Us

Husband and wife. Best Friends.

Dreamers. Journeyers.

Artists with our own mediums.

Just us. 

So happy to be who we are and to be us together. 

Kilmeny

Kilmo-girl,

22 months old and full of personality. 

You make me catch my breath with how cute you are and I pray for grace to keep up with you.

Your big eyes are full of life and sparkle

You adore Khaira, Mummy and Daddy and your shoes. 

(I adore Daddy, Khaira, you and your shoes too)

You love to run and run or to swing and slide. You love your clothes and often want to change them several times a day. And you love being all cozy on the couch with Mummy and stack of books.

Your latest words are 'sure, chocolate, crying, sleeping, coffee and pumpkin' At least for today. You are a little mimic and are fast amassing a large vocabulary.

 

Trying to stay still and be happy and trying to pose just like Mummy....

A vintage Kilmeny look. Sweet and slightly mischievous.

I love you Kilmo-doll. You make my life rich.

Khaira

 Khaira-baby.

2 and half months old

with the biggest blue eyes just like her Daddy.

Sweet and calm with smiles and coos when the house is all quiet.

Loves being held and snuggled close. 

Continually brings joy and is loved on by her big sister.

Totally adored by her Daddy. 

And completely delights her Mummy.

Seriously, one cute baby.

 I love you, little one.

we went on a photoshoot

One of the best bits about being married to a photographer is that your family camera is really, really nice. And I can use it whenever I want too. Unless he is using it. Or all the cards are full from weddings/family shoots and there is no way I want to check to make sure they are all downloaded and re-format the cards before heading out for a walk with my girlies. 

We actually have two cameras. The second one is called my camera. It's a Canon point and shoot and fits in my purse or the pocket of the ergo. It's perfect for for packing around anywhere and most of our together pictures are taken with it simply because it's a lot easier to whip out when we're out. And it does the trick. It captures the moment and saves the memory. But sometimes a little more is nice.

A couple of weeks ago, we booked ourselves a photo shoot. Jared was using a friend's studio to do a shoot and since we had the studio all day and he wanted to get used to the set up, so we did some family pictures. 

I love them. And I think you will too. I couldn't pick which ones to put in this post so I'm going to do a couple posts with the pictures. 

Saskatoon Summer

It almost felt like it could snow this morning. The trees are nearly bare of their autumn colors, our breath hangs in the crisp morning air, warm socks and sweaters are brought out and the kettle gets constant use. It's the changing between seasons. And each day we have that is still autumn I want to soak up for all that it's worth. To add to the treasure trove of memories when winter seems too long. 

I found these pictures from our summer, taken one perfect summer evening when we picked saskatoons from our neighbor's hedge (yes, of course, we had permission). It was lovely and warm and the sun was just right and we were glad to be alive to experience it all. 

The berries are all squirreled away in our freezer awaiting to be made into compotes and pies. When we need tangible memories of summer, when the saskatoon bushes are just empty branches stark against the sky. 

Each season has its beauty, its grace, its moments to be lived deeply. Even the intense moments don't last forever. And oh, I am learning this in every area of my life. 

tears and a tea party

It was one of those days. You know the ones- where lunch and nap time can't come soon fast, where the toddler cries and cries and then the baby joins in, where you think quite cynically about the whole 'sleep when your baby sleeps' because your babies aren't sleeping in tandem and hardly ever do. The kind of day where you creep to your toddler's door because she's finally quiet only to see her clad in nothing at all, finger painting her crib, her self and the walls with the remains of her dirty diaper. 

The day all of a sudden seems very long. And all you want to do is turn around and go out the front door and have someone else clean it all up, soothe the children and make a hot cup of tea. 

But you're the mom. So you stay. You wipe down the crib, the walls, and the little girl. You bring the baby  in the room to join in the clean up party. And you laugh at the utter craziness of it all.

You put the kettle on for tea. And set up a tea party for your little girl and her Pooh Bear. And you snap the shutter while she is in total enjoyment over her tea things.

There wasn't any nap for anyone that day. Well, except Khaira who sleeps almost anywhere and through anything. But it was such a good day. Another golden day to be remembered. I stopped and stared at my little Khaira-baby who is growing and changing so much. I said 'yes' to my Kilmo-girl and let her have milk in a little cup at her table. And I loved it all. 

I chose to love it all. 

The tiredness. 

The mess. 

The constant needs to be met.

I don't always do. 

Sometimes we all cry and through my tears, I'm asking for grace and strength and the ability to be a mum to my little girls. And somehow we all make it through the day.

numbering the gifts

391-400

the way she settles down as I rock my baby to sleep 

 the way my Khaira-baby smiles at me first thing in the morning

spontaneous playground time just before supper 

the way the trees look in the autumn twilight

the way my Kilmo-girl mimics everything I do and say 

the simple truth of sufficient grace

the comforting smell of autumn baking

my Jared coming home, after putting in the hours at work for his girls

choosing to rest and to enjoy the busyness

photo by Jared 

snippets of words

 Where does one begin writing again after an absence? A play-by-play of all the events and experiences since the last entry? A brief hello before ducking away again? Or just jumping right in and letting the words be as long or as short as they need to be (or as soon as the toddler awakes)?

There have been so many experiences this past while, many moments that cause me to wish I could freeze time, many smiles, many tears...its been a beautiful, crazy time of adjusting to life as a foursome, figuring out how to be a mom of two littles and focusing on what is important each day. I think we're figuring out this dance and it feels so good.

  

We spent some time in the mountains, we flew across the country, we visited friends and family, my husband shot his cousin's wedding, we drove through perfect autumn days. We stopped at one of the great lakes and made the most of a brief hour. 

We came home. We read stories, we play with blocks, we snuggle, we feed the baby, we take walks soaking up autumn before winter comes. We have messy floors, unwashed dishes and scattered toys. And I am learning again to live in this moment, to be happy and to focus on what is important each day.