Well I have another fun series starting for you all this week. Through the photography community I have met a ton of amazing people, many of which inspire me and are constantly pushing me creatively. For the next year I have teamed up with the talented Ali over at Smith & Archer Photography (How’s that for a coincidence?!) for a 2×52 project. Each week we have a theme and we both blog our images, and at the end of each month we will choose a favourite from each others set and hop in a blog circle with a few other pairs doing the same project. The best part about this is that we are spread out all over the world! Ali lives in Melbourne, Austraila, and works as a science teacher and photographer. She also has 2 kids, so I am excited to see some parallels in our lives even though we are on opposite ends of the Earth.

Our Week 1 theme is LIGHT, and I have to admit I struggled. It was such a broad theme that I couldn’t decide how I wanted do it. Finally on the last day of the week I spotted a few baby dinosaurs sitting in this perfect pocket of light on our dining room chairs.

Click over to Ali’s post to see how she interpreted this weeks theme.

I’m sure all of you stay at home moms out there will completely understand the feeling when your partner finally comes home at the end off the day. We are ALL always very excited when Eric gets home from work, and in the evenings Dad often trumps Mom (as you can see!)

I decided to try to do something fun out of the house one day when Archer was home from daycare. I thought since he is really into dinosaurs right now we would check out Stones N Bones in Sarnia, then have a picnic in the park for lunch. For the record, I was pretty impressed with myself for giving this a go – it was pretty ambitious with both boys on my own. As it turns out, Archer did not care for the museum, and it was much too cold and windy in Sarnia for a picnic. So, we came home and had a picnic in our living room! And because I don’t always have these fun ideas (or the care-free attitude to eat on a white blanket in the living room), I propped my camera up on a chair, grabbed my remote and hopped in the frame.

Archer loves to go wake Gryffin up from his nap, sometimes he sneaks in the room quietly and uses his best baby talk to wake him up, and other times it goes a little more like “raawwrr long-neck eat your head!” …

I finally remembered to take a more appropriate lens to Archer’s lacrosse, and even though it’s still not ideal, I had fun finding a big enough hole in the mesh to fit my lens into. #noshame

Gryffin and I tagged along for a little field trip to Greenview Aviaries with Archer’s daycare and we had a lot of fun. There were 3 daycares there all together, and ohmygawd those women are saints. Those kids are busy! Archer absolutely loves Kylie, and we are so lucky to have him in such a great home daycare, something I appreciate even more after spending the day with all of those toddlers! All of the kids with the daycare left early afternoon at the same time as all of the school groups, so we were suddenly almost alone in the zoo that was PACKED all day. We took advantage of the emptiness and took our time leaving.

Who cares about the monkeys, look how I can fill my shoes with stones!

For the record, there is a reason these are only for children. I could barely walk coming off of this thing! But after seeing a few friends play with slow shutter speeds, I had to give it a try. 

And a few more of my boys to finish off the week. I can’t believe how fast Gryffin is growing. It is hard to believe he has only been here for 8 weeks. In some ways it is like he has always been here, and yet I can’t believe he is already 2 months old. He is officially full of smiles – especially for Daddy and Archer. He currently hates tummy time, still nurses non-stop, and is sleeping well. I am one happy Mama!

Phew, that was a heavy week! Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,

B.

Week 22 has come and gone, and just like the rest, it was busy, fun, exhausting and so full. Full of activities, full of work, full of laugher… the list goes on. I started another personal project to keep me shooting daily throughout the summer, so if you follow me on instagram you will have seen some of these images in my 100 Days of Summer posts. I am loving the flexibility of this Project 52, but I miss the challenge of shooting daily after completing the 365, so I thought this might be perfect! Plus, it will make a great album at the end of the summer! Follow the hashtag #one2summer to see myself and some of my friends doing the same project.

This guy goes between diapers and big boy underwear every day. I can’t wait for it to click for him. He is a very strong minded little dude, so he is resisting us a bit, but we know he can do it so when he decides he wants to, it will happen quickly I’m sure.

Some baby toes and some ginger hairs. Who knows if it will stick around, but the Gryff man is a little ginger (and I couldn’t be happier about it!)!

Timbit dates in the park after daycare…

…and watching the sun go down behind this clubhouse of imagination make for fun evenings together.

A watching our friends do awesome things (like learn to walk!!) makes for fun play dates. Go Stewie, go!

Is there anything better than big man hands and arms surrounding a baby? I didn’t think so!

And finally, after a rough day with Mr. Attitude, I wasn’t keen on taking him to watch Eric’s baseball tournament, but he  surprised me with his good behaviour and we had a great day at the ball diamonds. Eric was having a great time playing catch with Archer, and Arch loved sitting on the bench and watching him at bat. Gryffin slept through the whole experience, obviously!

Cheers!

B.

I am here today to share some images from one of my all-time favourite sessions from last summer. Working as a lifestyle photographer in Chatham-Kent allows me to see so much of the beauty in peoples lives. These sessions are not about the smiles and the poses, they are full of real, raw moments that are so personal for each family. I love taking a back seat to your day and watching the way your family moves together, interacting in the most natural way. The smiles are real, the laughs are genuine, everyone is comfortable, and it shows. Lifestyle sessions allow personalities to shine as everyone has fun doing what they normally do.

Brent and Jess are some of my closest friends, so when they invited me out for an evening boat ride with their boys I knew it was going to be a great time. This is where they spend their weekends making memories and soaking up the sweet summer sunshine. The session was care free and easy, we all laughed together, and I got to sit back and watch them all of their thing. Both boys were full of energy when we arrived, and ready for bed when we left. Thanks again Brent and Jess for having me, it is to this date still one of my favourite sessions to look back on.

If you are interested in learning more about lifestyle photography or scheduling a session for your family, please fill out the contact form below. I am offering discounted sessions until July 1st, 2016, a one hour lifestyle session with me for $175, including digital files and a print release. 

Well, we made the epic leap as parents and sacrificed our backyard for the children’s play set. Although it was very little work for me, Eric (and Pepe) put in a few more man hours than the instructions hinted at, and its construction ended up costing us two whole weekends (and a considerable amount of $$). Go play Archer, and please enjoy it for a few years.

While demolishing yet another section of landscaping at our house I dug up a tiny little maple sapling and had Archer help me transplant it. He has been watering it regularly ever since.

We spent the holiday Monday with Nanny after working outside all day. We made yet another trip to the greenhouse, where Archer took approximately 2 minutes to throw a tantrum and get dirt and blood all over his white shirt (parenting fail all around). Don’t worry, it was just a little cut on his finger after an encounter with a thorn bush after repeated warnings of touching plants… Sandwiches and cookies at Nanny’s made everything better.

Archer takes “helpful big brother” to a whole new level with his “checking on Gryffin” (read: screaming in his face and poking his head). Although it sends my stress levels through the roof, he truly does mean well, and he loves talking to his baby brother.

What’s that? You’re sick of greenhouse pictures? Well I am terribly sorry. I can’t help myself with all of the colours and the perfect light and the leading lines.

baby quails!

And another weekend full of play time with cousins, and a lovely Sunday morning at the park just the 4 of us. If you are following my 100 Days of Summer on Instagram you will have seen some of these because Sunday May 29 marked Day 1. Follow along using the hashtag #one2summer to see some seriously talented friends of mine completing the same project!

Happy Monday everyone!

xo, B.

Life with these boys is going to be an adventure. Archer is at an age where he remembers everything and is literally absorbing his environment. I am trying my best, with Gryffin in tow, to keep him occupied and learning every day whether it be at home our out. When Archer was a baby I walked with him everyday, but once he started to walk and run, he didn’t want to be confined to the stroller any more. Now with Gryffin (and my post partum bod) I am trying to get out walking more. We love this little trail through Dresden where Archer can run free for a few minutes, and I can still walk with Gryffin in the stroller or carrier (maybe even throw in a few lunges or squats… maybe not though).

This trail also offers me a creative outlet. I have recently joined a few new photography circles that are inspiring me to play with light differently. When we walked into the trail and I saw all of the dappled light, I was so glad I brought my camera along.

These creative challenges also have me seeing our house a little differently. I love finding new ways to play in the same environment. This is a little moodier than I usually shoot, but when we noticed the orange lights on our way up the stairs, it was worth delaying bed time for.

And just to finish the week off, a nice moment with all of the VanRuymbeke boys.

I hope you’re having a great week!

xo, B.

Finally some beautiful weather, am I right?! I have been itching to get out into the garden and in the yard every day, and we are taking lots of walks and trips to the park. A little Vitamin D does the body good! I am looking forward to a summer full of sunshine, picnics and margaritas (that last one is just for me).

2 year olds attempting organized sports might be the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen. Archer’s one hour practice each week is made up of approximately 10 minutes of crying, 15 minutes of laying on the floor, 5 minutes of running, 10 minutes of potty and drink breaks, 5 minutes of poking the boards with his stick and maybe 10 minutes of actual lacrosse related activities. Part of the hilarity is hearing all of the dads in the crowd get worked up because their toddler isn’t listening, like they are doing it to purposely embarrass their fathers. But, in the time that he does pay attention and  try to do the drills he does so good! His attention span is improving as he is getting to know the coaches, and he really does enjoy it. I’m one proud mama. Geez, if I can talk this much about his sports now, I feel bad for those who have to listen to me when he is older…

Some days after daycare Archer is so tired out from all the fun that he can be such a grump all evening. But other times he comes home on a daycare high and our evenings are so much fun. Snacks and chats on the deck in the sunshine, snuggle time with little bro, and grass cutting with dad – all with a happy face.

And our typical weekend uniform these days includes all day jim jams, lots of coffee, and couch snuggles surrounded by our little messes.

All the heart eyes for my boys.

xo. B