Flashback Friday - Standing

When he first learned how to stand on his own, Tadpole was so afraid to let go of whatever he was using as a crutch.  Even though he doesn’t need it for balance, here he’s got a death grip on my finger.  I love the smug smile on his little face.

[b]ecker's Workshop

Yesterday I was thrilled to be on the list of photogs who attended Becker's workshop in Vancouver.  Grumpy picked me up SUPER early so we could make our 7am BC Ferries reservation and get to the Blue Olive studio in time.
I learned so many things that I don't even really know where to start - so instead of babbling incessantly, I figured I'd just post a few images instead.  Most of are of Becker during our quick outdoor mini-shoot... and the few that I'm in were taken by my Dad.

A huge thank-you to Becker, Blue Olive, and Tracey Heppner of Vancouver Photogs.

Happy Birthday...

...Unk!
I can hardly believe that my baby bro is THIRTY today. What does that make me? Never mind!
Here's a quick image from skating with Tadpole on Sunday... these two have so much fun together - I love that they share such a great relationship.

Happy Birthday Unk. We love you :)

Wordless Wednesday - Tadpole & Noodle

Project 2010 - Fundraiser

As part of our building's Social Committee, Liz and I organized a bake-sale last week.  All items were sold by donation, and all proceeds went to Haiti.  At last count, we'd raised almost $700! Hooray for fundraising - and for a building full of generous co-workers.

iheartfaces - Week 4: Texture

If you had asked me about Texture a year ago, when I was first getting serious about photography, I likely would've looked at you with a blank stare.  But the more I studied, and started following blogs as a source of ideas/inspiration/knowledge, the more things started to make sense... and shortly after I discovered the blog of Matt Nicolosi, I really fell in love with the idea of using texture to enhance some of my images.
This week at iheartfaces, the photo challenge is Texture.  I can't wait to see what others enter because this is such a cool addition to the art of photography!  
My entry is, yet again, an image of the Tadpole.  I took it at the park a few weeks ago, and enhanced it using a texture from Shadowhouse Creations .

To see more of this weeks textured images, click over and check out the iheartfaces website.

Flashback Friday - Tadpole & Mummy

My pregancy with Tadpole was a dream... I felt healthier and happier than ever before.

This pregnancy, with Noodle... is pretty much the opposite.

I bitch and complain A LOT - and poor Mister has been a trouper putting up with me.  On days when I feel like I do today, all I have to do is look at my Tadpole, or at pictures of him, and know that it's all worth it in the end.

Here's a snapshot from Tadpole's first summer - it makes me smile even though I feel like... i don't really need to say it... you get the idea :)

Tadpole

I can almost guarantee you'll see this image again - it'll be my entry on a future iheartfaces post for sure... I'm so proud of it!  Tadpole usually isn't big on having his picture taken... especially when he's doing something else that's so much more important, like having fun!  I snuck into the bathroom one night last week, camera in hand, and managed to catch this as soon as I called his name - before he realized the camera was even in the room.

A quick levels adjustment in ACR, then into PS3 for desaturation, warming, sharpening and a crop... and voila!  My little boy, looking as sweet and angelic as... as... well, who am I kidding... NEVER! haha.  He's such a BOY!

Nevertheless, this is one of my favorite images of him to date.  ( It's really hard to pat myself on the back while I type this. :p )

Wordless Wednesday - Patriotism

Photo Walk

Sometimes inspiration is as close as your doorstep... it just takes someone else to help you find it there. 

My friend Jenn and I have both been suffering from a lack of inspiration.  Victoria in the winter can be a dull and dreary place, full of rain and clouds and grey skies.

Last Friday, we decided to use our lunch break from work and go on a photo walk.  We only walked as far as the back garden of our building, and we were both happily surprised with what we found.

Here are a few of my images...

iheartfaces - Week 3: We Are Family

This week's challenge at iheartfaces is "We Are Family".  The rules state that the photo has to clearly show family... not just kiddos.

Tadpole just spent this past weekend with Grumpy & Granny, so I didn't have a chance to take a new family photo of my happy little crew.  Instead, I'm going to use this one from the family photo shoot I did in early December.

I mentioned it in my original post on these guys, but man, it was COLD day at the Lagoon when we met up.  They were all such good sports, despite the wind and chilly temperatures!

Head over to iheartfaces to see the rest of this weeks entries.

Flashback Friday - Sunshine

As crazy as it is to think that my Tadpole is 2yrs... it's even crazier to think that Sunshine was born 7 years ago!!  I remember it like it was yesterday - making a mad rush down the Malahat at 3am to pick up my HLM and get her to the hospital for Sunshine's arrival.  A photo taken of the 3 of us that day (that I'll have to remember to scan for a future Flashback Friday post) still sits on the bookshelf next to my bed.

After Tadpole was born, I was thrilled that Sunshine was so excited to meet him.  She sat on the end of my hospital bed holding him with a HUGE grin on her face, and I still smile every time I look at this snap of the two of them together.

Happy Birthday Sunshine!!  Love you!!

Project 2010

When I was pregnant with the Tadpole (then known as "Slapshot"), I didn't have many cravings at all... but now that Noodle is warming like a bun in the oven, I crave things* almost daily.  My sweet-tooth is getting out of hand, and one of my very favorite go-to treats is a big 'ol bag of bulk wine gums. YUMMY. 

*In case anyone is wondering, my other cravings so far are: slurpees, licorice allsorts, sour ju-jubes, Jolly Ranchers, and chocolate covered ju-jubes.  Yum, yum, yum, yum and yum!)

Wordless Wednesday - Teeter Totter

(picture taken by Mister)

Hockey Gear

What does it take to make a Tadpole happy?  Well... hockey gear, for starters.  I've never known a kiddo so young to love a sport so much.  He knows all of his NHL teams by logo, and he watches Sports Centre before daycare almost every morning... it's adorable!

Unk bought him his skates for his 1st Xmas, and helmet for his 1st bday... on his 2nd Xmas Unk & Winnie bought him gloves, shin pads, elbow pads, and a hockey bag; and on his 2nd bday he got shoulder pads.  You'd think most kids would be disappointed with presents like these... but Tadpole couldn't have been happier.  He couldn't wait to put everything on and play hockey in the poker room!

iheartfaces - Week 2: "Best Face Photo"

It's week two of i heart faces 2nd year as a photography community!  They're still busy celebrating their 1st birthday so this week's contest theme is "Best Face Photo".  The rules this week were a lot simpler than last week with the main stipulation being that we had to use a photo from this month or last.  I've been challenging myself to use my camera every day, if possible, so this rule was a great push for me.  And the fact that there are 18 guest judges this week (including some of my Faves: [b]ecker, Pioneer Woman, Amy Wenzel and the Ellsworth's) made it that much more exciting!
This afternoon it finally decided to stop raining, so Mister and I took Tadpole to the park for a few hours.  He loves the park, not only for the running around, but for the quality time with his Daddy.  I took quite a few pictures while we were out, but this one is by far my favorite (I added a little bit of texture to it too, just to give it a bit of a different look/feel).  Our Tadpole is such a happy little 2yr old!


Head over to i heart faces to see the rest of this weeks entries - and say Happy 1st Birthday!

Flash Back Friday - Tadpole & Lo

My Tadpole and his almost birthday-buddy Lo.  He's always loved Lo's phone... and she's one of the few people who lets him play with their cell - guess she doesn't mind all that drool.  Come to think of it, I hope it's not the excess drool that made the last phone kick the bucket! Oops!

Happy Belated birthday Lo.

xo

Tadpole is TWO!

How on earth is it possible that my baby boy is TWO years old already!?

Just like last year, I took the day off work to spend with him.  We didn't make any specific plans... instead decided to just see where the day took us and let Tadpole choose what he wanted to do.

It started with breakfast.  He wanted oatmeal, so that's what we had.  Then it was time for presents!! He opened the mail first... a card from M&M and baby Squash, and a book from Auntie Tulip - which we read, cover to cover, as soon as it came out of its envelope.

He got a Blackhawks jersey (which of course had to be put on right away - on top of his jammies) and a work bench that he got to help put together.

After naptime we had some playtime in the front yard before heading out for lunch.

He wasn't too keen on smiling for the camera...

... until I asked him to show me his hockey stick.  :)

(You'll notice the variety of teams we're supporting in these few images... that's what happens when you're born into a hockey family! You support who you're told to support until you're old enough to choose for yourself. In Tadpole's case, his jersey is for Mummy's team, his toque is Daddy's team, and his stick is Unk's team)

Off to Ocdonalds for lunch... what a good boy, sharing his chicken nuggets with Mummy.

And what goes better with french fries, nuggets and orange juice than hockey cards!?  

He was so happy!

Next on the agenda... shopping.  He's a true Shields at heart, my boy.  We went to Toys R Us where he got to choose what he wanted to buy.  We came home with an Oilers figurine (that he's currently got sitting on his bedside table), a bag of Old Dutch Popcorn Twists (which he promptly polished off before dinner), and a cute stuffed turtle for Baby Noodle. 

It was a pretty busy birthday... he was a tired boy on our drive home. 

 

And now, he's out like a light in his big boy bed.  *sigh*  My baby boy is growing up so fast! xoxo Little Tadpole.  I hope you had as much fun on your birthday as I did.

Wordless Wednesday - Holiday Bokeh

Project 2010

I really wanted to start a Project 365 this year, but with baby Noodle due to arrive this summer, I knew that it was unrealistic... but I still wanted to start SOMETHING.

So, yesterday, with my new "Nifty Fifty" I made sure to capture some images of ordinary things around my house on my last day of Xmas vacation.  I figure I'll keep them as part of a Project 2010 collection.

Here's the first... lunch.  Nothing special, but Tadpole wanted "kitchen noodle soup" and "fishy cwackers", so that's exactly what we had.

(Now that I look at the web-sized version of this image, I think I might need to do something a bit different... I can't believe how much more mud and grain there is in it than in the original.)

iheartfaces - Week 1: An "I Heart Faces" Photo Challenge

For the first contest of 2010, and in preparation for their first birthday the i♥faces crew has decided to run with a special theme... an i♥faces theme!  There are a lot more rules than usual, including that their logo must appear in the photo somewhere, and that we're allowed to enter up to 5 images each.

Here are the 3 that I'm entering:

I am submitting this photo into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.