As you can guess, I’m away from my family most Saturdays with weddings. This is Mark’s “Daddy date” day. He takes the girls to the SPCA almost every Saturday. They sit and watch the dogs run at the lease free park, and then go inside to look at all the animals. I’ve been able to go a couple times when I have been off or have had an afternoon wedding – and I can’t even explain how excited my girls still get!! You would think by their reactions he had taken them to the circus!

So, when Madi heard about the SPCA’s Walkathon – she HAD to do it. This kid is so passionate about animals it’s unreal. So, we will be walking in the Walkathon – and she dictated the following note to me to send out to everyone. If you’re interested in helping out – she’d be ecstatic.

Thanks!! And here’s from Madi….

Dear friends and family,

I love to go to the SPCA. I go on Saturday mornings with daddy. I see dogs and cats and amphibians. And a bird that dances. I like going because I love the animals.

I want to work with animals. I want to be three things when I grow up. One I want to be an aquarium owner. Two I want to be a cowgirl. And three I want to be a zoo keeper.

I love animals because some are hurt some don’t have homes, so I want to take care of them. Like people. Like when Dimitri got hurt and I helped him up. I felt proud. I want to do that again but with animals.

I’m doing the Wiggle Waggle Walkathon to help animals. Please can I have money to help animals.

The End.

Madison

If you are interested in helping out you can talk to us in person or go to this website:

LINK

These last few weeks I have been able to see and connect with some of my favourite people. Some planned visits – other complete surprises!

First my surprises…

In an earlier post I mentioned bumping into Kathy. A high school and college friend I adore! We figure it’s been about 8 years since we had seen each other – and we just bumped into each other in Toronto! Seriously! I love this gal!

Then at church last week I was shocked to turn around and see my buddy Dave who I had not seen since college – twelve years ago! Also at church was Robin who had also gone to college with us and had recently moved back to Ontario. So we had a mini reunion – woo hoo! Bad pic on my point and shoot – but I just had to post it!

Today I had another surprise visit from a friend – my sister and I took my girls to MarineLand. And we bumped into Carolynn and her family!! Her girls and my girls are tight – so they were in heaven! We all rode a roller coaster together which was fun! Haven’t downloaded the pics I took (on the ride) yet though.

Now the more planned visits!

A couple weeks ago two of my closest friends – Carolynn and Cherie – and I took all of our munchkins up to Cherie’s cottage for a couple days of fun! It’s so nice to have our kids grow up togetehr and enjoy each otehr so much! I only brought my point and shoot so ignore the quality!

The four younger girls playing in the paddle boat

Poor Caden – the only boy with 6 girls and three women!

And then this week I went up to Zurich to visit with my two good friends Sandra and Monica.

Meet Sandra… photographer, mom of 5, and capable of just about anything….

And Sandra’s 5 kids…

Bailey

Rachel

Caroline

Victor and Warren

Victor is a year older than Madi and Warren a year older than Eden and the two pairs played together wonderfully. I wanted to get a picture of Madi and Warren… watch the progression of Madi as she slowly cuddles into Warren….

After the photo Madi said, “I hate to say it. But I’m in love with Warren.” ha ha!!

We had a campfire with Sandra’s family in their backyard. Oh how I love country life! Sitting under a gazillion stars, roasting marshmallow’s…. ahhhh…..

Monica and her girls came over – fun to see Bailey (the oldest of all 9 kids present) playing with the youngest – Eliana.

Meet my friend Monica – talented musician, one of the most caring people ever, my encouragement and great listening ear!

Apparently I make her laugh…

Monica has two gorgeous girls – Maia and Eliana. SO fun to see her as “mom”….

Maia and the camera were mad at each other – she cried if I snapped a photo of her! But I did get this one from behind….

And Eliana – well, she just stole my heart with those big eyes! Love!

All in all, it’s been great to see some faces I adore and to connect with people again. I love my friends so much – these that I have seen recently – and the many of you that I hope to connect with SOON!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

Margie and I were roommates back in College.. oh, the stories we could tell. We had so much fun!! And Pernell has been best friends with Mark since college also. One of those friendships where we’ve been in each other’s weddings, we’ve been there when kids have been born, and crisis has hit. We’ve laughed, we’ve fought, we’ve cried… and we’ve laughed some more. I love this family! We lived a part for many years – they were in Calgary – but it has been wonderful the last 6 years to have them in Hamilton, and Pernell as our pastor at our church. It was a delight to photograph them as a thank you gift for this gorgeous blog Pernell designed for me. Thanks ‘Nell!

Let me introduce you….

Pernell – he’s slightly nuts. Okay more than slightly. Loads of fun! And he is an incredible visionary leader. And he has a lot of tattoos and every time he says “this is my last”…

My Margie – the most caring, loving, hospitable woman ever. And she can make me laugh like no other!!

Samantha – not sure when she turned ten. I still remember when we were waiting and waiting for this little one to arrive… and now she’s a mature, brilliant young woman.

Lucas – for eight years this mischievous devil has wound his way around our hearts. More Jefferson than Goodyear in a lot of ways… he is tough on the outside, but one on one he is as caring and compassionate as the rest of this crazy family.

Jacob – who at six is just a couple months older than my Madison and who we have always said she would marry. Jacob is a sweetheart!

And put them together – and you have chaos. Wonderful chaos.

I had this idea – the kids grow up so fast – seems like a blur. I wanted to capture that feeling. That as we sit – they are growing up at lightning speed!

Love these two!

Then we went outside to play!

So I couldn’t figure out why Jake was laughing so hard – now I can see… Luke’s finger is in his ear!

Luke was convinced it was a race……

Loved this brick with their pops of red! These upcoming photos are in sets of three… love the progression from serious to their true selves!

And a little more serious now…

Love these two!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

I have a good friend from both high school and college, Kathy, who I adore. But I haven’t seen her for years and years sadly. But… my story has a happy ending! Last week when the edison girls were in Toronto we went to see Dream in High Park – seriously one of my favourite Toronto experiences. And as we sat gabbing, I turned and looked behind me. And what to my wondering eyes should appear? My dearest Kathy was sitting just a few rows behind me!!! My heart was so happy to see her!

Kathy is a talented jazz musician, and a few years back while at a jazz club Kathy saw swing dance and was hooked. She started lessons.. and soon Kathy was dancing 5 days a week and went to Sweden for swing and was involved in a whole new exciting culture! I love this story of Kathy’s – how often do we think, “that would be fun to learn” and then grab the remote and turn on the TV. But to see someone actually get up and do something – love that!

Rewind a couple months to Oliver and Deb’s engagement photos. While snapping, they pulled out these great swing moves. Wait!! Where did this come from?

They too had started lessons as it looked so fun. At Saturday’s wedding they did a great first dance showcasing their swing moves. Everyone was cheering and in awe of their moves!

But then Oliver and Deb had a surprise for everyone… they had brought in swing dance instructors to teach everyone! So great!

Here are the instructors from Hammer Hoppers. And I have to say – I think Mark and I just may sign up for their beginner lessons!

And some of the guests enjoying their new moves…

And the band – love them!!! The perfect fit for the dance – as well as the entire evening! I would recommend them to anyone and everyone. I could have listened to them for hours more. Very talented group! Introducing the Roberto Rosenman Quartet….

So – what is it you have always said you would LOVE to learn someday? I encourage you today to get up and dance that dream to reality!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

Tonight Madi was reunited with her “bestest best best friend” (as they say) Zoe. Zoe has been in Disney for a whole week – which in kid terms is a lifetime. I think they hugged for ten minutes straight when they saw each other. When do adults lose this? Zoe came to church with us tonight and then the girls had their first sleepover!

On the drive to church tonight I enjoyed listening in on the conversation in the back seat. Since Zoe was in Disney we were asking her all about it. I asked which Disney princess was her favourite. I expected “Cinderella” or “Belle” because she’s soooo beautiful but I was surprised by both Zoe’s and Madi’s answers. Pleasantly surprised.

Zoe – “My favourite is Mulan because she is strong and does karate. When I met her I told her I do karate too and she said we could start an army of girls – just the two of us.”

Madi – “My favourite is Pocahontas. Have you ever noticed that she is not in the pictures with the other princesses? She’s native and they don’t let her. [future activist alert] That’s not nice. I don’t think she feels loved, so I am going to love her I decided.”

In the picture at the top – you will notice neither Mulan or Pocahontas with the Disney beauties. I think while these 6 princesses were getting their hair and make up done for the group picture, Mulan and Pocahontas were off fighting injustice and caring for the less fortunate. Exactly where I hope Madi (and Zoe) will be too!

UPDATE: Zoe’s mom has a radio show and so she’s use to researching things that peak her interest. I just got this interesting comment from her on my Facebook note about this entry:

Ok. My job makes me a total research geek. I found out why Pochahontas and Mulan are not pictured with the Princesses. It’s because they are heroines and not actual princesses. Both Pochahontas and Mulan are historical figures that have been made into “honorary Princesses” within the Disney family.

Weird but there’s actually a reason why these two stand apart from the rest.. a good reason at that.

Pocahontas: Her Story

Unlike any of the Disney princesses before her, Pocahontas is a historical figure not associated with European royalty and so is considered an “honorary” Disney Princess due to her reputation as a heroine and role model. Her fabled life as a noble and brave Native American girl, has largely been fictionalized in various legends, and again her story was altered for the making of the 1995 Walt Disney film “Pocahontas.”

Meet Mulan: Her Story

Like Pocahontas, Mulan is an official member of the Disney Princess club — but she is, in fact, a multi-cultural heroine, not a true princess. She is a brave Chinese woman based on an ancient Chinese myth that’s nearly 2,000 years old. Real or not, the 1998 Disney Pictures film “Mulan” retells the story about a young Chinese maiden who wants to honor her family but seems destined to fail.

She puts herself in harm’s way when she learns that her weak father is to be drafted into the army to fight the invading Huns. Knowing that he would never survive the rigors of war in his state, she decides to disguise herself as a man and join in his place. Unknown to her, her ancestors are aware of this, and to prevent it, they order a tiny disgraced dragon, Mushu, to join her and force her to abandon her plan. He agrees, but when he meets Mulan, he learns that she cannot be dissuaded and so decides to help her in the perilous times ahead. In the process, Mulan becomes Disney’s most feminist protagonist to date.

At edison our motto is “celebrating life and love” – and Oliver and Deb are perfect examples of just this! They savour life and take time for each and every person present. It was an absolutely beautiful day and a whoooooooole lot of fun!!

Mother daughter moment

Oliver walking in with his parents

An emotional ceremony…

The happy couple! Oh – I should also explain Deb’s necklace! She is not a traditional gal at all – and she figured if she was wearing a traditional dress – she wouldn’t wear a typical necklace. This is one Oliver brought her home from Africa recently.

They walked out to all of their guests singing “Grow Old With You” by Adam Sandler (printed on their programs).

After the ceremony we did a group photo of alllll the guests. I liked this tighter crop of the photo….

After the ceremony they took a full hour to mingle with guests and enjoy refreshments before we started any photos or anything. So nice to have time to talk to each and every guest!

Aren’t golf carts fun?

Then the wedding party decorated the car…

And they were off!

Their wedding party was so much fun and I loved how loving and supportive they all were!

The happy couple in and around the grounds of the B&B the girls had stayed at…

Oliver lost his grandpa this Spring… but he brought a bit of him with him to the wedding. He wore his grandpa’s shoes to remember him on his Big Day!

And we stopped to take photos of some horses at the side of the road… turned out the property belonged to past clients of mine who happened to drive by right then. They said to go in and use their grounds… no telling us twice! This place was sweet! We only had about five minutes to shoot… but that works for me!

And a super fun dance – more on that to come!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

Just heading out to shoot Oliver and Deb’s wedding – and man! it’s going to be a FUN one! Oliver and Dab go to my church and they are a riot! Thought I’d show a few pics from the rehearsal to tie you over…

Oliver walking in with his parents – I got to say, I thought his mom was his sister!

Deb walking in with her parents. Look at how adoringly her dad is looking at her!

Kiss from mom

My good buddy Pernell is doing the service – and if you know Pernell… there will be lots of laughs! good times!

And my other good friend Dave is playing guitar and singing. Can’t wait to hear him perform!

The happy couple

The ringbearers goofing off – love it!

And the whole gang enjoying a word of prayer.

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

Questions I’ve been asked in the last 24 hours by my 4 year old, Eden.

“Mom, what are we having for breakfast for Christmas Eve?” (um… I’m not even sure what we’re having for supper in an hour!)

“Wouldn’t it be funny if God made me with feet on my arms and hands on my legs so I had to walk upside down?” (the funny part was her demonstrating – or trying to)

“Is this snack peanut-free?” (I love that she is so good about her nut allergies!)

“Don’t look, okay?” (No question puts fear into a mother’s heart like this one.)

I’m so sad about summer vacation almost being over and the munchkins going back to school!! This Fall will be tough with Madi in grade one – all day every day!!! – and Eden starting kindergarten. Okay – I need to go hug my kids now that I thought about the start of school again….

I met Jamie and Becky before they were engaged – they were so excited! I was so happy when I got the email saying they got engaged the very next day after we met!

Last night we met out at Jamie’s parents farm – oh! how I love the country!! I am definitely a country girl in my heart. I got there as the sun was just thinking about setting and I was in heaven!

His parents have fields and fields of corn – so fun!

And I loved the barn! It happened to be the pig barn – so let’s be thankful smells don’t come through the lens… I sure did love the location though!

And even the silo was cool!

Then, Jamie’s brother Ben pulled out his old car – what a beauty! Because it is a 1973 – thought I’d make the photos look a bit aged – as if they could have been taken in 1973… or today. These are my favourites!

Isn’t this the perfect way to end a day?

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

Got to say – I love this bride’s name! ha ha!

Krista and I went to church together years ago – and our parents became friends. We have lots of mutual friends which means we bump into each other from time to time. But I had not had the chance to meet Ryan yet – what a great guy! So nice to see these two together and so happy! I’m really looking forward to their wedding this winter!

Now for this photo – I am standing in a stinky swamp being eaten alive by mosquitoes – but I love the look of it. I think getting West Nile will be worth it! ha ha

Our tromp through the woods also gave us a great view of this heron!

Thanks for a fun night and being such good sports!!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista