The good, the bad and the ugly.

Rowan started daycare of few months ago. Think Magda from Sex and the City. That would be how best to describe Rowan's nanny Sofa. There are four other children (all boys, all older) who he spends his day with. They adore him and get a kick out of helping Sofa take care of the "baby". I think it has helped speed up his progression with things like walking, feeding himself, and his newest trick, throwing tantrums and squealing when he doesn't get his way.

When James takes a shower in the morning, Rowan and I play in his room for a while listening to some Anne Murray children's songs. He actually points to the CD player in his room and says "Anne". He is a musical child, what can I tell you.

He is also figuring out how to open windows. The bump on his forehead is the result of trying to run before he has mastered the art of walking. It was a doozy. He is a tough kid though.

A little bit of basket throwing.....

Sporting his big old belly for everyone to see. My little bug. We love him so much.

Jack and Jill

A few new layouts that I created with the Jack and Jill kit at the only place I shop for scrapbooking supplies now a days, Studio Calico. Great kit if you have or need to scrap boy layouts.

B is For Boy

Nana Love

I like lists

Received this list from a friend and thought I would share..

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye..

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT.. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely..

TEN... In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN.. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN! ... When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN.. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN.. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

Girl POWER!

Today I received two things in the mail of importance. Number One. My new Canadian passport with the absolute worst picture of me that I have ever seen. I thought it wasn't possible for it to look worse then the picture I gave them at the office, but magically it looks about ten times worse when it got scanned into the passport. I might have to have one last barf (see post below). Secondly. The Tara pictures! Yippee Skippee! So here is the rundown of the shoot.

Rosie and Amy are two of my bestest friends that I met while living in Chicago. I have already told you about Rosie and the story about how our friendship came to life. Amy and I met through Rosie. Rosie organized a girls night out and Amy and I sat next to each other that night. I remember thinking that this girl was really no nonsense. And she has a dry, witty humour that I love. I like to think that I "get" her more then the average person. And that is what makes our relationship special. Amy and I have a zero drama friendship. We don't sweat the small stuff. We can not talk for months and then pick up the phone and start where we left off. She is SMART. I like to think of her as my very own Clarice Starling. She works as a psychologist at a men's maximum security prison in California. Ah, the stories she could tell you! She is beautiful, as she is intelligent. I love her dearly.

Unfortunately for me, Rosie still lives in Chicago, Amy moved to California and I live in Toronto. I miss them terribly and what better way to show them my love but to have somebody special photograph our special bond....

That person would be none other than Tara Whitney. Tara is the American equivalent of me. Seriously. No. Stop laughing. Seriously. I mean in the personality department, not in the photographic skillz department. What I love about her most is that we can sit on the couch and cut each other up in an ever so loving fashion, and laugh and laugh. Tara doesn't take herself too seriously, and has a certain joie de vivre that I adore. That being said, in the blink of an eye we can turn around and have a very serious conversation. It is a quick, easy friendship me and the Whitney have. Why do all these people live so far away I ask you?!

I am a lucky girl. This is my third Tara shoot in about a year. And I wanted to do something very different for this one, than the last two. So I asked T "What location would you love to shoot at but have never had the opportunity?" She had two requests. First one. A seaside trailer park. Sounds good to me! Second one. Yellow Flowers. Absolutely! Let me tell you. It was very hard to pick out favourites for this blog post. They are ALL fantastic! I love them all. So much so, that I don't even know if I want to scrapbook them. EEEPP!! I am having a few of all of us together printed on canvas, and the rest will go into a photo album.









I used to live in a trailer park until my late teens. The trailer park I lived in wasn't as nice as this one. It was a little more seedy. And it certainly wasn't right across from the ocean. We lucked out. Tara found an abandoned basketball court next to the park. I also scouted a mustard colored VW van in the driveway. I almost peed in my pants. Some of my favourite shots are in front of the shaggin wagon!







Then it was on to the beach. I really wanted this shoot to be more about the girls than me, I wanted to go wherever they wanted to go. I wanted them to feel special. And believe me when you are one on one with Tara, you most definitely feel like a rockstar/model. And secretly doesn't every girl want to feel like that? At least for a little bit?! Before the beach, there was a matter of this graffiti wall and the girls getting together for some quality time!





Rosie was so happy at the beach! She reverted into a little girl splashing around and having a ball. Tara waited patiently as Rosie handed me her blackberry so I could take pictures and send them off to her boyfriend back in Chicago.





My favourite picture from the session. Spectacular!



There are just too many to share here! I repeat. I am a VERY lucky girl. Lucky to have beautiful friends like Amy and Rosie who were ever so kind do indulge me in a friends photo shoot, and the lovely Tara. A beautiful friend, who just so happens to be a decent photographer. Tee hee! Love to all three of my girls! I think the world of you.
xo
Mic

Drool, Smiles and Puke

The kid pictured below would take first prize in a drooling contest. Hands down. Record breaking. Amounts. Of. Drool. He goes through three or four shirts a day because the tops are soaking wet. Is that normal?! He also did a face plant at daycare on Friday, which is why it looks like we beat him. Au contraire folks, I have a welt on the side of my head from Rowan belting me with his phone. Yes. he. has. a. phone. It's plastic and weights about ten pounds.

By the hammer of Thor, the bug is getting so big. He could be one of the happiest children I know. Always smiling and content. Hey, we must be doing something right!

And the curls! If you know James and I well, you probably know we both have curly hair. Yes, it's true. I go to great lengths to straighten my hair. I do love baby curls though. James keeps asking and asking if we can cut it, and I keep promising to kill him if he so much as utters the word scissors and Rowan's hair in the same sentence again.

On to the puke. I went to a really nice restaurant on Friday night with James and some good friends. Had some yummy nummy halibut. Came home early and proceeded to puke my life out. I am just about done now. It's Sunday afternoon..By my count that is a whole lot o' barfing. Thank goodness for husbands and mother in laws to help look after Rowan.

It's never too early

to become a stock owner. Rowan's grandmother, Jane, bought him a share in DreamWorks for his birthday in March. This came in the mail last week, and is awaiting a frame. I thought it was a fabulous gift idea. I dunno, maybe it's the IT dork in me...

The gold plate at the bottom of the stock reads "May all your dreams come true."

James is puking his guts out downstairs. Could be a touch of food poisoning...So I am left to guard the fort on my own. The house looks like a hurricane hit it, and I am super behind on my photography class homework. Gotta run!

Sneak Peek - Tara Whitney Photoshoot

I have been dying to share the Chicago Girls photoshoot with everyone. I don't have all the pictures yet, but Tara was kind enough to send a few my way to tide me over. So until I can do a proper blog post here you go....

Aren't those brunettes to my left and right HAWT?!! If things don't work out with James....Tee hee!





This is a typical Tara shot. Didn't know she took it, so my expression was not posed.....I believe I was looking at a family that was walking by....I love it! It has a vintage-y look to it that I adore. James was wandering if the N could be photoshopped and replaced with a M!

Chicago - The Shopping Post

I want to share the story about how I met my good friend Rosie. For all those that know me, even just a little, you know that I love fashion. I didn't pursue a career in fashion, because I wanted to be able to buy the fashion. So a career in IT was the better route to take, in my opinion. Rosie owns this fabulous boutique in Chicago aptly named Roslyn. If I owned a boutique, I imagine it would be something like Rosie's. I was a customer before I was a friend. Occasionally, (Ok, that is a lie..frequently) I drag James on my shopping excursions. After meeting Rosie at her store and watching our dynamic, he suggested that I ask her out to lunch. I was like "Are you kidding me, she is going to think I am a stalker. I can't just ask a stranger out to lunch." It was James in his ever so subtle way that made it happen. Rosie and I can't even remember how he did it, it was that good and uncreepy-like. And the rest as they say, is history. As it turns out we are like peas and carrots. We share a love of travel, food, decorating, shoes, photography, art....The list goes on and on. I miss her. But lucky for me, I don't really have to miss her all that much because she is just a short plane ride away.

So here is a little peak inside her boutique. Yes, I know that rhymes. Forgive me.

It's pretty amazing, right?! She did all the decorating herself. I love this picture of James and Rosie. For whatever reason, every picture I have of Rosie and James, James is wearing this plaid jacket.

Here's the dress I am going to wear to my mother's wedding in July. The picture doesn't do it justice.

And I'm spent. That was as long of a post as you're going to get on this blog of mine....

Chicago - The Food Post

James and I spent the long weekend in Chicago reminiscing, checking out our old haunts, hanging out with some great friends and eating lots of food. In my opinion, Chicago has the best food EVER, and it is tough to get all of our favs in the rotation in just three short days. But we did our darnedest. First stop was Portillos for some Italian Beef. James was the happiest I have seen him in a long time as we walked from our hotel to the restaurant. If anyone knows a way to get Italian Beef drip fed into an IV, please let us know! He was so elated that he entertained me and my camera for a few funny pictures.

We grabbed some pizza and beers in our old neighbourhood. That would be Piece restaurant in Wicker Park.

There was also the mandatory stop at L'il Guys for some of the best sandwiches and smoothies around. L'il guy sandwiches are these little itty bitty sandwiches made on sweet Hawaiian bread stuffed with goodies like corned beef, egg salad, etc. I could eat about twenty in one sitting. Ah. They make me about as happy as a girl can be. Can you tell?

What better way to work off a full stomach then by doing some shopping. Next post, Rosie's boutique, and some pictures of my new scores!

The Girl

Loving this band during a week where I haven't been loving myself that much. Here's to music that uplifts and heals!

Sleeping Sickness

I awoke
Only to find my lungs empty
And through the night
So it seems I'm not breathing
And now my dreams are nothing like they were meant to be
And I'm breaking down, I think I'm breaking down

And I'm afraid
To sleep because of what haunts me
Such as living with the uncertainty
That I'll never find the words to say
Which would completely explain
Just how I'm breaking down

Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Maybe I'll sleep when I am dead
But now it's like the night is taking sides
With all the worries that occupy the back of my mind
Could it be this misery will suffice?

I've become
A simple souvenir of someone's kill
And like the sea
I'm constantly changing from calm to ill
Madness fills my heart and soul as if the great divide could swallow me whole
oh, how I'm breaking down

Someone come and, someone come and save my life
Could it be this misery will suffice?



-City & Colour lyrics

Yellow

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah, they were all yellow.

I got really lucky today and randomly spun the Ticketmaster wheel for Coldplay tickets. They have been on sale for a month now, and I sporadically have gone on the site to check for tickets, only to have the nose bleed tickets show up. Well not today my friends. Today the magic wheel showed me two tickets that are on the reserved floor, nine rows from the center of the stage. It's going to be a good year of concert going I tell ya!

Rowan got some new toys that he is lovin. He comes trucking down the hall screaming what we like to call "his war cry" on his little yellow trucky thing. Oh, and he likes to randomly take blocks and drag them across the hardwood.

Send me some good vibes

It's been a hell of a week emotionally and the scale on the cope-o-meter is reading drastically low right now. The only things that are making feel better are orange Popsicles, steak and cheese pitas and scrapbooking. And what a drag because it is sunny out for the first time in days and all I want to do is hide under the covers. Even the thought of going to the Metallica concert in October does nothing to the cope-o-meter. One person will always get me to smile. Even if it is just for a little bit today. Uh-oh is Rowan's favourite word lately. Usually followed by a loud bang.

Come to think of it, Lola looks a little depressed too....

Just pictures

This cracks me up! He's growing up too fast.

Another scrap page.