Exciting times ahead!

2010 is coming to a close so quickly. Like a lot of you, at this time of year I like to reflect on all that has happened over the last 12 months and think ahead to the new year.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with many different families this past year. Each photo shoot was a unique chance to get to know more people and provide them with lasting memories.

In the new year I plan on making a lot of improvements to my business. I'm really excited about these changes and can't wait to announce them so stay tuned! :)

Although I am on a bit of a 'baby break' right now, as some of you know, I am still doing a few shoots here and there including a maternity shoot last weekend for a friend (pictures below). If you're looking to book a shoot within the next month or so please contact me ASAP so that we can discuss details to avoid disappointment.

Thank you to each of you that has played a part in making this year a great one! I hope that each of you has a very Merry Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ with family and friends. Looking forward to working with you in 2011!

10 Days

I can't believe we've been of a family of 5 for 10 days now. I also can't believe that Christmas Eve is 10 days away. Holy doodle!

It's been a pretty crazy 10 days, but not completely insane. :) We've even managed to have a bit of fun! Yesterday while Leah was at school Scott helped me with doing some shots of Erika. She was such a great little model. I was really impressed! After the little shoot it was time to get Leah. She then helped Scott bake up a storm! They made Scott's fave (cookies - this time it was chocolate peanut butter...of course with a few plain peanut butter for me) and tried a new recipe - cinnamon buns!

The cinnamon buns were SO delicious and super easy! In fact, too easy. I think they're going to become a regular thing in our house if I have anything to do with it. :) They look and taste like store bought!



Today we had all 3 kiddies at home. I discovered this morning that I had received my package of goodies from Sassy Sweet Pea of bows and other hair accessories for the girls. This only meant one thing - another photoshoot :) After Josh went down for his nap I fed Erika and then tried out the headbands on her. I am SO loving them already! I can't wait for her to wear them out in the world that is outside of our house. :) Here are a few pictures I snapped of her today. My inspiration for the last one came from a picture that I have of myself at around the same age. I love it!

Blessed (and the Giveaway winner!)

As I sit here I still can't believe that we have 3 beautiful children. Yes, you heard me...3. Our newest little miracle, Erika Jeanelle, made her grand entrance into this world on Saturday, December 4th at 4:57am - 9 days before her due date - weighing in at 7lbs 9oz.

I know that a bunch of you out there have been asking me about the delivery details so I'll get right into that. :) For those of you who don't handle those things well, you can do a quick scroll down to the bottom to see some pictures of our babes. :)

A week ago today I went to see my OB for my 38 week appointment. After telling him that I REALLY didn't want to be induced this time he examined me and found that I was 3cm. Later that day I went for my first acupuncture treatment. A friend of mine had recommended doing this as she swore that was the reason that she went into labor. I was a little bit freaked out about the whole thing, but it turned out to be really simple and totally not painful at all. I booked another appointment for Friday and then I waited. Waited for some kind of sign that it had worked or for something to happen. Nothing.

On Friday morning I went for another round of acupuncture. After having nothing happen on Monday I was a bit skeptical that this treatment would do anything, but thought it was still worth a shot. Later that morning Josh was super cranky and with Leah at school I thought I would put him down for a nap early and have a bit of a nap myself. (Did I mention I had been out at my company Christmas party Thursday night until 2am? lol!) I woke up around 1:00 and thought my back was hurting a bit, but shoved it off as just being uncomfortable because of sleeping on the couch.

After having a bit of dinner at my parents' house and picking Leah up from a birthday party my Mom took her down to their place and Josh and I went back home. Scott had been unexpectedly working late and was supposed to be home just after 7:00pm.

At 7:00 my phone rang. Scott was calling to let me know that he was just off the train and would be home shortly. The conversation went a bit like this:
S: "I'm just getting off the train. It's going to get a bit loud here in a minute."
*train whistle*
T: "HOLY CRAP!"
S: "I told you it was going to be loud."
T: "No, that's not it!"
S: "What's wrong?!"
T: "My water just broke!"
S: "Seriously??"
T: "Yeah, seriously!!! This honestly isn't happening!"
S: "Are you sure?"
T: "Uh yeah I'm pretty sure....it keeps gushing!"
I honestly could not help but stop laughing about the whole ordeal. We hung up and I immediately called our neighbour, Jen. She came over right away and helped me a huge deal by dealing with Josh because well....I was pretty much useless. lol! I had no idea that when your water breaks it just continues to gush. Every giggle I made (because again, I thought the whole thing was pretty funny!) and every step I took it gushed a bit more. My favourite line from Jen was "um....are you going to change your pants?" hahaha! it looked like I had been in a flood up to my waist!

After I got my pants situation all sorted out I called our friend and Doula, Kerri. We agreed that we would pick her up at about 7:45 on the way to the hospital. Then I started to panic. I hadn't finished packing my hospital bag....on purpose! I figured that if I had finished packing it all the way I would go overdue again. As I scrambled to grab things, the phone was ringing off the hook, Jen was changing Josh's poopy diaper (sorry again, Jen!!) and Scott was coming in the door. Scott's parents were on their way to keep an eye on Josh at our place and Jen had offered to stay with him until they arrived. "Just tell me what you want me to do", she said. I immediately blurted out "come with me!" I think she was a bit confused/unsure what I was talking about but agreed to come to the hospital after she put her little ones to bed.

We arrived at the hospital where they put me in triage to check things out. Did I mention that I still hadn't had any contractions/pain/discomfort at this point? No contractions showing up on the monitor either so they were in no rush to admit me. They did discover however that my water had in fact broke so that was it, I was being moved to a delivery room. This was all very different for me so I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out that they don't put you on the monitor again or examine you until you start having contractions. Little bit frustrating, but whatever. I walked the halls, sat on the birthing ball, did weird little stretches like I was going to be in the Olympics and then sat and waited. Nothing. Nadda. Zip. Super frustrating. We all sat around and enjoyed some Coke as we waited.

At midnight the nurse said they recommended that I try to get some rest because it could be a while still. If nothing happened by the morning they would put me on the drip (which I TOTALLY didn't want because that would mean an induction). Kerri and Jen went home and Scott and I tried to sleep. He slept and snored while I tossed and turned and prayed that I wouldn't need the drip in the morning. At about 1:30 my stomach started to feel kind of gross. Thinking I had to use the washroom, I sat on the toilet and well...tried to push. After a few minutes of no success I went back to bed and tried to sleep again.

2:00 rolled around and I thought 'oooo that feels like cramps!' I got out my amazing little iPhone and opened up the 'Contraction Timer' app and started to time these little cramps. Sure enough each one was about a minute long and they were 2-3 minutes apart and started to get worse. I woke Scott up and we timed together and then I told him to go get a nurse. At that point they hooked me up to the monitor. Called Kerri at 2:30 and told her things were getting regular and she should come back.

The nurse checked me and said I was about 3-4cm but things were definitely regular. I went back and forth as to when I should get the epidural and then decided to just go for it. After all, we weren't sure how long it would take for the guy to get there because it was the middle of the night. To my surprise he came pretty quickly and did the procedure. Oh happy day! :) I guess that was at about 3:00. Things were still pretty regular and more intense after that, but I definitely wasn't feeling it the same way that I had been. I was able to have a conversation with Scott and Kerri, laugh, etc.

At about 4:30 I told them both that I thought I was feeling pressure. Kerri asked if I thought it was enough that I should have them check me. I wasn't sure. After it happened a few more times I thought 'oh yeah, I'm sure now!' She went to get the nurse who examined me and told me that I was fully dialated. I was kind of in shock! Scott called Jen and told her things were REALLY happening...like right now and she needed to come right away.

4:45 and I was ready to push when Jen came in the door. The next few minutes were a bit of a blur but I know that it wasn't too long/that many pushes and there she was - our 2nd little girl, Erika Jeanelle, was born!

It was a great experience including no tearing! One that I'm still in awe over as I can't believe I didn't have to be induced and that she was smaller than the other 2 :)

Thanks to Kerri, our Doula, for all her support and encouragement. I'm sure I would have pushed that babes out on my own if she hadn't recommended that the nurse check me.

Thanks also to Jen for being there from the beginning to the very end, going back and forth to the hospital, being my photographer, supplier of M&Ms to my husband, etc. :)

And of course thank you to my husband for being my biggest supporter through this 3rd labor and delivery. I love you!

I'm so blessed to have all of these people in my life and also to have our sweet little one join our family. :) It's nearly bedtime in our house which means diapers, pajamas and a feed for the wee babe. Hope things go a bit better tonight! :)

Just before I get to the pictures, the winner of the $20 gift certificate towards Jady Baby's products (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarnia-ON/Jady-babys/118142738218405?v=wall&ref=ts) is..........oh ok...I can't pick just one. Way too complicated to figure all that out. So 1 person wins for being the closest with the weight guess and 1 person wins for being the closest with the date guess. :)

Jennifer Gilbert who guessed 7lbs 10oz

Jennifer Hodgins who guessed December 3rd

Congratulations to both of you!!! :)

Enjoy the pictures!

All Grown Up...Really?? & A Little Giveaway :)

With only a few weeks left until I have my 3rd little one I'm sitting here thinking, 'really? am I SERIOUSLY old enough to have THREE kids?!?!' I know that I got married young (20), but I can't get over the fact that my hubs and I have been married for just over 6 years, we have 'grown up' jobs, pay bills and manage a house.

It's not just us...all our friends seem to be all grown up too. In fact, a few of my friends from church youth group are now having their 2nd or even 3rd babies. A few of my friends from that circle are just starting their families and I'm so happy for them! One of those friends is Victoria. She's just about 32 weeks pregnant with her first - a little girl that they are going to name Charlotte.

Yesterday Victoria, her husband Kyle and I braved the cold and brisk wind to go out on the town for some maternity pictures. We had originally planned to do the pictures at a few older buildlings in downtown Newmarket and then I realized that the Santa Claus parade was going to be doing that route at the same time! I thought it was kind of funny that we had to change our plans for Santa. :) We did manage to get a few shots in at the locations that we had hoped for, but then went over to a great older church and wrapped up there.

I'm so happy to be able to give Victoria these special captured memories that she'll one day share with her beautiful little Charlotte.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS!!!
Everyone loves to have a little bit of fun, especially when you don't have to do a lot of work for it, right? So I want everyone to throw their two cents in and take a guess at some details about baby #3!

Some of you may have seen me mention this week on Facebook that I had received a pair of booties from Jady Baby's. I am SO excited to use them on my little one and on future newborn photo shoots!! I am so impressed by the quality of Jade's products and so I'm giving away a $20.00 gift certificate towards the purchase of her products! Check out her products on her website: http://www.wix.com/jadybabys/designs


Just one example of Jade's products - Booties (think Robeez, but handmade by an Ontario Mama in a variety of fabric options!)

Here is what you need to do to qualify:
1) Answer the following 2 questions (you must answer both) either by commenting on the blog (please include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win!) here or on my Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Collyer-Photography/125613657465024?ref=ts
- When will baby arrive (just a date)?
- How much will she weigh?
2) You need to also 'like' Jady Baby's fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarnia-ON/Jady-babys/118142738218405?v=wall&ref=ts
3) Last but not least...if you aren't already a fan of mine on Facebook, you need to 'like' my page too :) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Collyer-Photography/125613657465024?ref=ts

The person who's guess is the closest to actual details of the baby's birth wins! It's THAT easy! :) Oh and to make it even easier (maybe...), I'm providing you with the following details:
- Due date: December 13, 2010
- I was induced at 6 days overdue with my 1st and 5 days overdue with my 2nd
- 1st was 8lbs 11oz, 2nd was 8lbs 12oz
- I never had any kind of Braxton Hicks, etc with the first 2, but I've had them for SEVERAL weeks this time (although apparently that means nothing)

Can't wait to see the guesses! :)

Oh How Fast They Grow...

I'm sure many of you remember me posting pictures back at the end of June of my friends twin girls who were a month old at the time (see pic below). They were born at about 4 1/2 lbs and just over 5lbs. They were definitely the smallest little babies I had ever held, especially compared to the toddler-size children that I seem to have. lol!

I have really enjoyed watching them grow and change over the last 6 months. I'm still constantly in awe of how perfect they are considering how many things could have gone wrong. I remember praying for their Mom and them constantly that they would all be healthy and safe and be born at just the right time.

When I was asked to take Christmas pictures for them last weekend I was really excited! (I love repeat clients!) The girls were SO good about having their pictures taken. They looked where we wanted them to, they sat with their big brother and didn't scream and they didn't puke either. :)




On a similar note, I'm excited/nervous to have another little babes entering our family soon (I'm 36.5 weeks! YIKES!). My due date is December 13th, but I'm not sure what to expect with this baby as my other 2 were overdue. I've been told that because this is my 3rd and because my soon-to-be middle dude and this baby will be so close together that I should expect to go on time or early. Kinda wondering what other people think....maybe it's time for a little contest. :) Stay tuned!

Family Memories

It's at this time of year that we start to build up towards a lot of family time. I really enjoy this time of year because it means that we get to see some family members that we don't usually see often. This year with prepping for baby #3's arrival things have been quite a bit busier and I've had a hard time getting into the Christmas mood. I find it so stressful trying to find that perfect gift.

A few weeks ago while shopping with my Mom we had a discussion about Christmas. We both agreed that Christmas shouldn't be about that 'perfect' gift or trying so hard to please people. Shouldn't it be more about spending time together and enjoying each other's company?

This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting and working with a family that is really taking that thought to heart. It was so sweet to see them interact with each other. The way they put their arms around each other, the looks they gave each other when their eyes met and their hands fit perfectly together.

Carmen puts it into words so wonderfully "spending quality time together as a family and making great memories are very important. No matter how big your struggles in life are as long as we have each other and GOD is there giving us strength, courage and hope we will be able to overcome all struggles."

It was very important for Carmen and her family to have not only memories of time together as a family, but photographic memories as well. I am so honoured to have been able to capture these memories for you, Carmen. I hope that these captured memories will bless you as much as you have blessed me by really hitting that important message home for me and my family.

Big Fam Fun!

Today I wrapped up part 2 of a photo shoot with a big family - 14 people! Katherine contacted me because she wanted to have a custom shoot put together. We did a lot of different shots with different groups of people in her family. Lots of coordination and a check list (thanks Katherine!) kept it running smoothly and made sure that we didn't miss getting what she wanted.

It was great to work with a group this size! One of my favourite parts was when Katherine jumped on her husband's back for the 'couples' picture. This got the kids attention and when it was time for a shot of the grandkids they copied the idea. Lots of laughs! :)

In order to get one of the individual shots at the end I had to get down on my belly (not to worry...no baby was harmed in the making on that pic! lol!) on the coooold bridge. But...I thought, 'hey...I can't ask my client's kid to lay down on the cold steel bridge if I'm not willing to do the same.' so...I did it. Trying to get up reminded me that I am in fact 35 weeks pregnant (tomorrow). lol!

Thanks so much for allowing me to work with you guys! Hope you enjoy your preview!

This Is Your Life

On Sunday I got to work with a family with 2 girls and 1 boy. During the shoot I couldn't help but think - is this what my family is going to be like a few years from now? They have the exact same kid "line up" as we do/will have in a matter of weeks - girl, boy, girl.

The youngest wasn't too thrilled about being in front of the camera, but she gave us some good pictures to work with anyway. Her brother cracked me right up. I can just see my Josh being like him a few years from now. He made me work for some good smiles and then when we turned our heads he had climbed a tree!

I think the whole 'dangerous adventure' thing has become a bit of a theme in my photo shoots...and it's got nothing to do with me. lol! My clients and/or their kids decide that they're going to do something crazy and without fail I end up having to say "I feel like I should have had you sign a waiver that I'm not responsible for physical damage..." And that's part of why I love doing this! :)

Enjoy your little preview! More pics to follow on the fan page! :)

Giggles, Adventure & A Bit of 2 Year Old 'Tude :)

I knew that I would have a blast doing pictures for this family because their kids are just too darn cute. But other than the cute factor, I didn't really know what I was in for. It is amazing how much you get to know people in such a small amount of time.

Melanie had told me ahead of time that her youngest (A), could be a bit of a stink about smiling for pictures. When it came down to it, what worked best was having A say that her brother stunk. Even I couldn't help but smile! I nearly busted a gut when Melanie told A to sit down and A said 'and do what??' like a teenager would or when she said countless times 'we done yet?'.

Miss E was just as much fun - giggling with every smile and SO cooperative! Big brother N was Mr. Adventure. I am not pretty sure that instead of having people sign a 'Model Release Form' that I should have them sign a waiver saying that I can't be held responsible for any bodily harm that their children cause themselves.

Thank you Melanie and Jay for allowing me to take capture these moments for you! I hope you guys had as much fun as I did. :) Looking forward to working with you again!

Seriously...aren't these kids just adorable??

New Faces, New Places

On Monday I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea Walker and her newly expanded family. Andrea was the winner of my 'Super Easy Contest' back in August (http://taracollyerphotography.blogspot.com/2010/08/and-winner-is.html). This past Sunday was actually her little guy's due date, but he decided to show up early to enjoy the fall colours and give his Mommy and Daddy something a little extra to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

We were getting some great shots amongst the mature fall trees and in a little field when I heard a riding lawn mower start up just past the trees on the lot beside us. I guess we were kind of/maybe/technically on 'Private Property', but I didn't think it was a huge deal as the fence was pretty much non-existant and we weren't really past the so called fence anyway. Regardless, I was a bit spooked and suggested that we move across the street to another spot. Just as we were packing up Mr. Riding Lawn mower Dude shows up and starts speaking with Andrea's husband. With the mower still running it was hard to hear what he was saying, but Andrea and I both thought we had heard him say 'what are you using the pictures for??' At that point I was nearly shaking in my boots - were we going to get in trouble? what would he do??? But, to my surprise and absolute amazement he was asking if we wanted to take some pictures with his horses!!! I felt like a kid that had just been offered candy! Of course, I said yes and we headed back to see the horses. This gentleman was absolutely incredible - grabbing carrots for us to feed to the horses and allowing us to just hang out on his property to snap some great pictures.

Thanks to Andrea and her wonderful little fam for travelling up to meet me (esp with a fresh babes!). Enjoy your little sneak peek (more on the Facebook fan page because I just couldn't choose!!)!

Keepin' Up With The Jones'

With all the hype of Thanksgiving over the past week or so it got me thinking about just how much we have to be thankful for. I've been guilty in the past of buying clothes for my kids because I felt like if my kids looked good in their clothes that it would give the impression that we were a well put together family and we weren't suffering financially. While cleaning out the kids closets recently I realized just how ridiculous I had been in that area. It made me sick to my stomach that I had been trying so hard to "keep up with the Jones'". Why?? Why do I care so much about what others think? The only person's opinion that I should care about is God's. So...I'm trying to make a fresh start. As tempting as it is to go out and just purchase whatever we WANT in clothes for the kids I'm going to wait and pray. Pray for God to provide the appropriate clothes for our kids. My kids DO NOT need amazing clothes and I want them to grow up appreciating what they have and understanding that God has provided for us.

So as much as I don't want to "keep up with the Jones'" anymore, I had to keep up with them on Friday. :) A little while ago our church had a silent auction to raise funds to send a team of people to Peru on a missions trip. As a contribution to the silent auction I offered a photo shoot. The Church Secretary, Charlene Jones, was the lucky winner.

I was so looking forward to working with these guys. Charlene is so friendly and has such a warm personality (great person to be a Church Secretary!) and her husband Bill is quite the character, trying to get his wife and daughter laughing during the shoot. I had a great time working with these guys and shooting in the gorgeous, warm fall weather (that felt more like summer!).

I hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving and thought about all the things that you really are thankful for.

Markham Fair

Yesterday we did something that we had never done before as a fam - we went to the Markham Fair. Scott had been several times before as a child, but we hadn't been with the kids. Grandma Gail came along with us too (and quite enjoyed the movie in the van on the way there. lol!).

We weren't sure how Josh would be with the kids because when we take him to the zoo he usually just chills in his stroller. To our surprise he looooved the animals. He even went so far as putting his hand out to the sheep! The kid had absolutely no fear!



Speaking of no fear...Leah had absolutely no fears whatsoever about going on any and all rides at the fair. She wanted to go on a whole whack of rides that unfortunately she wasn't tall enough for, but I was really surprised that she rocked some of the rides by herself!!



Little update on the kids this week:
Leah:
- her line of the week - "fine! I won't be your friend ever again!"
- we finally got to meet her friends from school at the BBQ on Thursday. Derek is just like her - somewhat loud and busy, but super cute (the little dude wears glasses! so adorable!) and Ireland - she is in SK but it looks like she's somewhat of a mentor to Leah, it's REALLY adorable! AND how awesome is this - her parents are Christians! It was great to finally meet these 2 as Derek seems to be the only person that Leah talks about from school (other than the few times that she's mentioned 'Ilerand' hehe!).
- Leah went on her first field trip this week (to the apple orchard) and afterwards she explained to Scott, Grandma Gail and I exactly how we should pick apples. School is definitely a growing experience for her. :)
Josh:
- his line of the week - a very loud, repetitive "BAH!" while sitting in the stroller after seeing the sheep. not sure if he was trying to immitate the sheep, but I like to think that's what he was doing. :)
- he loooooves raisins! (thank you Gioia!) I was really afraid to give him anything other than bits of bread and other soft foods, but thanks to our wonderful friend who is watching the kids while I'm at work he is loving raisins! but um...I really don't like changing his diaper after he has them. lol!
- he is walking like CRAZY these days. he's gotten so good at it that he's able to stand up on his own (no help from furniture, etc) when he falls. now if only he could go down the stairs by himself instead of being seriously scared - although it's kind of funny. :)
- although he's still not really saying much (there's just a lot of eeh eeh and grunting going on) he has said constant "Mamamamama"s and "Dadadadada"s this week
Baby:
- kicking Mama like craaaaaaazy this week. sometimes she kicks so hard that I jump!
- Monday marks 30 weeks!! um hello!?! where did the time go???

Too Cool for School

With Leah being in school now and life being a bit more hectic I find I don't have as much time to write in her little journal. I think I may end up blogging more on here about family type stuff because let's face it...I type a LOT faster than I write and I don't really like my hand writing. lol! The added bonus to me writing on here...my sister, who is away at school, can keep up with all the things that are going on in the kids lives.

So....I just want to quickly jot down some things that I am finding humorous/frustrating/whatever about this whole 'my first child is in school' thing...
- first full day of school: Leah gets lost and isn't there when I go to pick her up. delightful! When we get home she says to me 'Mommy....(very concerned look on her face) why did you give me crackers and cheese for lunch? Why didn't you give me a sammich??'
- what is up with all the paperwork/more like homework for Mommies!!! I love that they have all these different programs but honestly...can they not send all of the lunch type order forms home on the same day?
- I love that Leah brings home little crafts, etc from school and tells me all about them. The other day she said 'Mommy, Mrs. Conventry taught us a song today' (using the little lion masks they had made).
- I love that we know so many of the teachers from her school because they go to our church AND HUGE blessing - her teacher is a Christian!
- Today: Leah went to the library. She didn't tell me about this (she went straight from school to Grandma's and then to Awana) but I'm excited to read the book with her. :)
- Tonight when I was getting her and Josh ready for bed Leah quietly stood in front of me with a straight look on her face and raised her hand. I was slightly baffled and then quickly realized 'oh my goodness, she is actually picking this up from school! AMAZING!!!' I acknowledged her and she went on with her story. She did this again before she got into bed. If this continues things will be A LOT quieter in our house!
- Leah seems to love the idea of going to school. The only time that she is a bit nervous about the whole process is when we get up to the gate and it's almost time to say goodbye. I've tried to make an effort to remember to pray with her despite the absolute insanity that is our morning schedule. Last week there was a day that she was clinging to me and I said to her, "Let's pray about your day, ok Leah?" She clung to me and we prayed that she would have a great day and meet new friends, etc. Afterwards I said "are you ready to go play now?" and her attitude changed completely and off she went. Amazing!

I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings! I'm sure I'll have many more stories to share. :)

Falling Into Fall - *SPECIAL OFFER!*

It's hard to believe that it's already halfway through September! Where did the summer go?? I love summer, but I also love fall. Fall means so many different things - new routines start up, the weather gets a bit more manageable and who can forget the absolutely amazing colours! Last year I took full advantage of the colours with my own kids and did several little shoots (see pictures below). My absolute fave was definitely the one when we put my little guy in, yes IN, a pumpkin. He totally hated it at first, but it was so funny/cute not to do it. He settled down after a few minutes and went to sleep. :)

One thing I know about fall is that the beautiful coloured leaves don't last very long. If you'd like to take advantage of the colours, please see my list of available dates below and book your shoot right away!

- Saturday, September 18
- Sunday, September 19
- Sunday, September 26
- Saturday, October 2
- Sunday, October 3
- Saturday, October 9
- Sunday, October 10
- Monday, October 11

Pricing for fall shoots (*OFFER EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 25th):
Mini Shoot (1/2 hour) - $50 (includes your choice of 2 digital files to print at your leisure)
Full Shoot (1 hour) - $75 (includes your choice of 3 digital files to print and your leisure and a $25 print credit - applied when you purchase $150 in prints)

For further information, please contact me via e-mail: taracollyer@rogers.com

Time Flies

3 years and 10 months ago, I had a 1 week old baby girl. Today, I sent that baby girl off to school for the first time.

There were SO many emotions involved in this process. Last night I got thinking about it and I'll admit, there were tears. Tears because I was nervous for her - would she fit in? would she be ok being one of the youngest in her class? Tears because obviously she is my first to make this big move and I didn't know what to expect. And tears because *choking up* I had dreams of this past year (my mat leave with Josh) being full of lots of time just the 2 of us while Josh napped, fun little trips and memories that she would cherish for a long time. *It's a good thing I know how to type properly because the screen is getting very fuzzy*

As you know (if you've been following for a while or are a personal friend), my mat leave was definitely NOT filled with a lot of happy times. The first 6 months were filled with constant puking, hospital stays and doctors appointments that were pretty much bi-weekly. It wasn't long after things settled down that I found out I was pregnant with baby #3, an absolute blessing, but a very scary and emotional thing at the same time. I knew that this baby would mean that I would have to go back to work a lot earlier than originally expected which meant that again, I would have less time with Leah. Again, I would be shipping her out the door to have someone else watch her. Again, I'd be getting home late, feeding her dinner and putting her to bed without much time for anything else.

Last night I really realized just how fast time flies and how much we take that time for granted. We just assume that we will have this time with our little ones, just like I assumed I would have a whole year with Leah. Today, I cherished the time that I had with my girl as we got her ready for school. We ate breakfast together, I helped her get dressed (as much as she would let me...because after all, she's a big girl), we took some special pictures and we walked to school together.

I'm not nieve, I know that each day will definitely not be like this. But I do really want to remember the feelings that I had last night and just how quick time can fly by. I hope that all of you that have little ones cherish the special times that you have with them.

Here's a little picture of Leah before heading off to school for the first time. I love you SO much, Leah! I am so excited to see how much you will grow this year at school! :)

Sweet Baby M

There's nothing like being a Mom for the first time. I SO remember those days. You've just finished being pregnant for what seems like an eternity and then after the wildest ride of your life called labour and delivery you're handed this tiny, little human being that is absolutely helpless without you. Everything is so new. I know when I first had Leah I questioned everything. Am I doing this right? Is she growing? Is she breathing?!?!

A little while ago I had the pleasure of working with J, K and their precious little boy, M, who was just 6 days old. Baby M is the first baby for this couple and it was so sweet to see them interact with him. His Mommy was so gentle and quiet with him and his Daddy was a big help too, getting things for J while she was feeding the baby.

As hard as it is with the lack of sleep and constant unknowns (like how many times is he going to wake up to eat tonight?), enjoy these precious times as they slip by far too quickly.

Here's a few pictures from Baby M's shoot:

And the winner is......

#12 - Andrea Walker - as chosen by Random.org

Congratulations, Andrea!!! I can't wait to discuss details of your shoot with you! :) I will be contacting you via e-mail to arrange a date.

Thank you to everyone who entered! Please check your e-mail in the next day or so (it's getting late for me tonight. lol!) as I have a special offer for you for entering. :)

The A Team

Let me introduce you to 'The A Team'! I've 'known of' this fam for quite a few years as the church that we used to attend supported them on the mission field when they were in Peru. We have had the pleasure of getting to know them a lot better over the last couple of years as they are living in the area while their daughters have wrapped up high school and started to attend university.

All 3 girls have 'A' names (Amanda, Ashley and Andrea - or as Leah likes to call her, 'Angioia'; poor kid can't get it straight! lol!) and their last name starts with an 'A'...hence 'The A Team'. :) They are all so photogenic and cool looking (is cool still a 'cool' word? well...for us old people it is, I guess. I really wish I had their sense of style!). My kids have become slightly obsessed with Amanda this summer as she has been watching them while I'm at work. I COULD NOT have asked for a better situation there. God really had His hand in that situation! There are honestly days when Leah cries when Amanda leaves because she wants her to stay. She also cries when she asks who is watching them today and I tell her that I'm watching her - she really wants Amanda to watch them. lol! The obsession didn't start with Amanda though, it started with Andrea ('Angioia'). Leah started to literally hang off of her at church a little over a year ago and still refuses to leave church some Sundays without seeing Angioia. I think Ashley is the only sister that Leah hasn't really gotten to know well....maybe that's a good thing for her!

We will definitely be sad to see these girls go off to school in just a short little while...but I know that Andrea will keep things hopping for her parents. :)

Thanks again for allowing me to do these pictures for you guys! I had such a blast!!! Enjoy your sneak peak!

PS - Don't forget to enter my contest (see details on http://taracollyerphotography.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-that-easy.html) before the end of the day on Wednesday for a chance to win a free 1/2 hour photo shoot!!! Also, if we hit 175 'fans' on the fan page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Collyer-Photography/125613657465024?ref=ts) by end of day on Wednesday I'll be doing another little giveaway!!! We're only 31 away! Invite your friends!!

It's THAT Easy!

Alright...forget the complicated stuff. Somehow, being pregnant has made me forget that people just want to relax in the summer. Soooooo...change of plans...SUPER easy contest....all you have to do is leave your name and e-mail address (for the sole purpose of contacting you if you are a winner. This information WILL NOT be shared with anyone else.)! Winner will be chosen at random.

Prize: a $50 credit towards a photo shoot
To give you an idea of what exactly that gets you, here is a brief breakdown of my pricing:
1/2 hour 'Mini' Shoot - $50
1 hour Shoot - $75

Contest ends Wednesday, August 18, 2010

11 months? Really?!?!

I know everyone says it, but where has the time gone?!?!

Just over 11 months ago I was a Mommy to one little girl and super pregnant with a little boy (Josh). We thought life was getting a bit hectic with Leah being 2 1/2, but little did we know it was only the beginning.

Knowing that Leah had been a puker from day one I brought a few sleepers and a burp pad or two (or what we affectionately call 'puke cloths'. lol!) just in case. Hours after Josh's birth I noticed that something was different about him. Every time I burped him after a feed he spit up. When I put him down to sleep after a feed he would soak the receiving blanket underneath him. They stock those little 'bassinets' with about a dozen receiving blankets and without changing it ALL the time he went through all 12 in less than 24 hours. The biggest smack of reality came when friends of ours visited the next day (Josh was just under a day old). Bonnie was holding Josh and all of a sudden he chucked (for those who aren't well versed in our 'spit up' talk, we like to call it many different things) all over her. I could not believe what was happening!

In the days and weeks following Josh's birth he continued to 'spit up', but I thought it was just what we had known to be normal...ok...maybe a bit worse than normal. When he went to the doctor for his 2 month appointment he seemed to have gained a decent amount of weight and the doctor was impressed with how he was doing. I, on the other hand, knew that he wasn't doing so well. Things were so bad that not only did he puke after a feed, but he would continue to puke until his next feed which was 3 hours later. At that point I told his doctor that I really wanted to investigate it further because I was concerned there was something more to it.

Within a couple of weeks we were in to see a Paediatrician. Immediately Josh went on medication to help with his reflux, as they diagnosed. No tests had been done at all, but to be honest, I had heard about these meds and I was grasping at straws at that point and just thankful to be talking to someone that I thought understood what we were going through and could help.

Fast forward 3+ months later. Josh is now almost 6 months old and hasn't gained more than 1lb. He has been on several different medications, in and out of the hospital a couple of times and even got so bad that at one point he was puking up brown blood. We go for another Paediatric appointment and I'm told that because of his 2nd weight loss she's now admitting him to the hospital for the 3rd time. At this point, I'm absolutely fed up with all that has gone on but I'm also glad to be going to the hospital with him because I know that at least there I can have someone listen to me and demand some answers. A lot of this time in the hospital was blogged at the very beginning of this blog so if you'd like to read more in depth, go right ahead. :)

For those that want the summed up version...after a simple dietary change (and I really do mean simple...so simple that it baffles me that a doctor with how many years of education couldn't figure it out) our little guy that went from puking 65+ times a day to doing it only maybe 10 times a day in less than a week. Now, at 11 months old, he only really pukes if he's fed something that makes him choke and he spits up a bit after his bottles.

It still amazes me that we went through 6 months of non-stop puking, countless outfit changes (for Josh and for us) and all that stress and that it's been almost that same amount of time since it has ended. I'm SO thankful that God provided my hubby's incredible benefits that amazingly cover(ed) both of Josh's $100/month medications AND his $200/month special hypoallergenic formula. Those things alone (yes, not including diapers, clothes, etc that babies need) totalled over $400/month! I am constantly amazed at what God has done for our little Joshy and how He has strengthened him and allowed him to gain weight and become a normal little boy. :)

Here are just a couple of pictures of our boy on his 11 month 'birthday'. I love you, Joshy!

PS - for those that admire his blue eyes, these pictures are completely OOC (out of camera) and unedited.

Trash the Dress - Prom Style

Remember that dress you thought would be perfect for that special occassion? Remember how good you felt when you wore it? When was the last time you put it on? Isn't it sad that you search for so long for THE dress, wear it for a few hours and then never do anything with it again?

'Trash the Dress' is the PERFECT solution to this problem! :) After all the stress of the special day is over, why not put that dress on again and have a little fun? 'Trash the Dress' does NOT by any means have to mean that you actually TRASH the dress. Have a look at some of the images in this post for some ideas and contact me for your prom, wedding, special occassion 'Trash the Dress' shoot today!

A little about my models in the pictures you see here... My sister, Rachel, and her friends just graduated high school. A lot of them have been in school together for many years and in just a few short weeks they will be driving in all different directions across the country to attend schools miles (I know we live in Canada, but kilometers just doesn't sound right. lol!) away from each other. I wanted to give them some fun little memories of their time before heading off on this next part of their journey so I suggested that we do a 'Trash the Dress' shoot. I made sure to bring along Leah with her flower girl dress and the dress that I wore to my hubby's cousin's wedding recently so that we could get some nice pictures with Rache. I'm so excited about these pictures! :)

Thank you to Jenn, Zoe, Rachel and of course, my Leah, for being my willing (despite the not so pleasant rain at the end!), enthusiastic and creative models for this shoot! For more shots, check out the fan page in the next day or so! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Collyer-Photography/125613657465024?ref=ts