One of the biggest positives of my brother moving home is having the ability to have his kids over for a day to play. I was more than happy to watch them while my brother and sister-in-law were busy for the day, and Archer was obviously beyond excited. All of the cousins get along so well. Although our house was a bit louder than normal, it was actually a very relaxed day for me because they all just played together while Gryff and I supervised.

This is one of my favourite pictures from the summer. Nothing artistically special, but the reason I love photography. These kids will see this picture one day and have a good laugh at their outfits, their haircuts, and their funny faces.

And just a day later we hung out with them again and hit up our favourite park with Grandma and Papa for a little picnic lunch. 3 little monkeys.

For a little end of summer fun, Meme and Pepe took us to African Lion Safari for the day. We drove up a day early to make the drive a little easier on the kids, and of course staying in a hotel is super exciting for a 2 year old. Gryffin, not so much.

Archer loved the bus ride through the park, seeing all of the animals and running from window to window.

We got to see the elephants go for their swim at lunch time…

Archer and Dad had a nice little ride on Jenny…

And we ended the day on the massive splash pad, where Archer concurred his first water slide. He loved it so much he went back for more about 5 times.

Thanks for stopping by!

B

Why are my babies growing so fast? I mean, look at these two!! One is practically a man, and the other has so much chunk and cellulite I can’t even deal.

In Week 32 we hit up Brander Park and got a little surprise while we were there – Archer’s friends Seth and Ryan, along with Gryffin’s friends Samantha and Logan, and moms friends Karri and Allison. It was a fun little morning seeing the boys play together and talking to some other adults (bonus points because we are all in the same life boat right now).

Gryffin has become obsessed with his toes, and in all honesty, I can’t blame him. Now I can’t comment on the taste, but I do think they are pretty fun.

Visiting Nanny for dinner one evening, and Gryffin decided to put on the full show…

Some bees that photobombed my flowers… I gotta get me some macro gear.

And Sunday dinners with these three palaeontologists. No Sunday is complete without some dino education for the adults, because these 3 can school all of us when it comes to dinosaur facts.

And lastly, getting some sillies out before the sun sets on another week. I love seeing these kids play together every week. We are so lucky to have this routine.

Well that was kind of all over the map, but that’s life, right?!

Happy Friday!

B.

Eva and I used to work in the same clinic together before she moved her practice to her home. She herself is a very talented photographer, so I was very honoured when she asked me to create their family portraits this summer. Working with Eva was a breeze, as she has this calm about her, and always has a genuine smile on her face. After spending an evening with her, Greg, and their two busy boys, I was so happy to see that same calm, happy face. We met out at Erieau Beach and despite having two very adventurous boys, Eva and Greg were both laid back and let the evening unfold organically making this one of my favourite sessions to date.

Thank you Eva and Greg for letting me document your beautiful little family, and for being yourselves (and letting your boys be themselves too!). If you are interested in a Family Lifestyle Session, please contact me using the contact form at the end of this post, or email brittanyelizabethphoto@gmail.com.

Please contact me below to schedule your Family Lifestyle Session.

It is both a blessing and a curse to have family stationed all over Canada. We don’t get to see them often, but when we do we always make it count. Week 31 was sandwiched between two great family gatherings with some faces we don’t see nearly enough.

My aunt and uncle celebrated their 40th (!!) wedding anniversary at their cottage on Lake St. Clair, and it was the perfect setting for our huge family, complete with a small beach and lawn games. Archer had a blast hanging out and getting to know a bunch of new cousins, while Gryffin was happily passed around between all of the cousins, moms, aunts and grandmas.

Mid week Archer got creative and built an epic train track under the dining room table (all by himself might I add), but not before neglecting the colouring book and drawing only on himself while I nursed Gryffin. At least it wasn’t the walls, right?

A few evenings a week we head back to the garden after dinner to see what is going on out there. Our garden was cut in half this year because we decided to put up a play set for the boys, so there isn’t a lot to pick most nights, but this year we planted snow peas and they are so fun for Archer to find and pick on his own – and eat right off the vine. I love doing this together, and I hope it creates a healthy relationship with food for our boys (and myself, too!).

Can you tell we are potty training? You’re probably thinking “Does that kid ever wear pants?”… No. The answer is no.

Our week finished with a birthday party for Gage and Neely with a few more little people than a normal Sunday, making it extra special. Plus, a shark cake and a dino cake to top it all off.

Funny faces!

Ages: 7, 6, 5, (almost) 4, 3, and 2! So much fun!

We are so blessed to have such a big family. I remember spending almost every weekend with my cousins as a kid, and I want our boys to see the value in family, both near and far.

And even though I doubt he is reading this, I just want to shout out a Happy Anniversary to my #1. He makes every day awesome, and I am lucky to have this life with him.

Cheers!

B

I met these beautiful people out in Mitchell’s Bay one gorgeous evening for some fun following some of the happiest months for them. A new grand baby and a wedding already this year!

Thank you to the McGee Family for having me document this amazing time in your life! I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

In retrospect, transitioning Archer to his big boy bed and potty training at the same time may have contributed to the struggle. Hindsight is 20/20 they say. But here we are a few short weeks later and the all-night head-banging has been dramatically reduced and the bleaching of poopy underwear is on the decline as well. Progress, my friends.

On the other hand, Gryffin has decided that sleep really isn’t is thing after all. He gave it his all for the first 3.5 months, but that got boring apparently. So I will savour these Sleepy Gryffin pictures and remember the good times. Maybe if I pray over them I will get to sleep again soon…

Some other weekly highlights include:

Eyelashes.

Goofy smiles.

Puppy love.

And big brother stuff. I’m going to try to not laugh at Gryffin’s face, clearly asking me to save him. But when there is a photo opportunity Gryffin, never. #sorrynotsorry

Here’s hoping your week is also full of some hilarity.

B

Another Thursday has come and this weeks theme is SUNFLARE.

We often find ourselves in the garden around sunset after the heat of the day has lifted, and Archer loves helping me out picking beans and peas. And of course, he is running around in his undies, because it’s potty training central around here.

Click here to check out Ali’s SUNFLARE image this week!