A Peaceful Beach

My family and I recently spent a week in Wells, Maine. The weather was gorgeous and our surroundings were even moreso but I have to admit that my favorite part of our trip was not our daily excursions or the wonderful sight-seeing we did, but one early morning when we all rose and headed to the beach to watch the sun come up. The beach was desserted, with the exception of only a few other early-risers, but it felt as though we were completely alone with only the sounds of the surf and the glorious colors of sunrise to keep us company. I enjoyed every second of our peaceful time together as we strolled along the tide, still in our pj's. It's little moments such as these that you know will always stay with you... simply because they're just too good to forget! 

Summer Sky

Here's a shot of the GORGEOUS night sky after my family session last night that I had to share. Just another one of the many reasons why I love summer!! :)

The Larson Family

This beautifiul threesome come from Texas and were in NH visiting relatives. I was nothing short of flattered when Heather wrote to me and asked if I could take photos of them while they were here. Having family in Canada, I know how busy it is when you go "home" to see alot of people... time is precious and you do your best to see everyone in the time that you have which made it such an honor for me to have been included in their NH visit.

 Little Grace had eyes that went right through me and her sweet smile was absolutely contagious. She has parents who share a love of horses and farm life and it shown in Grace, the way she was mesmorized by all that was around her and showed no fear being around animals that were many times her own size. It was a gorgeous morning and I loved getting to know this family and admired the way they work as a team. Their love for Grace shown in everything they do and I have no doubt that she'll totally enjoy her life as a Larson! Thank you, Heather and Mike, for including me in your visit to NH. You were all so wonderful and I hope you have a safe trip back to The Lone Star State :)



A Day In The Park

It was a perfect 84 degree day and I decided that the kiddos and I would do a picnic lunch at a park not far from our home (it is here that I feel the need to admit that I had my own selfish reason for wanting to visit this spot... only days from now, I have a shoot scheduled in this same park and I wanted to do some poking around and check it out as its been many years since my last visit). My plan was to walk around, enjoy the scenery and take in the nature around us. It's true that I was scouting the place, but also, as a stay-at-home mom, I'm always looking for people, places and things to introduce to my children. Not just to give them the opportunity to learn and experience all that they can, but also to help make our days together interesting and fun. And that's what is so great about being outdoors. The opportunities to learn and explore present themselves naturally, so we like to spend as much time as we can being outside . 

My daughter was particularly happy we came to this park. Ever since she was young, she has been drawn to flowers. I probably have 100 pictures of her watering flowers, picking flowers, bending over and smelling flowers, etc. and at any point during the summer, I have at least 3 or 4 small vases full of flowers/weeds that she has picked for me on the counter in my kitchen. I love this about her and enjoyed watching her light up as she ran around excitedly inspecting the array of colors and smells in the endless line of gardens. She was thrilled to encounter such a place, but was tortured by the fact that she wasn't allowed to pick any of them. 

My son simply enjoys.... well, everything. He's the happiest kid you could ever want to meet and he's very easy to please. And after a nice, long walk, his contentment faded (which could only mean one thing: he was hungry, per usual) so we settled down for our picnic next to a beautiful waterfall and it was great! We just sat, ate, played and simply enjoyed a summer afternoon. It was a perfect day all around. Nothing can beat a beautiful day with beautiful surroundings, especially when I'm with my beautiful children! :)  

The only "flower" that she was allowed to pick... and she was proud of it :)

The gorgeous view from our picnic blanket... loved it!!

Pretty Petals

You've just got to love spring and all the lovely colors and life it brings! My Father-in-law got my daughter this gorgeous orchid for Easter and I couldn't help but go for my camera. The petals are such a vibrant magenta and they go beautifully with the gorgeous green leaves perched at the bottom of its long stem. I love how a little color can brighten up a whole room and that's exactly what this little flower has done in our home :)