gigiblog

Contest GiveAway

See the bottom of the last post for the current contest! Leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win a $35 gift certificate from Alli's Originals ... I love her work and you will too! TRUST ME!

Floral Friday.

*SCROLL DOWN FOR THE BIT ABOUT WINNING AN AWESOME GIFT CERTIFICATE!!!*

Okay, okay. I know that title is cheesy ... haha! Give me a break though. I'm running on very little sleep and too much coffee! LOL!

Just yesterday, Lacey and I were playing "eye spy" ...

"Mommy, I spy, with my little eye ... something that is RED ..." Lacey said, giggling.

I looked around and guessed a few items.

"Daisy's collar."

"NO ...."

"My coffee cup ..."

"NOPE!!!!!"

"I give up - what??"

"YOUR EYES, mommy!!!"

GOSHHHHHH. I guess I need more sleep, eh?? :D

Thank you all for your kind words and encouraging e-mails from yesterday's post. I feel bad now! I shouldn't be complaining ...!!! I have such wonderful girls and they keep me smiling from ear to ear and fill my blood shot eyes with joy. ;)

Are you sick of my macro work lately? I hope not. I'm not shooting PEOPLE as much because I'm still on my maternity leave - technically - so my flowers, bugs, etc. are what you get right now! Hope that is okay! I have some exciting things happening though and I can't wait to announce them on my blog (It's killing me!) and fill you all in ...

And for all of you who have e-mailed regarding booking sessions, if I have forgotten to reply to you please send me another e-mail. I have received a flood of e-mails lately and I don't want to miss anyone! I *THINK* I have e-mailed everyone back, but if not, just drop me a quick line and I'll get back to you with a date. :)

In the meantime, here are some shots I took this morning while my babies slept.

*I think that above one if my favourite. What do you think?*

*edited to add*

Okay, some fun news here! I love to hear your comments on my blog ... so pick a favourite image on this entry and leave a comment or two and your name will be entered to win a $35 gift certificate from

Alli's Originals

... check out her link! I LOVE her stuff. I have bought several necklaces from her and adore them. If you don't have kids to put on the necklace, you could give it to YOUR mother for Mother's Day (just a few weeks away!). So leave a comment for a chance to win! The winning name will be posted on Tuesday. Stay tuned!

Have a great Friday everyone! And look! The SUN is SHINING!

YAYYYYYYY!

Mariposa...

It's been a strange week and I haven't had many opportunities to update my blog - my apologies! Lyla, my 20 month old, had her day interrupted with a fever this morning and Lucia, my sweet 2.5 month old, has decided she would rather be in my arms than in a swing or rocker chair (didn't my mother in law tell me so?! LOL!). Makes for a hairy past few days. And I can't type holding two babies ... soooo ....

I think someone should create a support group for moms of three or more kids ... I would soooo be a member! Heck, I would be the president!!! Life is certainly busier with three kiddos underfoot and yes, I know you've heard me say this before, I wouldn't change it for the world ... but sometimes, JUST SOMETIMES, I would love to have the freedom to just pop out to the store whenever need be ... get my hair cut when it needs it ... go to bed and get up when my body wants ... and SLEEP the ENTIRE night ... oh, THAT would be HEAVEN!!! If my hubby asks me what I want for Mother's Day (why am I thinking that far in advance?!) I will ask for that: a full night's sleep. Ahhhh ....

I found this funny show online one night. I have no idea how I came across it but I had to share!

No matter what you may be feeling, things can't ever be as bad as this. Or can it? Please tell me this will never happen to me!!!

Watch this and feel her pain ...

(Okay, that link isn't quite working - so look for the episode about the policeman and panties!!!)

Despite crazy week of the century, I did have a chance to play with my macro lens again. Ohh, I love that thing. I also ordered another new lens so I'm stoked ... it's like Christmas for me!

Munching on a banana ....

a moth ....

God must have had fun creating this one! A golden cocoon! How beautiful!

These shots were taken at the Wings of Paradise in Cambridge. Great place to take the kiddos if you don't mind a bit of a drive.

Lyla loved this place ...

Lacey wasn't too sure about all the butterflies. She thought they were pretty but didn't want them to land on her. She's so timid ...

Okay, Lyla's calling again. Time to return to reality! :D

All things wonderful.

Did everyone have a great Easter? I did! I love family time - no matter how chaotic it may be. I feel very blessed that most of my family lives in the same town. My dear sister and brother, however, live in Alberta and that is too far away for my liking. I do have all the in-laws here in town (that could be another story! LOL!) though so we do get lots of family moments together.

That being said, the Easter dinner was held in a dark reception hall and made for horrible photographs, technically speaking, so I am going to post bright, shiny, happy photos instead. I took these around the house this morning.

My MIL (mother in law) gave me this basket for Easter - so pretty, eh?

Your basic standard photograph of flowers.

But look what happens when you slap on a macro lens ... wooooooo ....... lovin' it so much better now!

Or take a regular plate of cupcakes (made by a lovely friend for yesterday's gatherings):

and shoot them with the macro lens ....

Mmmmm .....

Yummmmy!

And a few more flowers for you, to brighten your day (and to help forget about the snow outside!)

Musings with a four year old.

It's Easter weekend! Time for fresh changes ... new beginnings ... bright colours ... warm, sunny days ... ahhhh, yes .... but looking outside, I still see snow. What?! *sigh* I guess that is to be expected since we DO live in Ontario, part of the snow belt.

I do believe spring is here though! I can FEEEEEL it in my bones! It may still be cold outside, but I'm going to pack away all our winter stuff today. Okay, okay, I am keeping out some hats and mittens just in case, but other than that, its' ALL going away. No more wool sweaters. No more parkas. No more fleece sheets.
I'm going to force spring into my household, even if it kills us!

This morning, Lacey and I were sitting at the kitchen table ... this is how it went ...

Little L: "Mommy, are you getting old?"

Me, with a BIG sigh: "Yes, Lacey, we get older every day."

Little L: "Ohhhhhhhh (whining) ... I don't WANT to get old like you ....."

Gee, thanks, girl.

Next conversation. I kid you not.

Little L: "Mommy, pretend you are the prince."

Me: "But I'm a girl ...."

Little L: "Okay, you can be Thumbalina's big mommy."

Me: "BIG mommy? I don't want to be big."

Little L: "But you ARE big mommy. Because you have a big bum."

And with that last comment, she gleefully scooted off of her new Easter-pink scooter ...

NOT fair.

So, I took this picture of her and am going to save it for blackmail one day.

And just to redeem myself here ... a sweet picture ...

A dream with you ....

I was listening to the Dixie Chicks the other day and heard this song. It so touched my heart ... a perfect song for my little Lucia ...

My days can be so busy lately that I may not have the time to just sit on the couch and snuggle with Lucia like I did with my Lacey and Lyla. I think that's why I hold Lucia as much as possible - to ensure she receives the same amount of love and snuggle-time.

I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow there'll be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up ...

(A photo shot by my dear friend, Stacy, during her visit a few weeks ago.)

Spring Fever

“It's spring fever.... You don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
-- Mark Twain

It's almost here .......................!

TGIF from a SAHM.

When you stay home all week with your kiddos, the days really blend together. Monday feels like Wednesday, Thursdsay can be exactly the same as Tuesday ... fishy crackers ... snack time ... diaper changes ... laundry ... making beds ... picking up the same toy for 150th time that week ... ahhh, yes, the *glorious life* of a SAHM (stay at home mom). Even though I run my photography business, I still consider myself a SAHM ... and I do love it and wouldn't change it for anything .... however ....
at that very moment when I need a break from the routine of the everyday, I get to meet fresh, new, beautiful clients that make my week so much more fun and energizing!

Yesterday, I did a session for one of my maternity clients who recently had her first baby... her baby is four weeks younger than my Lucia, so it was really fun to see her baby, Cameron, for the first time, see him smile (yes, he smiles already!) and cuddle him. That's an awesome perk to my job! I love it! I have the *BEST* job ever!

Aren't they a darling family?

Isn't he just the sweetest?

And sadly, I believe the Ultimate Blog Party is coming to an end soon, but I hope you had some time to surf around and jump from blog to blog. One blog in particular that REEEEALLY stood out to me was this blog. I sat and bawled my eyes out for an hour after reading her story of her daughter.

Wow, what a testimony of faith and what heartache she has suffered.

After reading a story such as Teagan's, how can you not stop what you are doing and go hug our child tighter than the last hug and smother them in a million, trillion kisses? Mothers, despite Cheerios underfoot, moody teenagers or taxing your kids 24-7, are so blessed just to be mothers.

This weekend, truly enjoy the moments with your children.

A sweet little Story.

Last week, I had the honour of visiting my dear friend, Laurel, and her husband in the hospital to welcome their sweet little baby girl ... a visit that really shouldn't have taken place until June - when her baby was due ... but for an untold reason, Laurel's wee baby girl decided to enter the world quite early at only 25 weeks gestation, weighing less than two lbs.

Scaring us all with her early arrival, everyone continues watching her little life very closely right now. Her name is Story ... and what a precious little baby she is! She is doing well right now - after undergoing heart surgery and some physical ups and downs since she first entered the world earlier this month.

If you are a person that believes in prayers, I ask that you say a prayer for Story today - pray that she remains strong and healthy and well ... and that she will be able to come home to her parents in a few months time.

While I was visiting baby Story and her parents at the hospital, the nurses were so gracious to allow me to take some photos to document this chapter in Story's life.

If you want to follow her progress, visit her blog at here.

... with her parents ... (and her really awesome nurse!)

and with her grandpa ... Story is his first grandchild. You can see the loves in his eyes ...

Daylight Savings is kicking my butt.

Ouch.

I should know better.

I've been staying up way too late and being forced to get up waaaay too early since the Daylight Savings kicked in. Oh wait, that was only one night ago. Gosh, it feels like weeks already. I'm pooped. My body is messed up. It think it's only 10 p.m. (Wahoo! Free time for mommy!) when really it's time-to-crawl-into-bed-time ... and then I get distracted by, ahem, blogging, online stuff and proofing that I don't get to bed till, well, midnight or later. Not good when you wake up every three hours to feed your wee baby and then get up at 5 a.m. because your kids are also messed up with the time change. Hmmmm. I guess I should *get the point* and go to bed now, shouldn't I?
Oh wait. Is it 11:30 or 12:30? I can't tell. I can't remember which clocks I changed or and which clocks are still on the wrong time!

Enough rambling. Here's are some photos I edited today. I pulled it out of my archives as there has been a request for these photos recently ... isn't she a sweetie?

Ahhh, to be outside and shooting again .... SOON!