Personal

I was sick in bed. I had been for 3 days. We usually don’t celebrate ‘holidays’ such as Valentines anyway, so I never suspected it would be a big deal. Little did I know, my illness almost ruined John’s special surprise.
He had arranged for flowers to be sent to my office weeks in advance of v-day, but I wasn’t going to be there. He ended up having to call my office and asked a coworker to receive them. On his lunch hour, he went to get them, and brought them home to me. It was adorable, and made it even more special to receive them from him personally.

Being sick on Valentines’ day made for a funny story.
In the end of course, I still ended up spoiled. Maybe even moreso than normal.

 xox,
Jennifer

Week 7
52/50 Project

So crazy that the new year is here. 2012 went by in the blink of an eye. We are already fully booked for this coming wedding season, and it makes me excited to think about what we can accomplish in 2013. We have worked so hard and for so long to get here. We aren’t entirely where we want to be yet, there are still lots of goals to reach, but we’ve made leaps and bounds in the past 12 months.

John and I took a break from family/everyday life and spent the weekend in a hotel, where we ate out for every meal, turned off all our internet devices, and caught up on some quality time together. And sleep. It will absolutely become a tradition to do a weekend away directly after the crazyness of Christmas.

This is week one of my 52/50 project.
Around this time of year, many professional and hobbyist photographers start a daily photo journal where they take an image a day for the entire year. My 52/50 Project is a little different. When I began photography, I exclusively used a 50mm lens with my first film SLR. My first DSLR was also solely equipped with the same prime lens. While it’s always in my camera bag, I have fallen away from it in recent years in favour of other lenses.

In 2013, I’m going to challenge myself to make an incredible image every week in 2013, using only my 50mm lens. I’m going to get back to my roots, and test how much I’ve grown.

Week 1
52/50 Project

 Taken during one of our fun weekend dates!

Happy New Year!
Jennifer

Thebeginning of the year seems like it was just a few days ago.
I have no idea what happened, but Nate’s first year of school flew by. He has grown so much.

He is a much better writer.
He sings 24/7. No matter what he’s doing. (Ever heard a kid sing when brushing their teeth?)
He can read so much more.
He’s more independent than ever before.
He’s made friends.
And he’s had his feelings hurt too. But he dealt with it admirably.

He can also speak more french than I ever could.
You’ve got two pride filled parents today, Internet!

Oh yes. He WILL despise me for these in his teenage years.
Completely worth it!

Yes. His shirt says ‘Wingman.”
Can you imagine who bought this for him?
(John is lucky I have a sense of humour!)

POP for Sight Words was such an ingenious way to improve his independent reading.
We played this at least 3 times a week. He loved every minute of it! Highly recommended to children who are prereaders or early readers!

If his best friend understood what school was, he’d be proud too.

xox

Jennifer

Mothers day #5!
I’ve made it for almost 6 years without having shipped my child to boarding school, (yet) and with only a few grey hairs.
Score one for mama!

My mothers day started with the whole family at an Ice Caps game!

Even my mom came!

This morning, the boys made me my favorite breakfast.

And Nathan gave me a gift he grew all by himself at school – a bean plant!

He also made me a gift at daycare!

The message reads “Happy Mother Day Mom, Love Nathan”
The sweetest!! I adore it even MORE because it’s upside down! This goes in the memory box, for sure.

So beautiful.

And another surprise to go with it.  I am too lucky for words.

I remember my first mothers day so well.
In 2007, it was just me and Nathan – and were dirt poor. Counting pennies poor. The amount I was getting from my maternity leave from the job I had back then was $568 a month. (Yes, a MONTH.)  That was my entire income for a full year. My car payment was $250/month itself. Add in regular infant expenses, and I learned very quickly how to stretch a dollar, and it’s something I’ll keep with me forever.

That mothers day, I didn’t feel I had much to celebrate. I felt as if I was a complete failure. I knew I didn’t ever want to live through that again. When Nathan was 15 months old, I got a student loan, and went back to school for Photographic Studies. I graduated at the top of my class. I worked my butt off, climbed the ladder into a much higher paying job, and started running the business. It was a slow start, but it was a start nonetheless. We didn’t meet John until mid-2008, and he did nothing but encourage my work ethic, successes, and dreams.
How much has changed in 5 short years!

If you are a last minute Mothers Day shopper, consider making a donation to the Single Parent Association of Newfoundland as a gift. They accept financial donations, gift cards for Sobeys and Dominion, non-perishable food items, used and new toys, clothing for all ages and sizes, school supplies, etc. Anything in good condition can be put to use by these families. Believe me when I say that anything, no matter how big or small, is more appreciated than you can imagine. Don’t wait until Christmas to make a difference.

Not only would a donation be a thoughtful gesture on behalf of your mother, who knows how hard it is to raise children, but it’s also a gift to those mothers (and fathers!) who are making ends meet on their own.

Meet Charlie!

The papillon breed is said to be intelligent, great with kids, and a little shy of strangers at first, but quick to warm up to people.
My only experience with dogs have been huge Newfoundland dogs. This is a little different for me.

It’s only day 1, and he’s already a perfect model.

A beautiful afternoon, and a long walk with the family!
Perfect way to end a long work week!

YAY SPRING!
The fabulous weather has gotten us out of the house, and spending more quality family time together. We’ve gone for walks, we’ve flown kites, we’ve made a few visits to the playground – we’ve even gone to the beach! (Though no swimming yet!) We are total beachbums when the water gets warm.
We love being outdoors! Running around, using outdoor voices (lol), getting dirty.
I’m such a big kid. I totally get in on the action too. If you ever see a grown woman in the park climbing a tree with a 5 year old, come on over and say hi!
I don’t know who comes home with more mud on their shoes or grass stains on their knees out of the two of us.

It’s a wonder what John can do with stain remover.

This was snapped on our most recent outing to Bowring Park.
Just a kid being a kid.

( Dimples. For. Miles. )

xox!

-Jenn