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.

Chillin' with my little one.

My kids love our great big king-sized bed. They drive me crazy every morning with their bed jumping and mother-avoidance antics. They hide under the covers with their little dirty feet.

I am not always cranky mom when it comes to the bed. It is a great place for laughter and silliness. It is also a great place to just sit back and really pay attention to my kids, especially my little one as she moves in her body and becomes more and more capable in life.

On our way to a New Years Retreat.

Waiting in line for our ferry.

My child made a new friend almost instantly on this short crossing to Port Townsend. I marvel at her sense of confidence.

We planned an adventure over New Years. I do not think we have actually stayed home to mark the New Year yet with our little family. Well, maybe one year in the last 5. I need these little getaways. The best part is finding the most amazing places to visit that are so close to home.

My husband went on a beer tour of the Pacific Northwest this past fall and came through Port Townsend. It is a lovely little old town that retains its Victorian character.

The after party

All she wanted was a Hello Kitty cake....more than anything. I would just like to thank Lyndsay from Coco Cupcakes for making such awesome cupcakes.

Collage Collage for big birthday Number 5

We spent our morning celebrating my eldest turning 5 at Collage Collage. It was a little chilly that morning but it was still a treat to spend a winter birthday doing something fun while the snow fell outside.

I just wanted to say outright that I am a fan of Erin and her studio art centre. She began the morning with general colouring to get everyone in the mood and doing something while we waited to everyone to arrive.

Next was a story to fully immerse the kids in the task at hand.

The kids made movable bears. These were not ordinary bears. The kids had free play in any amount of glue, buttons, felt, and pastels. Erin encouraged the kids to talk about their bears and embellish them with all the materials available. The little ones, who were in the 2.5 -3 range, went a little nuts with the glue ( freedom not experienced before) and Erin took it all in stride and encouraged their creativity. I was thwarted in my attempts to control the glue and surrendered to the beauty unfolding before me.

We could have had an art project at home... but truthfully no. This space was perfect for freedom of expression and held 9 little ones' attention for a solid hour.

Our inspirational story.

This is my daughter's to-do list that she started that morning and made me bring to the class. I am not sure if you can read her writing at the top which was instructions for me to make a Hello Kitty cake. I did not complete this task, but had Lyndsay from Coco Cupcakes create some lovely treats for me...photos to come.

Our bears chillin' together while the kids have a snack.

The best part of the morning was gathering all our snacks back up after taking a break and being ready to leave. We have a lovely art project and a group of kids who played so amazingly well together. Here my brother is reading them a story while we gather up our goodies.

I plan to make a return trip sans children so I can have a look at the great selection of art magazines, books and supplies. Erin also stocks handmade creations from many artisans in Vancouver.

This story was heaven as it appealed to both the kids and us grown ups. We shall definitely be checking out Collage Collage more often.

Day 5 - 'go for a walk'

Today was not the most smooth in our household. Crankiness reigned supreme and I was a little tired and easily frustrated. We had to drop our kids off in Coquitlam at my mom's for an overnight so I suggested going for a shoreline walk in Port Moody as I love the flats at the end of the inlet.
By the time we headed out the door the sun was setting, but despite the cold which we didn't mind as we were bundled, we were well rewarded as the crows arrived in their numbers and Canada Geese came in waves to settle amid the reeds.
The trip was short but beautiful and we did it together.

One of my most favourite photographic finds is found natural beauty. I love the textures and the colours of these little scenes I randomly encounter and that I am there to witness.

Eldest daughter quite fancied the lovely silvery leaf as well and yanked it off from its resting place. She is also a collector of items.

The sky filled with crows.

The reward at the end of our jaunt was a lovely warm hot cocoa which in itself is becoming a tradition with my youngest. She loves nothing better than 'going to the coffee shop'.

A day of hooky

I pulled my kid from kindie and we snuck out to the aquarium. She kept missing out on our little adventures.

Clownfish cove is a great spot to chill for ages. Eldest daughter teamed up with about 4 other kids in her age bracket and had a great adventure for over an hour. Littlest one is here waiting to be rescued by the rescue team. She is a little hermit crab in trouble. She patiently waited here for the older girls to remember they sent her here to wait for them.

Mother's Day Tea

It was a very serious affair today at my daughter's preschool. She wore her prettiest dress so she could serve tea to me for mother's day. She was so proud carrying the cup and saucer and revelled in the fact that I was in her space. She was so cute. All the moms had a fabulous time.

Her efforts of putting on such a lovely tea are rewarded with a hand decorated cookie. The antics of the afternoon were just perfect and this weekend we now have seeds to plant that were inside the lovely card she gave me.