More words of gratitude

My mother-in-law worked in the film industry and we did not see much of her. Then she left it and in the year before she returned to her native land of New Zealand, she spent so much of that last year with my monkeys.
Without her I would not have been able to commit to starting my company. She looked after my children without question and was there when I needed her...which was a lot of the time.
I am very lucky to have such an amazing mother-in-law. She is spirited and creative and crafty and very very joyous and we have missed her dearly so it is wonderful to look at these photos from her last month here.
She will return for the summer and fill our lives with sunshine soon. My kids already have their list ready of things to do, places to visit and crafts to make. Her connection to them was very strong and I am very pleased as she is in the forefront of their young minds.

Happy Mother's Day... and a big thank you

When I think of where I am in terms of my business and how my kids and my husband manage my crazy schedule, I offer a great big whoop of gratitude for my most amazing support network. It is not just me who started this business. My team is very large and not a day goes by when I do not think of them.
This is team grandma and grandpa. It actually overwhelms me a little when I think of how far I have come because of these two.
It is Mother's Day today, but I am seeing it as a day of acknowledgement of all those who are so freakin' amazing and without whom I would not be the mother that I am.

This week I want to thank them all and I will put up little pics that I have taken over the last little while to acknowledge them.

My future partner

This amazing child is my future partner in crime. She has accompanied me on my less formal business meetings and is very engaged in anything that has to do with sweet earth. It is kind of cool that sometimes in her free play she is the owner and operator of her business company and takes this job very seriously.
When I am overwhelmed with balancing entrepreneur and mom I just think of this one and how I want to be a good role model for her. I know I have gone on about this idea before, but I really do need the reminders.

I am so blessed to have two incredible daughters.

My monkey

I spent the day on the seawall scouting out locations for an upcoming shoot in a couple of weeks. I was there with my little monkey and she indulged me which is not always a guarantee these days.

Taking photos of my kids and capturing their antics is my way of keeping hold of my memories. I am a very visual individual, but I do try to keep diaries for both my girls going. It is not always easy and their baby books are more their own personal photo albums as I do have to work with my strong points.

Deer Lake Park and the girls.

I have been working a lot of crazy hours lately and to be honest I have been cranky mom the last few days. After dealing with a bit of business in the morning we headed out to Deer Lake to have a look around. Now, this wasn't completely a work-free day as I needed to check out Century Gardens for a wedding I have coming up, but we still hung out together for hours and I completely surrended myself to them in the playground. A day like today is actually good for all of us as all our needs are met.

Again, I have stated before that it is hard to find the balance when trying to start up a successful business and stay well-connected to my kids, and also to remain sane. When I read about moms working from home I cannot imagine how they do it. I find it difficult and rarely get any work done. To find time for the kids, the husband, the home, the business leaves me exhausted and then when do I sit and relax myself.

I am feeling a bit guilty lately as I know school is approaching and eldest child will be in full days. I will have nap times again to do things. I am wondering if I can ship the littlest one of to some kind of care for a few hours a week. I want to treasure the moments that I have with the kids, not try to strategically figure out how to get a bit of work done. I know soon enough they won't want to hang with their mom or they will be so busy with their friends and their own lives. I do not want to regret this time. Where is my fairy godmother to grant me more time and still spend the time I need with my family and earn an income.

I finally put a few rolls of film in this morning to get developed and picked up some more. Daughter is totally getting the film versus digital aspect to this camera. She understands so much more than I thought. I can't wait to see her photos. I want her to see them too. She is quite good at framing. I try not to teach her too much about technique and lighting as she is still so young and I don't want to annoy her. I have a tendency to do that anytime I try to instruct her.

It was a great day of discovery and exploration.

I spent my latter childhood near Deer Lake so it was kind of cool to put my feet back in the water. I remember when you could still swim in it...that was a very long time ago. We decided we must come back and rent boats and tootle around.

It amazes me how the urge to climb overpowers my kids. Not too long ago my oldest was so hesitant to try anything risky, yet after a year of gym and a stick swing in our backyard she has such powerful little arms and the drive to conquer any climbing structure.

Baba is trying to keep up with the big sis.

I tried to get them to smile for the perfect picture, but they are monkeys. I guess this is them in their more natural state.

Little Monkeys together again

This past weekend we of course had our big talent night party, but the festivities were not limited to only one night. We had 3 out of town families staying at our humble abode. Now, I live in a little old house that thankfully has a large backyard. In total we were a home of 15 people. My husband and I slept outside in our tent which I think was the coolest place to sleep.

Because our dear friends are out of town it always amazes me how our children simply jump back in where they last left off. When children are little their familial memories are not that strong, or are they? These two monkeys have not seen each other for a month and rarely see each other more than a handful of times a year, yet despite their young age they have a very strong and intense friendship. They completely engage one another in play and have done so since before they could walk. I love that they have one another while their older siblings develop their own relationships. Perhaps being younger children they understand companionship more.

I can't wait to see how their friendship develops over the years. I do not have childhood friends that I see anymore. My oldest friend is from highschool. Perhaps the distance is what helps. We are completely in each other's spaces for days when we visit one another. We make up for the time in between visits.

Another baba turns 2

A very old friend of mine, so old in fact we met at summer camp in our teens, has a second child born a week after mine. We both had our seconds on their due dates and V-backs after C- sections. Our oldests are only a few months apart in age.

So we celebrated her DD's 2nd birthday this week and it was a glorious celebratory day. Of course, my camera was not far behind. It is an appendage after all. If I could just have my eye surgically adapted to be an actual camera I would be set.

A Little Honesty Never Hurt Anyone

I have attempted in this blog to keep a professional appearance, but I think I need to be a little more realistic about my life and my business. As a mother of two crazy little ones life can be a little hard to balance.
What I learn in terms of photographing kids comes first from my girls and then is reinforced as I apply those techniques with families when I photograph them. I owe a lot to my daughters.
I am very grateful to be a mother and a small business owner. When I chose to follow my dream and start my business it was so that they could see their mother facing her goals and fulfilling them and not staying stuck in a nine to five office job that had no soul. Some days I revel in the creativity that photography allows me. The other days I slog through the administrative duties that running a business requires. It was not easy switching from being an employee and knowing exactly what the job entailed to being my own boss. I was very good at my previous profession. Now I work everyday at making my business successful.

So, after a stressful week I reset myself. Some days I have to forgo the paperwork and have some very silly playtime with my little monkeys.

Again I say that I did this not only for myself but for them and they do keep me grounded.