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: