Living in the moment.

 A quote by Anna Quindlen.

"...but the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while
doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly
clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There
is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in
the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I
wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how
they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I
had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath,
book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the
getting it done a little less."

Pikeminnow Fishing Derby

A bit overcast, but otherwise a perfect Saturday to go fishing.  Jaco and Lucas recently entered the Greg Clark Memorial Family Fishing Derby at Cultus Lake.  It made me happy to see Luke enjoying some one on one time with his Dad.
Nathan and I met the boys a little later in the day to hop in the boat and enjoy a ride around the lake.
Although neither of them caught any fish, Lucas proudly caught "a seaweed". We met friends of ours, Richard and his son Tyrel on the  lake.
My honey.  What a handsome feller. :)

A series of events.

WOW, what a weekend.  Devoured by mosquitoes and melted in the heat at at wedding shoot on Saturday, had very little sleep due to a thunderstorm last night, sick kiddies today, (Nathan's fever is 101, I'm debating taking him in) and the black squirrel is back again, trying to break in via the air conditioner.  Fun, let me tell you. :)   The photos from the wedding on Saturday will take about a week to post, I am so excited about these, I can't wait to show you.  For today, I'll leave you with some pics of Lucas beating Jaco at Candyland.

Wade, Melissa and baby Khol

When Melissa called me up to schedule a photo session for her family, I was so excited.  The last time I saw baby Khol was when I took these pictures of him in January.  I like to think that Khol and I have a special bond.  Which kind of resonates its' self with me making high pitched noises and jumping up and down like a complete baboon.  (No really, it's quite a sight).  He responds by fluttering his unbelievably long eyelashes and staring at me.  Like I'm a complete baboon.  Just email me Melissa, and I'll send you the link to the slideshow to see the rest of the pics.

Banana Nut Muffins

I thought I already had the perfect banana muffin recipe in my collection.  Until I tried this recipe from Simply Recipes.  This variation, using coffee and walnuts and old fashioned style mixing is flawless.  Whipping up a batch takes no time at all.  And there was just the right amount of batter to make 12 muffins.  Not 8 muffins, not even 13.  But a perfect dozen.  I'm in love!  I'm not sure why mine are so light in colour, versus the ones on their website, but nonetheless, they were scrumptious!  In other news, today is Canada's 142nd Birthday.  Happy Canada Day!

Blake

It's definitely time for an update on our adorable nephew Blake.  And since I recently got to snap a few pics of their little family, I thought I'd also fill you in on how he's been doing.  You may remember back to this post I made shortly after he was born in November.  He has come so far since then, including undergoing open heart surgery on March 25.  He did remarkably well and recovered in record time, amazing the doctors and nurses with how quickly he was able to shake the tubes and IV.  Although recovery seemed to be a breeze for him, the doctor's also discovered his pulmonary (lung) pressure was very high, and did diagnose Blake with pulmonary hypertension.  There is no cure for PH.  He has since had to return to Children's Hospital for other checkups and tests related to PH to find the best treatment options available for this.  It hasn't been an easy road for this little guy, or his parents.  But man is he ever a fighter.  And his parents, well, their patience and trust in God is definitely something I look up to.  They are amazing people.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Phil. 4:6-7  Blake is such a joy and blessing to our family, the way his smile lights up any room is indescribable.  We love you so much little man.

Highroad Academy: Prom 2009

I had the distinct honor to be hired by Ang, and a group of her best buds to take photos for them on Prom day.  First I headed over to Ang's parents in the afternoon where her boyfriend Nick was there to pick her up.  Here, we took some more posed shots and family shots in her parents huge backyard.  It was a beautiful semi-overcast afternoon, although a bit windy.  I really love how these turned out.  I think it was a great idea to hire a photographer for this monumental day, to capture images Ang will be able to cherish for a lifetime.  I only wish I had thought of the idea back when I graduated!

After we were done at her parents, we headed Downtown to meet her friends.

We found an alley shielded from the wind, where we took some fun shots.

Another fun shot:
I just love, love her dress!

We spotted this school, which provided the perfect backdrop:

A little Old Skool:
Congrats Ang and the rest of the Class of 2009!