gigiblog

Sitting pretty.

"... I also like dressing up a bit every now and then. So today, I wore a dress. It's fun wearing a pretty, summery dress while out on the town with a group ..."

This weekend, my girls were in a good friend's wedding - it was their debut as flower girls! I was very proud of them (as ANY mother would be!) ... they behaved so well and looked soooo cute in their dresses. Of course, I had to take a few photos before the wedding started (I knew better than to take photos during the ceremony, because from one photographer to another, it can be the most annoying thing in the world to have snap-happy people stand right behind you and mess up each of your shots because they are trying to get some of their own photso of the bride or wedding party!)...

(Click image to see it larger.)

I would've killed to have the bride outside with the girls but she didn't have her dress on yet (in fact, I think she was still getting her hair done) and then by the time everyone was dressed, the official photographer was there and, again, I didn't want to get in the way.

As a mom *AND* a photographer, I can't wait to see the proofs! He did some cute ones of the girls with my friend, the bride, so I have my fingers crossed!

Life in the Mac Lane ...

... is not all it's cracked up to be! I still haven't figured out a thing on that laptop! And with Christmas and the holidays, I haven't had a lot of time to spend with my new computer, time that I need to figure out how to receive e-mails, send e-mails, run Photoshop, etc. So if anyone has e-mailed me lately - besides being on holidays right now - I'm so sorry if I did not get back to you. I can't send e-mails yet! But hopefully soon!

In the meantime, Christmas has come and gone! I hope everyone had a fabulous day with family and loved ones! I know we sure did. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. :)

I love having children around to see their eyes light up Christmas morning! It's the best, isn't it?

My hubby bought me a new lens for Christmas so I was out playing this morning, seeing how it works. I haven't had a chance to use it until this morning. I look forward to using it on my new baby - hopefully that will happen soon, as well! ;)

This lens will be perfect for capturing those tiny little details of newborn babies - their delicate fingers, the swirl of hair on the crown of their head ... their tiny toes ... ahhh ....

This was a gift for Lyla from my mom - from Disney World.

MacWorld - while we wait for Christmas ...

Here goes nothing ... just seeing if I've figured out this posting on a mac thing ...

There is so much to learn on this Mac - it's like wandering around in a new technical, digital country when you don't understand the language, road signs ... I will get it eventually, but I only have had short bites of time to actually sit down and work my way through this sleeeeeeeeek machine. I hope to play more over the holidays so I can be a Mac-savvy photographer in the new year! LOL!

So - here. Let's try posting an image.
This was taken yesterday ... Lyla is a TRUE stinker ... we thought this shirt was very fitting for her. In one week, she has trashed my (old) laptop twice! I am so paranoid she will get her hands on this new one! Yikes!

She's also sporting her new hat ... from www.lafolieknits.com.

Lacey has a hat from there (the Giggle Pink one) and everyone always comments on how great her hat is so I thought it was time for Lyla to get one too!

and my sweet Lacey - she is growing up so fast. *sigh* She has told me lately that she wants "brothers ANNNND sisters" out of this pregnancy ... hmmm ...

I've told her there is only ONE baby in my tummy and we have to wait and see what God gives us, be it a boy or a girl. She really wants a boy - only 3.5 weeks left to find out!

and one last one: Dreaming of Christmas:

My new baby ....

Nooooo ..... not my REAL baby! LOL! (Don't I wish - well, in some ways...) I got my Mac laptop yesterday (and just in time as Lyla AGAIN trashed my other laptop but pushing it to the floor and smashing the screen! This has been a weird week!) ... so with my new love on my lap (my laptop, that is), I am just trying to figure out how to post images onto typepad with this baby .... all while drooling over how lovely and sleek and sexy this laptop really is ... mmmm. It's nice.

Okay, so bear with me. I don't know how to get my photos on here yet. We will figure it out though! Check back soon!

One week till Christmas!

WOW!

One week until the Big Day! Are you ready? Are you feeling a little panicky, wondering if you have purchased everything needed for Christmas Day, Christmas dinner, stockings, presents ....? I think we could probably shop forever and still feel panicky at some point during this week. Umm, I bought four boxes of butter yesterday. I mean, c'mon! Who wants to run out of golden, scrumptious butter on Christmas Day with the giant Christmas feast awaiting some slathering of melting gold?

Yeah. I think we'll have LOTS of butter leftovers.

Here's a picture of six month old Jacob, who visited the studio last week ... winner of the cutest baby award (hee hee!), in my opinion! Look at those blue, blue eyes!

Isn't he precious? And so loved by his parents! They were all such a joy to photograph! I hope they have a very happy first Christmas a family together!

Greatness.

Meet Little Magnus ... whose name means "great" ... I just love that ...! What a beautiful name chosen for such a darling little man. Magnus visited the studio last week and it was such a pleasure photographing a newborn. (Makes me anxious to meet my own little one - not that much longer! 30 days!)

his wee foot ...

and a nursing shot, as requested by mom ...

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Thank you to those who dropped off more toilet paper donations today! You guys are all so amazing! I'm so proud of this community!

Enjoy being snowed in tomorrow! Isn't it lovely?! :D

Lights...

"The outdoor Christmas lights, green and red and gold and blue and twinkling, remind me that most people are that way all year round"-- kind, generous, friendly and with an occasional moment of ecstasy. But Christmas is the only time they dare reveal themselves."
-- Harlan Miller

If you have not yet visited Kaycee Gardens here in Orangeville for their Christmas in the Park light celebration (www.orangeville.org/events_detail.php?id=298&s=286), you must go! Abby and I took the girls last night after dinner (it's just across th street from our house) and it was absoultely magical. Lacey, my nearly-four-old, loved it to pieces! She now wants a Baby Jesus in *her* garden, too!

The lights glow so merrily in the winter's night ... sparkling displays of Santa Claus, the nativity scene, tiny houses set up as toy stores ... it's all so darling and perfectly Christmasey!

the pathway of lights ...

Lacey, adoring one of the displays ...

This is what we call 'bokeh' in the the photography world: so, some Christmas Bokeh.

part of an overview of the park - but really, you have to go see it in person!

I've had a nutty week with my laptop being fried by juice being spilled on it ... having to find a replacement computer ... ordering a new one online ... orders going out to clients, etc. so I'm sorry the blog has not been updated as frequently. Strangely enough, I have remained calm throughout this stressful week and am just happy that none of my files were destroyed in the frying-of-the-most-used-laptop-in-the-world-moment on Tuesday. Thank God for backups!

Hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season! It's such a beautiful time of year if you can just take a few hours each day to relax and remember the reason for the season.

Oh and hey, if you ARE feeling stressed and panicky about shopping and such, did you know that Wal Mart is open 24/7 right now?! Hahaha! More stores should be open like that this time of year for us mothers who can't go out with their kids or have husbands that work long and strange hours. I went Christmas shopping at 5 a.m. last Sunday ... it was a breeze. NO LINEUPS! You can go without kids, too, because they are at home snug in their beds along with daddy! Ahhh, the life of a mother at Christmas time. ;)

P.S. Toilet paper donations are still coming in - thank you, everyone, for your willingness to help out! I still need to collect some more so please, drop them off at the studio door (12 York Street) and I will deliver them to the Salvation Army by next week in time for the Christmas hamper program.

TP.

Well, as some of you may have read (below), I'm looking for donations of toilet paper rolls to go towards the local Salvation Army's Christmas hamper program .......... and whoah! I am floored by the responses I am getting! Thank you to everyone who has dropped off toilet paper rolls at my studio and those who have e-mailed and said they will be donating before the deadline. You guys are amazing! We're looking to get together 140 packages (not rolls!) of the much-needed toilet paper - so if you want to contribute, please just let me know or better yet, just drop it off (even just leave it at the studio door if I am nto here) at 12 York Street, Orangeville.

So, yes, thank you everyone for helping out with one the true meaning of Christmas - the spirit of generosity and giving!

Also, things are busy ... oddly enough ... in the studio ... lots of maternities and babies right now. :) Who would've thought? It's supposed to be slowing down shortly and I think my unborn baby is telling me it's time to slow down a bit. After every session, I have to just sit for a while because the contractions come on really strong! OUCH!

Anyway - here is a recent image from a maternity session ... she was beautiful and pregnancy faired so well on her.

Make time to take time.

"It seems like everybody is always complaining about how busy they are these days. Time is rushing by faster than we can think and our kids are becoming adults before our very eyes.  We can continue to complain and fill our days with frantic rushing about… or we can make the conscious effort to stop and capture time more often.
When was the last time you stopped and took a break just to take pictures of your kids? How about setting aside a moment to write in your journal or update that photo album?

We only have one life. We only get one chance to raise our children. Don’t miss out on all those moments that can only be captured in the still calm of life."

- Dionna Sanchez

I encourage you - take some time from this busy holiday season and do something magical and fun with your kids.

Go out and buy a gingerbread house and have some fun decorating! As a child, I used to make a gingerbread house every year with my sister, brother and grandma every Christmas until we moved to Ontario. It's one of those childhood memories I hold dear and cherish ... I'm so blessed to have my own children to create such memories with...