Today I joined Jordana, Michael and Samuel in the Junction to take advantage of the beautiful January morning (<– not something I write often).  I just love this part of the city and was so excited for a chance to break in the new year with such fantastic backdrops and an amazing little family.  Thank you guys so much for such a fun session!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This image brought to you by the number five.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone!  Just a very quick update about bookings in the new year.  I’m SO excited that things are already booking up, and I can’t wait for all of the wonderful weddings, new babies, and happy family moments I’m already seeing filling up my calendar.  I still have bookings open throughout the year, so give me a shout and we’ll set something up!  However, I will be unavailable from January 13th to March 4th, so if you’re hoping for a session early in the new year, get in touch now and we’ll see what we can work out before the blackout period.

And because I never post without a picture, here’s Isla wearing a sock monkey hat and eating a giraffe in front of our Christmas tree.

Dear Isla,

I hardly know where to start.  How can I possibly put how much I love you down in words?

A year ago today we met for the first time, but I knew you long before that.  When our doctor handed you to me and told me we’d had a little girl, I was shocked – everyone I knew had had girls, so *someone* must be due for a boy.  And then I held you and knew that it was *you*.  The you had I always dreamed of.  The you who had always lived in my heart.  Of course you were my Isla Grace.

I didn’t know yet what foods you would like, or what your favourite colour would be.  I didn’t know if you’d rather play in the mud or twirl around in tutus, or both (I have a feeling it’ll be both).  I didn’t know what would make you laugh, but something about you told me you would laugh often and with all your heart.  And I knew that every day I’d wake up and somehow love you even more than I did the day before, no matter how impossible it seems on any given day that I could ever love you more than I already do.

And it’s true.  We have loved you more and more every single day.  From the very first time we saw you the day of that very first ultrasound, from the first time we heard that teeny tiny heartbeat, from all the kicks and the contractions.  We’ve known for each of those moments how very blessed we were to have you coming into our lives, whoever you were going to be.

You’re one today.  You have the reddest hair I have ever seen, and we can’t go anywhere without people telling me how beautiful you are.  You have your dad’s eyes, dark and warm and beautiful.  You smile bigger than seems possible with your two little bottom teeth.  I know that two or four teeth are arriving soon, and I’ll be glad for that for you, but I’ll miss your gummy smile.  You laugh and ‘sing’ and you’ve moved from walking straight on to running everywhere you can.  You love your dog, so much.  You’re a thumbsucker, and we’ll let it go for a little longer.  It’s really cute, and you’re a great sleeper.

You’re heaven.  There can’t possibly be anything better than a life watching you grow and change, and getting to love you along the way.  We’re so lucky to have you, Isla.  So lucky to be the ones who get to clap for you and everything you do, to pick you up when you fall, to introduce you to the world and all the amazing that you’ll find here, and to hug you and hold your hand through every minute of it.   I’ve heard it said that babies choose their parents, and if that’s true then thank you for choosing us.  We’ll never be able to give you everything, but we’ll teach you how to go out in the world and find everything your heart wants.

We hope that every year of your life will be even more beautiful than this year with you has been for us.  We love you, baby girl.  I can’t believe you’re real, and I can’t believe you’re ours.  Happy happy first birthday, Isla.

 

 

And a few of Isla’s birthday pictures for her One-Derland party.

Late Saturday afternoon I spent some time with Erica and Paul for a much anticipated engagement session.  This pair (who tell me that they don’t have any real pictures of the two of them together) are getting married in July at one of my very favourite venues up in Southampton.  Erica and Paul, I hope you love these images, and I’m SO excited for your wedding!  Thanks again for such a great afternoon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning Anne, Alex and Avery braved the cold and welcomed the sunshine.  Worth it?  I think so!  Thanks again, Grey Family!

And a quick heads up, everyone!  Isla and I are taking a couple days to visit some beloved friends in Chicago.  I don’t plan to check my email over the next few days (because we’ll be too busy having fun!  Maybe even too much fun to take pictures!), but I’ll be back on Tuesday with a brand new post from a gorgeous engagement session that we had this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear 28,

What an eventful year you were!  Today when I sit back and reflect on everything that’s happened I’m amazed.  When I was 28 I became a mother, a driver and a home owner.  I ran my very first half marathon in under two hours, just six months after having a baby.  I raised almost $4000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.  I became an aunt when we welcomed my handsome nephew Brennus and beautiful niece Abby to the world.  I gained a sister when my little brother married his incredible wife, Taylor.  We took our first vacation as a family of three on the east coast.  We introduced Isla to the ocean, the red sand, and my home girl, Anne.

There were hard times this year, too, 28.  As our family got bigger it also got smaller.  There were too many who were gone too soon.  Their absences are deeply felt, and their memories will live with us forever as reminders of how amazing life can be, and how important it is to embrace each moment and each other.  We wish you were still here, and we will always remember how lucky we were to have you at all.

28 gave me the very happiest and the very saddest days of my life.  I can’t imagine anything better, and I can’t help but hope to never see anything worse.  Each and every day is filled with deep reminders of both and the experience of this year has earned commemoration as fresh ink.  A scar you can see for the ones you can’t.  A reminder that life will always be beautiful again.  Always.

28, I will never forget you.  You showed me that I’m capable of overcoming seemingly insurmountable problems, and coming out on the other side with a smile on my face.  You reminded me of how important it is to reach out and take care of each other and helped me see who the truly special people are in my life.  You taught me victory and defeat and victory and defeat again.  But victory always comes after defeat when you really want it to.  Not always the way we want or expect it to, but it will be there.

I leave 28 with thousands and thousands of photographs of the happy moments.  In the end, the pictures are the only things that we get to keep that we can share, so today I’m sharing those happy pictures with you.  This is the 28 that gets posted on facebook and framed on my wall.

Cheers, 28.  It’s been a hell of a ride.

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Dear 29,

Hi!  Nice to meet you!  I have no idea what this year has in store, but I have two words for you:

Bring it.