Rumor Has It...Photography & Design - Child and Family Photographer - Calgary, Alberta

Baby Carter - Calgary Newborn Photographer

2012-02-21T15:05:00.004-08:00

I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Carter yesterday. He is baby number three for this busy family. What a sweetie, and how good does Mom look one week post baby?

Leyton's Magic Show 5th Birthday Party

2012-02-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well I've already posted Leyton's photo shoot so I guess you already know she turned 5. But I've been delinquent and haven't posted the photos of her actual birthday. It was a great day, a little crazy as most kids birthday parties are, but here are a few from before with her sister and during with her buddies and cousins. I think everyone had a great time! Abbra Kadabra! Leyton is 5!

Gorgeous Momma! Calgary Maternity Photographer

2012-01-30T07:59:00.001-08:00

This session was so much fun! We were able to do a variety of shots both inside and outside and to say that this session challenged my creativity would be an understatement. I knew when we were setting up the session that my clients house was getting some renovations, but it was a complete construction zone! But it was no problem, we found a big window and set to work, good thing Mom wasn't worried about getting her photo taken...in front of a contractor who was doing a railing! I love the final product, but wish I would have taken a photo of our surroundings! You would be proud of me too! :) Here's just a small sampling of the day, what a great time. Can't wait to meet baby!

Anybody feel my pain? Calgary - Children's Photographer

2012-01-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

On many occasions I have had people say to me that I must have so many photos of my own kids all around my house, which I actually do. I'm still terrible at keeping them all up to date but I have tried in the last little while to actually get them up on the wall, because really that is the point right? The other thing people have asked is "how to get such good photos of them?" . I always laugh when people say this because: 1) I usually spend half a photo session with my own kids bribing them, and 2)There usually are MANY photos like the ones below that you don't see! The other day when I took the photos of Leyton for her birthday, I also tried to get a couple of Logan with her skunk hat on. She got it for Christmas from my sister from here and its so cute, but I hadn't got any photos of it yet. Well, here is what ensued...literally I can see the thoughts in her mind...what is she doing with that black thing again? Does she really think I'm going to look at it? Oh look is that a bunny way off behind her? I am so outta here...is about what I think it would look like. I thought you all might enjoy these and maybe make you feel a bit better when your kids do the same (for you or me!).

The girl is 5! Really? Calgary - Children's Photographer

2012-01-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to make sure I take my girls out for their birthday "photo shoot". I am a little late this year, but it was a tad cold last week and I was not going to drag them out in -30 to snap a couple photos! So as the sun was coming up this morning, I decided today was the day. As usual I hastily grabbed a couple things and bribed Leyton to come out with me to snap some shots. I have a very small window of opportunity with Leyton, she tires of my antics to get her to look into the camera quickly...as does my patience with her when she flat out refuses! So like any good mother I bribed her with a blizzard and some Wii and we had success. Now for the follow through! Feeling a little old having a 5 year old, but hey pretty proud of this little chick. :)

Just one - Calgary Maternity Photographer

2012-01-22T23:22:00.001-08:00

This is just a quick peek at the fun I was up to yesterday. So fun hanging out with this Momma to be and her BFF (my sister in-law). I'll post some more soon, but for tonight, just one.

Couldn't resist posting this...

2012-01-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

Being a newborn model can be very exhausting...

First newborn of the year!

2012-01-16T11:14:00.000-08:00

Its been awhile since I have done newborn photos and this little man was the perfect way to start the new year and get me back in the swing of newborns again. The winter seems to be the busy season for babies so here we go! Little Henry was awake for the first while of our session and really didn't want to sleep for us, but we waited him out and got a ton of beautiful shots. Here are a couple sneak peeks for Mom and Dad. Happy New Year everyone!

THE POLL IS CLOSED!! :)

2012-01-01T18:50:00.001-08:00

We have a winner! It was very close and right down to the wire...but the winning photo is with 17 votes...

Congratulations! I will contact you by email! Thank-you to all who entered, and got your family to enter! Beautiful kids all around!!

My Favorites...of my own!

2011-12-28T21:45:00.000-08:00

I posted the breakdown of my favorite photos from my clients this year. Now its time for my favorites of some of the photos of my own family. From cousins, to neices and nephews to my own kids...here they are! Would love to hear which is your favorite. I won't do a poll just give me some comments! It is apparent that I am unable to narrow down photos of my own family!! Sorry for so many, but just couldn't leave some out!
Would love to hear from you! Otherwise keep voting on the favorites on the doodle poll for the my client photos! HERE

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

2011-12-24T07:42:00.001-08:00

If you would like to vote for your favorite photo of 2011 go HERE

My Faves of 2011

2011-12-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

Wow...I can hardly believe how fast this year has gone by and that it is about to be 2012. I started off the year still on mat leave with my youngest and slowly started back into photography. After Christmas is always a bit of a slower time, but we slowly ramped up with newborns until the weather was nice enough to head back outside for family shoots again. It finished with a bit of a flurry/bang/craziness with me back working part time at the hospital and no less than 18 (+/- a couple impromtu family sessions of my family and extended family!) fall/winter sessions from the last weekend in September until the first week of December. I think I have carpal tunnel and eye and neck strain from all the editing. But needless to say after countless beautiful Holiday cards and print orders arriving at my door I am proud to say I am done for the year! I even managed to get my own card out again this year.
Since it was such a fun and busy year I decided that I should do a little recap/contest on the blog to pick my favorite photos from the year and let you decide which is YOUR favorite. I would also like to say after combing through the thousands of photos from the past year that there were SO MANY to choose from it was very hard to narrow down. These photos I chose for their quality/feel/lighting/and overall Rumor has it..Photo Style! I have also left out my family (and extended family) from the contest as I have a number of photos of them but that just wouldn't be fair! I'll post my favorites of them later!
And what would a good contest be without a prize at the end! Please vote in the linked doodle poll for your favorite photo. On January 1st I will count the votes and the family with the highest number of votes will receive (since I love to print a big photo!) a 16 x 20 print of their photo (an $80 value!) Please forward to your family, friends or whoever you can get to vote, I won't descriminate, but only one vote per family household please.
So here goes!
ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE POLL...IF ALL NINE OPTIONS ARE NOT SHOWING CLICK THE FOLDED SECTION AND IT WILL EXPAND FOR ALL OPTIONS TO BE AVAILABLE! THANKS FOR VOTING!! AND REMEMBER ONE VOTE PER HOUSEHOLD PLEASE!
DOODLE LINK

Miss Maggie

2011-11-19T22:52:00.000-08:00

Even though the weather didn't exactly co-operate for this photo session, it wasn't terrible either...especially considering the -20 weather we are presently experiencing! These two were able to take their coats off for a couple stints while doing their session, but we had to intermittently put it back on, and even had a warm up on the way from one location to another. Holly is actually someone I have known from way back in Junior high when she lived in PA, and has been in Calgary for a while, but we haven't seen eachother since I'm sure grade 9? Yikes, now I feel old. Its funny how Facebook now ends up to be the way to reunite! Miss Maggie is their new addition to the family, and what a cute puppy she is. She was so good, even though she was freezing like the rest of us! Enjoy your peek guys...I'm am slowly but surely digging out from this pile of editing!

Now that's what I call coffee to go...

2011-11-12T15:58:00.000-08:00

A quick one from my editing today...thought it was pretty cute. Mom and Dad are big Starbucks fans, they even brought me one!! How sweet is that!

Happy (Late) Halloween!!

2011-11-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

This was the first year we got to spend trick or treating with the Kelly family and what a blast the kids had! Sprinting from house to house, losing Benny every couple houses because he was sprinting so fast. The candy haul was pretty disgusting and we are still trying to get rid of it all (without gaining 10 pounds!). We were lucky enough to have Kelly's Mom and Dad to hang out with Logan and hand out candy at our place so for the first time I even got to partake in the Halloween festivities! What a fun time! Leyton had two outfits for the day, Super Leyton for the day at school, then Cowgirl for the evening for trick or treating. Its a good thing we had a back up as the night got a bit chilly, and I don't know that the leotard would have been all that warm! Logan was a cupcake, as I got a steal of a deal at Old Navy at the last minute for $6.88 (so proud of myself for that!). They both endured the usual photo shoot of their outfits, during the day so here they are...

They grow too quick!

2011-11-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

The last time I saw the littlest in this family, she was a newborn. What a treat to see her again at this age, its one of my favorites. Not walking yet, crawling a bit, but not too quickly. We met up just over a week ago to get some family photos, what a beautiful day for the end of October?!! When we met last time the oldest was really NOT into having any photos of her, she wasn't falling for any of my attempts to get her smiling either. Her Mom wrote me something funny before we met "...Unlike my eldest, "H" - trying to get a picture of her is like trying to photograph a yeti... Hopefully you'll have more luck than we've had with her ;) "... well...I think we may have actually succeeded! Here are just a couple from that day...so much more editing to go! Enjoy!

The last of the sneak peeks

2011-10-26T08:50:00.001-07:00

You've seen this family before, but its been awhile and I can't believe how much the kids have grown. I haven't seen Taylor since she was a baby (other than in photos) and Grady is such little man now...wow, time goes too quick! Here's your sneak peek guys, enjoy! Now back to editing!! :)

This is late....but better late than never!

2011-10-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sure these families have waiting for their sneak peek for awhile, but with all the mini session editing I just haven't got to them yet. So today I took a break from the other editing to post a couple from these sessions I had just over a week ago. I still have one more to go, but 2 outta three ain't bad!

Jinky Art

2011-10-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last month I made a trip down to LA and Orange County (all by myself!!) for my very first Photography Workshop. It was with the wonderful Barb Uil of Jinky Art. It was such a great 3 days of fun, photography, and meeting a lot of great people in the photography world. It was such a great group, and from all over the world. Holland, the UK, the States and Canada. We did a ton of shoots while there, since it was my first workshop I hadn't quite figured out the getting in there to get the shot with 13 other photographers. I found myself hanging back a lot of the time and trying to learn more from watching. I did get to sneak in here and there though for a couple here and there. Here is some of what I got! Such a great learning experience!

Mini Session 2 Sneak Peek!

2011-10-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

I am so knee deep in editing from all these sessions, but I wanted to get some sneak peeks up for the second set of sessions I did last weekend. Enjoy!

Mini Session sneak peek...

2011-10-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind on blogging, I don't even know where to start. But I know everyone from the Minis this past weekend is probably looking for a peek...so I started there. Lots to blog about in the next little while, stay tuned. Until then, enjoy!

Granny Squares

2011-09-05T08:26:00.000-07:00

I had found a couple photos of granny squares on pinterest like this and this . I think they are so beautiful and decided I was in need of one. Since I am definitely not up to snuff on my crocheting abilities I decided to ask my wonderful and hugely talented Grandma MacDonald if she could make one for me. After a couple trips to Micheals to pick out the yarn and a suitcase full of yarn (16 skenes) on the plane home to Saskatchewan this summer (which I really wish I would have taken a 'before' photo of) and a lot of hours of crocheting on my Grandma's part....voila!! My new Granny Square Afghan! I love it sooo much! It is my new go to blanket on the couch at night while watching tv. The first night my Mom brought it, I literally walked around the house with it around my shoulders like a 'granny' smelling it. It smelled just like my Grandmas house! I am so thankful to my Grandma for making it for me. I love the colors, I love the randomness of the squares and how even though they are all different they all looks so great together. I will have it always to show how talented she is! Maybe someday I can try and learn so that I can do the same for my kids and Grandkids...?? :) Here are some shots of it in my house...

Product Spotlight...Accordian Albums

2011-09-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

I haven't done this much in the past, but these albums are on the way out the door this weekend and I just had to take a few shots of them before they're gone. I have done the albums before but not with the custom cover and I am so excited with how they turned out. I took a couple photos for you to see them too! Each one now comes covered in a frosted plastic cover to protect it, and a hidden magnet keeps it closed once it is out of its case. I think they are the perfect size to throw in your purse so you can show off your kids to everyone who asks about them, and such a great idea for Grandmas and Grandpas that want to show off their Grandkids! I'll try doing some shots of some of my Holiday cards from last year as well...Christmas Card season...my favorite!! :)

Sneak Peek of the cuties I saw today...

2011-08-28T21:49:00.001-07:00

Mini Sessions are back!!

2011-08-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

I have had some great fun in the past with these mini-sessions and I can't wait for this year's already!

I have decided to schedule two separate dates again this year to try and accomodate everyone interested. I have two awesome spots for photos this year the first, Bowness Park is a beautiful setting that will hopefully be in full yellows, oranges and reds of Fall. There are a number of spots with beautiful canopies of trees, and views of the Bow River. Definitely a number of great spots for family photos. The second I think will also be great, I just had a walk down by the river yesterday to check it out, and can't wait to see the photos! There is a beautiful old building (the Simmons Building) with awesome old brick that will photograph beautifully, as well as some bridges, and views of river which will likely also be colored in the colors of fall. I hope you can join us for you photos this year!

As always my favorite product continues to be my Holiday Cards. Sadly I look forward to this season every year, even when its only August! I again have a whole new set of Holiday Card designs, to add to my last year's selections and I also have some beautiful die cut cards that are made in beautiful shapes. I will forward more info on the designs and shapes once your session has been booked.

You will notice that there are two pricing options this year. The first for those who are probably looking for some photos, maybe some Christmas Cards, and a couple prints, as you are welcome to put the $50 towards any of my prints or products. The second is a set of High resolution digital files that you are free to print as you please. This is becoming a more and more popular option as everyone loves their whole family to see their photos and likes to be able to print as they please. This pricing option includes both the sitting and the files, and as such 50% of the cost will be due at the mini-session. This is a great deal my digital files usually price for $600 and you also get the session fee in the $500 cost.

I can't wait to see how the little ones have grown, and look forward to photographing your beautiful family! Please email me at rumorhasitphoto@me.com if you are interested in a spot or have any questions. I will fill the time slots on a first come first serve basis. I've already got some of the spots filled but would love to fit your family in! Email me if you're interested! I am waiting on a couple confirmations of time, and then I will post some of the slots as they fill/are open. I think I may only have one spot remaining at Bowness park on the 25th, and probably four spots available on the 1st at the Riverwalk. Can't wait to hear from you!

UPDATE! I have ONE spot remaining on October 1st email if you're interested!

Carlee

Can't believe it's already been a year...

2011-08-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

It really seems crazy to me that a year has passed so quickly. Everyone always says that time seems to go by quicker with your second, and it seems hard to believe...until it happens! I started back to work a couple weeks ago, and then we celebrated Logan's birthday a week later. It all went by (I'll say it again) so quickly that you never would have thought such a big milestone had passed.
Logan seems to be a lot different than her sister, she has just started pulling herself to standing, she continues with her skooching crawl that always makes me smile, she is into EVERYTHING (especially pulling out floor vents???) and loves to let you know when she is hungry and wants more food, and when you've just taken something from her that she wants (like the remote) really bad! She is getting teeth in like crazy, which is definitely different from her sister. I could swear Leyton only had 4 teeth until she was over two years old!
Well for the past couple days Leyton was staying out at her Nana and Papa's with her cousin and we had Log's all to ourselves. We joked about how it must be a treat for her (and us) to just have one kid for couple days and we got to remember what it was like to have just one. It was nice, but we now have both busy girls back in the house (sleeping soundly...knock on wood) and it feels good to have things back to normal.
The one thing that Leyton got a lot when she was an only child was a good number of photo shoots, so how could I disappoint for Logan on such a big occasion. My plan was to head out to the field that Leyton's canola photos were taken in last summer. I knew that I had missed my opportunity for the yellow flowers, but figured whatever was there would do. When I arrived I discovered the same field was actually wheat (and oh I sure hope I'm not wrong about that as my Dad and other farming family will surely skewer me for it! :) and I think it was actually prettier than I had imagined with the colors.
Thank you to Aunty Amanda and Uncle Cory for the super cute dress that Logan is wearing, and to Deonne for the beautiful quilt that she gave Logan when she was born. I think it all came together for some cute shots of my girl. Happy Birthday Baby Logan!

2 Sisters 2 ways

2011-08-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Sometimes they don't even have to be looking at the camera. Loved this pic but couldn't decide if I liked it better in color or black and white? What do you think?

Keep checking back here, I am working on my plans for my mini sessions this year...I'm thinking of the last weekend in September and the first weekend in October (1 day of each weekend). I'll be sending out an email to my past customers, but if you're interested shoot me an email at rumorhasitphoto@me.com. I'll start up a list! Still deciding on venue, want to switch it up again this year, but haven't decided exactly where yet, feel free to throw me some suggestions if you have any!! Check back soon!

Get your motor runnin...

2011-08-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well...we've moved up from a VW bug last year...

to a Thunderbird this year. Is this girl fierce of what? :) Wonder what it'll be next year?

A quick look at our holidays...

2011-08-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

...a $60 gondola ride, an impending wet willy, top of a mountain, a lot of swimming, some sleeping boaters, two dudes who think they can dance, one last swim at Auntie's, more swimming, four girls and a boy (and four American girls), a lot of cousins, getting back in the saddle all equals a whole lot of fun!! Weather wasn't as nice as it usually is for us, but we still managed to enjoy the week. Was my last chance for vacation before my maternity leave was done-zo...well vacay-ed! :)

A few I came across...

2011-08-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

And really liked! So I thought I would share them with you!

Remember this?

2011-08-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago I took photos just like this of Leyton...look HERE. Well last week I realized that we should do the same for Logan as she was standing pretty well, but not able to move anywhere yet. She's a bit older than Leyton was...but funny, they look pretty similar (from behind anyway! :))

I've said it before...

2011-08-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

go BIG or go home!! You remember this session, well Sarah had some frames that needed filling so we set to work at getting rid of those empty frames. These frames are from Ikea, and the size of the photos inside the matting are about a 20 x 30. This is larger than even I have in my house, but I am soooo jealous of the result! I think I may have to do a copy cat in my bonus room, and I already scoped out the frames at Ikea. Just had our family photos done tonight, so hopefully we'll have some keepers that we can display this large. Such a great way to display photos of your family. Sarah talked about having "muted" tones in her living room so she went with her photos in a vintage look, and I think (at least from her photos) that they look great! Doesn't hurt that her family is so cute!

Next time you get your photos done...THINK BIG!!

Tub time!

2011-08-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

This tub was actually used on our wedding day to hold beer while we were getting our photos taken, my cousin then borrowed it for her wedding and I had totally forgotten about it since. While I was home last month I saw it outside at Mom and Dad's and mentioned to Dad that I didn't even know it was still around. When they came to town last week they dropped it in my garage and I couldn't wait to put it back into use (for something other than beer of course!). So this week Leyton and I filled it up on a hot day and left it in the sun to warm up. When we went back the next morning to give Log's a bath in the tub it was still freezing, so I set to work at dumping in some warm water. Logan actually enjoyed it, and then of course Leyton couldn't be left out, so she jumped in too. I ended up getting quite a few pretty cute shots, but these two were by far my favorite.

Happy Birthday Papa!

2011-07-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

I'm finally starting to get caught up on some of my personal posts. I'm a bit of a geek and love going through my photography stuff, and then my personal stuff starts going to the wayside. This was from a couple weeks ago before leaving for holidays. It was my father in law's birthday, and for once we actually took a minute and got some photos. I've been meaning to get more photos of my extended family lately, and this was the perfect opportunity. Happy Birthday Papa!

Biking with Grandma and Grandpa

2011-07-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Whenever we go home to Saskatchewan, Grandma and Grandpa love taking the kids on the bike paths of PA. This year was no exception. It was probably a bit less painful this year though as Leyton can now ride her bike without training wheels and actually seems to be able to get her legs moving pretty fast to keep up. Logan got to ride backseat with Grandpa and she even got a new helmet out of the deal! They went for a ride almost every night, most times ended up at the skateboard park where Leyton loved going up and down the ramps. I went a couple nights too...and somehow we ended up at the ice cream shop, not sure how that happened? ;-) Here's some pics of the bikers. The last shot is of the sky from Mom and Dad's back yard, thought the sunset colors were pretty beautiful!
Thanks for looking!

A couple more that I couldn't resist sharing...

2011-07-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Love the old cars...

2011-07-26T11:30:00.001-07:00

It is apparent as of late that I am obsessed with old vehicles. Here is some of photos from at the lake last week. The cars were parked at a Vehicle Museum, and I have literally been wanting to get photos there for three years. I finally bit the bullet and took the girls there one night, just as the sun was going down. I haven't had time to edit them all, but so far these were my standout faves...the blue one is a Thunderbird (I believe 70's maybe, can't remember what my dad told me) the light green is a 50's Chev, just in case anyone is a car buff!

Sarah and Family

2011-07-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

I finally met Sarah and her family the other night after many email and phone discussions. She has a great website here that you should check out. We also discovered that we actually grew up only an hour or so apart in Saskatchewan...what a small world. It was a great night for photos, here are a couple to get a sneak peek of, I think there's many more!! Thanks guys!

Ceilidh and Morgan

2011-07-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

This was the second set of photos I did while back home in Saskatchewan last week. Ceilidh (prounounced CAY-LEE) is my cousin, and Morgan is a friend of hers that she has known since Kindergarten. These girls were so much fun to take around to the spots I had chosen for their photos. I think they were both still on the "week after grad" high, and seemed so happy and carefree...oh to be 17 again! I'm sure they will be enjoying the summer as they are both on to University in the Fall. This is just a small sampling of some of the photos, I haven't even got to some of them, maybe I'll post a couple more along the way as I get through them. I think my faves are the brick and the red wall, but aren't their blue eyes stunning??!! I especially love the photo with Ceilidh on the old chair at the red wall, as it was my Granny's. I thought it was just the perfect amount of old and dark with mixed with bright and new. I also knew Grandma MacDonald would love seeing it in the pics with her beautiful Granddaughter!! Enjoy and Congrats to Ceilidh and Morgan!!

Dear photograph...

2011-07-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I came across this website on pinterest a while ago, and thought it was a pretty cool idea. When I was home last week I thought I would try a couple photos out. I haven't submitted them to this website, but am thinking about it. You should try it, pretty cool to see how things change. The first photo is on me on Mom and Dad's front step, the second...can you believe how much a tree grows? Let alone the rats in front of it!! And the last I think is of the day the road in front of our house was being paved...apparently we needed a front row seat! If you do it I'd love to see you link it back!
Thanks for looking!

Kayla

2011-07-11T07:22:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the sister photo shoot I got Kayla to do a couple photos for me on her own so I could add a couple more Grad photos to my portfolio, and of course she (lovingly) obliged! Thanks for being my guinea pig Kayla! Congrats, you make a beautiful graduate and can't wait to see you on the v-ball court in S'toon!! Go Huskies!

Sistas!

2011-07-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

When I got an email from my cousin to do this session for her when I was home in PA last week I was really excited. A sisters photo session, what a great idea! My cousin's sister was graduating from High school and they wanted to get a set of sisters photos to mark the event. FUN! We had a great time driving around Candle Lake scoping out spots for photos, I'm sure creeping some people out...but all in the name of some good photos. I'm sure the girls (and our spectators) thought we were crazy, and don't even get me started on the mosquitos...too many bites to count! We had a great time, they reminisced about their last family photo of the three of them together (15 years ago, wearing some interesting attire!), got heckled by some on lookers at the van and finished the night off with fireworks on the lake. A great day! How cute are these girls???!!!!
I Gave you a lot to look at, I just couldn't narrow them down! I am so glad my cousin has these girls in her life! :) Congrats to Kayla!

A sister is a forever friend. - anonymous

well said...

Hands up...

2011-06-25T22:55:00.001-07:00

I had to post this image. Tonight I was catching up on some editing and as I came across this image all I could hear in my head was..."hands up, baby hands up, give me your heart gimmie gimmie...your heart...". So I'll spare you all the verses and choruses...you can listen to it HERE . I'm pretty sure my version in my head was WAY better...but I digress...here is the image I was speaking (singing) of !

The Blossoms

2011-06-21T23:17:00.001-07:00

Last week is my favorite time of year for actually paying attention to foliage...I know nerdy right, but who can resist the beautiful pink blossoms on the trees at this time of year? Not me...even if on a meridian in the middle of a street? This is half a block from our house and it was literally the shortest set of photos ever. I looked outside and a HUGE black cloud was on its way, there were even a few loud cracks of thunder as we headed out, but we ran out and went for it. Don't you just love the smile in the second photo? How many kids have you seen give that FAKE smile?? Haha, had to include it just for fun! Enjoy!

Sun Flare!

2011-06-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

None of these photos are by any means perfect, and actually they are far from it...but the night was so beautiful, the sun was going down and I decided I wanted a family photo. Its a timer photo...so the best I could do to run to my spot in 10 seconds and to get two kids to look at a camera sitting on a foot stool! The others are just snaps and the last another timer shot of Log's and I. Some serious sun flare (more than I was hoping!) but who cares...one of not very many family photos of us!!

So much hair...and with highlights!!

2011-06-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is Aia, a little sweetie that had sooo much hair, and if you look really close it actually has blond highlights on it. Can't say I've ever seen that before, so cool! Here's a couple photos for her sneak peek. I gotta get back to it...so much editing to do!!

Baby number Two...

2011-06-15T22:00:00.001-07:00

This was baby number 2 last week for me, but baby number three for this family. I've had the pleasure of photographing this family since baby number one, and can't wait to watch them grow! He was another babe that wanted to stay awake, but we waited him out and he finally petered out. Cute little Dylan is already loved by his big brothers and I think Mom and Dad are going to be VERY busy with three boys in the house!! Congrats guys!

The first babe of last week...

2011-06-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

Seems like a baby boom has begun! This is number one of three last week! She made me work, as she was really NOT into sleeping. So we took some family photos first and I came back another day to catch Miss Rylie on her own. So little, and so sweet!

I liked this sequence...

2011-06-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

thought his hair flying and look on his face were pretty cute!

Our new Garden

2011-06-08T21:19:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned a while ago that there was a community garden being built on our street that I had decided to get us a plot in. Well as the weather here has been not so great the building of it has been set back a bit. But after a lot of shoveling and building and leveling the planters were ready to be planted in this weekend. So on Sunday after my photon session I headed over with the girls to do some planting. Cheralyn and I found some info on a website in Calgary about gardening "by the foot", so that was my plan. I rigged up the string on Saturday night, and then read my trusty instructions on how many seeds, holes and plants to put in every designated area. We shall see if I am at all successful...hopefully SOMETHING grows! We shall see. There has been a bunch of rain here again this week, but I think the sun may finally make an appearance so maybe that will help some sprouts start to stick through the dirt. This isn't quite the finished product as I am still trying to devise some crafty way to mark all my plots (as usual Cheralyn is helping me out) and my trusty side kick gardener (Leyton) decided she didn't want her photo taken and ran away...sooo its just two boring photos of our plot and a couple others so you get the gist of what it looks like. I will post a couple full on shots of the garden once it is complete...still a bit of work to do. I really love the location (literally straight out our front door), and hopefully everyone continues to chip in and keep it beautiful. This week has been really busy with a family and 2 newborn sessions already...and still one more to go. Will try to keep up with some sneak peeks soon!
Click HERE for The Tucany Community Garden Blog if anyone is in Tuscany and wants any information...

2 Posts in one night!

2011-06-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Normally there is no way! But apparently my family is all a bit played out from a busy day, as everyone (yes, including my husband) was asleep before 8 pm! GIves me a chance to get a little done, and since the hockey game was a bust, to editing it is! You've seen this family before here and here and as always they were cute as ever! I couldn't resist posting more than a few and believe me there's a ton more favorites that I haven't even got to yet! Beautiful family, beautiful colors! The last photo is for April as this is her old stomping grounds and I thought I would give her a shot of her old digs! Enjoy!!

Number 96

2011-06-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend we headed down to Vulcan, Alberta about a one and a half hour drive from here for Leyton to do a little "Tinbit" traithalon. Kelly had contemplated doing the adult version but decided not to do it and so it was Leyton's "race day!" She was pretty pumped and was ready to do it, even though it was a chilly 7-ish degrees when it started. It was an outdoor pool, so needless to say it was a bit chilly. But there wasn't one complaint from her, she climbed in the water and was ready to go (maybe a bit early, but ready none the less!). Once she jumped out of the water it was a run to the bikes where we stripped off all her wet clothes so she didn't freeze. Then she ran her bike to the bike course and was on her way. She has been getting better and better riding without her training wheels and she did great on Saturday. Apparently she was even yelling at someone else's Dad to get out of her way because she was "losing time!" So funny, she was determined to be fast! Then they dropped the bikes and raced to the finish (which I wasn't fast enough to catch!). All in all the race only took about 5 minutes, but it was pretty cute and all (save for a few that were frozen or had wipeouts) the kids seemed to REALLY enjoy it. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone with kids! Such a great day!

Grads!

2011-05-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

So last year I did a couple sessions that were new to me, but turned out to be a complete blast. GRADS! I am so used to taking photos of little kids and babies that I almost forgot I wasn't going to have to ask these guys what their favorite toy was, or what sound a cow made. I think they may have thought I was crazy if I did, but at the end of it all I had so much fun! :) So if anyone out there knows of someone graduating this year, and was looking for some fun Grad photos, tell them to take a peek at my site. I've set up some packages specifically for grads and would love hear from anyone interested! Thanks for looking!!

A couple more of this girl...

2011-05-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

One more smile...and lips so cute I just want to kiss them! Enjoy Miss Caitlin!

9 months...

2011-05-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

This monthly post keeps getting later and later, and I assume it is doomed to continue that way as going back to work looms closer, and Logan gets more difficult to get a photo of laying still. No crawling yet, but she is a master roller. She has started making some sounds for us, some sounding like mamama, but I think more like just the "m" sound. A couple Na na's and Ba ba's and that's about it. Loves eating (anything in general, but lately) cheerios, and mum mum's by herself. Here is Logan at 9 months..wow has time gone by fast!

I "heart" the Kellys

2011-05-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

It's funny how photos like these go. I picked two of my favorites of the family, and one of Mom and Dad and kids separately. The two favorites of the family were funny enough...the very first and the very last shots of I took of them. The first, with the sun flare caught the very last of the sun that night, right before it slipped behind the clouds for good. The last, right before everyone melted down...including my daughter who was "helping" by jumping on my back yelling "every body poop now!", yes it was a sight to be seen. Here's some pics as promised! Can't wait for them to move here, and dare I say it may actually be happening soon?!! (finally...knock on wood!) Looking forward to it...and the many more pics to come!

As usual...

2011-05-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

When my sister and I get together, inevitably there are photos taken. It usually ends up involving threats, bribes, and time outs...but sooner or later there are good shots taken. I always laugh when people ask how I get good photos of my kids...literally...I take 100 and save 5. No joke! Here's two from Sunday night.

We decided that taking photos of my kids on the same night as hers was a bad idea, which was a good call, but when it came our turn it was raining. We decided to wait it out and try anyway, and it did slow down just enough to get some shots. Here are a couple of the girls. I will edit some more of Cheralyn's family and post in the next couple days. Enjoy!

A couple from today...Baby Caitlin 11 days old!

2011-05-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

I had to take a quick peek at these photos from today, and thought I would post a few that caught my eye. I couldn't decide on color or black and white for baby Caitlin with her cute little smile. Which do you prefer? She did this little face a couple times today, and I managed to catch one of them. Big brother Liam looked so cute in my red chair. He still wasn't too sure about me and my camera, but I managed to catch a few shots of him. Enjoy!

Super quick sneak peek!

2011-05-17T10:47:00.001-07:00

As this Momma has just had baby girl Rylie!! Yay!! So excited to meet her! She's a bit early, so spending some time in NICU, but hopefully out and home soon! Erin is probably going to kill me for putting the hat photo in, but I loved it. I forced her to do it! Thought is was a cute pose. Enjoy! Busy baby season right now, call me if you're due soon!!

Go big...for your home!

2011-05-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

I just received this canvas on my doorstep yesterday, and couldn't wait to get it up. Previously (I should have taken a before shot, sorry!) I had a canvas hanging in this spot in Logan's room, but it was a photo of Kelly, Leyton and I. I know weird for a baby room to have a photo up without her in it, but I really liked it and it fit the spot. Thought it might help her remember who her family was before her! :) But once I put this one up I was so happy. It looks so much better than the other, the creamy background color fits perfectly with the room color and the pink accents work with all the pinks in the room. I couldn't be happier! Now if you are ever worried about going to big for a photo...don't be! This is a 20 x 24 gallery wrap canvas, which when you hear it sounds huge, but I think it looks great, definitely not too big. The other one I took down was originally going to go over my couch, but when I put it there it looked tiny. Now I need to figure out where it will go now, I think it may end up in our bedroom. Just something to keep in mind when you're ordering prints and canvases for your walls. Added a few other photos of the girls just for fun. Excuse the terrible light, it was getting pretty late, and the light was pretty terrible, but I couldn't resist a shot of how the room looks.

These last two are from 5 minutes ago. I couldn't resist including them, haven't had a sleeping shot of L for A LONG TIME! Thought she looked so pretty with her long eyelashes...the quietest part of my day...:)

...and poof its Spring!

2011-05-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

My Mom has a song that she always sings when Spring is coming (one of her many thousand?). Leyton is a big fan of it so I thought it was fitting for this post.

"Oh the grass is getting green, and the leaves will soon be seen, there is magic in the air kazoo kazing..."

I'll spare you the rest, but hopefully it actually is (Spring) soon. We've finally had a bit of a stretch of at least above zero weather, but then it went and hailed all over last night, and its still on the ground. Ah, Calgary weather! The other exciting thing is a community garden that is going up right across the street from us. We have secured a plot and are waiting to see it go up! I think it will be pretty neat for Leyton to be able to watch it grow right from our bonus room. We checked out what the structures are going to look like and they look pretty cute. I was thinking long rectangle, but they are actually going be hexagon shaped. Looking forward to planting. In the mean time, here are a couple pics from Friday out in the same field that the garden will be. Mom needed some new photos of the girls so here they are. Happy Spring!

Just one...ok maybe two...

2011-05-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

We are back from Vancouver, and had a fantastic time (probably me more than Kelly as he actually RAN a MARATHON!)! Although I managed to get sick for the last day and missed the celebration supper...booo! Sounds like the girls were good (enough anyway...), Nana and Papa have not disowned us or them so it couldn't have been too bad! I headed across town to this wonderful house on Tuesday right back into the swing of things. Little Joshua is settling right into this little family and I had to post a couple quick shots that caught my eye. Originally I was just going to post one, but when I saw the second one I couldn't resist. I'll hopefully get to some editing in the next couple days and will try to post a couple more. Such a cutie! Congrats Andy and Jill!

PS- Congrats to Kelly too as he ran his marathon in just over 3 hours 40 minutes, right on target! Nice work! :)

Go Kelly!

2011-04-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend we are headed off to Vancouver for Kelly's marathon. I will be joining as a spectator (of course), but am pretty pumped as it is my first weekend away from the kids since Logan was born! Yay! I am looking forward to being able to sleep (through the night), sleep in and be on my own schedule for once. Not sure what I'm going to do with myself when at supper time I can actually sit down and only worry about cutting and eating my own meal! Wish Nana and Papa luck with the girls!! Thanks guys and good luck Kelly!

One more from the other day...

2011-04-25T22:17:00.001-07:00

I think its my fave so I had to post it. Think it might be a canvas I had planned for Logan's room...we shall see!

My muses...

2011-04-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

Although I'm sure they are getting (very) tired of it! Poor Leyton, she's old enough now that 1) she has a mind of her own 2) she knows that when Mom says "please just one more..." it actually means 10. Sorry! (kinda) Pulled out my old trusty 50mm, hadn't used it in awhile so I decided to play around with it. My Mom thinks I need to stop taking photos of Log's without clothes because she'll be mad at me when she gets older...but I just can't help it!! That chub is just too cute. For good measure I included others of her in clothes. This is actually the dress that Avery wore the day she was baptized...I remember taking photos of her in it in the backyard at Mom and Dad's. Funny...over 8 years ago...yikes! Anyway, the pics aren't perfect by any means, but who is really?? I love them anyway! Enjoy.

8 months old

2011-04-18T10:36:00.001-07:00

I wasn't on the ball this month, so this is a wee bit late! Oh well, I think I might know why I put it off, its getting harder and harder to get this munchkin to sit still! She loves rolling and grabbing , and I'm sure soon she'll be crawling away on me! I usually only have a couple minutes before she sticks the number sticker in her mouth too, so I have to be quick. Here's big girl Log's at 8 months!

A new big brother...(soon)!

2011-04-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen this little guy for quite awhile and man has he grown! He just recently had a birthday and now coming soon a new baby sister. He was so cute and so smart! He took a bit of warming up to begin with, but once he figured I wasn't too scary he was a bit of a ham for the camera! He's quite to mover! Aren't those blue eyes stunning! Love how the blue wall worked with his eyes and his outfit, I think my favorite! Enjoy! Hopefully for Mom's sake we'll be doing some newborn photos soon!

Another new look

2011-04-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

I changed the blog look a little while ago, but I have also been working on updating my other website a bit to show a bit more current work. I didn't do anything too complicated, just an iweb website to keep things simple (and cheap!). But as usual I ran into a couple snags. Finally after 3 & 1/2 hours on the phone with mac support I was able to successfully publish my new site. Take a peek by hitting the pink button below my blog header or just head over to www.rumorhasitphoto.ca and you'll be able to see the new stuff. Hope you like it!

here's a peek

As you can see...

2011-03-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ash has been hanging with us this week, spring break for her and Leyton. So I've taken advantage, I had her in front of the camera on Monday, yesterday she was my assistant when I took some pics of Logan and today I beat her in bowling (oh yah, I did...beat a nine year old! haha!). Here's some of the pics (from yesterday...not of the bowling :), I'll apologize ahead of time for so many...but I really love A LOT of them and couldn't narrow them down. I'm trying my best not to have the poor second child that I have no photos of...like that was ever going to happen? She's just so chubby and sweet right now, and she can't go anywhere!! Now how long is that going to last? Not long, so I'm documenting it while I can, I'm sure in a month I'll be pulling my hair out because I've got a crawler, Lord help me! :) Enjoy the chubster...

Thanks for the help Ash!!

More snow...

2011-03-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

Yup, this weekend we ended up with ... more snow! Isn't it supposed to be spring? Let's hope this is the last of it. Not only was it snowy, but really foggy, so there was tons of hoar frost on the trees down by our place. Up the hill a little bit in Royal Oak, it was even more foggy, so yesterday I headed up there with the girls + my niece Ashley to take a couple picks at my "secret" spot! :) I figured the trees would look pretty, and low and behold I was right! Here's a couple from yesterday, the close up of Ash, might be my favorite of her yet...

i heart faces - slice of life

2011-03-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

After reading this weeks theme on iheartfaces I decided one of my pics from our dance night would be a good choice for an entry. I picked this one...

What I've been up to

2011-03-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

As you can see I've been making some changes to the blog, hope you like them! I was out of town at my sisters last week and as usual we were cooking up ideas for photos, crafts, parties, logos and whatever else we could think up. I tell you I'm not sure how I'm going to work once Cheralyn moves here! You may have already seen some of the superhero pics on facebook, but here's a couple again. Cheralyn sewed all the capes a couple months ago, and we crafted up the eye covers and belts, and threw it together with some leggings and ballet outfits and voila! Fun...and funny! They were pretty cute. Super Pink (Leyton), Super Ballerina (Ady) and Super Beano (Benny) to the RESCUE!!
Most of these ideas we found on Pinterest and we just couldn't resist trying...I mean really how can it get much cuter than Clark Kent Benny? And how can we pass up a photo op?
Enjoy!

Another month....

2011-03-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

...gone by. Can't believe she's 7 months old already. Still two teeth, eating like crazy, and sitting up pretty well by herself. Love ya Logan Jogan (L's nickname for Logan)

Friday night dance fever

2011-03-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

On Friday when Kelly got home, Leyton and I were rocking out to some tunes. He decided to join in, so I decided to grab my camera. So glad I did. I really need to get more photos of Kelly (and me) with the girls. I have so many of just them, I think they might wonder if they actually had any parents when they grow up and look back at their photos. (As well as thinking their mother is crazy for taking so many photos of them:) Enjoy!

The "new" chair!

2011-03-12T07:29:00.001-08:00

I've been browsing kijiji religiously for the past couple months looking for an old or "antique" looking chair to use as a photo prop. Had a couple possibilities along the way, but I was pretty cheap and didn't want to pay much over $50 for it since I'd be dragging it out to fields like this one for people to sit and stand on. I didn't want to pay a bunch of money and then worry about wrecking it every time I used it. So when I found this one for $20 I was pretty excited. I think it may be a surplus item from a hospital or an old folks home, but who cares!! I left it out in the garage to air out for a couple days and voila! It was beautiful on Wednesday, I think about plus 2, and Logan had a bit of croup, so getting out in the cool air would do her good, so why not a photo op right? Coincidentally, that day Logan was exactly 7 months old. I really like how these turned out and I may finally bite the bullet and make up some canvases with these images. I have been waiting for the perfect shots, but I always seem to find something wrong with them. I think these might be them! If I get them made I'll post some pics...

Special Delivery at our place!!

2011-03-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

I met the Purolator courier on my way out the door yesterday. She was carrying six boxes, and inside I was panicking...what did I order six of...oh crap...but... it was the baby food I ordered last week for Logan. Baby Gourmet was in Calgary when Leyton was a baby ( and we bought their food quite a bit then) but shut down when she was about 2 because they wanted to rethink their company and rework it because they had grown too big too fast. Well that they did, and now they are back with these great tetra paks of food for babies that are so awesome. I have made some baby food in my life, but I'm not going to lie, its pretty simple, and well, pretty blah...but this stuff, has both veggies and fruits mixed together, and with flavors like roasted squash and fruit medley, apple sweet potato berry swirl, and baby's sweet potato pie, I don't think you can go wrong. No additives, no preservatives and all organic ingredients. It comes in three steps, for 6+ month olds, 7+ month olds and 8+ month olds, with three different flavors in each stage. So happy with it, ordered it from their website by the sampler pack, and with a volume discount and a facebook discount they were running last week I saved a mint! Thought I would post for all you guys out there with kids. Its now shipping to Walmart, Costco and possibly soon to Safeway but seems to be sold out VERY quickly all over the place. Online ordering (even if its baby food) has become my new addiction...uh oh. If you've got little ones, you should definitely try it out! (especially if you're lazy and don't like making baby food like me!)
Also on a shopping note, picked up my new Seven jeans (for about half price) from the mailbox yesterday from Hautelook. Super good deals on tons of clothes and more. Bought Leyton some Joe jeans lately for $29, and they are the cutest jeans! Let me know if you want and invite and I'll shoot one out to you!
Well enough product bragging!! More pics soon, took the girls out today for some quick shots with my new chair (from kijiji...so impressed with my find!) Logan has croup, so we needed to get out into the cool air anyway, so why not a photo op?

The new Chippers...and sitting...

2011-03-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

I was just going to post one quick pic from today showing off Logan's new teeth, but I couldn't resist posting more. Love this little Old Navy outfit (you probably remember the pink and white striped one as well, yes I bought both...can't resist a little pink and brown!), and I thought it would look good with the one of my brown photo blankets. Turns out I was right (if I do say so myself!). Sleep has been a bit interrupted lately, but hey how can you get grouchy at a face like this...? Just don't look at the bags under my eyes these days ok? :)
ps this is the BEST time to take photos of babies, LOVE it. They sit, and they can't move, what could be better than that? The only thing we needed was a strategically placed pillow for the odd topple over. Need to get working on Logan's core...haha JUST KIDDING!!

Just a quick post...

2011-02-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

Seems like the milestones are coming too fast for this one...6 months old, cut two teeth, and now sitting on her own (well for a couple seconds anyway, hence the photo on the soft bed with squishy covers:) From this week...

My new obsession...

2011-02-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

Pinterest...its like a virtual pin board of photos you like...and you can pin photos from others, or post your own. Very cool. You should check it out...I have a couple of invites if anyone is interested in joining. It usually takes a couple days for them to respond for your own invite. Usually taking up a bit of my computer time before I head off to bed...happy pinning!!

I think I forgot this...

2011-02-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

I was just organizing my memory cards the other day, and found these photos from Leyton's 4th birthday. I realized I didn't post anything from her birthday!! Silly me! Here are a couple from the actual day. I have more of the party that I'll post later. But this is the birthday girl with her newest blabla (find them HERE)....Gabby. (although the name changes daily...) Happy Fourth big girl!!

Guess who started eating?? And Happy six months!

2011-02-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

The highchair is back in service!! So far loving food, but I bet you couldn't tell? Little chubs is scarfing down her cereal and food so far, lets cross our fingers it continues, and that at some point all night sleep follows...;) Happy Six months Logan!

Thinking about one of these today!! Kelly Moore Camera Bag!

2011-02-03T07:13:00.001-08:00

These Kelly Moore Camera bags are rad!! I can't decide yet which one, but maybe a B Hobo or Classic, possibly in pink! Decisions Decisions! My old Crumpler is about to kick the bucket, and is pretty blah compared to these!

I think this is the newer version of my old bag...definitely not as cute!!

find them here KellyMoorelink

Haven't decided what I think of the scarf yet...

2011-02-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

but thought I would post it anyway. Can already see my Mom cringing at the wrinkled scarf (sorry mom) was a spur of the minute photo op! Let me know what you think?

While they both sleep...

2011-01-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'm here posting a quick pic from the other day...pretty much the only decent one of the two of them. Not too bad...if only we could time the naps to be at the same time every day...love the peace. Until I hear crying...crap gotta go!

Something a little lighter!

2011-01-28T06:23:00.001-08:00

So, after the last post I'm going to take it down to something not photography related at all. I have been searching for a new winter coat for the past couple years. Not willing to just buy for a good price but wanting that perfect coat. Well this winter one of my friends started up a new blog that is set up to help people just like me. Here is his blog. A couple weeks ago I gave him this task...find me a good shell, and make it cute! Easy right? Well not really since I had been looking for 3 years! But in a couple days he managed to give me some great ideas and deals and sure enough I just received my coats this week, and they are fabulous! I am so happy. And so proud of myself for doing some online shopping. It was awesome!
Here is the base layer, such an awesome light but warm coat. And for once, actually has long enough sleeves and body to fit my monkey arms and exorbitantly long torso! Love the tight fitting cuffs and the hood. I love hoodies! So impressed...

Here is the shell, yes it is a tad bright, but I think it turned out pretty awesome. My other choices were black (blah) or bright yellow (yikes), but I am pretty happy with the green. Bright enough to stand out a bit, but not fluorescent. Initially I was trying to find the black in the other coat, but it seemed it wasn't available anywhere so I switched to magenta. I'm so glad I did. Adds just a bit of color to the green and looks great.

I ordered the Green coat from Altitude.com and got it within a week and a bit. The magenta coat was a bit harder to find, but I finally rounded one up from Monod's in Banff online store. Both were on sale, and I didn't have any issues! Great service.

Haven't tested them both out on the slopes yet, but hopefully soon. If you need some help finding gear, check out Dave's blog. He can even help all you diva's out there looking for the perfect gear! See you soon, hopefully I'll be wearing my new duds and you'll be able to judge for yourself!

Something different....

2011-01-26T14:34:00.000-08:00

Last week I was flipping through my list of blogs that I frequent when I came upon a truly inspirational one from a photographer here it Calgary. This is it here . I thought it was an awesome post, and just a very cool thing to do for someone that is about to go through something so life changing.

Not even one day after I read this post I received a call from Joyce. It started off with just a simple "do you do adult photography?", but was about a whole lot more than that. Joyce had just found out that she has cancer for the second time. She is about to undergo treatments and was wondering if I would be able to take some photos of her before they begin. Like most of us, it had been too long since her last professional photos. Possibly her wedding or graduation, but either way it had been way too long. She joked about it being a running joke in her family, that she always had her eyes closed in photos, and would most likely be a challenge. I chuckled at that and promised we would figure out how to get some good shots, and make sure those eyes were open. I was so happy to meet her yesterday. She was patient while I sorted out my lighting, turning her this way and that to get the best angles, and smiles. All in all it was a great experience, and I hope that I was able to capture some photos that she and her family will cherish. I wish her only the best in this difficult time ahead.

The statistics are staggering...2 in 5 people will be diagnosed with cancer. Everyone has someone in their lives that has fought this battle. I have. We must continue to fight.

I am so proud that my husband Kelly has made the commitment to do the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer. Such an amazing ride for such an amazing cause. In only 2 years they have raised over $14 million. The money is raised for the Alberta Cancer Foundation and will directly support patients and families at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton and 15 cancer centres throughout Alberta. The Alberta Cancer Foundation provides funding to a team of top doctors and scientists whose search for new discoveries and improved patient outcomes will have a real impact in your community, across Canada, and around the world. In other words, participation will accelerate the conquest of cancer.

Here is the LINK HERE to check his progress, contribute to his ride, and to continue our fight against cancer. Thank you to all who contribute whatever amount it may be.

My thoughts are with Joyce and her family as she starts her treatments this week.

Remember this photo....

2011-01-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

I did it again with Logan...as you can see Logan is a tad bit...chunkier, shall we say? But cute none the less. I guess you can tell that my skills have improved a bit too over the past couple years. Can't believe that's it already been almost 4 years since this photo...Leyton just turned 4 yesterday, and Logan just turned 5 months old earlier this week. Man how time flies, good thing I've got my camera to remember it! Here's the tea cup pics and a couple more of Logan from the last little while...

Scribbles by Design

2011-01-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

My friends Jen and Dave have recently started a new business with a FANTASTIC idea!! Have you ever felt guilty about throwing away or recycling your kid's art, but at the same time thought, what the heck am I going to do with it? I have...many times!! Well, now we know what to do with it. Send it to Jen and make it into a beautiful masterpiece art print! I can't wait to get Leyton's and put it up in her playroom downstairs, I think its such an awesome idea, and can already see it framed in a nice simple black frame. Here is the link to her blog...think of all the decluttering you could do if you're one of the "savers"!

Find her blog here

Here's one that she's done up for Leyton

The Savvy Photographer

2011-01-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite websites that I like to peek at and get ideas from, and they always have the most amazing tours of photographer's studios. So beautiful, wishing one day that I could have one as beautiful!! Wishful thinking!

Here is the link, some cool frames and fun stuff as well...

A year...in photos...

2011-01-04T20:33:00.001-08:00

Wow...I had alot of photos to choose from...these were some of my favorites...Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

2010-12-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a happy and healthy Christmas and New Year!! Looking forward to the year ahead with the munchkins!

Busy busy...

2010-12-19T20:56:00.000-08:00

Wow, things have been a whirlwind around here lately...new babies like crazy!! And to top it off, I managed to make things busier by putting L in skiing lessons all next week at 9:30am. I know that doesn't sound early, I used to work at 7:15 right? Not so much anymore...packing two kids makes me like 100 times slower!! Seems I can't get out of the house any earlier than 10:30 most days! But we will get it done!! Enough about me... here's my lastest session, this is baby Sarah, and her big sister Hannah. I wanted to give a quick sneak peek before the holidays, so here it is! Merry Christmas!

Sweet Samuel

2010-12-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

This might be my fasted post yet...I just took these of this cutie this morning. Miraculously both of my girls are sleeping so I thought I would do a quick post. It took him awhile to sleep for us, but they always conk out sooner or later. Enjoy!

Eden the perfect model...

2010-12-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Literally!! She slept through the whole shoot, and let me move her around and pose her all I wanted!! Loved it!! She is such a beauty, don't you agree?! Congrats to Deonne & Dylan, can't wait for the mat leave coffee dates to start!!

Wynn

2010-12-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Haven't seen this little guy since he was a newborn, what a cutie, sitting up, but not crawling yet...my favorite type of model. You'll remember his big sister at this same stage http://rumorhasitphoto.blogspot.com/2009/03/sweet-esme-sneak-peek.html , And look how big she is now. Had a fun morning last week, won't show too many incase they need some for their Christmas cards!!

Catching up...Cavanagh take 2

2010-12-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

I would say these are a sneak peek, but they've already seen them! Getting behind, too many Christmas orders and crying kids!! :)

The Zoo

2010-11-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

We headed to the zoo with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday. Its starting to get a bit chilly here, but with a good toque (thanks Erin) and an good pair of (olympic Red) mitts it was beautiful! There were tons of other animals that we saw but, in these you'll see some Caribou, owls, bald eagle, zebras and lions. Thanks for the fun day G'ma and G'pa Th!

Miss Ashley

2010-11-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

Its been too long since my niece Ashley has made an appearance on the blog. As you can tell I sent her out on the deck where we did the photos with Leyton the other day, we need some new photos for her room so this was our attempt. The sad thing was that it was 4:30 pm and there was barely enough light to get these! Daylight savings time seriously sucks! Enjoy!

Third times a charm!

2010-11-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

I've been photographing this family for over 4 years now. This time I had the pleasure of doing some newborn shots of their newest edition Michael. Don't big brother Gary and big sister Catherine look so proud! Its so fun to see families like these grow up in my photos! Enjoy the sneak peek!

Seriously...

2010-11-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Today was picture day at preschool, so just like my Mom did, Leyton had a bath last night, and then we rolled those awesome pink spongy curlers into her hair so it would be nice and perfect for her first school photo. Of course throughout the night, one of the three times Leyton woke up she complained about them digging into her head and falling out...sound familiar Mom? Hehe, anyway they made it to this morning, when Kelly took them all out for her, and by the time we were getting ready for school most of the curl was gone. Sooo I plugged in the curling iron and low an behold we got some beautiful ringlets, and not even any crying! Sooo of course for all this work she wasn't just going to get away with photos at school, so we trucked outside before school, then we drove around after school looking for the perfect spot for some photos for this girl...so dressed up (I even bribed her with her own Halloween candy :) . But in the end, I decided it was too much work to haul the baby out etc. so we headed home. But being the loser photo crazy Mom that I am, I dragged her out on the deck where the light was looking awesome and snapped some photos. After we finished Leyton came inside and put on my hat, and I just couldn't resist, she looked so cute!! So I dragged her back out again and man am I glad I did...seriously...I only wish I looked this cute in my own hat!!! Here's the pics. I don't know where she got the poses, but she seems to like these ones lately :).

(PS-sorry for all the writing...I'm not usually this chatty on the blog, but thought I needed the "story behind the story" hehe :)

These two are from before school...

These are after...