Ahhhhh!!  What an amazing time this has been….all I can say is I L.O.V.E. being a mom!  It’s been pretty busy around here….first the healing process, then the “getting used to all this stage” and now the juggling stage!….  Juggling all that I used to do with all that’s been added to my plate!  As of July 25th, 2009…my son has taken #1 priority and I’ve realized that I just can’t “do it all” and that it’s “o.k”!….when that boy needs to eat he needs to EAT and he’ll let you know!!!  So I must say a huge “Thank you” to all my clients who have been waiting for me to complete orders etc….I’ve been doing as much as I can in the limited amount of time that I have ;)  I also haven’t been able to take on any extra work ’cause we don’t have a babysitter, so unfortunately I’ve had to turn down every client that’s contacted me about Christmas family photos and wedding clients too!! :(   I’m sure it will all work out one day though…(like next summer for all the 2010 wedding inquiries I’ve had!), but until then “mat. leave” is where it’s at!  In the meantime, you can always check back here to see snippits of things I didn’t blog when I was pregnant and or just to check out what’s new with our family!!  Oh….and another huge shout out to all of my most amazing clients who wanted me to photograph their family again this year ~ it truly broke my heart to have to say no, especially now that I understand on a whole new level how much it means to have each year, milestone and moment photographed….thanks for letting me know how much you love my work and that you’re actually willing to wait until next year just to have me photograph you and your babies!!  Here’s to family, friends and simply fabulous people.  Life is Good!  Much love,

~Christine

Wow….we’re almost here!!  Almost ready to announce our new arrival….will it be a boy…or a girl?  Joshua, Olivia or Victoria??!!  I have no idea…and I can’t wait to meet our little one!  The whole pregnancy has been such an amazing time for me ~ the entire pregnancy!  I’ve loved feeling every movement, every turn, every punch, jab and kick!  Of course they don’t hurt….and when baby does try to invade my ribcage….I just gently guide him or her back to where baby should be!!  The begining part of my pregnancy was sickness free (the rest has been too) and I’ve been carrying so low this whole time that I haven’t been bothered with breathing issues :)  Of course you have your up days as well as down days…but honestly…with Gods help, I’ve been creating a LIFE inside of my womb….what is more amazing than that??!!  I’ve never wished for the days to go by, or wanted baby to come early to ease any discomfort, I’ve just been enjoying every minute of it….  Soooo having said all that, I wanted to share some photos that we had taken yesterday from the amazing Michelle Libby.  There are only two so far….just a couple teasers to get me by for now!!  I’d never expect her to have them all finished the very next day!!  The ones she did send me make me warm all over and put a huge smile on my face ~ I could look at them forever!  I am sooooo thankful for all her time and effort (she did two photosessions with us - one artsy type of just me and one more relaxed session with both Steve and I)  The ones she sent me are of course of us both, and the rest are some that I “instructed” my husband to take before Libby arrived!! lol….I couldn’t help it, the lighting was perfect…and there was tall grass…and I had my camera with my trusty 50mm :)  so ~ here’s what I’ve been cooking up for the last 9.5 months!!  (ps…I’m 38 weeks & 1 day here!)

I just love these little cowboy boots our good friends gave to us!! Baby will definitely be wearing these at the next “corn boil!!”

me being silly….posing through the grass ;)

I love this shot Steve took - just beautiful ~ thanks honey!! xoxoxox

They grow so fast don’t they?  This is always my first thought when I photograph session #2 for a family.  Our first session was about 7 months ago (give or take a few weeks :)….you may remember the uber cute…”Baby Aiden” post - the photos were taken when he was just a newborn.  Well, now he is, or at least was around 6 months old when we did this session - and wow - so much personality in such a happy little man!!  Mom and Dad loved on him throughout the whole session and I drank it all in, knowing that my time is soon coming too! We strolled around QE park on a beautiful spring day, well, Kay strolled with Aiden, I waddled and John carried a huge tupperware container filled with Aidens toys, change of clothes and anything else we may have needed.  He even insisted on carrying my bags at one point too!!  What a great guy you’ve got Kay!!  I must say, although I had such a great time with this family, that this may have been my last session for this season :(  It was pretty tough to get around without an assistant, and I don’t like taking assistants with me for such small short jobs, sooooooo……I do have a couple other small things coming up, but for the most part, this is it!  Enjoy the photos ;)

He’s just loving all the attention!!

This one is definitely a favorite of mine ;)

He is such a happy baby ~ but why wouldn’t he be?  He’s got two of the greatest parents ever…who love him to bits!

PS..thanks a million to the stranger who helped us out here!!

Yup, crawling today, running tomorrow!!  He seems to have mastered the whole crawling and moving around thing….not doing too bad on his feet either…when mom and dad are holding his hands ;)

Hello everyone out there ~ just wanted to send a short note to let you know that we’re taking a bit of a break and I’ll be out of the office/studio until next Monday (May 25th)….So if your trying to connect with me, just drop me a line and I’ll get back to you asap when I return!  Thanks sooo much ~ pictures will be coming soon ;)

Yeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!  It’s that time of year again…and I am so excited!!  I feel so honored to have been asked to speak at this years History Maker conference again!  Last year was amazing - everything about it was soo good.  The bands rocked, the preaching was great…but best of all God showed up in a big way.  I remember a testimony from a young girl who was completely healed of cancer durring one of the sessions.  I don’t remember the story completely, but this kind of stuff happens when you immerse yourself in the presence of the Lord and receive His Word as truth.

This years theme is “BELIEVE” and God has seriously downloaded a Word for all the youth who come to my breakout session….It’s gonna be good!  So much of photography is not what we learn about exposure or the rule of “thirds”…but it comes from the creativity within us ~ which of course comes from the most creative being ~ God :) Of course, I’ll be handing out some “prizes” and I’ll have another fun slideshow for all of you who love visual content and good music :)…oh…and for all you techies, I’ll talk about the basics of making a good picture great as well ;)  Can’t wait to see you all, definitely stop me and say “hi” if you see me wadling around (with my pregnant belly!!)(PS…there are two different websites I linked this to…so check them both out!)

Ok, so this may seem like a lame post, but I consider this blog to be about me, what I’ve been up to, what I like, don’t like and of course fun photo shoots that I’ve been doing….So far this is what has been consuming alllll my time!!  Whether it be researching the best deals on appliances, grouting the tiles or just cleaning up all the drywall dust etc….. this has been it for the past couple of months.  And the best part about it is that it’s finally done!!!!  Yay!  So anyways, here goes….the final product…..our finished basement suite ;)  Ps…if you or anyone you know is looking for a one bedroom basement suite….send me an email and let us know!  It’s so beautiful…someone may as well use it! hahahaaa….enjoy ;)

Soooo, a couple of posts ago, I gave you a sneek peak of what was to come for my next baby post!  This was mainly just to keep mom and dad in suspense…..lol!!  I’ll be meeting with them soon to go over what photos they want enlarged…..but it really will be such a hard decision….even I love them all! hahahaaahahaaa….but I always do….newborns are just so darn edible ;)  Kira was such a doll, she needed just a couple of feedings, but don’t we all?  (Guess I’m just speaking from a pregnant womans point of view;)  Not even one complaint came from her….but who would if all you had to do was fall asleep while basking in the sun laying on a fluffy purple pillow and people just adored you??! lol.  I got to try a couple of different things with this session ~ as it was in my clients home and not the typical studio setting.  I loved every minute of it and before you knew it….a couple of hours had passed and we were still shooting away!  Of course it all stopped when the boys got hungry….I could have gone all day/night photographing this little cutie!  Well, enough about all that…..I’ll let you be the judge….is she cute or what??!

Ok, that smile just brings so much joy!

mmmm….definitely one of my favorites….

I love the closeness of these two pictures, she is so loved!

Her big brother….such a cutie too, we just had to snatch some photos of them snuggling, it was so sweet!

I wanted to get away from the traditional baby in the basket thing…..so I tried this instead….my rendition of the perfect gift….delivered to your doorstep….what..no labor pains? lol!

It was an early day for me, but so worth it once I arrived at Tonino’s Studio. The drive in was so smooth this time….probably ’cause I wasn’t driving..!! We haden’t purchased our new car yet since the accident, so Steve kinda had to come with me….and take the day off work..awwww, he’s the best! I love it when my husband comes with me to my photography sessions, thanks hunneybee ;) So due to the timing of it all, session number two had to be a fast one! This time Ellyse from Liz Bell Agency showcased the last two of Sarah Andersons designs - two beautiful deep purple outfits combining fair trade lace and velvet, organic cotton, wild non-violent silk and baby alpaca (which is like cashmere)…absolutely stunning.  Here is the first outfit we were shooting…I just love this V-back jumper….if I weren’t prego I just might be sporting something like this!! ;)

Outfit #2 - love the fair trade lace…

Worn exceptionally well with this vintage belt…good find Sarah ;)

Ohhhh…I just love the richness of the velvet….

The lace and velvet tank could be worn on it’s own…or with the shirt above…I love versatile outfits :)

This was also one of my absolute favorites….the shrug could be worn either with the animal print or the deep purple velvet side showing….just love it…

Here’s a sneak- peek of  the next baby blog you’ll see!  Can I say absolutely T.O.O.C.U.T.E?!!  I just fell in love with this perfect little baby girl the moment mom opened the door to let me and all my gear into her house!  She was wearing this bright pink velour outfit and was just so content in moms arms all squishy and curled up!  How can you help but not love her?  I can’t wait to show you more…but you’ll have to wait!!

What a fabulous week it has been , I just thought I’d sit down and blog a bit before heading straight into “cleaning” mode :)  Today, as I sat in my studio, chatting with a client, who btw, I absolutely adored, I thought to myself ~ I love my job.  Almost every aspect of it anyways (minus the paperwork and boring stuff :).  The chaise lounge was soaking up the sunshine that was pouring in through my bay window and much to my surprise that particular spot was up for grabs!  ** sidenote** It’s kinda funny, ’cause when people come into my studio for a consult or meeting of any sort, they seem to avoid the chaise lounge, unless a bride to be comes with her fiance or something.  I on the other hand have a hard time passing up a really comfy chair or couch! ** Back to the point of my story….I had the pleasure today of getting to know a complete stranger….all about her engagement story, how she met her finace and what they love to do together!  I just love that.  I’m always so curious to know about other people romantic engagements or what excites or bores them…’yknow?  I really should have been a counsellor or something ’cause I could listen to other peoples stories all day!!  Of course we talked business too, and showed off some albums but when it comes down to it all, money is just money but it’s the people you have around you on one of the biggest days of your life that’s gonna matter in the end :)  That can really make it or break it no matter how much you spent on your photographer!  PS….her fiance took her on a helicopter ride and proposed to her on the top of a mountain….can anyone beat that??!!  Have a great weekend ;)

True love…..such a sweet couple ;)