: Act
Journaling:
We awoke to a cold, rainy day and you kiddies decided that listening to a book on tape would be fun. You sat quietly sharing three different books for a whole hour! It was so nice to see you enjoying time together like that. I love how you are changing and developing and generally getting easier for your dad and I to parent.

Day Eight: Act
Journaling:
Most of our days are filled with structure and routine, but once in awhile, we throw caution to the wind and play on the floor, eat in front of the TV, or snuggle on the couch and read tons of books. Those are the moments - the moments when I say “yes” when I’d normally say “no” - that we will cherish.

Day Nine: Share
Journaling:
Me: Hello
Micah: Hello
Me: What’s your name?
Micah: Micah!
Me: Micah who?
Micah: You remember me. I’m from your family!
Me: Micah L…
Micah: Micah _____ ________.
Me: Where do you live?
Micah: In ________. Mr. Ayman lives in ______, too.
Me: What is your home like?
Micah: I have a bedroom full of toys, and the girlies have a bunk bed of toys, and we have an outdoor and a backdoor, and your room and a bathroom, and… that’s it!
Me: What do you like to eat?
Micah: I like to eat candy!
Me: What else?
Micah: I like to drink juice and eat breakfast!
Me: What don’t you like to eat?
Micah: I like to eat all of those!
Me: What do you think you will do when you grow up?
Micah: I can swim far at the beach!
Me: Well, you know how Daddy is a counsellor? What do you think you’ll do?
Micah: I’ll colour pictures and sit in my chair and do some work and then start all over again.
Me: What is your favourite colour?
Micah: Brown. I have brown markers and brown play dough.
Me: What is your favourite thing to wear?
Micah: My vest and my Bob the Builder shirts. And I love my boat shirt. Remember yesterday I weared it? It was with a big boat on it.
Me: What would be the best thing someone could give you?
Micah: New movies! Like backyardigans or something.
Me: I love you, bud.
Micah: Bye. I love you!

Day Nine: Share
Journaling:
Me: Hello
Rachel: Hello
Me: What’s your name?
Rachel: Rachel
Me: Rachel who?
Rachel: Um, I dunno
Me: Rachel Y…
Rachel: Rachel ______ _______.
Me: And how old are you?
Rachel: 4. ‘Cuz it was just my birthday.
Me: Well… your birthday was about 6 months ago.
Rachel: *giggle
Me: Where do you live?
Rachel: In _______.
Me: What’s your address?
Rachel: My address is… I love my home and I love playing dress-up in my home.
Me: Hmmm, OK. What is your home like?
Rachel: We have a bathroom and a living room and a thing where shoes are and a front door and bedrooms.
Me: What’s your favourite thing to do?
Rachel: Umm, playing dress-up and putting on my cat slippers.
Me: What do you like to eat?
Rachel: I like to eat grapes, and apples, and the ones that are this small – red currants. And pizza. And my favourite else is broccoli. Like the hard ones we ate last night.
Me: Like when it’s raw, you mean?
Rachel: Yes.
Me: What don’t you like to eat?
Rachel: I don’t like to eat lasagna, but I ate it all one time because it was so delicious and I was so, SO hungry.
Me: What do you think you will do when you grow up?
Rachel: Do homework like you do, and watch the news with Daddy. But, I don’t wanna grow up.
Me: What do you think you’ll do for work when you grow up? Will you be a counsellor like Dad or something else?
Rachel: I want to be a mommy, not a daddy. Those are boys.
Me: What is your favourite colour?
Rachel: Pink and purple and red, and sometimes orange.
Me: What is your favourite thing to wear?
Rachel: For morning? Or nighttime?
Me: For morning.
Rachel: OK, this is going to by fun: my Dora dress!
Me: That’s for nighttime! What about daytime?
Rachel: My dress from Mrs. Jocelyn. I look like Cinderella.
Me: What would be the best thing someone could give you?
Rachel: Candy. Or presents with Pet Shops.
Me: I love you, Rach.
Rachel: I love you.

Day Nine: Share
Journaling:
Me: Hello
Danielle: Umm, hello
Me: What’s your name?
Danielle: Danielle!
Me: Danielle who?
Danielle: Danielle (sister's middle name) _______.
Me: Not, that's Rachel’s middle name. You’re Danielle Ju…
Danielle: Danielle ______ _______. Ya.
Me: How old are you?
Danielle: Umm, 3. Because I can’t suck my thumb anymore!
Me: Where do you live?
Danielle: At (city name).
Me: What is your home like?
Danielle: Ummm, (city name)!
Me: I know but, your house that you live in, what’s it like?
Danielle: Um, (city name)!
Me: OK, next question: What are your favourite things to do?
Danielle: Playing stickers, and I love playing with Rachel’s stickers. Mom, I’m all done.
Me: Can we just finish the interview? What else do you like to do? Do you have toys?
Danielle: Ponies! And dressing up.
Me: What do you like to eat?
Danielle: I like macaroni and pancakes.
Me: What don’t you like to eat?
Danielle: I like hotdogs, but I don’t like carrots or broccoli. I love broccoli.
Me: What do you think you will do when you grow up? Daddy’s a counsellor and Mommy stays home with you and she’s a photographer, so what do you think you’ll do?
Danielle: Go to work when I’m big with DADDY!
Me: What is your favourite colour?
Danielle: Pink.
Me: What is your favourite thing to wear?
Danielle: My sparkly dress from Mrs. Jocelyn.
Me: What about favourite shirts?
Danielle: My pink polkadot shirt!
Me: What would be the best thing someone could give you?
Danielle: Toys.
Me: What kind of toys?
Danielle: Ponies!
Me: What about hugs and kisses?
Danielle: Yes.
Me: I love you.
Danielle: I love you, too. *blows a kiss *

Layouts part 3

2011-01-20T08:06:00.023-05:00

More layouts... click for credits.

Layouts part 2

2011-01-19T09:54:00.014-05:00

Another post of layouts... click for credits.

Page 2:

Layouts

2011-01-18T07:34:00.024-05:00

I haven't posted layouts since July *gulp* so as you can imagine, there are quite a few... I will post them over a couple of days, I think. I don't want to bore you! :) As always, click for credits.

Grow With Love: Marriage Edition (part 2)

2011-01-17T09:33:00.001-05:00

Waaaaay back in August, I posted about a scrapbooking project I was doing called Grow With Love: Marriage Edition. I'm very pleased to report that I managed to finish all the prompts and present it to my husband on his 30th birthday:) I loved this project and highly recommend trying it out if you're wanting create a gift for your spouse or have more of legacy album to leave for your children. You don't need to buy the template kit as the journaling prompts are all on their blog posts, which is great if you're a paper scrapper too. Just be forewarned - this project takes commitment. There are some journaling prompts that really dig deep, and that takes a lot of emotional energy (for me anyways). If you're going to do it, promise yourself you'll see it through to the end. It will be so worth it!

P.S. If I didn't post the journaling here, that is intentional as it is a little too personal... :)

I left off on Day 8.

Day eight: Act
Journaling:
There are a million reasons why I love my husband. I love his compassionate heart. I love how well he cares for and plays with our children. I love how cute & handsome he is. I love how he usually vacuums the house since I really dislike doing that. I love how he gets up with the kids on Sunday mornings and feeds them breakfast so I can shower and get ready for church in peace. I love that he recognizes things in people that I often overlook. I love how smart & wise he is. I love that he is a spiritual leader for our family. These are just a few of the million reasons that I love Kevin.

Day nine: Act
Journaling:
Thank you, Kevin. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for your willingness to provide for our family and to excel at your career. You are so appreciated.

Day ten: Reflect
Journaling:
I choose to love you, Kevin. The honeymoon is long over and yet we have pledged our lives to one another before God and his people. We both take that pledge seriously regardless of how marriage takes a little more work with each passing year. At the same time, it is getting easier to love you with each passing year. We are growing and maturing together. Our identities have become co-mingled. Thank you for your patience with me. Thank you for always praying for our marriage and exemplifying Christ’s servant love in our relationship. God, help me to always choose love over conflict or resentment. Help me to put Kevin and his needs before myself.

Day eleven: Share
Journaling: We really do not fight a whole lot. That is mostly thanks to Kevin’s patient and easy-going nature. But as in every marriage, there are times when you just need to clear the air. When discussing the way we approach conflict, Kevin pointed me to “Four Horseman of the Apocalypse” by Dr. John Gottman. He breaks down response to conflict in relationships into the “four horseman”: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. After reading the descriptions, we each identified the way we deal with conflict. Something to work on! Awareness is the first step, I guess...
Amy: I deal with conflict by getting defensive, and therefore have difficulty tuning into what is being said. I often make excuses, deny responsibility, or meet one complaint with another.
Kevin: I deal with conflict by stonewalling. I shut down and simply refuse to respond. Occasionally this can be healthy, and men tend to stonewall much more often than women do.

Day twelve: Reflect

Day thirteen: Write

Day fourteen: Share
Journaling:
Kevin doesn’t have a lot of time for hobbies, but one of the things he really likes to do is make and bottle his own red wine. He loves coming home after a long day at work and relaxing with a glass of wine in front of the TV or with a book, savouring the fruit of his labour. As time has passed, he’s learned a few more tricks and each batch is better than the last.

Day fifteen: Act
Journaling:
Kevin always feels like a million bucks when he gets home from work, especially if the kids are still awake. They love running up to him, swarming him and telling him all about their day. Every tedious detail! I also love seeing him come through the door. Not only because it means my helper is home, but because he is safe and back with us for the next while. We hope you feel loved when you arrive home, honey!

Day sixteen: Share

Day seventeen: Remember
Journaling:
Our best date night ever (so far) was our one night trip to Deerhurst Resort to celebrate our 5th anniversary. We got gift certificates through Airmiles and since it was off-season (March 2009), we were able to book a nice package. It was so much fun! We could come and go as we pleased, check out anything that tickled our fancy, and just generally enjoy each other’s company. Another highlight was going to Jeff Sudaby’s restaurant for dinner, since we had watched many an episode of his cooking show on CHCH while feeding babies. I hope we get to do it again someday!

Day eighteen: Reflect
Journaling:
I have an irrational fear of you dying. I feel I could survive the death of anyone except you. I know you would be in heaven and God would give me the strength I needed, but I would be broken and never, ever the same person. At least this fear is not as strong now as it has been in the past, but I still pray I never have to experience this.

Day nineteen: Write

Day twenty: Look Back
Journaling:
This process has been fun for me! I’ve enjoyed creating this album for you, and I hope that you are feeling very loved and appreciated after reading it. I love you and our marriage and that has been the over-arching theme of this project. After completing this project, I am even more thankful for the gift you are to me and our children. God is so good to us! We don’t know what the future holds for us, but I do know that it is my desire to grow old with you and enjoy our life if we are blessed to do so. And if that is not the plan, that’s OK, too. I will ever remain thankful for you and the love we share.

Christmas Part 3

2011-01-16T06:57:00.074-05:00

On Boxing Day (Dec. 26th for the non-Canadian readers), we had our Hordyk Christmas gathering at Aunt Lori and Uncle Wil's. It was a lot of fun, but I didn't take my camera. I was too emotionally tired from the previous day, plus I'd had a chance to photograph most of them at Grandma's birthday party just a couple weeks before, so I just enjoyed myself visiting instead:)

The next day, Dec. 27th, we headed to Kevin's parents place for 4 days. We visited Opa in Toronto on our way up, which we always enjoy!

When we arrived, Christmas dinner was already being prepared, so we sat down for our big family meal shortly after we got there. Right after that we exchanged gifts with the kids. We pick names every year just between the grandchildren.

Danielle was a little excited about the presents.

Alanna getting ready.

Kevin's brother Marc.

Grandma and Grandpa found some prime seating.

Sara went first.

Micah received a car mat and cars. He was thrilled!

Rachel got Littlest Pet Shops. Kelly-Lynn's expression cracks me up:)

Danielle got My Little Ponies, and Alanna even gave her some of her old ones, plus the pony castle. All three of our kids enjoy this gift!

Braden got k'nex.

Zach got some cars from the Disney movie Cars - his latest fav.

Erin got beads and a jewellery making kit.

My girls checking about the My Little Pony stuff.

Brenda got a game and a devotional book.

Whenever Kevin is with his brothers, he reverts back to his childhood. Hence the present wrappings on his head.

Alanna got the game Mancala.

Leah got a puzzle and a colouring kit.

Kelly-Lynn also got a jewellery making kit.

Jeremy was in bed, but he got a mega bloks Wonder Pets toy.

Alanna made a pottery plate for Grandma.

The next day, Marc and Renée had to head off to their other family Christmas gathering and Teresa had to work, so it was just Michael and Season's family and us at Mom and Dad's. Most of the day was spent outside, breaking in Dad's 4 wheeler. We went through a whole tank of gas in one day:) Boy, did we have fun, though! Kevin and I even got to take it into the back 40 and I got to drive.

The next day, Michael and Season headed home, and it was just our family left. That evening, Mom and Dad took us out to McDonald's for supper since the kiddies had never been to a Play Place before. They loved it! Afterwards, we took in the Christmas lights display in downtown Trenton.

I had lots of fun playing with different focus techniques to create bokeh with all the lights.

These next four pictures are taken right at the same spot, but I changed the focus on each one. Notice how the farther out of focus I put the lens, the larger the bokeh becomes?

Flash also really comes in handy when shooting in the dark:) I kept my shutter speed on the low end so I could still get a lot of the ambient light in the background, keeping the Christmas lights in the shot.

The kids loved running around to all the different displays. Unfortunately this wasn't a planned stop, so I hadn't brought their hats and mitts. They survived anyways.

My handsome husband.

It was really nicely done!

Using a pop of flash and the headlights from a nearby parked car.

Afterwards, we went to visit uncle Herman to check out his new apartment. The kids once again enjoyed themselves!

The next morning, we packed up our stuff to head home, but before we left, I wanted to take the kids out back for some photos since the sun was finally out. Mom and Dad had recently had a road built through part of the back of their property as there is some logging being done back there. I'm sure it looks great with some fresh snow on it now, but this road was only a week or so old at the time.

Some of the logs waiting to be shipped out.

I am going to have a lot of fun with this new photography spot when the weather warms up:)

All our tracks from ATVing a couple days before. Mom and Dad's nice view had been slightly marred by all our fun. But it was worth it! :)

This concludes my blog posts on 2010! I will post some of my scrapbook layouts yet, but after that I'll be starting on 2011. See you on the flip side.

Christmas Day

2011-01-15T06:17:00.076-05:00

Christmas Day was emotional. We enjoyed a great service in our church on Christmas morning, and celebrated the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ!

After church, we went home and had a light lunch, and prepared for our Vanderkruk Christmas gathering. This year it was with mixed emotions, since Grandma was so sick with cancer. We knew when we saw her today, we would need to say goodbye to her.

We all gathered at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Adrian's home, which is connected to Grandma's home. We enjoyed our Christmas dinner, all 70+ of us minus Grandma, and then Grandma was ready to see us. They helped her from bed and onto the couch in her living room and we all filed in. Thankfully the house is really open-concept, so we managed to get us all in.

My mom read a letter that she and Grandma had worked on together and before my Mom was a few sentences in, there was barely a dry eye in the room. Grandma was very weak and therefore couldn't say much, which was hard to see. Her skin was also quite yellow as her liver was shutting down. Kevin and I and our kids had visited two weeks before and the deterioration since that point was shocking.

I was near the front of the group taking photos, so it doesn't look like there are many people there, but there were about 40 people behind me yet.

Before my mom read the letter, we sang "Praise God" altogether.

Super-Grandma handed out books to her 10 great grandchildren, and then Grandma gave each of her 34 grandchildren a card and a monetary gift. As you can imagine, it was very emotional.

Some of the younger grandchildren going up to see Grandma.

Each of us got to give her a hug, say thank you for our gift, tell her we loved her and say goodbye.

Cousin Meghan made a card for Grandma and the cover read: The LORD goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid... Duet. 3:18 Before going over to Grandmas, we all had the opportunity to write a love note to Grandma in that card and share a story or memory of her.

After that, a few of us brought out our violins and cello and we sang and played some Christmas carols together. We were there for about 30 minutes and then Grandma was too tired, so she was moved back to her bed and we all went back over the Aunt Cathy and Uncle Adrian's.

I was asked to take family photos, so we did that after we got back (and were all bleary-eyed and red-faced...). We had tried to do it beforehand, but the timing didn't work out. By the time we were done at Grandma's it was getting dark and I only had my speedlight and umbrella... Thankfully Uncle Adrian's brother had given Sebastian some photography lights to play with so he let us use those. This photo was lit with three continuous lights and my strobe for an extra pop of light on the back row. Once we had everything set up, Aunt Sue climbed up on the ladder and took these next two shots since I had to be in the photos.

This is the 34 grandchildren of Grandma.

This is the 34 grandchildren, spouses and fiancés and the 10 great-grandchildren of Grandma. Pretty blessed for a 71-year old lady!

Just the 10 great-grandkids. Denver wanted nothing to do with the photos anymore, but Aunt Cathy tried to hold him in on the side:)

These are 6 of Grandma's 7 children and their spouses. Aunt Yvonne is missing as she herself passed away from cancer when she was 21 years old.

Just the 6 kids.

Grandma passed away 5 days later on December 30th at the age of 71. Her funeral on Jan. 4th was beautiful and will have a lasting impression on me. She loved the Lord and so we are assured that she is enjoying Paradise, for which we are so thankful. She will be greatly missed.

Just Because

2011-01-14T06:16:00.004-05:00

Oh, how I love these babies of mine! I love being a Mom. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else with my life!

Grandma's 75th Birthday

2011-01-13T14:40:00.001-05:00

Grandma Hordyk celebrated her 75th birthday on December 13! We had a family gathering in her honour on the 18th at my parents' house.

Grandma cutting one of the cakes.

My youngest cousin Caden getting some cake from his daddy.

Grandma showing Charlotte the cake choices. A lot of people tell me that Danielle's mannerisms remind them of Charlotte, and I have to agree.

My brother Mark getting a snuggle from Rachel.

Meghan and cousin Dave, getting married in July, DV.

Aaron and sister Catherine.

Cousin Olivia.

Cousin Kylie.

Cousin Ben and cousin-in-law Michelle playing Dutch Blitz.

Cousins Hannah and Mason.

Cousins Allie and Hannah.

My mom and niece Elyse.

My parents.

My mom took a photo of Kevin and I.

Niece Juliana enjoying her cake.

Cousin Jason.

Brother-in-law Jimmy and sister Sarah, expectant mom of vP #3 in June, DV.

Cousins Caden and Wes.

Rachel, Danielle and Micah with Oma on her birthday.

Oma with her other two great-grandchildren, Juliana and Elyse.

Uncle Art and Aunt Jackie.

Cousins Wes and Steve.

Cousin-in-law Michelle and cousin Colin with Grandma, also expectant parents! Yay for more great-grandchildren on the way!

Aunt Brenda and Uncle John.

Aunt Lori and Uncle Wil.

Uncle Leon and Aunt Sonya.

Grandma and her children.

Some of the grandkids and greatgrandkids watching Toy Story 3. I'm so surprised my kids watched that, although Micah had to come and find us often to give us updates on what was going on in the movie. He was scared, but really wanted to watch it!

Danielle taking it all in.

Sarah and Elyse.

Wil and Lor were in need of a family photo, so we quickly took a few images out in the snow!

New Dresses

2011-01-12T07:03:00.018-05:00

(this post is from my Asher Images blog)

Yesterday I received two of the most beautiful dresses I've ever laid eyes on, made especially for my daughters! I am always in awe at how we are all blessed with different gifts and interests. Jocelyn Scholtens of Lysie Lou is definitely gifted with a passionate talent and interest in sewing! She designed these dresses and adjusted them to fit my two very different girls. They are made from an iridescent taffeta material. Rachel's is turquoise and black with a black velvet ribbon for tying the wrap-around bodice, and Danielle's is brown and black with a brown sparkly ribbon. Rachel's is also longer to suit her lanky frame, and I think that extra inch or two makes all the difference in making her look even more grown up in it.

Aren't they just gorgeous? They loved modeling them for me and will love wearing them every Sunday!

Thank you again, Jocelyn. We LOVE them!!! (Even my husband mentioned how nice they were and he normally doesn't notice these things!)

Kevin's 30th Birthday!

2011-01-11T07:57:00.045-05:00

Kevin celebrated his 30th birthday in the beginning of December! Again, we had a quiet family day. It was a Friday and he had some hours banked, so he took the day off. The kids LOVE it when Daddy is home, mostly because he delights in playing with them so much. Now that he is done school, he doesn't have deadlines and research looming overhead, he can just enjoy the time he is at home. He is a great father and husband and we are so thankful that God has blessed us with him!

Our big activity for the day was to set up the Christmas tree. We mostly let the kids do the decorating, so it was quite the sight when it was done, but they loved it. All of our ornaments are hand-me-downs so our tree is very unique, to say the least.

Rachel enjoying herself.

Danielle carefully placing an ornament on the tree.

Practicing my off-camera flash. I had the umbrella and speedlight set up over my shoulder and then set my shutter speed low so as to capture more ambient light from the tree in the background.

Christmas tree bokeh is simply the best kind!

If you look closely, you can see my in both ornaments, along with Danielle's reflection.

Danielle found a little french horn ornament, which she pretended to play for several minutes.

She does everything with passion!

Rachel joined in with the bell ornament.

Aaaaand, Micah just played with his diggers:)

This mouse was handed down to us from Kevin's Opa, and while ugly, it is Micah's favourite ornament. Last year when we took out the tree, the first thing he asked was for this mouse, which he remembered from when he was 2 years old. This child's memory is ridiculous!

It has a little burn hole in his bottom. Must have been from the years with those big Christmas light bulbs.

Books on Tape

2011-01-10T07:55:00.008-05:00

Books on tape is the latest fun thing to do in our house. Our library has a great selection of these, and we all appreciate having a quiet activity the kids can do altogether. They each take turns being "in charge" (meaning they get to hold the book and turn the pages at the appropriate time). They love it! On this day they were at it even before they were changed out of their PJs.

Danielle turns 3!

2011-01-09T06:54:00.028-05:00

We don't really make a big deal about birthdays in our house. Of course we have cake and candles and singing and presents, but it's usually just us. And we are OK with that. I'm sure that will change in a big way when they go off to school!

Danielle's 3rd birthday was no different, just a quiet celebration at home. She loved it, though. It's the one day a year when she is queen and she's getting to the age where she really understands that:) Today was also a really big day in her life: the day she stopped sucking her thumb. We worked up to it for at least a month, constantly reminding her that when she turned 3 she would be a big girl, and big girls don't suck their thumbs. Well, she took this very seriously and quit cold turkey on her birthday. I fully expected there to be relapses and difficulties, but nothing. WOW! Neither of the twins were thumb suckers, but Rachel was soother girl. We threw out her soother with her on her 3rd birthday and didn't have an issue with her, but a thumb is very different. She has mentioned a few times how she wishes she was still 2 so she could suck her thumb, but she hasn't done it. I certainly didn't expect it to be this easy. Happy, though!

We made cupcakes and as usual the twins also got a candle to blow out. Danielle got three candles.

After Micah burned his fingers two years ago on his freshly blown out candle, they are all very careful around flames and fire.

Waiting for us to finish singing Happy Birthday.

The big wind up...

Success!

Danielle's cupcake was topped with her favourite: gummy worms (which she refers too as jelly worms).

I wanted to be in some pictures with the birthday girl, so Kevin took some for me.

A very happy 3 year old! We thank God everyday for all our precious babies:)

Grandma

2011-01-08T07:52:00.014-05:00

The second weekend of November, Kevin's parents and brother Michael came down to help us replace the old siding and put up soffit and fascia on our house (previously just painted plywood *shudder*). This has been on our to-do list since we moved here, but of course having multiples and then Kevin going back to school for three years in between there put house upgrades on the backburner. We are so thankful to have it finished and it looks great! We are very pleased with it.

I don't have photos of it since it was a hectic weekend, but I took these few of the kids and Grandma while we were inside. They sure do love snuggling! I can't remember anymore why all their shirts are off, but I'm sure it's a great story:)

Fall & Macro Photography

2011-01-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

Fall is my favourite time of year for photography. The colours look great and temperatures are comforable.

Danielle actually agreed to pose for me for once.

The annual "sitting in the leaf pile" shots.

Daddy loves to spoil the kiddies with special treats on family days. Today's treat was Runts from the corner store.

Micah wanted to help rake the leaves.

But it's much more fun to just play in them.

I purchased some magnifier filters on ebay, which helps your non-macro lenses able to focus at macro distances. A very cheap alternative to a macro lens for right now!

Another day, some more fun outside. This time making gummy worm mustaches!

And then I tried to get all three of their mustaches together, but of course Danielle had already gulped hers down...

Pure trouble!

Isn't Rachel getting SO grown up?

My little baby at heart.

My silly son!

More "macro" fun.

We use this bungee cord to keep the gate shut when we are in the backyard since the latch doesn't work (hasn't since we've moved here). This close-up shot of it kind of reminds of a snake, though.

One of my photo necklaces.

Brittany & Ben's Wedding

2011-01-06T06:39:00.035-05:00

Ben and Brittany got married on October 15th. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding! Alas, I once again didn't get pictures during the ceremony as I was busy playing violin, but I did bring my camera to the reception to get some photos of the family.

It was a dimly lit reception hall, so I was very thankful for my speedlight.

Here is Grandma V. and my sister Sarah. Oh Grandma, how we loved that wig... :)

Cousins Heather and Emily.

Cousin Julia.

Kevin, cousin Brent and brother-in-law Joel.

Courtney and brother Joel, set to be married on June 25th, DV.

Cousin Shannon and Nate, still newlyweds themselves.

Cousin Kelsey and Nathan.

Cousin Kayla.

My Mom and Dad having a funny conversation.

Uncle Mark and Aunt Andrea.

Aaron and sister Catherine.

And I finally managed to grab one of the happy couple!

Cousins Nicole and Kristal. We were thrilled that Nicole could join us from Florida again for another family event!

Cousins Michelle and Brent, both in the wedding party.

Uncle Case and Aunt Diane, proud parents of the bride.

September Randoms

2011-01-05T07:53:00.058-05:00

In September, I met a family on the (lake) beach for an Asher Images photoshoot and ended up having to bring the kiddies along. They LOVED it, although I had to call them out of the water a few times. Thankfully, the family I was photographing were also vigilante and let me know if they were going in the water while my back was turned.:)

Playing in the sand.

Once I was done, I turned the camera on my kiddies!

This series makes me giggle. Rach would jump on "3" while the other two would jump after "3".

The light was so pretty that night!

I just love my little munchkins so much:)

In September I also set out to master off camera flash. There's so much to learn, but I love it when my kiddies let me practice on them!

They had just finished eating lunch... :) Rachel is always in some state of "transition" with her clothing since she dresses up every single day. I don't even know why I bother dressing her in regular clothes in the morning!

As the kids continue to grow and mature, they are becoming much better at playing together. They don't often play alone, although Danielle is fine with doing that as long as I or the twins are nearby.

I love it when they read together.

Micah is such a boy - still loving those cars and trucks.

My absolute favourite photo of 2010!

Going for a fall walk on the Bruce Trail.

One morning Micah and Rachel were pretending they were pirates, so they made a treasure map.

Micah got creative with carrying it on their adventure.

I went through their summer stuff and was transitioning to the winter things. Danielle found her flipflops in the box I was filling up and decided to have one last dance in them.

This child is every ounce as silly as she looks. Oh, and P.S. she is potty trained now:) Just Pull-Ups at night now!

Rachel went through the winter box and, ever the dresser-upper, donned some of her new-found apparel.

Wordless - The Last Hurrah of Summer

2011-01-04T07:18:00.010-05:00

Grandma & Grandpa's

2011-01-03T07:47:00.053-05:00

On the Labour Day weekend, I was asked to second-shoot a wedding in Belleville by a local photographer I had met at a networking event. Since Mom and Dad live about 20 minutes from there, we decided to go there for the weekend. I drove up with Patti straight to the wedding on Saturday morning while Kevin made the trek to Brighton with the kids (what a trooper that man is!). Thankfully, only one emergency stop on the side of the 401 was required for Rachel to pee. I don't think I could've done that trip on my own, but Kevin is much more brave than I am:)

Anyways, I enjoyed my day of working so much! Second shooting is really fun. You get paid hourly to be there, and then you are done - no editing. Plus, there's not as much pressure because the main photographer has the responsibility of getting the shots she really needs to get and I just need to assist and shoot candids. Nice deal! I hope to do it again in 2011.

Sunday was overcast, but blessedly cool. After such a humid summer, we were begging for fall to get here as fast as possible. It was so nice to have to put a sweater on for once!

Peeking through the apple tree branches.

The kids were excited to find a monarch caterpillar since we have a Little Einsteins video all about this type of caterpillar and it turning into a butterfly at the end.

A two year old throwing a golf ball in the air and trying to catch it again isn't the best idea. Hilarious, though.

My gorgeous baby.

My handsome son.

Searching for creatures and wildflowers with Grandma.

My beautiful daughter.

Mark & Shivonne Married

2011-01-02T08:42:00.065-05:00

August 28th was Mark and Shivonne's wedding day! We were blessed with great weather for an outdoor wedding.

The front yard was where the ceremony took place. Everything was decorated beautifully! These lanterns were hung from the tent ceiling in the backyard, and from the big tree in the front beside the ceremony proceedings.

The flowers were homegrown by the florist and cut the morning of the wedding.

Mark and his friend and best man, Landon.

Shivonne's maid of honour was her friend, Michelle.

My brother Joel was an usher.

Shivonne and her Mom.

Our immediate family: from L-R is me, Sarah, Mark, Catherine and Joel.

And here is everyone!

Shivonne is very close with her grandparents as well.

With all the nieces and nephews.

More with the groom's family.

The ceremony beginning:

With Grandma V. on the left and Grandma H. on the right.

The newlyweds!

Then it was off to the backyard where the reception was already starting.

Uncle Leon and Aunt Sonya.

Uncle Wil and Aunt Lori.

Uncle Art and Aunt Jackie, and Aunt Diane.

Sister Catherine and her boyfriend Aaron.

Aunt Sue checking out her brand new niece Maelle, just a few days old.

Uncle Rick and Uncle Case.

Aunt Diane and Uncle Case.

Aunt Cathy.

Just one of the many food stations set up throughout the tents and on the deck.

Uncle Mark and Aunt Andrea.

The grandmas.

All the decorations were beautiful!

Grandma V.

Uncle John, Aunt Jackie and Aunt Brenda.

Aunt Brenda and Uncle John.

Aunt Jackie and Uncle Art.

At around 9pm, we went across the road to my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Adrian's big field for a fireworks display. Beautiful!

The Night Before The Big Day

2011-01-01T08:43:00.001-05:00

My brother Mark married Shivonne on August 28th! More on that later, but the wedding was held at my parents' place and I was the (nervous) photographer for the big day. I rented some lenses which I wanted to try out, so we headed down to my parents' the night before the wedding to take some photos around the property and of my girls in their cute new outfits. I got these on Etsy.com from Little Lotti Designs, the same talented lady (Brandie Pahl) that made the dresses I received last year. I LOVED the bold colours and fabric flowers in her latest collection so I snatched up a set for my girlies. They fit big enough that the girls will also be able to wear them next year. I'm so pleased with them! The hairclips are also from Brandie.

Danielle wasn't really into smiling for me.

I tried to get Micah to sit in for a few, but that was a no-go.

Trying to tell me something.

My sultry beauty. She hardly smiles for pictures - she reminds me of Mona Lisa a little:)

We are looking forward to teaching the kids to ride bikes next year.

A few last goofy ones.

These are the some of the photos I took around the property.

*sigh* Dear 85mm f/1.4, I hope you come and live in my camera bag sometime soon. I was sad to send this lens back after the weekend was over...

Bunny Houses

2010-12-31T06:44:00.015-05:00

Kevin's Opa is the kind of man who has connections. These connections bring in all sorts of interesting treasures. Sometimes it's a 20 cases full of black socks, other times it's a skid load of silk flowers. I am not kidding. This time it was bunny houses leftover from Easter, so Opa gave us three to take home. We couldn't find an expiry date printed anywhere, so we proceeded with caution.

Kevin loves doing things like this with the kids, so he did the honours while I took the photos:)

There was leftover icing, so what does Daddy do?

Kevin drew each child in icing on the side and put their initial underneath.

And this is the bejewelled doorway on the other side.

Needless to say the kids loved making them:)

Sandbanks 2010

2010-12-30T09:26:00.081-05:00

In August, we went for our annual Hoogstad camping trip. Sister-on-law Renée had managed to get FOUR sites on the beach (unheard of), and so we were camping in style. Unfortunately, the thing I remember most about this week was the unbearable humidity. We even left a day early because I just couldn't take it anymore. Blech. That aside, the kids had a fantastic time. They talk about camping and the beach nearly everyday. It's such a unique experience for them, and they really treasure it!

I did enjoy taking photos in the evening when the sun wasn't as direct. We camp on the beach sites, and with direct sun, the sand heats up to 50*C (Dad measured with a thermometer). I don't much feel like taking photos when combating that... but when the sun starts to go down, I love capturing some memories from camping!

Danielle in the sunset.

Micah climbing to the top of the sand dune separating our site from the main beach.

Our nephew Braden, whom Micah enjoyed playing with!

Rachel, happy to be at camping.

Micah shed his shorts (of course).

Someone's neat sandcastle.

I love this photo of my baby. She still looks like a baby here. She has grown up so much since this photo was taken! This is also her favourite shirt. She gets upset when I don't let her wear it everyday.

Going for a stroll.

I've never seen a sunset prettier than a Sandbanks sunset.

My man.

Rachel hanging out at her cousins' site. New toys to play with over there!

Micah is not above playing with Ken.

Rachel LOVES playing with her older cousins. She just soaks it all in!

We caught two of the brother-in-laws taking a rest together:)

Niece Erin.

The next day after we arrived, it was Zach's actual birthday (you'll recall we attended his birthday party a week before), so we couldn't get that go by without a little celebration!

A big blow for a big boy!

The other kids got to blow out the candle on their cupcakes, too.

This is how we did bathing this time around. Last year we tried the family showers at the comfort station, but we ran out of hot water as soon as everyone was ready to step in. Needless to say we weren't up for trying that again.

They sure didn't seem to mind!

Poor Rach. When she gets bitten by mosquitos, they swell up pretty badly. She looked like she had the chicken pox!

You know it's ridiculously humid outside when Danielle's hair does this. It's so stinkin' cute, though.

Rachel's turn.

The boys playing together.

Danielle's bath all done. Love this pose:)

Freshly bathed and in clean PJs. What else is there to do but run to the beach!

But first Daddy has to brush your hair (isn't he a keeper??).

I love these photos. This is what camping is all about!

I love how a simple metering change on a camera can produce such drastically different results. This photo was exposed for the sunset.

And this one for the kids. Taken only seconds apart. I love photography!

Rachel sharing her seagull feathers with Grandma.

And now sharing with me!

And putting them in her clean hair. Ewwwwww.

My baby when she still sucked her thumb.

Danielle pronounces Kelly-Lynn's name as "Callie-Lynn." These two have a special bond:)

The second oldest grandchild. She is getting so tall!

Mom and Dad.

Grandpa loves playing with the kids, and Rachel LOVES being played with:)

A picture of Mom's picture.

Jeremy's Baptism

2010-12-29T10:18:00.000-05:00

At the end of May/beginning of June, Kevin's brother Marc and sister-in-law Renée went to South Africa to adopt their son. They were there for three weeks and if you're interested in reading about their journey, you can read their blog. Jeremy Arthur Phumlani was baptized on August 1st in Sarnia and we went down to witness it.

On Saturday, we stopped in Chatham to join in on our nephew Zach's birthday party. Alanna's birthday (Dec. 21) was also being celebrated since Season had been in the hospital on her birthday and over Christmas. Since Alanna had missed out, Season invited some of Alanna's friends and made her a special cake so we could all celebrate together.

They had a pool on their deck that was serving as a home for a painted turtle.

Danielle enjoying playing in the backyard after being cooped up in the van for 2 hours.

Zachie!

Rachel picked up some static electricity on the way down the slide.

Micah pulling a funny face:)

Dad overseeing the backyard activities.

Michael, Kevin's brother.

It was another hot day, so Zach was running around in his diaper.

Alanna's cake. All the butterflies were cut out of fondant icing. Season and her sister Jasmine take their cakes very seriously.

Season looking nice and healthy after many months of struggling with pancreatitis and gall stones.

Alanna showing off her belated birthday presents.

After the party, we headed to Sarnia and stayed the night at Marc & Renée's where we got to meet our newest family member, Jeremy. The next morning was his baptism.

Marc and Renée wrote a song that they performed at their wedding and they've added a verse each time they've baptized one of their children.

And here is Jeremy! Isn't he adorable?

Renée and now-big-sister Leah.

Everyone enjoyed getting to know him.

Extreme Makeover: Main Floor Edition

2010-12-28T08:36:00.054-05:00

2010 was a year of change for us. Kevin graduated from school, started working and we moved on to the next stage of life. So, for my birthday, I decided I wanted our house to reflect that change. Plus, I was very OVER the green I had chosen for the main floor 5 years before. I was all too excited to see it go:)

Here are some before photos:

And the afters! I was so thrilled with how it turned out. The colours we chose were two warm grey tones: Metropolis and Intense White by Benjamin Moore. I was hoping to get new curtains as well, but the paint ended up costing more than we thought, so we kept the ones we had. They look OK anyways.

I also ordered some new art for the walls. You can see the canvases in greater detail in this blog post.

As part of the changes, we decided to move the office out of the basement and onto the main floor. This has been the best decision for our family. Kevin works most evenings, which means I feed the kids supper on my own almost every night. They take FOREVER to eat supper (a minimum of 1 hour), and I was losing patience with them. This way I can still be in the same room, but not feel like I'm wasting my time and get some work done while I talk with them and supervise. It's been fabulous!

We got this desk on kijiji from a house that was straight out of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The lady even tried to feed us! Definitely an experience to remember:) Kevin painted the top and drawer fronts with the same Metropolis paint that was on the dark grey feature walls, so everything is all matching.

So much brighter!

We also finally got rid of the long gate that was used to have blocking off the shoes. We don't have to worry about the kids taking off with them anymore:)

The side of the desk pulls out. This is tucked in:

And pulled out for when I'm working with a lot of paperwork.

We are very happy with the makeover!

Micah & Rachel turn 4!

2010-12-27T07:28:00.068-05:00

We were blessed to celebrate Micah and Rachel's 4th birthday this summer! I celebrated my 29th two days before and decided that I wanted to repaint the main floor for my birthday. Hence the random paint swatches on the walls everywhere:)

The day of was low-key, but Melanie and her two youngest came over for a little visit and a cupcake.

The birthday boy!

The birthday girl!

Two days later, on Juliana's birthday, my parents treated us to a morning at Springridge Farms with my grandmas to celebrate the kids' birthdays. We started off with a tractor/wagon ride tour of the farm.

Grandma felt a little silly wearing a hat, but chemo patients are much more sensitive to the sun so it was a good thing she wore it. She fit right in with all the kids anyways. It was a very hot day (the theme for this whole summer).

My Mom and Grandma Hordyk.

Dad and little Leapers (Elyse).

My sister Sarah.

Brother-in-law Jimmy.

Micah LOVED the tractor.

Then we went to our dedicated party room to decorate a basket we would be needing a little later.

Elyse needed to help Grandma check his messages.

Danielle showing me her finished basket.

The 4 oldest.

Then we took our baskets to the hen house to collect eggs!

Rachel dropped hers even after repeated warnings to be more careful *sigh*

Then we fed some goats.

Then a corn maze!

And pony rides!

Then climbing on some haystacks.

Then out of the hot sun for a bit to play on the pedal tractors.

Then when we were all nice and sweaty, back to the party room for lunch and presents!

The drinks were the inhaled first... I wonder why?

Then present time:)

The kids each received a playmobil set from Grandma and Grandpa.

Even the non-birthday kids!

From Super Grandma they got huge cupcake shaped cookies.

As well as huge candy-kabobs!

From Oma they got the traditional box of smarties (still exciting every time).

And cupcakes for dessert.

Waiting expectantly while we sang Happy Birthday.

Blowing out the candles (Danielle thought it was her birthday, too).

Also from Oma, they received a lunchbox (Micah) and treasure box (Rachel) filled with suckers.

A fantastic day! Thanks, Mom and Dad!