gigiblog

In her shoes.

I had the pleasure of taking my church's staff photos last week ... we have a great group of pastors in our church, Broadway Pentecostal, and they were so easy going with the photos that it made my job all the more lovely! ;)

I wanted to share these photos because this particular pastor is so special to me! She's special because she is helping shape my daughters' lives - well, right now, only Lacey goes to Sunday School (Lyla and Lucia are too little) but one more year and Miss Lyla will be bouncing off those brightly-coloured Sunday School rooms, as well! 

Pastor Michelle (or Pastor B'chelle, as Lacey calls her - although I'm not sure why) is our children's pastor and wow, she ROCKS! She sure knows how to grab the little one's attention and she makes all the Sunday School and church events SUPER exciting and amazing for the kids!

I had the pleasure of being her photographer at her wedding last year (you can see her wedding photo on my website www.gigiphotography.com) along with her family photos from the previous year. She's such an awesome chick - so full of zeal and life and she just ADORES all the little kids that come to church ... I couldn't think of a better person to fill our church's Children-Pastor-Shoes. 

Here she is with her hubby of one year ...

awww ... aren't they cute?!

Pastor Michelle, our family thinks you rock and we love having you lead our children's lives in their spiritual journey. Thank you for putting so much time and energy into your job! We love you!

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I've been packing all day - packing for a trip to go visit my big sis, Angela, and her family in Alberta.  Wahoooo! I'm SO excited! This will probably be the only chance I get for quite some time (silly gas prices!) so I'm going to treasure this trip immensely. Unfortunately, we leave at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m. tomorrow - yes, that means I am waking up my three girls at 3:30 a.m. ... WISH ME LUCK!  and cart them throughout the airport in their jammies. Let me tell ya, I'll be glad when the flight is over. I'm not really looking forward to 4.5 hours in the air with three little ones. Thank GOD my mom is coming to help me! I wouldn't be able to go if it wasn't for her. Thank you, mom! 

And sadly ... on a quick sidenote ... I have decided to travel sans computer this week. AUGH! Whatever am I going to do?! I REALLY want to take my laptop but I think, with Lucia in one arm, Lyla in the other, the carry-on, the kid's backpack and my purse all in my arms, well, gosh, I think I'll have enough to carry without dragging along my big ol' Macbook. Bummer. 

So wish me luck! And I will be posting as soon as I return (Sunday night very, very, very late). I will post the winner of the giveaway on Monday!

Have a great week everyone! 

The Littlest Cowboy

When my client pulled up in her car, jumped out and said "He insisted he wear his cowboy outfit for the session ..." I KNEW this was going to be a good one! ;)

The Little Cowboy took a few minutes to warm up but after 1/2 an hour or so, we were running through the fields together, playing hide and go seek in the grass, feeding the horses and chasing the cows ... 

What a kid! If I could choose to have a little boy, I think I'd like a carbon copy of this little guy!

With his mommy, petting the horses ...

calling for the cows to come say hi ...

Oh look! It worked! Hellooooo, Bessie.

Calling for her to come closer ... he was not afraid of the animals, at all. I don't know if you can tell, but I had to, more often than not, climb into the gated area with the cows to capture Alex's expressions. Now, I grew up in the country but that doesn't mean I would know what to do if a cow came charging at me! Thankfully, those big-eyed brown cows just continued to chew their cud and stare strangely at this camera-carrying girl who had hopped their fence.

His cowboy boots were totally authentic. The real deal, man.

Alex and Laurie, thank you for such a fabulous session! I have just begun proofing and already there are tons of images! You might have a hard time choosing for Father's Day! :) 

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And so ... yet another Monday has flown by without giving me a chance to blog! You know, I actually MISS it when I can't blog every day. Crazy. 

We have had a busy past few days as some very special friends of ours moved all the way from London, England to Orangeville on Saturday. We have always loved these guys and are absolutely thrilled they have moved to Ontario and to wee, little Orangeville no less! We have been spending some time with them, helping them get used to the Canadian way of doing things - you know, lining up at Tim Hortons and driving on the right side of the road! ;)

And then, yesterday, Lyla, my accident prone child, dropped a heavy stool on her big toe and has been crying ever since. The poor girl. Can you break a toe by dropping a stool on it? It's very sore - bruised and a bit swollen - she won't walk on that foot and cries if you touch her toe. So can you imagine night time last night? She cried every time she rolled over in her crib and ended up rolling on her toe. Ouch. We had a very restless night last night - going between three crying girls (the other two just cried for no reason!). I think in total I got 4 hours sleep between getting up on every hour change. 

So ... anyway - enough whining already, eh?! Let's do the giveaway!

OHHHH. I LOOOOOOOVE this giveaway.

In fact, I bought one myself already and have been given such great compliments ...

This week's giveaway is generously donated by Pink Lemonade Boutique Bags, After the birth of her daughter five years ago, Caroline Ritzer, the owner of Pink Lemonade Boutique Bags, began searching for the perfect diaper bag to suits her needs. It wasn't long before Caroline realized she wanted something unique, different from the diaper bags sold in the stores. So she started designing and making her own. Soon, she was selling and making bags left, right and center. Caroline quit her daytime job of 15 years and opened her own store, Pink Lemonade Bags, and hasn't looked back since.

This week, Caroline is giving one lucky blog reader a Shabby Tote.

This sweet bag is made of a pretty patchwork of shabby squares from Robyn Pandolphs "Tickled Pink" collection. Each square has been machine quilted with a thick fleece in an x design. The raw edges have been left exposed, then clipped by hand, and then run through the wash to give a soft, raggy appearance. Fully lined with coordinating Cotton Candy Pink flannel cotton. Features 3 fully Lined Pockets in a coordinating Pink and Cream Braemore Roses print cotton fabric sewn inside. A covered insert is added to prevent the bottom of the bag from sagging. A fabric tab and Pink, glittery button secures the bag. 

Leave a comment on the blog and your name will be entered in the draw. 

Angel-baby.

When babies look beyond you and giggle, maybe they're seeing angels.  

~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

A little sweet baby angel visited the studio today ...

And boy, did she steal my heart!

Miss Lily-pie, you were the cutest thing!

Lily's aunt is a dear friend of mine, who oddly enough is also named Gillian (you can follow Gillian's blog here ). I know Anutie Jill, who is in the land Down Under right now, will be checking the blog to see a sneak peek of her beautiful niece. Hello, Gillian!)

Lily really likes her toes right now. 

I really liked her eyes ...

And today also happens to be Lily's six month birthday! Happy birthday, little Lily! 

I have *so* many cute ones of this sweetie-pie that I *might* just have to do a second sneak peek! ;)

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Annnnnd .. it's Friday. (OH MY GOSH. How did this week go by so fast? I am determined to make this weekend go sloooooooooowwwwwww ...)

Which means I get to name the winner of the coolest, trendiest earth-friendly bag ever from Flip & Tumble 

Generously hosted by the press-folks at Flip & Tumble, I'm giving away one blue bag ...

Using www.random.org, the winner is: 

#11 - Tonia

Congrats, Tonia! Just e-mail me at gillian@gigiphotography.com and I will mail you your funky new bag asap!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Beds.

“Dream different dreams while on the same bed”

Ancient Chinese Proverb

Maybe it's this stage in our family life or maybe we're lazy... but we, the Gauthier family, spend a lot of time ON beds. Not in beds. Just on them. As a family. Or the three girls. Or me and the girls. Or daddy and the girls ...

It's comfy. It's cozy. Our couch might just last longer than the average family because we hardly ever sit on it! I even proof in bed with my laptop and answer all my e-mails from bed. (Who could ask for a better job?!)

And, so not surprisingly, when I decided to take some pictures of the girls today, the pictures were all taken with a bed in the image. 

Lyla ... waking up from her nap ... she's so loud when she wakes up. There is NO second guessing if she's up and ready to charge again. 

"Hello .... MAAAA .... I am AWAKE ... why are you pointing that camera at me? Just pick me up already."

"Okay ... fine. I'll be cute ... for two seconds ..."

"What's this?! You're backing up to get the room in the picture?! C'MON, mom! Let me out!"

Later, the girls were snuggling on - what else?! - the bed ...

Note the snack trap and apple near Lyla. The girl does not stop eating. Ever. I can just imagine our grocery bill when she's a teenager. 

And that was my day today. :) 

Calm.

I've had one of "those" days....

Where you seem to be running like a chicken with no head ...ewww.  Whoever came up with that description? It's nasty. Okay, so I'm running like a crazy-girl-with-too-many-missions, zipping here and there, not only in body but in my thought process as well. Have you ever noticed that, as a woman, your mind goes off in seven million different directions in a matter of seconds? You mentally write down your list of things to do today, things to do this week, things to do this month, things you want to accomplish, projects you want to start, projects you want to finish, food you have to make, schedules you have to accommodate, meetings you have to attend ...

Oh my gosh.

I think I smell smoke coming from my brain today!

And yet, tomorrow ... ahhh ... all will be calm again. Sometimes it just moments of stress that I experience and then ... they pass ... as quickly as they come. 

And I can breathe again. 

And be calm. 

“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”

St. Francis de Sales quote I'm going to go make myself a cup of soothing tea, turn on a relaxing CD and grasp at the last straws of gentle calm (it's nap time in the Gauthier household!). Here's to you - I hope your Wednesday is as calm as this wee ones ... P.S. I hate how small the photos show up here. I'm working on a layout that will show the pictures bigger. In the meantime, click on the image and it will appear larger. :)

Take time to realize.

“To be free of destructive stress
don't sweat the small stuff
and by realizing that all stuff is small.”

We had a bit of family scare this weekend ... and all I can say is THANK GOD for His hand of protection on the lives of our loved ones. Isn't it amazing how we see life differently after your day-to-day-routine is shaken up? All too often we forget how precious life is - how fragile it can be - and how quickly things can change. If it wasn't for God's saving Hand, we could be a family mourning the loss of a loved one this weekend, possibly even two loved ones - one being a child. Thankfully - and I don't say that lightly - we are, instead, rejoicing in the fact that God has a plan for our lives and it includes keeping all of our family together for the next chapter of life.

Don't take your loved ones for granted, people. They could be here one day and gone the next. End all your conversations on a happy note. Kiss your mom and your dad good-bye when you leave - doesn't matter how old you are - and always tell your husband you love him before you leave each other for the day.

Life is too short not to.

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On a studio (and lighter!) note... I met the cutest bambino a few days ago. Such a wee one! Her mom is a friend of mine and will be helping me shoot some upcoming weddings this summer.

Sleep, baby, sleep .... we worked hard to get her sleepy.

with mommy ......

She was alert and not wanting to miss a thing most of the session.

Little Baby T, you were so sweet to photograph ... what a pleasure it was!

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And although it's late, it's still MONDAY and that means a giveaway!!!

So ... hmmmm ... which giveaway should I do today. It's always so hard to decide. *drumming fingers on the table*

Let me go check my list of upcoming giveaways and see which one I should host next ....

**** ........... hmmmm ....***

Okay! I got it!

This week's giveaway ... is sponsored by Flip and Tumble

With all of us trying to go more green, I'm sure most of you have ditched plastic grocery bags by now. I know I have. And I've spent a fortune on RE-buying those canvas reusable grocery bags at the grocery store checkout line because, often time, I've forgotten them or am one bag short to carry all of my groceries.

But toss in a Flip and Tumble bag in your purse, and you will never be one bag short for your green-grocery-shopping-trip or for that shopping outing you have planned for your favourite store. Ditch the plastic and go for the trendy, ever-so-lovely-and-colourful Flip and Tumble bag.

The details:

The bag measures 12”x14”x5” and has a 26.5“ length strap. Big enough for 3 large soda bottles. The ball is 3” in diameter, about the size of a peach.

Strength:
25 lb. capacity, so load it up with a bowling ball or two. A shoulder pad keeps heavy loads feeling light.

Material:
The bag is constructed of lightweight nylon ripstop

Flip and Tumble has generously donated a blue bag to one lucky blog reader ...

To enter the contest, just leave a comment here on the blog and the winner will be chosen and announced on Friday of this week.

If you haven't added reusable shopping bags to your lifestyle, nows the time because such a bag could NOT be cuter!

P.S. Don't forget about the Do You Have a Bump contest going on ... you can find details here:

Connection.

There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.

~Robert Smith Surtees, "Chapter XXX: Bolting the Badger," Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour, 1853

(Click on images to see them larger.)

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Can you believe it's Friday already? Wow! Where does the time go? And it's the FIRST long weekend of the "summer!" Yahoooo! Unfortunately, for all of us in Ontario, we're going to enjoy this extra long weekend indoors mostly, as it's pretty chilly still.

But - since it's FRIDAY ... it's time to name the winner of the Lovable Labels giveaway., posted on Monday.

A big thank you to Sonia for hosting this week's giveaway! I think these labels are the greatest way to keep track of your little one's stuff - and we all know our little ones have a LOT of stuff to keep track of!

So, the winner is, using random.org:

Number 11: Tanya

Just e-mail me and I'll hook you up with Sonia of Lovable Labels so you can get your labels printed up for you.

Congratulations, Tanya! I know these labels will come in handy for your girls when they go to school! ENJOY!

I hope you all have a fabulous long weekend ... :) ... and don't forget about the Do You Have a Bump? contest
going on. Spread the word and send in a photo of you and your belly and you will be entered to win a free maternity session with Gigi Photography, along with a complimentary 8x10 image from your session.

Happy Friday!

Hey, Lyla...

Lyla Precious - nicknamed Tarzan, the Monster, etc. - is my middle child. She's almost two years old (the big day is in July, coming up so quickly!) And you know what they say about middle children ....

"The middle or second born child or children often have the sense of not belonging. They fight to receive attention from parents and others because they feel many times they are being ignored or dubbed off as being the same as another sibling. Being in the middle a child can feel insecure. The middle child often lacks drive and looks for direction from the first born child. Sometimes a middle child feels out of place because they are not over achievers and like to go with the flow of things ... middle children are often loners ..."
-Essortment.com

*Ahem* I dare say that does NOT describe my Lyla-girl! She is a ball of FIRE. She loves people. She loves a challenge. She loves to be loud. She loves to be daring. She loves to eat dirt (and toilet brushes, apparently, but that's another *disgusting* story!). She loves to be tickled. She loves loud music.

Lyla has drive. Lyla has ambition. Lyla rocks my world!

Yes, my Lyla defies the stereotypical middle child syndrome.

And I'm glad.

Just two photos from snuggling my crazy kid yesterday afternoon:

Kisses for you, Lyla. You are such a gem in my life!

P.S. I'm a middle child too ... maybe that's why Lyla tugs on my heart so!

Holy Batman.

*Okay, cheesy title. I admit it.*

Thank you ALLLLLL for your fabulous response to my call-out for momma-to-be models (see below post)! Wow! So wonderful!

Okay, so it's obviously going to be VERY hard for me to choose ... so what I was thinking of doing is leaving it up to you - my wonderful blog readers and clients - to choose which momma-to-be will win the session with Gigi Photography. Over the next few days, stay tuned! I will post MY top three picks and get you to vote on which momma will win.

How fun! Thanks again for your great responses! The contest is still open so go ahead and send me your photo and entry at gillian@gigiphotography!

And because I can't post without an image ....

Do you have a bump?

Yoo-hoooo!

Calling all mommas-to-be!

Gigi Photography is looking for one lucky pregnant momma for an upcoming session ...

Qualifications:

1) The momma must be six months pregnant or more.

2) The momma must submit a photo of herself and hubby to gillian@gigiphotography.com

3) The momma must be willing to wear jeans and must be willing to follow the photographer's lead for images. (Don't worry, it's not too risky! Just different than I normally do!)

In exchange for modeling for me, I will give you a complimentary 8x10 image of your choice. All other images can be purchased online once the session is completed.

Again - e-mail me, Gillian, at gillian@gigiphotography.com and include a recent (preferably including your baby bump!) photo of you and hubby.

I will contact you when I decide on the winning model!