Astrid | Toronto Newborn Photographer

I'm so excited to finally get these posted on the blog! Here's beautiful baby Astrid with her lovely parents, Baden & Amanda, and handsome dog, Winston. Baden and Amanda's maternity shoot can be seen here. We actually just met up with this sweet family this past weekend in NYC. Kyle and I went away for the weekend and they just happened to be visiting the city the same weekend as us. It was fate! So we got together for a delicious brunch in Tribeca. Baden and Amanda had lived in New York for awhile so they knew where to go and it was perfect. Astrid is adorable! She is growing quickly and she was perfect during our brunch, snoozing the entire time in Amanda's arms and waking up at the end so I could have a quick cuddle.

So I was inspired to get this post up and I really enjoyed putting it together this afternoon. It took me back to my afternoon with Astrid, Baden and Amanda, during such a special time in their life. It's hard to explain the joy and bliss that comes during those first few days at home with your little one. It's subtle – and can almost be lost in the exhaustion and chaos of cluster feeding, tracking pees and poos, and mastering the perfect latch. But I think these photos demonstrate that joy – to me, this is the epitome of bliss.

Before... and after. Winston was so well-behaved. He's going to be a great "big brother".And one more before & after. Amanda's sister suggested this idea based on Pink's maternity/newborn photos. Beautiful!

 

Claire, Spencer & Atticus | Toronto Family Photographer

TWINS!! This shoot goes back to the last few days of August – when it was still so warm out that you could have your newborn outside in nothing but a onesie, or in this case newborns. I had a great time with big sister Claire and her handsome little brothers (identical twin brothers!), Spencer and Atticus. I don't know what it is these days in Bloor West, but twins seem to be everywhere! Something in the water!?! Anyways, these little guys are adorable and there is no need to worry at all about Claire having to compete for attention as she has a personality as bright and fun as the purple flowers she picked during the shoot.

Adrienne + Rob | Toronto wedding photographer

A little over 4 weeks ago, I spent an absolutely wonderful day with Adrienne and Rob, as they said 'I do' and became husband and wife. I've known Adrienne for a very long time – her younger sister Stefanie and I became good friends in the sixth grade. Adrienne was Stef's super cool older sister. She had the coolest green bedroom (I believe the paint technique was sponged – which at the time was a very new trend and eventually became the thing to do to your room. ALL of my friends had sponge painted rooms at some point). And what was even cooler than her green-sponged walls, was the aquarium with little lizards in it. I would always sneak in to check them out. Adrienne was in high school which seemed like a different planet to Stef and I, and she had her driver's license. She'd drive us around in their parents Volvo and would blast our favourite music while we all danced. Adrienne was creative and always helped us build amazing houses for our dolls and she would do our make-up.  Stef adored her big sister, and so did I.

So I was thrilled to get an email from Stef one day telling me that Adrienne was engaged and asking if I would be there to photograph the wedding. Over the next few months, Adrienne and I wrote back and forth and I could quickly see that this was going to be a very special day. I'm a huge fan of small, intimate weddings and I absolutely love homemade details – and this was exactly what Adrienne and Rob were planning. Surrounded by their closest friends and family, they said their vows as the sun set. They had made all of the centerpieces themselves, and Adrienne had sewn the prettiest hair pieces for all of the girls and boutonnieres for the guys – there were beautiful details everywhere.

Adrienne and Rob are perfect together. I had a feeling that Rob wasn't a huge fan of being in the spotlight and having his photo taken, but he stuck through it like a champ as Adrienne truly glowed. They were relaxed and clearly enjoying one another – clearly in love.  And I loved being there to capture it.

Congratulations you two! xx

Robin's first year

On the eve of my daughter's first birthday I feel such a mix of emotion – I'm not going to lie, I've spent the better part of the day fighting back tears. And whenever I've had a spare minute or two, I've been scrambling to pull together some of my favourite photos from the past year. These made me cry, smile and laugh. I posted on Facebook earlier today that I'd be willing to go through childbirth again if it meant I could relive this past year. I'd do it in a heartbeat. To have my tiny newborn cozied into my arms again – nothing to do but breastfeed and watch 'How I Met Your Mother' re-runs. And then to watch her grow so quickly every day – making discoveries and learning new tricks. I can't believe how excited I was the first time she used her finger to poke at something. I'm pretty sure I called Kyle at work to tell him. And the past few weeks have definitely been the most exciting. Robin now stands and pushes her toys around. She's a pro at emptying the kitchen drawers, claps on demand, bounces to music, and can wave goodbye. She screams DaDa when she's happy, and moans MaMa when she's sad. And like typical new parents, Kyle and I think she's the best thing since sliced bread.

So here's a year-in-review of my little girl, Robin.

The photos above with the pink PJs were taken after she said "DaDa" two mornings in a row when Kyle went in her room to say hello. She's loves seeing him before work. And the last one is from our trip to the apple farm last weekend. I'll post a birthday photo tomorrow :-)

Cohen | Toronto family photographer

I have lots of blog posts to catch up on! Starting here with Mike, Melissa and their adorable little guy, Cohen. We had a lovely (early) morning at the park and Cohen, who had just turned one, showed off how well he can walk. I'm in love with those big brown eyes... he's going to break hearts with those one day.

This last shot was my favourite from the morning. xx

The T Family | Toronto Family Photographer

I was lucky enough to meet with this lovely family twice this summer. Early in June I met the whole family together and we went to the park, and then again in late August to focus more on sweet little Lily. Being the baby girl of the family of course means that Lily is adored by everyone, especially her big brother Alistair. He is so kind and loving towards his sister – it melted my heart to watch him hug and kiss her, and at one point he announced that she is his favourite thing in the whole world... even more than lego.

 

Happy Friday! xx

 

Peach Cobbler

It's been a very long time since I've posted anything non photo session related, which I suppose is good and bad. Good because that means I'm busy shooting for other people (Yay!) Bad because I feel like my own life is getting lost along the way (Boo). When things slow down this winter I plan to catch up, I have a list of about a zillion projects I want to get done. Everything from making macaroni and cheese, to finally finishing our wedding album. But in the mean time, I have decided that the least I can do is to start making more of an effort to document our everyday lives. "Our" being me, Kyle and Robin... and of course friends and family along the way. I've been in a bit of a rut lately – lots of shoots which makes me so happy, but at the same time something's been missing. I haven't been sleeping well and I just can't clear my head. It's been a CRAZY summer – with stuff much too personal to post on here, so there is lots to keep me thinking at night. And surrounding it all is this nagging feeling of panic. I'm panicking that things are moving too quickly. Life is moving too quickly.

I know that I like to be busy (okay, I thrive on busy-ness – it keeps things exciting). But I don't want that to be at the expense of not savouring all the little moments along the way, or documenting the big moments like most new moms do. So until I can start catching up on things like my own photo albums (a whole year's worth for Robin!!), I'm going to start taking more photos of her on regular-everyday-days. And not just that, I'm going to start taking photos of other things too.

Starting with peach cobbler. Which I made yesterday. While Kyle and Robin hung out.

It was delicious.

Carolyn | Toronto Family Photographer

Well September certainly came in with a bang! I can't believe it's already mid-month! And over 2 weeks since my last post. Six photo sessions later and I'm one busy lady trying to keep up with editing while chasing after Robin (who is on the move and into everything these days!). This post is of one of Robin's adorable little friends, Carolyn! Her and Robin were born only 3 days apart and they sit beside each other in music class every Tuesday. It's been quite fun to watch them grow the past few months, hitting all the milestones together. (Although this past Tuesday, Carolyn motored around the room on her hands and knees like a champ, while Robin sat in the exact same spot for the entire 45 minutes staring at the guitar in deep thought).

Carolyn is gorgeous, and sweet, and funny. She had no problem hanging out with her parents for an evening, with me tagging along, and she gave us lots of smiles and giggles. I had a wonderful time getting to know her better and watching her interact with her parents. A truly loving family – people like this make me love what I do.

I've been working on some changes to the blog including how I post images. It might take me a few weeks to sort out so bear with me.

Have a great weekend! xx