The Keowns

Typhoon Lagoon

2010-05-07T08:58:00.004-04:00

Second full day was at Disney's Typhoon lagoon. THe day looked dreary and rainy, but it was hot and humid so us, and about 20 other brave people headed to the waterpark. It was dead there, we walked on everything and enjoyed an extremely quiet park.

The crush and gusher. I had to bribe the kids to ride this, and then they couldn't get enough!

That evening we headed to Hollywood studios. It started to pour when we got there and we jumped into the Toy storia mania line, just to stay dry! Strange thing that evening was we ran into some friends of ours from church. I figured the chances of seeing them was pretty rare so it was funny to run into them.

We met some car characters. It was pouring when I took this picture, a cast member held a poncho over me as I snapped it.
We ended up at the Animation building and walked in to a very lonely Mickey. No one was there and he was looking around for someone to come visit him. We took advantage of this and got lots of great time with Mickey and pictures.

That evening we had planned to watch Fantasmic but it was cancelled due to bad weather (we did get to see it later in the week)

Magic Kingdom

2010-05-06T18:13:00.007-04:00

After our breakfest with mickey, we had a bit of time to kill before Magic kingdom opened for the day. We hopped on the monorail and road it around the park. We then stopped at Magic kingdom. The kids were beyond excited went they spotted the castle from the monorail and I have to admit I was a little teary eyed seeing there excitment. Entering disney is defiantly magical and it is so easy to get caught up in this fairytale land.

The day was a hot one. The hottest day we had the entire time and coming from a cold winnipeg day before, it was defaintly a shock to the system, but wonderful all at the same time. This is the first time the kids have experienced heat, in the middle of winter and they thought it was so exciting to be wearing shorts and tanktops.

Thanx to the disney queen in the family (Nichole) She had hooked me up with loads of advice that helped our trip run extremely smooth, included software that printed our iternary, and listed ride wait times, etc..... Following this helped us walk on every ride and elimated every wait. Defiantly worth the $20, although I did lose my iternary on the teacups on one time and panicked......thankfully, it was still there when I went back to check.

Dumbo was the kids first disney ride. Although Liam and I only discovered the buttun that controls our dumbos up and down movements at the very end. It was still fun!

Thunder mountain railway.

Splash mountain. Our favorite. We rode this one alot.

The haunted mansion. This was Liam's favorite ride, although the others didn't like it much.

Mickey show at the castle. Cassidys first glimpse of her favorite princess Sleeping beauty.

Liam at 4pm on day 1. Exhausted. We headed back to our room for a swim and rest break. Highly recommend staying at a disney resort. The buses were always running and it was a short trip back to the resort, and when we wanted to return to the park, we just hopped back on our bus. Plus the transportation is free.

We headed back that evening to watch Wishes. What a perfect way to end our first disney day.

Off to bed.....next day, typhoon lagoon water park.

Breakfest with mickey

2010-04-09T17:26:00.009-04:00

First full day at disney!
The weather was beautiful, already in tanktops and shorts. We had a 7:10am breakfest with Mickey so I arranged a cab to drive us since the resort buses were not running yet.
This is a view of the pool early in the morning.

We arrived at the Contemporary resort and waited until we were seating. It was a yummy breakfest buffet.

Best part about it......the fab five.
Goofy was the first one to come out. Liam's face was priceless. He was in such awe at the real characters.

Of course Mickey...

Then donald...

Minnie...

and finally Pluto.

Off to ride the monorail to Magic Kingdom......

Disney Trip Report Part #1

2010-04-06T14:11:00.006-04:00

This was our living room tuesday morning, before we left. The kids were extremely excited with anticipation.

Our Magical Express luggage tags.

The kids had some time to play at the airport before we went through security.

Finally.....at 3pm our flight took off. This was Aidan and Liam's first flight. (cassidy has flown before) Liam did get a big scared as we were being taxied out to the runway.

He stated very loudly "can we walk?"

We finally arrived in orlando at around 8:30 at night. We made our way to the magical express counter and got on our shuttle to the airport.
It was late and dark so I didn't catch a picture of our bus.....but this was it.

We arrived at the Disney All star Music resort at about 9pm that night. I checked in and although we had a little mixup with our groceries order, we got it sorted out. The kids had special baskets waiting for them. Complete with autograph books, pens, light spinners, stuffies and personalized mickey ears! They were all set for our Mickey breakfest the next morning.

Stay tuned for day 2 at the Magic kingdom....

we miss you mickey

2010-03-18T18:34:00.004-04:00

When can we go back?

A full detailed trip report is coming once I tackled the 2000 photos I took

Princess Cassidy

2010-02-18T19:43:00.001-05:00

Last night Cassidy got all dressed up in a special sleeping beauty dress. I took her to see Disney princess on ice. She LOVED it. I think she felt extra special dressing up, with sparkles, a tiara and even some pink lip gloss!
It also got her extremely pumped for Disney in 19 sleeps!

I'm back...

2010-02-09T17:41:00.001-05:00

I know!

Its been like forever since I have blogged. NOt sure if anyone even reads it anymore.
Its been a blur since I blogged last. My fall was nuts with business. Wonderfully nuts! So wonderfully nuts that we are off to Disney World in 28 sleeps!
I love my job!
My kids are so thrilled. I have been planning like made.
We are going for the entire disney experience.
Staying at a disney resort, breakfest with Mickey and crew, a supper with the princesses in a castle.
We are all giddy with excitment!
My goal is to start the blogging world regularlly when we get home.
So much has happened in the last few months.
We enjoyed Christmas.
We started a new year.
Aidan turned 8 and we celebrated with THREE parties!
I am shooting in my new studio with my new 5D mark2.
My business has been amazingly steady, my summer is allready booked up with weddings. We are so very blessed to see how it has come along the last year. I love creating my own hours and working when I want.

so I will post some pictures....soon....I have so many....

2009-10-31T12:55:00.003-04:00

Wow, again, way to much time since I posted last.
I just don't know when to find the time....
so much has happened and gone on in October and it is hard to believe tomorow will be November.
I have been extremely busy with photography and I am still trying to find a balance between everyday life and business.
The kids had three days of school off last week so we headed to Thief River Falls, MN for a few days at the waterpark. They had so much fun, we spent another night at Grand Forks and then came home to a very full schedule.
I have yet to go through the pictures I too there, I have been to busy processing wedding and portrait sessions.
I did grab a few of the kids in there costumes though

Liam&pumpkin

2009-10-09T19:11:00.001-04:00

Liam&pumpkin, originally uploaded by erinkeownphotography.

Granny brought us a little something from her garden

2009-09-25T13:17:00.001-04:00

We survived our family photos
so strange being on the 'other side' during a photoshoot.
I understand why parents get so stressed about the whole picture thing.

click here to view some

Birthday wishes for an angel

2009-09-21T07:11:00.001-04:00

Noah's birthday is today.

He would be 4.

I thought I would take today to share a few more images from his funeral. Feels like forever ago, yet just yesterday all at the same time.

I remember a year ago, you opened up that Baby einstein 'noah's ark' movie and you got SO excited!

Happy birthday little angel.

I am sure you are enjoying EATING your birthday cake for the very first time up in heaven!

Update picture post

2009-09-13T19:34:00.002-04:00

This post is going to be full of pictures and not much writing! I have so many pictures still from summer of the kids I have yet to convert, so I will slowly post them as I do.

The week before school started I took the kids out to Granny and Grandpa's farm so Aidan could help with harvest.

We had a great relaxing visit, the weather was amazing.

One evening we went and visited Levi's grave. It was 8 years ago that we buried this little guy. We actually had a very interesting and educational visit as my mom and the kids and I toured the Margaret cemetary.

After the visit to the cemetary we went to a local farm for some horseback rides. The evening was incredible, and there were NO BUGS.

On the way home from Granny's, we stopped at Noah's grave. It was the first time we have been there since he was buried. The grave yard is near Oakbluff, off of the south perimiter. You can see the tiny clump of trees from the highway.

Still so fresh.....

Another weekend camping...

2009-08-24T18:27:00.002-04:00

I have been told I don't blog enough. That is the truth. It has been one INSANE summer. Between camping, kids swimming lessons, weddings and other photo shoots, I find blogging last on the list.

This past weekend we had our annual (I can call it that since it has happened two years in a row!) camping trip with my side of the family. Although we had three campsites, with three trailers, we all stuck around in one. The kids biked a ton, swam, played, ate.....they had loads of fun.

Watching Home alone 2

Maddy and Liam going for a dip

a bit of a tan line....

we ate....alot

it was a good weekend. The kids were so sad to come home.
The kids are finishing up there two weeks of swimming lessons and we have 1 1/2 weeks till school starts!

2009-08-08T14:24:00.005-04:00

Fly to Jesus little Noah.

Tuesday afternoon we were blessed with a sunny day. Noah's service was beautiful.

We thank everyone for your prayers and support, for all the messages, emails, phonecalls.

Continue to pray for Brad and Nichole as they adjust to there new life.

I had the opportunity to build Noah's tribute video, you can view it below.

This second video I made was played at the end of the service.

2009-07-29T19:32:00.006-04:00

Noah Grant John Loewen

Sept 21 2005 - July 29 2009

And there will be NO MORE death or sorrow or crying or pain....

Noah, You will be missed. We love you, we will miss you. Someday we will see you again.

We rejoice because we know you can play with Levi, and we know Auntie Martha will be thrilled to greet you, and of course because you can be with Jesus

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times

And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you

But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry

Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face

If homes where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways

The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know

But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same

Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbye

And in Christ, there is no end

So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have

To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

-Mercy me

I dug up the old video I had made back at christmas time

This guy has defiantly left a HUGE mark on earth....

Home sweet home!

2009-07-11T21:00:00.005-04:00

We arrived home safe and sound from Hecla Island this afternoon. It felt so good to be home. This is a recap of our time there

Tuesday afternoon we arrived......set up camp only to be attacked by misquotos and horse flies. We soon found ways to avoid the pesky bugs to make our stay more comfortable.

We then headed off to check out the beach and the marina. The kids thought it was so neat that we were on an island and we were surrounded by water.

Tuesday evening Aidan and I headed out for a long bikeride. Little did I know we would bike 15km, but we did. He did great but was pretty tired.

Wensday we spent the day at the beach since we knew it would be the warmest day there!

our 'trees' we created. The sand here reminded me of the sand at the ocean.

Thursday we work up to RAIN and loads of it. It poured.....then let up a bit, I went out for a run and got caught in a downpour.
We decided to go for a drive along the shore and to the town of Hecla and to the store for some treats.
When we arrived home the rain had stopped and we headed out to the marina to do some fishing and exploring.

We soon saw some black clouds brewing and headed back to camp. We were playing games inside the trailer when we heard the rumbling coming across the lake. The hail started and it came fast.

It let up, we headed outside to check for damage on the van and the trailer. We then heard the rumbling again and hail started again, much bigger then the first time.

We do have some hail damage so we will have to make a claim with MPI this week.
Friday was a chilly day so we did some hiking to a lookout tour in hopes the bugs wouldn't be bad.

We then headed to the village to check out some sites

Saturday afternoon we arrived home. It is so good to be home, despite the messy house and piles of laundry. I was back to work with a photoshoot this afternoon and have a busy week ahead of me.
The kids are going through withdrawal but Aidan is off to Bible camp soon and we are headed out camping again in two weeks.

2009-07-07T10:21:00.003-04:00

One last post before we leave for camping. Last week I picked up a cheap pool for the kids. Steve leveled out a spot in the backyard and the kids had a chance to play in it yesterday.

Vacation part 1

2009-07-06T20:06:00.003-04:00

Home from the cabin! Yesterday we got home from a week at Lake Metigoshe with my parents at the cabin. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed many boat rides and lots of swimming. Since we were over July 4th and we are right on the American border, we enjoyed the amazing fireworks show like we did last year. We head out on the pontoon boat when it gets dark and all the americans set up fireworks at there cabins, which creates an amazing show from all sides of the lake.

We also brought our bikes up so Aidan and I went on many bike rides. I also did a ton of running.......I have registered for a full marathon in fall and the hills at the cabin were awesome training.

Liam enjoying a pontoon ride

The kids getting crafty!

Last year Steve took Aidan and Cassidy out fishing for the first time. The both caught nice fish. This year again they did tons of fishing. He helped Liam catch his first little fish.

Looking for fish......

Some pretty things we found on one of our many walks.

Happy Canada day! we celebrated Canada day there. It is a tradition at Lake metigoshe for everyone to decorate there boats for a Canada day parade. We did not take part in the parade (since we wanted to watch it) but we still had to add a few things to our boat!

Liam and 'mr. beaver'

Liam was defiantly a challenge......I often feel like he is resorting back to the 'terrible twos.'

This is the cabin from the boat.

Driving the boat.

The kids are exhausted. We are too! Today we spend grocery shopping, doing laundry and packing the trailer for a week up at Hecla island camping. Should be fun!

School is out!

2009-06-29T23:04:00.002-04:00

SCHOOL IS OUT!! The kids had there official last day of school on friday. Aidan had his field trip out to a farm north of the city and I was able to tag along. We had a fun day, even with big rain clouds looming over our heads. We managed to stay dry and it poured as soon as we left.

If you know Aidan, you know his love for farms and animals. He was very excited about everything here and he had so much to talk about when he got home. Here is just a few pictures I took.

Tomorow we are off to the cabin for the week, and then camping for a week. It will be a nice little vacation! More pictures will come!

Soccer highlights

2009-06-15T08:24:00.005-04:00

We spent this beautiful hot weekend at TWO soccer tournaments. The kids both did excellent considering the high temperatures and they both got medals which they are very proud of! Here are a few shots from the day. Cassidy has surprised me with her soccer abilities! She loves it, and Aidan has become an allstar of the team again.

I was excited to try out my new lens on my camera!

Poor Liam, sitting on the sidelines!

My blog needs a new fresh facelift. I am hopeing to do that on holidays, as well as update my business site as well!

2009-06-12T22:31:00.002-04:00

Again.....I am so behind in posting, as well as going through pictures. This afternoon, Liam had his preschool graduation party. The first picture is Liam with his two teachers. Liam loves his teachers.....he even wrote a song about them. Ask him to sing it sometime, it is rather catch and I often join in!

Liam has grown so much in preschool. His social skills have improved and for some reason, Liam seems to gravitate towards girls. He has developed a few girlfriends which is pretty adorable. He has one more year of preschool before he will go to kindergarten.

Cassidy came along too since it was a non school friday for her. Cassidy has come along way as well. She is writing, reading, and so eager to learn more and more. She amazes me with her abilities and she is very excited for grade one.

I am so excited that we are halfway through June. I am taking two weeks off in July and will be camping, cottaging, and just relaxing! I am so excited as life has been so hectic and busy.

Catch up post - Liam's field trip

2009-06-05T12:27:00.003-04:00

I haven't yet blogged about Liam's first field trip that I went along with last week. It was a beautiful day and we headed out to a farm outside of the city.
Liam was SO excited about riding the big yellow bus!
I took way to many pictures there, honestly haven't gone through all of them and just grabbed a few to show you.
He got to do everything from milking a cow, petting zoo and a hay ride. The highlight for him was seeing the little baby kittens.
I will get to more pictures soon.........and maybe some with animals!

2009-06-01T09:40:00.002-04:00

Just a few things to quickly blog about......no pictures, but when I find the time I will blog some pictures from camping, Liam's field trip and soccer.
Saturday was my first official paid full wedding. What hard work it was but I honestly didn't think I would love it as much as I did. It was so much fun and although I was exhausted at the end, it was worth it.
Check out my photo blog for some pics of that. I filled 35 GB of memory, that was with me shooting, Steve shooting and all the pictures in raw (which suck up way more memory then jpeg)
On another note, when i got home from the wedding I learned that dear friends of ours lost there dad on saturday. Jared and Dana are in our small group and Jared's dad has been fighting cancer since fall. Please keep the family in your prayers. Although they have been anticipating this, it is still such a shock now that it has happened. We praise God knowing he is no longer suffereing and tumor free in Heaven. What a peaceful picture that brings. You can visit there site here to express your condolences.

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
(Chris Tomlin)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIAM

2009-05-26T08:02:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIAM!

It is hard to believe my baby is 4 years old today. He is defiantly one little ball of energy and has kept us on our toes.
Liam's favorite thing is still mickey mouse!

We love you! More pics from his special day yet to come. He got to go to build a bear for his birthday! Here is a picture of his quick birthday cake creation. Kind of looks like a cross between mickey and a clown.

2009-05-24T21:32:00.003-04:00

We are home from a wonderful first weekend camping with the new trailer!! We are all a tad sunburnt and tired....more pictures to come.
These are a few from Cassidy last week

Mothers Day

2009-05-13T22:03:00.002-04:00

Happy belated mothers day to you all mommy readers. The kids brought me loads of mothers day goodies home from School.

Liam made me these beautiful flowers in preschool.

He also made me a card

The other kids made cards, Cassidy made a painted heart pin.

They all got me three plants in a planter.

Steve celebrated the big 30 last weekend as well. He isn't much of a party person so we had some family over one night for cake and some friends over the night before.

Mothers day was a beautiful day and we headed out to the park so the kids could practise there soccer skills.

and a couple more from the past week....

This weekend we are heading up to the cabin at Lake Metigoshe with our small group and NO KIDS!! We are all very excited for the much needed break. The weather doesn't look too promising but I think we still will enjoy our relaxing time away. We also got the new trailer all ready and are hopeing to head out the following weekend.

Business has been a tad crazy so I am looking forward to a much needed break.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-09T16:45:00.000-04:00

Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom .

2009-05-05T21:34:00.002-04:00

I will warn you, this post has TONS of pictures! Life has been busy!! Soccer season started this week which means soccer games 4 nights a week. Yes, it is crazy but the kids are enjoying themselves. The weather has been beautiful as well. I am so glad we are enjoying comfortable warm weather. It is about time.
This is Cassidy's first year playing. She did great her first time and even scored a goal! She sure suprised me. I have yet to upload some pics of Aidan playing. He is on an older team this year that is more competitive and structured.

Cassidy is super proud of her pink shoes and socks!

Of course, here are some more pics of Liam. He actually gave me a few cute pics as I was testing out some new softboxes today. Although he has a distracted GAP logo on and a orange mustache, he still is pretty cute! Can't believe my baby will be 4 in a few weeks. Since my May is so busy, Liam won't be having a big party. We plan on taking him to build a bear and going out for supper to celebrate.

May is defiantly the start of a VERY busy season when it comes to my business. I am completely booked! It feels good to have steady business and I am very excited about how things have all progressed. I am hopeing to do some website revamping but have been so busy I haven't had a chance! I am also excited for wedding season to get underway.

Picture Post

2009-05-03T21:55:00.001-04:00

blog5, originally uploaded by erinkeownphotography.

Just a quick photo of Cassidy....there are a few more on my photoblog.

Milestones

2009-04-25T13:36:00.003-04:00

Finally, Cassidy has no training wheels.
This seems like such a huge milestone. Aidan has been ripping around with no training wheels since he was 4. We worked with Cassidy last summer but she was just not confident enough. The other night, Steve and I went out to help her try and we became beyond frustrated with the whole situation and I didn't think she was ready. To my amazment, a minute later it just seemed to click and she was off.
Here are the kids biking in a nearby parking lot. Granny was here to join us (she is pushing Liam on his bike in the back of this photo.) The kids had Grandparents day at school and were so excited she came out for the celebration.

Cassidy also lost her first tooth yesterday. She lost it at school, we don't know where or how. She wrote a note to the tooth fairy last night since she had no tooth to put under her pillow.

As for some disapointing news, I think I will have to withdraw from the manitoba marathon this year. Nope, I am not injured. If anything I think I could crush my last years time. I have a wedding lined up for the day before, out of town and we could make it home if we drived through the night, but I have to be up by 5am the next morning so I would be going on an hour or two of sleep........I am trying to rack my brain, looking for a way to do both but I just don't think it is feasible this year. What a bummer! Steve suggested I go run a 'mock' marathon and buy myself a trophy with the entry fee money! I am not totally commited to the fact of giving it up this year, so we will see.

As for kitty, she is still kicking. She went last week for her first kitty check up and got her shots. We also trimmed her nails and after a good discussion with the vet, I have decided not to declaw but trim her nails regularly.

Anyways, I am off to shoot a large family this afternoon, hopefully the weather holds up. Its been a tad chilly this weekend. Starting this week and am completely booked up till the end of May, we don't even have a weekend free to Liam's birthday party. We probably will have a small party just with us on the evening of his birthday.

Easter and spring weather

2009-04-17T15:11:00.004-04:00

Happy Belated Easter. I have started to blog several times in the last week but have been very easily distracted....so here it goes again.
We have had a busy last few weeks. Our carpet was installed, wow what a difference!After much debate and shopping, we invested in a brand new 2009 Palomino Yearling Tent trailer. Now if anyone of you knew what we had camped in the last few years, you would agree it is an enormous upgrade. The 'green beast' had to be put to rest, Steve turned it into a utility trailer. Steve picked it up last week and once put in the garage, we now realize we need to clean out all our junk so the van can fit.
Easter weekend we headed to Boissevain to spend some time on the farm. We haven't been this way since Christmas and the kids have been asking to go. We brough Kailyn & Josh along with us, because Noah ended up back in the hospital.
As well, we brought our cat. The ride there was alot better then I thought. We had a busy filled weekend, Joel and Laura brought there crew over and Liam was extremely excited to see Maddy. He talks about Maddy all the time and becomes attached to her when they are together.

Story time with Auntie Laura.

Craft time with Auntie Laura.

To see more from easter click here
We arrived home to almost no snow. After a week of warm temperatures (hitting almost 20 degrees celcius) we have NO snow left. I have enjoyed breaking out the shorts and sandles and although today was a chilly day, we are relieved spring is finally here to stay.
Cassidy enjoyed a field trip to the childrens museum on tuesday and I got to come along. Tomorow I have a busy day with the trade show.

2009-04-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

Come out and visit my booth at the....

SPRING S.O.S. {some outstanding shopping} Trade show

Saturday, April 18th
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Holiday Inn Fort Garry
(1330 Pembina Hwy)

Admission is free. Anyone who books a session during that day, or from my site that entire weekend will recieve one free 8x10 print with there session.

Some other vendors joining me will be pampered chef, mary kay, norwex, epicure, tupperware....and more. Get your shopping done all in one place!

Visit http://www.springsos.com/ for more info or email me.

Winter Fair

2009-04-06T21:27:00.002-04:00

Spring break is over! What a relief. I was very glad to send the kids back to school. Steve was off last week as well so it was nice to get back into normal schedule.

Last week we took a trip out to Brandon to enjoy the winter fair. These are a few of the animals. View HERE for more pics of the kids and the fair. I was super dark in the building so I got to experiment with crazy high iso speeds. (no flash/speedlight used in any of my fair photos) Besides a little grain in the photos, the 40D holds up quite well!

2009-04-02T10:47:00.000-04:00

My book is famous! Like I had mentioned a while ago, back on my photoblog, I had a book made by Photobook Canada.
I am offering these books in all my portrait packages as well as I had one created a while back for a display I had to put together. I also have a trade show coming up in a couple weeks so I knew something like this would come in handy.
A while back they asked for permission to use my book. Check out the link...my book is on the first page! As well, scroll down the page to click on 'see our full promo here' or click on this link for more pictures.

New addition to the family...

2009-03-31T11:53:00.002-04:00

I am very excited to have another nephew, Silas Paul! The boys continue to take over my side of the family! This is the 13 grandchild on my side, and the kids 12th cousin.

My sister Jamie and her husband Erik welcomed this little guy on March 28. He was defiantly 'well done' and weighed in at 8 lbs 14 oz, 23 in. He is a little brother to Micah and Keziah. Congrats guys. Welcome to the 'uneven' world of 5. We only wish we lived closer or we had the money to come visit so I could have a baby fix.

I guess I will just stick to cuddling the cat!

2009-03-21T18:55:00.002-04:00

Spring is officially here as of yesterday. Last week we enjoyed some wonderful weather. The snow is melting super fast. Today we spent outside, even walked to 7-11 for slurpees. I have yet to upload my pictures from the kids playing in all the puddles. I am just so relieved we got through another winter. Cassidy and Aidan start soccer in May. Liam is still too young, since he doesn't turn 4 till May.

Last week the kids cousins Kailyn and Josh came with Granny to play. They had so much fun on the 'little' hill with the sled. The kids love when the visit and were sad to see the day end.

They even got Granny to play twister with them.

Today we also started ripping up the spare bedroom carpet and scraping the glued down underlay. What a huge mess and the task of doing the rest to the rec room seems next to impossible. I am so glad that we hired someone to do the install. Steve picked up all the trim today that will go in once the carpet is installed. Hopeing this is done soon, we have prepaid but the contractors are so busy we are not sure when they will get to us.

As well I have to ask peoples opinions on the declawing of cats. I have heard all kinds of things from different people and how cruel it is. We plan on bringing Daisy in to get fixed once she is about 7 months, which is in July and then I plan on discussing the whole declawing thing with the vet. The kids are extremely attached to her. She is the first thing they look for when they get home, but they fight over her constantly.

Spring is sprung??

2009-03-15T10:45:00.004-04:00

I am working on a new blog template, just need to find the time to finish it. But for the mean time, I have bigger pictures on my blog. I like it so much better.

Life is still busy here. We are so anxiously awaiting spring and today it is going to be +5. Melt snow melt!! Last week was so cold, January cold. It was hard to think it was March and winter feels neverending.

I have loads of pics I still need to go through. This past two weeks I have been doing lots of reading and practising on my on camera and post processing skills. I still have so much to learn. I have to stop looking at my pictures a year ago because I am my hardest critic. But it is always good to continue to learn because I know I can only get better and better. I just got two new big softboxes in the mail yesterday for my studio. I am thrilled about these since my shoot through umbrellas were so hard to work with. I also scored an amazing antique chair, with green velvet. I love it! I haven't used it in a shoot yet and can hardly wait.

Now for the kids, they have had birthday parties every weekend since January. Last weekend, Cassidy enjoyed a tea party at her friends party. She got to get all dressed up for it and was very excited to wear a dress I wore when I was a kid. I must say it was a bit snug so it will be the only chance she will have. Aidan enjoyed a sled ride up at birds hill park yesterday at a party.

Yes, our cat is still kicking around. She defiantly loves to play but is great with the kids. She lets them drag her around, dress her up and play baby with her.

We are done our income tax, which is a relief. Things went very well this year, we were worried about the house we had sold and being taxed on it. Thankfully the money we saved to pay them, we don't need to and still ended up with a great return, thanx to loads of write offs. We are planning to pay the kids tuition for next year so we don't have that big payment every month.

As well, NEW BASEMENT CARPET! Yes, the flowered red 70s carpet will be gone. We had talked about doing this when last week I noticed on the Home depot website that they had a $199 installation promo so I sent Steve in since we had looked at carpet a while back and we knew what we wanted. Tomorow, the carpet guy is coming to measure and hopefully in the next few weeks they will come and install. We will recarpet the entire basement, stairs and spare bedroom. The second sparebedroom is going to be my studio and we have special flooring plans for that, which I am SO excited about. Once the carpet is in we will start on that room.

Now, let the snow melt, let the slush and muck begin. Bring it all on!

2009-03-10T22:07:00.002-04:00

2009-03-10T10:05:00.002-04:00

I am so behind in going through my pictures, just dumped my camera....here is a quick one of Liam, there are more of Cass on my photo blog!

Off to a newborn shoot, will blog more later!

2009-02-27T21:01:00.002-05:00

Another busy week as flown by.....loads of pictures to post. I am trying to pick up the camera as much as possible lately to jam in as many shots of the kids as I can. As well, lots of our new kitty.....we have learned she loves playing and sleeping in the oddest places, as you can see by this picture.
As well, here is a picture of a few of my cute hats I have created!

Last weekend we did some rearranging of furniture in the kids rooms. The boys dresser has bit the dust and we decided to give them one of Cassidy's, since she really didn't need two. Steve moved up his old little desk for her which she loves. I plan on refinishing it and painting it white to match her furniture. She spends hours drawing and writing.

Today Liam and I brought little Daisy to school to visit Aidan and Cassidy's class. The kids were very excited to meet her.

Some other new news.....I have recently signed up as a Mary Kay consultant. I LOVE there stuff and have been addicted to the makeup and skin care line for a while now. I get an awesome discount this way so it saves me money, and I can hook those up who love the products.
Honestly.....i was never a big makeup fan but I LOVE experimenting with colors now, wearing BLUE, GREEN and even PURPLE eyeshadow! Plus there skin care rocks, did I mention I have actually seen wrinkles disappear? So let me know if you wanna try some stuff. I am not pushing to sell it, since I am considered a 'personal use' consultant, but I still can if I choose.
Even Liam uses the stuff.......they have an amazing cream that does wonders for excema.

This is a quick shot of the canvas that Steve and I built. I will not make one myself again, I plan to order a few more to display in the studio. This is currently hanging in our rec room.

Not much else new.......so glad March is almost here. Praying it brings warming temperatures that will melt our snow. So excited that summer is just around the corner. I am tired of snowsuits and boots, mitts and touques!

Fun!

2009-02-21T11:49:00.002-05:00

Fun! The kids are having a blast with there new little pet. Plus they are old enough to help out with feeding her and taking her to her litter box. She has adjusted quite well and I can tell she has already made herself at home.
Liam and I bought the kitty some little toys, she is terribly hyper and they have added hours of entertainment.

I have been busy knitting, yes thats right.....I have been busy creating hats and cocoons for photoshoots, the kitty is hanging out in one of my screw ups.....at least she likes it. I really didnt think I could actually 'knit' anything but I have wanted some cute hats for photoprops and everyone charges a crazy amount that I was determined to figure out how to do it myself! Photos are yet to come!
Yes, yesterday marked my 28th birthday. Although I did think I was 29, I feel every year I have to count back and remind myself how old I am turning. I went with my mom and sister out for lunch and shopping at the mall. It was nice to get out for the day and the kids had fun as well.
Anyways, count down to spring is on!!

Daisy

2009-02-17T08:48:00.000-05:00

The kids have been begging for a pet. I really didn't think I could handle a dog, and Aidan is allerigic to cats. After some research, I found a free little kitten and decided we would give it a try. I brought her by the Pet store and learned some good info about having a cat when you have allergies, we also learned our little Daisy was a girl. So far, Aidan has been responding well, although kittens do not produce as much dander as an adult cat. So we will see how it goes. She is extremely playful but still loves to cuddle.
As for her name, Daisy.....it was the only name all three kids agreed on.

Valentines day....

2009-02-13T22:42:00.005-05:00

Happy Valentines Day! The kids have had a serious valentine overload. Party after party, which only means sugar overload.
The kids were very eager to hand out valentines this year. Liam was especially excited because he too got a valentine party. I spent the afternoon at his preschool helping out in the class.
They were just too cute organizing and reorganizing there valentines when they got home!

Of course our cookies......

as well, our new addition.....so relieved that it arrived

Last but not least, our two little pets....can you find them??

Spring is just around the corner!

2009-02-09T09:35:00.006-05:00

Its raining and it is above zero right now, which means crazy conditions outside. I think I slid all the way to school this morning....but I am not complaining. It is so amazing to go out with no touque on, and to be able to breath outside.
This past week we have had wonderful, warmer weather. Gives us a small glimpse of spring and the fact it is on its way.
Unfortuanly, this past week has also been a 'sick' week here in the household. Steve was off work for a few days with pneumonia. Liam has also been fighting off some terrible cold. The rest of us have been healthy and I am praying it stays that way. We are done with the colds and the flus.
Last week, Cassidy and I spent an afternoon shopping for one of our sponsered children. We have one through compassion, which we have had for a number of years and then last year our church 'adopted' a village in Swaziland called Enaleni. We were able to choose a 10 year old girl to sponser. They are sending off a team next week there and we were able to fill a bag with items for her. We had loads of fun and packed that bag as full as we could.
Here is Cassidy displaying some of the items.

We included a special photo album with loads of pictures, lots of snow because I was told they find snow rather amazing.

Business has slowed down a tad, I have still been busy enough, currently getting some weddings for the summer and focusing on preparing for those. I had the opportunity to do some photography for a Fire college which was very different then what I am used to but loads of fun (you can check out my blog for some of those.) I also plan on updating my website with some new pictures. I think we are all just itching to get outside for photos and for spring to come!

Steve and Aidan went to monster jam on saturday. They had lots of fun. I sent the good ol' rebel with them and here is what they captured.

Sunday we had a lazier day. Steve took the kids to church and I stayed home with Liam because he still is fighting a terrible cough. The kids spent most of the afternoon playing some wii games and I cleaned the house for small group that evening.
As for the house, no pictures of the white walls in the basement yet. I seem to forget evertime I post, or I am just waiting for new carpet before I take a picture! We had to buy a new dishwasher last week, because our old beater started leaking.....it should be here tomorow.

Not much else is new. Aidan has been doing very well in school lately. His reading has improved so much and his spelling has been awesome. He has a great memory. I do have to say the whole motiviation of his wii games has helped big time. First thing when he comes home from school he asks to do his reading and words so he can play his game.

2009-01-26T18:08:00.006-05:00

Another busy week here!

This is what happened since last post, in random order!

*Aidan had his birthday party with 10 boys and 2 girls! We played monster trucks and bowling on wii, had a pinata, ate icecream and just played. I honestly haven't even looked through those pictures, I didn't take too many since I was so busy keeping things moving.

*We enjoyed some beutiful spring weather, the snow was melting and we walked to school everday....unfortuantly, the temperature is back to bitterly cold.

*We went sledding with the kiddos!

*Steve picked up my new treadmill and I LOVE it! I love all the programs and the inclines and the fact I don't have to put on ten layers of clothing to run outside.

*Steve and I dressed up fancy and went to the Calvin Christian fundraiser banquet. We brought a couple from small group and we had lots of fun and ate good food. I had donated a photography package in the silent auction and it went over much better then I had anticipated.

*During the banquet, the kids got to sleep over at there cousins!

*I had a puppy in my studio for the first time, and now I want a dog!

*Aidan got 100% on his spelling test!

*I unlocked snowboarding on wii fit (and suck at it!)

*Aidan started skating every day for gym at school.

*Steve painted our basment white. NO more ugly dark walls. Next step, new carpet, then drywall my future permanent studio.

Happy Birthday Aidan

2009-01-16T20:15:00.007-05:00

Wow, what another crazy week. First of all, my 40D arrived safetly home and it works perfectly. Second, I had the most awesome day on saturday. Two girlfriends and I spent the entire day at the Clarion Spa. We enjoyed tons of time in the hot tub, mineral spa, eating, chatting, pedicures, an eyebrow tint, and most of all a wonderful break from the kids.

Aidan celebrated his 7th birthday on wensday! So hard to believe he is seven years old.
Sunday my parents stopped in before there trip down south. Aidan was excited to get a john deer combine and some real hay bales to add to his collection.

When Aidan arrived home from school on wensday he was allowed to open his gifts.
He was thrilled and we have all spent many hours together playing Wii. I recently scored a good deal on wii fit and that has only added to our addiction.

Here is Liam bowling. Check out his Mii! Love the glasses hey?

Aidan has his party tomorow. We plan on playing wii, having ice cream sundays and of course a pinata! We will have 12 kids over which is a few less then last year but will still be a house full. Aidan has been counting down the sleeps since Christmas.

It has also been very cold here, chilling cold. I have yet to remember a winter that has been as cold as this one. I am still faithfully running outside but I have to admit it has been very hard these last few weeks. We did find a good deal on a treadmill but it had to be ordered and won't be here for another week, and then it will probably warm up!

Business has slowed down, which has been relaxing. It was good to have some time to get organized, plus my 40D was gone for a bit. I am back at it next weekend and am currently booking Feb/March.

I have some more pics of the kids up on my photoblog if you wanna look.

2009-01-09T09:37:00.006-05:00

I had planned on posting some christmas pics but since my laptop had to be completed reformated because of a virus, all my pictures are now on discs and my laptop is completely cleaned out. Thankgoodness Steve was able to get it running. We invested in some good antivirus software because I am sick and tired of virues!
We are anxiously anticipating Aidan's birthday party. He turns the big SEVEN next week. So hard to believe it was 7 years ago. Since we splurged at Cassidys birthday for her camera, we splurged even more for Aidan and I got a great deal on a WII This is something he LOVED at his grandparents place and we had been thinking of getting some kind of game system for the family for a while. My mission is for this to be a reading and homework incentive, in other words he can not play unless he has done his reading and site words for the day. I really hope it will help him stay motivated about learning. Steve also picked him up a racing wheel and a monster truck game for it so I am sure he will be thrilled. He will be having his friend party on saturday and he is extremely excited.

It is such a relief to have the kids back in school. I am so glad to be back to regular schedule and although I still have had some photoshoots, business is defiantly slower then before Christmas which is ALOT more managable. My 40D camera is also on its way home from being fixed and I am so excited to have it back in my hands.
Anyways, I will post photos again soon, don't worry! Hopeing purulator is at my doorstep soon with my 40D.

Belated Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T15:39:00.004-05:00

its over! thankgoodness. Christmas was great but I am SO glad to be home and in my own bed. We celebrated our christmas with the kids the saturday before, just to spread things out a bit since it is such an overwhelming time.
The kids got tons of playmobil, and Liam got lots of Mickey mouse stuff. We headed out to Brandon on Christmas eve and had christmas with the Keown side on Christmas day. Again, more stuff for the kids. Headed to Boissevain for the weekend for the Harder Christmas. The kids had more fun, got more stuff and Granny and Grandpa even surprised them all with a sleigh ride, complete with horses, christmas lights and music!
I have yet to upload my Christmas pics. I just haven't had a chance too since coming home but will post some soon.
I sprung a great deal on a 42 inch flat screen tv for Steve. (In hopes we would have to get rid of the ugly fake fireplace) I got an Ipod nano, a running jacket and some perfume.
That was our christmas in a nutshell. My kids were spoiled and now going through withdrawal. I know they only get a fraction of what alot of kids get since we have all cut back but I still feel they have way too much. I think we will be doing some purging this week!
As for other news, we are enjoying our new van. We bought a pontiac montana fully loaded with a DVD player (which was helpful on our Christmas traveling) I am just so thankfully that it has HEAT! I did bring it in for its estimate after the accident. The gave me a cheque for three new car seats as well as the results that i have $1500 worth of damage. Thankful for insurance! I just wish it was the caravan because it would have been a writeoff for sure!
Our house proceeds also arrived today! I am so excited to finally be done with it and deposit the cheque.
On another note, please continue to pray for Noah. He is still having a rough time in the hospital and it was hard on the family to be seperated during the holidays. The future is so unknown right now for this little guy. Pray for comfort and peace for the family, as well as continued strength. I honestly don't know how they do it.

Prayers for Noah

2008-12-21T20:25:00.003-05:00

The kids and I were getting our daily update from Noah's blog and then we decided to go back and look at his pictures from three years back, when he was first born...so while doing that I plugged them into photoshop to make a quick little movie! The music on the movie is a song that every time i hear, makes me think of Noah and how with Christ, size doesn't matter.
Please pray for Brad, Nichole, Kailyn, Josh and of course Noah as he again has ended up in the hospital and continues to fight the constant battles he faces.

2008-12-19T17:22:00.004-05:00

This is Liam before his Christmas concert today. Sorry they are tilted, I thought i could flip them (i took them on Cassidy's camera) but it won't let me! I am just so used to taking portrait pictures I guess!

His concert was short and very adorable. The kids also enjoyed there last day of school today! We had a very busy and eventful week with parties and just getting ready for the holidays.
Tuesday, I was rearended at a red light, not just a tap either. The girl hit me pretty hard and I went into the car in front of me. After filing a claim with autopac, I got an appointment for an assesment next monday, since I have some bumper damage. As well, they informed me that I had to buy three brand new car seats, since they were all in the vehicle at the time (only Liam was riding with me) This I thought was silly, but after phoning MPI again, they told me that insurance would reimburse me for three new seats. So off to Toysrus we went to let the kids pick out some new seats. And....of course, I was driving the brand new van.
as for other news, my canon 40D is still being serviced and hopefully it won't take too long to return home to me. I have taken the rest of the month off (with a few exceptions) so it is a good time for it to get repaired.

2008-12-13T20:19:00.000-05:00

I got this from Noah's blog and Liam thought it was amazing!

so sad......

2008-12-06T22:08:00.001-05:00

sad news...... i have to send my canon 40D in to get serviced....not sure what is wrong...so sad.....but I have been using my rebel xti and I kind of missed it. I must say it takes some great pictures.

December...

2008-12-06T14:51:00.004-05:00

I have decided this blog needs a facelift. I have been staring at the same header for quite a while.....just to find the time.
I really can't believe it is almost the second week into December, I feel like the season came so fast this year and like it was summer yesterday. We really have had beautiful weather, until today. -30 with the windchill! COLD!
I love how every year the kids understand the meaning of Christmas more and more......for those that don't know, we don't celebrate Santa Claus in our household. It isn't something I am against, the kids love watching Santa movies, especially 'The Polar Express' but they understand that he isn't real and it is just fun to pretend he is real sometime. We don't have santa presents, or anything like that. The kids do leave cookies out for Santa....but they all know daddy is the one who really eats them.

The kids have had way too many inservice days this past month. One of the days we spend working on there gingerbread house.

I also scored a good deal on Playmobil advent calenders for the kids! These are so much fun! They get a little piece for there set every day!
Aidan showing off one of his surprises.

Aidan and Cassidy's christmas concert is this week as well as Liam's preschool christmas concert is next week. We also have several other christmas festivites. I participated in a bake exchange so my freezer is now full of goodies.
The kids report cards came home last week as well. Cassidy is doing excellent, she just needs to work on participating more in group activites, and holding scissors correctly. She is a tad held back compared to Aidan and I did worry about her socially but she seems to be doing just great and her teacher said she always has plenty of friends to play with.
Aidan is still struggling with his reading. We have done WAY better this month on working on his readers and his sight words. I have seen an improvment in him. I am so thankful for his school because I often think if he was somewhere else, he may fall through the cracks and not get the extra help he needs. Other then that, Aidan loves library because every week he brings home non-fiction books. I don't think he has once brought home a story....only history and science books. I don't think he takes after mommy!
As for other news, we did buy a new van......we should have it wensday of next week, I will share details and pictures when it arrives but it is a HUGE improvement in what we currently own!

Christmas parties already?

2008-11-26T16:52:00.003-05:00

It has been another crazy few weeks. The christmas festivites have begun and we are defiantly getting into the holiday spirit.
This past weekend we took in the Canada post christmas party. They had food, games, inflatables and presents for the kids. The kids even had a picture with Santa.
Liam was rather disappointed when he opened his present because it wasn't mickey mouse. Check out his expression in the picture
But......he has played with these blocks every day since and it has provided him with more entertianment then any toy he has.

Liam showing off his 'micky mouse' ear balloon hat.

We left the party early to head to Ashton's birthday party at fun fx. The kids had a blast here

I have been extremely busy with photos and christmas card orders. I look forward to things slowing down a bit in the new year. I am a little hesitant with how things will go since my price list got completely revamped. I just hope people understand the amount of time that goes into editing and the sessions and that I can't afford to be giving them the discs with images anymore.
This morning we signed off our Brandon house with the lawyers. He gave us a time line of aprox. up to 30 days till we see the money so hopefully it is sooner then later. Steve is heading out to Brandon this weekend since the posession of the house is on monday.

my new site

2008-11-20T18:20:00.005-05:00

yes I know, i haven't posted in a long time. I have been terribly busy and here is why.

http://erinkeownphotography.com/

take a look, tell me what you think! Business has been fantastic and I feel like I have come a very long way since I started!

We decorated both christmas trees, I am done christmas shopping and the festivities are beginning to start. This weekend we are off to our first christmas party and the kids couldn't be more excited.

We are also VERY anxious for our house money since our van is in pretty rough shape. The heat is now not working properly. Not great with the chilly temperatures! So we are praying that we will see money sooner then later and everything will fall into place.

2008-11-12T14:59:00.002-05:00

Last thursday I took Cassidy to the Childrens Hospital to visit Noah and Nichole. Noah was looking quite good but you could tell he wasn't his regular self. Cassidy enjoyed her visit and has been talking about it ever since. Continue to pray for him, and the family as they continue to try new things and feel as there often is no end in site.

November?

2008-11-04T19:27:00.001-05:00

Really? Its November? Hard to believe when the temp hit +18 degrees celcius yesterday. Today it was almost as nice. We have been enjoying this heat way yet I hear winter is just around the corner in the next few days.
I usually set up my Christmas tree the first week of November, although I am not very inspired when it is still sandle weather and it feels more like september then November. I think it may be a while before we pull out the christmas decorations.
The kids have enjoyed this warm weather. We enjoyed the Boo at the Zoo, as well as trick or treating at the mall.

Liam was very excited to have a dress up party at his preschool. Aidan and Cassidy didn't have school. They had parent teacher interviews that day. Cassidy is doing well, her teachers only concern is that she often rushes to much and needs to slow down when she does her school work. Aidans teacher and I discussed the reading concerns I was already aware of. He is going to be joining a special reading program which gives him extra one on one time when it comes to reading.
Here is Liam already to head out to his party.

Liam at his preschool party.

Fall already?

2008-10-22T20:37:00.005-04:00

The weather is cool and the leaves have almost all fallen. I usually am not a huge fan of the fall season but this year I am really enjoying the crisp weather. I think this is the first year I have really noticed the beauty of the season. I really feel as though fall has crept up on us and now the Christmas season is fast aproaching. Just this afternoon Cassidy asked how many sleeps until Christmas.

Things here are busy and hate the fact I haven't taken many pictures of the kiddos lately.

Last weekend I headed to Minneapolis, MN with my mom and my aunts to a Woman of Faith conference. We left early friday morning and came back late sunday night. We had lots of fun, the conference was great and we heard alot of great speakers and musicians. We also did lots of shopping at Mall of America, Ikea and the outlet Mall in Albertville. Although we did alot of sitting in the conference, our legs were sore from walking around the malls for hours on end. I completed the rest of my christmas shopping on this trip and it feels so good to be done! Steve and the kids survived at home and the house was still in tact when I arrived.

I have been quite busy with photoshoots, my photoblog is up and going and unfortuantly, I have spent more time posting on it then this one. I hope things start to slow down once winter comes, but for now the money is good!

Now that it is almost November, all three kids have adjusted well to school. Aidan still gets very tired going everyday and Cassidy wishes she could go everyday. Liam is also enjoying preschool and I am finding it is helping him in his speech development. Aidan is getting better with his reading skills but is still struggling. I am finding it very difficult to sit down with him to read his readers and practise his site words since his attention span is so very short and he is so easily distracted. He will begin his speech therapy at school again which will allow him extra one on one time.

Birthday party and other news

2008-10-10T13:21:00.010-04:00

I had hoped to post about Cassidy's big birthday party sooner, the week just got ahead of me!
Last saturday we had 19 kids at our house to celebrate her special day. She got WAY to much stuff and I have already been starting to get rid of stuff she doesn't play with. I was overwhelmed with the how much stuff she got, I can't even imagine how she must have felt. She was very excited not to have school on monday so I could open all her things and she could play with them.

At her party the kids decorated cupcakes and cookies. They had so much fun and the whole group did great!

I am so glad her birthday is done and we don't have to focus on another birthday for a while. This week has been busy and will even get busier as the next week rolls in. I have been busy with photoshoots and I have also been doing alot of christmas card custom orders.

This next week is very busy but I am assuming it will slow down a bit once the cold weather sets in.

These have become very popular. I also have increased my prices a bit. I have had several people tell me I am not charging enough, I just have a hard time knowing where to start.

Some other business news is I have become a member of an organization called 'Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep If you are curious about it, check out my photography blog where I have explained about it alot more.

This is an organization I had heard about from other photographers and have been researching since the news over the summer and the anniversary of Levi.

They are having some seminars in the states and are coming to Vancouver in November. If I had the extra $$ I would love to attend it.

Next weekend I am off to Minneapolis with my mom and my aunts to the Woman of Faith Conference. I am sure it will be quite the crazy trip and I think they hope I can keep up with them!

Last but not least, Steve may have a position change at work, but we are just waiting to see.

More blogging..

2008-10-05T18:37:00.003-04:00

I am getting a photography blog up and going. I am working on a link for my splash page that lets you go into my photography blog and my website.
The photography blog will allow clients a sneek peek at there photos.
Check it out here
Now I just hope I can stay on top of both of the blogs!

This past week. . .

2008-09-29T12:41:00.005-04:00

Cassidy is now five. Still hard to believe. We have only celebrated with the family so far. She is having a big party with all her girl friends on saturday. She is very excited!
Last week Granny came to visit for a couple days. This was a real treat for the kids. Granny had found a potatoe in Grandpa's garden that resembled Mickey Mouse. Liam was thrilled. We had it for supper which Liam did not approve of! He wanted to sleep with it along side his other stuffed mickeys!

Friday morning Granny gave Cassidy her birthday present, some more playmobil. The kids love this stuff.
Granny spent the morning putting it all together!
Cassidy showing off her new puppy from the boys and her camera from mom and dad. She is THRILLED with the camera, it is already on a new set of batteries. Her pictures aren't that bad either, her hands are pretty steady. She has spent hours setting up her animals and taking there portraits
(Laura, I thought of you drawing all your stuffed animals!)
I am hopeing to train her well on the camera so she can become a second shooter for me when she is older

Friday I also went with the Grade one class to the Fort Whyte Center. We had lots of fun fishing for bugs and doing ALOT of walking. I was so not prepared for all the walking and Aidan and I were both exhausted when we got home!
Aidan's grade one class

This week Steve has the week off. He has started installing our new kitchen floor. I love it so far. It looks just like ceramic tile but it is somekind of floating vinyl floor. It is also dark, which I love!! It won't look dirty like my current white floor always does. He is also planning to do the stone tile backsplash this week as well.
The weather is also cooling off and it seems everyone has there mind set on family pictures, which keeps my photography very busy. I recived my new camera in the mail last week and have been blown away by it and it really puts my old one to shame. I feel kind of sad not picking up my old faithful one anymore. I will be keeping it though for those many people who have asked to buy it.

Last but not least, the deal on the house is done, everything is good and posession is December 1st. The thing that doesn't thrill me is the fact we won't see any money till well into December, because we of the posession date being later. The first thing we will be doing is replacing our van, which will be a huge answer to prayer! We are just praying that it will hold on till then!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASSIDY

2008-09-26T16:50:00.002-04:00

Cassidy turns five today! So hard to believe! She spent a wonderful day with Granny and Liam while I went on a field trip with Aidan's class! I will share some more pictures from our day.

We love you Cassidy!

This is what our princess got for her birthday, I am training her early!

Happy Birthday Noah!

2008-09-20T12:07:00.005-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH!!

Noah will be celebrating his THIRD birthday tomorow! We are very excited to party with him! Last night we met up with Nichole and Brad for a long awaited photoshoot. We have been waiting for a long time to do his pictures, but with in and out of the hospital, tubes, and other stuff, we just hadn't had the chance. He did super and the other kids did great too.

As well......we have some other exciting news!

Thursday, we started showing our Brandon house. First people through, wrote an offer. A little lower then asking price. We countered for asking price and they accepted. There are a few conditions that have to be so the SALE is now pending. We should know in the next week when it is finalized!

We are a little in shock. We had tried for weeks to sell this house two years ago and were beyond frustrated so we kept it. Only God knew how it would benifit us financially and he couldn't have picked a more perfect time for us to cash it in. The house is more then doubled its value since we first bought it. Posession date is set for December 1st.

We ask you to pray we can find our current renters a house to live. We feel bad about making them leave but Steve has promised he would help them find somewhere to live. So if anyone in the Brandon area has a connection to a house rental, please give us a call or email.

For Sale!

2008-09-17T10:56:00.004-04:00

Its up! Starts showing tomorow.

http://www.mls.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?PropertyID=7535612

The pictures in the listing were hard for me to look at it since I have never seen it with someone elses stuff in it. I still love that little house!

As well, I have some exciting news. I have a Canon 40D coming in the mail for me, along with a 50mm 1.4 lens!! I know someone who had just gotten one, but needs to sell it, so lets just say I am getting an awesome deal I could not refuse! I am so excited!

Adjusting

2008-09-12T21:42:00.003-04:00

We survived the first entire week of school. Aidan did well and didn't seem to exhausted. Aidan is loving school, at least the social part of it! He did come home the other day and told me that grade one was too hard and he wanted to go back to kindergarten. Although when I told him he would be going to school with Cassidy he soon changed his mind. He was a little anxious starting this year. I think the whole idea of a new teacher, and new classroom was a little scary, but after the first few days, those things didn't seem to matter anymore.

Cassidy is loving school as well. She just wishes she could go everyday as well. She is going full days every tuesday, thursday and every second friday. It has been difficult getting Cassidy up in the mornings. She loves to sleep in, I am sure she will learn to adjust as the year goes on.

Here are some shots from my crazy kiddos while Aidan was at school.

Steve has been doing more work in the house. The cupboards are done, countertop is in. Backsplash and flooring is picked out but not installed, Steve is done the opening in the wall and also painted out my red wall in the dining room (yeah, the stripes are gone!!) Steve is taking off to Brandon for a few days next week to get the Brandon house ready for showing. The house starts showing next thursday.

2008-09-08T22:06:00.003-04:00

Good friends of ours in our small group got the shocking news that there father has brain cancer. Please keep them in our prayers. On sunday, our small group had an amazing time of prayer for them. I ask you pray for peace, strength and comfort for the family. They have created a blog to keep people updated, feel free to check it out.
http://gravelroadjourney.blogspot.com/

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Firsts!!

2008-09-07T15:25:00.009-04:00

Last week was a week of firsts for the kids. On wensday was Aidan's first day of Grade one at Calvin Christian. It was also the first day of preschool for Liam at Kidsplace Nursery school. They just moved into Calvin and are just down the hall from Aidan and Cassidy's classrooms. Liam loved it and was rather upset when I came back to pick him up.

Here is enjoying some play time. I was very eager for me to leave him there and wasn't to happy when I came in just to take a few pictures. Hard to see him so independent.

Thursday was Cassidy's first day of kindergarten. She has been waiting a very long time for this day. Here they are ready to walk to school. It was a chilly morning. It seems to have cooled down here ever since September hit. I was hopeing for a warm fall but so far it has been rainy and cold.

I went in with her to get her all settled into her classroom. When I went to pick her up, she was very excited about all she did and can't wait to go back!

Liam was rather bored with both the kids in school. He is only in preschool two afternoons a week so he is still home alot. He did have a great time though playing with Aidan's farm stuff, which he usually is not allowed to touch!

Post of pictures

2008-09-03T20:12:00.005-04:00

Last night we came home from a last getaway before school started this morning. Saturday till monday we spent at Granny and Grandpa's farm and then monday till tuesday we spend at Grandma and Grandpa's in Brandon.

The kids had so much fun at the farm. Aidan spent alot of time with Grandpa on the tractor. He is so fascinated with all of the tractors and the combines. Cassidy loved working in the garden and picking flowers.
I was determined to take a few pictures in the wheat but was very sad when all of our fields where knocked down. We then went for a drive to find some that was still standing.

Monday morning we headed in to Brandon. Steve spent the two days working on our house there, getting ready for sale. Steve met with our realitor and signed the papers. The house will hit the market on Sept.12, Steve has a few more things to do there before it is ready to show. We are praying for a quick sale, and that things will all fall into place smoothly.

This morning was back to the grind. We took Aidan to his first day of school and Liam to his first day of preschool. Cassidy has her first day of kindergarten tomorow. Pictures are yet to come!

2008-08-28T09:59:00.002-04:00

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won't be death anymore. There won't be any grief, crying, or pain"

I am sure your having a blast in Heaven, Aidan wants to know if there are any tractors there.

We love you and miss you and can't wait to see you.

Levi Joel Harder

Born and died August 28, 2001

Two more weeks of summer........

2008-08-20T09:36:00.006-04:00

I have been working on this post for quite a few days now, I found it hard to blog after my last post, which was so heavy.
Aidan and I had a good talk about Mrs.Klassen's baby, and heaven, and his cousin Levi, and my Auntie Martha. He was sad to hear the news, asking why and I couldn't give him the answer. I told him that sometimes God makes babies too perfect for our earth.
I knew we had been talking alot about Heaven and hell when this morning when I had the kids in superstore, Aidan pronouced loudly in the produce section that people who don't love God go to Hell. I am sure everyone around us heard, I asked him to talk quieter but then thought to myself, he is only saying the truth. Now if we could only learn from his boldness.
Last week Aidan and Cassidy enjoyed an entire week at Granny and Grandpa's farm. I had Liam here in Winnipeg. Liam and I did alot of running around that I can't do with all three kids. The kids had a blast and we headed to Brandon for the weekend to meet my parents and spend some time with Steve's parents. Steve also had some work to do on the Brandon house, and we had a realitor come through it. Which means we are hopeing to list it in September. We have a tenant in there currently and he will be there till it is sold. Steve plans on doing some touch up stuff, laying some new flooring in the kitchen and putting a new sink/vanity in the downstairs bathroom as well as some painting. With this done we hope to list it for a decent price.
As for our kitchen renos....the new countertop is in but that is about it. The whole project hasn't got much attention lately, we just have too many things on the go. Hopefully we can get the cupboard doors up and hardware on. Plus we need to decide on a backsplash.
I had a photoshoot last week at St.Boniface Basilica and here are a few shots before the family had arrived.

and.....Aidan, at the playground in Brandon.

one last thing, TWO WEEKS TILL SCHOOL STARTS!! I am SO excited!! The kids are so bored, I am sick of entertaining them and ready to get back to regular schedule. Not excited about paying for it but we are trusting that God will work out those details.

2008-08-14T12:00:00.005-04:00

Today was just an ordinary day when I went to get the mail. I opened up the mail to find a birth announcment from Aidan's kindergarten teacher. I know Aidan would be excited to open it and find out what his teacher had.
When I read the announcment, it read born and passed away. My heart dropped to know that for some reason, they lost there little boy. I began to think about when Laura lost Levi. Why do these things happen is beyond my understanding.
God only knows.
I ask you to pray for this family. This was there first born.
I only know her as Aidan's teacher, but Aidan was rather attached to her and the fact she was going to have a little one was very exciting to him.
My heart breaks as a mother.
To view a very emotional slideshow of this little one,
http://www.jeremyhiebert.ca/jaybenjaminklassen/

2008-08-12T12:54:00.003-04:00

BUSY! Yes, and I haven't even gone though the camping photos from the weekend. We had a good weekend camping with our family, my parents even took Aidan and Cass home for the week so it is just Liam here. I have been swamped with photoediting from photoshoots and actually was glad two shoots got cancelled from the HUGE amount of rain that is falling right now. Gives me some time to play catch up before my shoot tonight.

I will post some more pics soon, but in the meantime, I have been slowly updating my photography website with new pics, check it out!

also, did I mention our coutertops arrived? Not quite 4-6 weeks, more like 4-6 days! So hopefully by the time the kiddos arrive home it will be installed. Now if only we can come to agreement on a backsplash!

Halway done...

2008-08-02T17:11:00.008-04:00

Summer is halfway over, can you believe it??
The kids just finished there two weeks of swimming lessons. They both did well and really enjoyed it. They were both really challenged this year and it was good for them. Aidan has some work to do on his distance front crawl and Cassidy has work to do on her roll over float. I have really noticed how much more confident they were in the water this year and not afraid to do anything. I have always thought swimming lessons are good for kids, especially if you are at the lake alot.After there swimming was done, I promised them a trip to build a bear. They have been eyeing and saving for a while now and have been counting down the days. I saved some money by getting the outfits for there animals off of ebay and they still got to get there animals at the store. I can not believe how much a person can spend at that store, highly overrated!!

Now if you were wondering where Liam was during all this, he sat patiently every morning through swimming lessons. It was just too much to put them all in at the same time. I plan on putting Liam in while the kids are in school. He also had no desire to get a Build a bear, which was a bonus for me, and just wanted a $2.99 mickey mouse from the Disney Store clearence.

I have been doing lots more photography lately and in the next few weeks, seems like everyone has family pictures on there mind! I have a shoot next week with 13 people, and am a tad nervous on the big size but excited since I already know the family with be a blast.

This past week the kids also attended Vacation Bible School at the NK mb church This church is a short walk from our place, not the one we regularly attend. They had alot of fun. Thursday evening they had a closing program, here are a few pictures of the kids singing. Can you find them in the crowd?
As for other news, Steve started ripping apart our kitchen. We ordered a new countertop last week, although it will take about 4-6 weeks since it is a custom order. We also replaced the lighting and we are refacing all of our cupboards. They will be a swiss coffee color, (just a fancy way of saying off white) and we will add some nice black hardware. I am SO excited to say goodbye to my dark and outdated kitchen. It feels good to get things accomplished on this house.

2008-07-26T18:56:00.012-04:00

Another summer week is here and gone. August is just around the corner and I am excited for the kids to be back in school soon but dreading the fall weather.
This week Cassidy and Aidan started swimming lessons. Tuesday we also got the chance to head out to Splash Island in Portage la Prarie and met up with Nori Milton and her kids and Christy Klassen and her kiddos. They were both friends from back in my Brandon years and we had a moms group together when our first baby boys were born. It was good to catch up, Nori and her kids had traveled all the way from BC and we hadn't seen them for about 2 years. It didn't take the kids long to warm up to each other and had a blast swimming. Aidan and Cassidy really became attached to the waterslide and it was nice to be able to sit back and watch them go up and down themselves, rather then dragging them up myself. Liam on the other hand was rather upset that he was too short to go down alone. Cassidy going down. This is the best picture I got of Aidan going down. I kept missing him because I was chatting too much!!

Here are a few pics of all the kiddos, wow has our old thursday moms group grown in the last 6 years, and we are missing some!

Thursday after swimming lessons, I took the kids to Harborview park, which is about a 5 minute drive from our place. They used to have this cool wooden pirate ship playground but I was doing family portraits for a family there in the evening and I wanted to check it out and warned the kids that they were taking down the old park. Much to my surprise, they had built a new park which was amazing. It was ships in an ocean, complete with lighthouse. The kids loved it and it was good to find a new place for us to go

It is now the weekend and we stuck around here for it. It has been nice to not have any plans for once. Steve has been opening up the wall from the living room to the kitchen. He finished opening it up today and just need to do the finishing work. It took alot longer then planned because he had to do some electrical work but it will look great when all done. Next plan, do something with those ugly kitchen cupboards!

2008-07-23T22:26:00.002-04:00

2008-07-21T20:12:00.005-04:00

We survived another weekend of camping. We headed off to St.Malo last friday for the annual "Keown" camping weekend with Steve's side of the family. The weekend ended up being beautiful and the bugs weren't as bad as last time.
The kids did lots of swimming, and they enjoyed spending time with there cousins Julie and Ashton. I am finding camping with the kids easier and easier every time we go. We have a good system worked out and it seems to work well. We do have an older tent trailer, I think the green beast will be put to rest at the end of this summer. Steve plans to gut it and turn it into a utility trailer and we will look for a newer tent trailer. I have to admit, a trailer makes a HUGE difference when camping and I think I would find it hard to go back to a tent.

Here are the kids enjoying the water

Enjoying some ice cream

Like i first mentioned, the bugs weren't as bad but they still were out there biting. Cassidy seems to swell up so bad with misquoto bites and got bit on the eye, which then started to swell shut. I don't think I had mentioned before but she was also recovering from getting the 'swimmers itch' from the cabin. Poor girl.
It is hard to believe it is almost August and in a short month the kids will be back to school. We have two weeks of swimming every morning starting today. Tomorow we head to the water park at Portage to meet some old friends, the kids are very excited. I also have taken a bit of a break the last few weeks from photoshoots and get back into it this week and am getting my August booked up quite nicely.

Camping Pictures

2008-07-14T21:37:00.014-04:00

We had a great time at St.Malo. The weather was nice, not too hot but nice enough to enjoy the beach. Every year seems to be easier to camp with the kids, I think it has to do with age.

We are home

2008-07-14T08:46:00.021-04:00

Wow, it has been a long time. We are now home from our two weeks of vacation. Steve is back at work today and we are experiencing our real first day at home since school is done. I am going to have to think of things to keep the kids busy. I am going to have a few posts to summerize our past two weeks, I think I emptied one of my 4GB cards on my laptop several times so I have TONS of pictures and not enough time to go through them.
Vacation starting on July 1st when we headed 3 1/2 hours to the Canadian/USA border to Lake Metigosh where my parents have a cabin. They are basically right on the border off of the lake. It was a beautiful hot week and we did lots of relaxing. Granny and Grandpa spent the time with us and it probably was a good thing because we may have gotten bored there after a while.

Joel and Laura also came up one evening and we were able to visit with them.

Steve and my Dad went fishing every day, sometimes twice and took the kids out alot too. They caught lots of fish, Aidan with his first two and Cassidy with her first. Steve also caught quite a few with a big monster one. Cassidy showing off her fish Aidan's second fish (37 inches, daddy helped him get this big guy)

Of course, who could forget Daddy's 40 incher, this guy was huge!

July 4th, Grandpa took us all out on the boat late at night to the American side where we saw one of the best fireworks show. Everyone there blasts off there own so everywhere we looked there was stuff going on, the kids thought it was pretty neat and I must say the Americans now how to put on a good show. They also thought it was great to stay up to midnight!We were very glad that we left right before the tornado went through. Thankgoodness our cabin was safe but many of the neighbors weren't so fortunate.

Saturday we started the journey back home and stopped in Brandon for the night at Grandma and Grandpa Keowns. Sunday Grandpa took us out to shoot rockets and then we went for icecream.

Sunday night we arrived home and monday I spent the day doing laundry and grocery shopping and we got the trailer all ready for camping.

Tuesday we headed to St.Malo and enjoyed the rest of the week camping. We had great weather and spent lots of time at the beach. Lots more pictures from camping will be coming in my next post!

Now we are trying to get into some kind of summer routine. We are camping this weekend again at St.Malo with the 'Keown' family, so I didn't even bother unpacking half the camping gear. Next week the kids start swimming lessons for two weeks and the end of the month they are going to Vacation Bible school.

School is out!

2008-06-26T18:39:00.008-04:00

Another hot day, I believe it is about 32 degrees celcius with the humidity right now. We spent the afternoon in the backyard in the pool. It seems as our summer as finally arrived. With the cold spring I thought this kind of weather would never come.

Last week was a week with field trips and parties at school to wrap up the year. Aidan went to the zoo with his class and Cassidy had a picnic with her class which the whole family got to attend.

On the weekend, Steve and I headed up to Falcon Lake with our small group and spent 2 nights at the cabin with NO KIDS! Grandma stayed here with the kids. We had so much fun and spent lots of time on the beach, staying up late and good fellowship with friends. I decided that we need to do that more often!
Monday it was back to regular routine. Cassidy had a small ceremony for her preschool graduation.

Cassidy with one of her best friends.

It is now thursday and the kids officially are done school. Cassidy finished gymnastics last week and Aidan has one more soccer game on monday. Next week we head out to Granny and Grandpa's cabin for some much needed relaxation, although the thought of packing and getting everything ready does not sound relaxing at all. The week after that we are at St.Malo camping.

Can you believe Aidan will be in grade one, and Cassidy in kindergarten?? Time sure has flown by fast.

I did it, again

2008-06-15T13:03:00.006-04:00

I am done, I did it and I hurt all over. It was a FREEZING morning when I headed out to the University of Manitoba, where the marathon starts. I refused to bring a sweater, only my running tank and shorts since I knew I would be boiling hot in only minutes of running. I gigantic dark cloud loomed over top of us, but didn't once drop anything, thankgoodness. Once the race started, the sun came out and it got me hot, tired and sore.

I actually had a moment in the last mile where I thought I couldn't go any longer. My knee hurt and the mile seemed to go on FOREVER....but..... I still kept going, and beat my last year time by about 11 minutes. I finished it in about 1 hour and 51 minutes. This could be a little off since our time starts when we cross the start line, and I believe I crossed it about 1-2 minutes in, the clock was about 1hour and 52 1/2 minutes when I crossed the finish line so it should even out to about 1:51ish. I will see my final time when it is posted on the web tomorow. Last year I ran it in about 2:02. I am just so glad I beat my last years time.

When we got home we took daddy out for brunch, it was good, really hard to eat after such a big workout, but the kids all finished there meals.
Liam enjoying his big cookies he got to bring home after his meal

I am hopeing to get some new marathon pictures as well, I was on the look out for the sports photographers during the entire thing and was trying to check out there equipment as I passed by. Hopefully there pictures will be up on there sites shortly as well.

Cassidy thinks my medal is pretty cool and has added it to her jewelery collection, I gave Aidan my medal last year so it was only fair.

And I forgot to mention, Steve and the kids stayed home but they aired the whole marathon finish line on MTS tv all morning so they watched me cross the finish line.

2008-06-10T10:29:00.011-04:00

As we are drawing closer and closer to summer holidays, I am getting more and more excited! It seems as though the closer we get to summer, the busier the days get.
Last weekend Aidan had a soccer tournament which ment a few games throughout the entire weekend. This was a nice little bonus for him and he even got a cool trophy after.

They had a carnival there and the kids enjoyed pony rides and some other games. Liam especially like the cotton candy bigger then his head!

This week we are back to soccer games, gymnastics and school. This weekend is the Manitoba Marathon and I am getting ready to run it. My knee has been on the sore side lately so I am hopeing it doesn't slow me down. I would really like to beat my last years time, but it all depends on the weather. Last year the weather was perfect, no rain and heat.

Next week Aidan has his field trip to the zoo as well as Cassidy has her class picnic with the family. We are also heading to Falcon lake with three other couples from our small group for the following weekend. No kids are coming and I am SO excited about that! We are staying at a cabin and I am hopeing for nice hot weather.

Steve has two weeks off of holidays starting in July. We plan on spending the first part at my parents cabin at lake Metigosh and the second part camping at St. Malo. No big far away vacation plans this year but I am sure the kids would have fun just the same. We have no problem filling up our summer and it always seems to fly by way to fast.

As well, I am booking my summer months for photoshoots, so please email me if you are interested. I am going to be taking sessions on weekday evenings as well because alot of weekends we are gone. Feel free to visit my site.

Here are a few more random photos from the week.

Frustrated!!!

2008-06-07T20:05:00.004-04:00

Yes that is where we are at right now. Why does money make us so frustrated? As most of you know, our kids go to a private Christian school. I love it and can not imagine them being anywhere else.

When we enrolled Aidan last year we were excited about the discount recived when our other kids started going. Every little bit helps when you are spending a fortune on there education. I also think every penny is worth it or else I would not be doing it.

The kicker is, this year, because of the schools huge debt load, they looked for ways to save money. Instead of increasing each individual tuition, they cut out the family discounts. So NO discount for us this year with Cassidy. None, zero, not even a penny! It is almost $1000 difference then it would have been. That is alot of money for us. I understand prices have to increase, but doesn't that seem like a giant increase? Yes, Steve does have a great paying job, but we also own two houses, and living expenses are not cheap. We don't go on big vacations, or buy extravagent things, we just don't have extra money to do so. Saving money?? what is that?? I call our Brandon house our savings account. With the cost of three kids there is just nothing left to 'save'

So there is temptation of unloading our brandon house. If it was only that easy though, since having a house sit on the market can cost, and getting rid of renters means us forking over the mortgage. But.....the amount of money we could pull out would be wonderful. On the other hand, in 20 years this house could put our children through University. Or at least buy me a great vacation!

anyways, that is just my little vent. It just teaches us to be more involved in our school so they can here our opinions before anything is passed. We didn't attend the board meetings, so we didn't realize this was all going to happen. Steve has already decided next year he will be in attendance. We just think it is sad that they have to pull one thing that really drew us to the school and helped us away.

Again, like I said before, I love the school and the teachers and the envioronment. I just don't know know how families are supposed to afford Christian education.

As for other news, I got some new business cards the other day which I made myself and had a small test amount printed with WHCC Sorry the pictures are crappy, I was too lazy to pull out my speedlight and I am not a great product photographer!

Almost done

2008-06-04T12:50:00.009-04:00

Summer is almost here and we have begun the countdown till holidays! Cassidy has 9 more preschool days left and Aidan has 7 more school days left. Both kids are looking forward to field trips and parties. It is hard to believe Cassidy will be in kindergarten and Aidan in grade one in fall.
Cassidy had her kindergarten practise day last week and she loved every minute. Today when I took her for a walk she was planning out all the different things she was going to pack for lunches.

It feels like yesterday I brought Aidan to his first kindergarten day, I was so stressed up packing his lunches and snacks and that he wouldn't eat them in the right order, I was stressed about him getting his shoes on and off himself, as well as meeting me outside to pick him up. It is funny how those worries seem to disapear in time and how he is so independant now. I don't worry about those things with Cassidy. Mainly because she is my independant one.

I am very happy with there school. Yes, often I think it would be nice not to have to 'pay' for there schooling, but knowing they are in a christian envioronment is wonderful. To hear Aidan singing his bible songs, or reciting his verses, or replaying bible stories is just so neat. I believe it is a wonderful gift we can give them. Yes, financially it is scary, especially in fall with two kids. We have no idea how to make it work but I know it is important we do.

We have been keep busy around here as always. Aidan in his soccer, Cassi in her gymnastics. Every night we have something on and it defiantly helps the weeks fly by. Less then two weeks is the marathon which I am so faithfully training for. This year I feel alot less motivated, mainly because my running partners are either pregnant, or have a newborn. So i will be running alone. My running times are way faster this year then last so I hope to shave some time off.

This past weekend we didn't do much. I had a photoshoot and Steve dug out all the weeds in our lawn. Yesterday I started digging and cleaning up some flower beds in the back, places I have been avoiding but desperatly needed help.

We are already booking up our summer. No big plans this year but lots of little stuff. I have several camping trips booked up, as well as some time booked at Granny and Grandpa's cabin. I have swimming lessons booked for the kids to break up the time we are around.

That is about all for today. I really need to blog more often

2008-05-28T21:06:00.018-04:00

Liam's mickey mouse party was a success. The weather was sunny and hot which made for the perfect day. We had lots of friends and family over for a big bbq and cake. I had found this big mickey mouse balloon on ebay and had it filled. It was a huge hit!
A friend of mine made me a Mickey mouse cake, rather impressive!

I made some Mickey mouse cookies!

Some of the cousins!
Granny with the kids.

The Pinata

Liam favorite gift was his mickey mouse crocs he got from Nathan (the boy I babysit during the week) He won't take them off. He was outgrowing his old pair so I was thrilled with this gift.
Saturday night the cousins all had a big sleepover in the basement. They stayed up late watching Enchanted and crashed!
The next morning we had a crazy event. I left early to go for my 10 mile run, when I was almost home, i noticed a trampoline on the side of the street, missing several legs. I knew right away it was mine. Sure enough, ours was gone. I dragged Steve out of bed and we retrieved the trampoline, Steve even found the rest of the missing pieces in the park. Obviously some kids were trying to get it to the park but freaked out and dropped it. Thankgoodness it is all fine and back together again. I was not happy but now we can laugh about it.

We live in a great, quiet bay but often the quiet areas are the easier areas for kids to get into trouble. I was just beyond frustrated that some kids can be so stupid.

Monday was Liam's actual birthday. Hard to believe it has been 3 years! We celebrated his birthday with Mcdonalds happy meals, which is a real treat since it is rare for them to each get a happy meal. I also got Liam to stay still for a few minutes to take a few 3 year pictures.

Cassidy has her kindergarten practise day on friday. I can not believe this school year is almost done and Aidan will be in grade one next year. It is exciting yet scary since haveing two kids in private school will make quite a dent in the pocket book, but so worth it!

LIAM IS THREE!!!

2008-05-26T13:46:00.002-04:00

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY LIAM!!!! We enjoyed a hot day on saturday, perfect for his Mickey Mouse party. I will be sure to share lots of pictures when I get a chance but right now I am off to bring Cassidy to school!

Finally. . ..

2008-05-19T19:58:00.003-04:00

It is up!! Click here to visit my BRAND NEW site! I made this all myself (with a template) and didn't have to ask once for help! Still in the making and I have lots of pictures yet to plug into it, but you can still take a look.

Is it really May?

2008-05-12T09:54:00.010-04:00

These past few weeks I sure have been wondering why we live in Manitoba. Especially since someone informed me that we are the coldest city in Canada. Is that true?? Our weather has been so unpredictable. For example, last weekend they were calling for +21, and what do we get?? +6 with snow!!!

I am glad to say that is done with and we enjoyed a beautiful weekend! Yes, it is rainy today but my poor grass so desperatly needs the rain so I know it is good. The long weekend looks amazing, so hopefully the forcast won't change too much.
The week for us has been VERY busy. Soccer started up, twice a week for 1 1/2hours. Defiantly a big commitment but Aidan loves it!

Tuesday I spent the afternoon photographing a Christian Business Trade Show at the Viscount Hotel. This was defiantly challenging, dealing with bad lighting and overall different subjects then what I am used to but overall it went very well. I was asked to present my own table at this show originally but I wasn't ready for all the preperation it would have taken but hope to take part as an exhibitor next year. This is just a sample of some of the stuff I did. I covered a panel discussion as well as the crowd and different exhibitors.
Wensday right after his soccer game we rushed to the Calvin Christian spring concert. Here is him and the class singing there songs. (sorry for the terrible picture, I was jammed in so I couldn't move to get a nicer shot)Thursday Cassidy had gymnastics and I was able to get a few shots. Parents are not allowed in to watch but they made an exception for one class.

Steve worked the entire weekend. That was a bummer since I never got a real 'day off' on mothers day.

I also had my first maternity shoot, here is a small taste. I am so happy with them all and will have lots of them on my website (once I finish it and get it going, http://www.erinkeownphotography.com/)

Today Aidan is having a Poem reading party at his classroom and famlies are invited. It is during Cassi's preschool time so Liam and I will go, I will be sure to bring the camera!

Long weekend is coming up! Steve is working, this is his last weekend he will be working for a long time. I have a few photoshoots, as long as the weather is nice and hopefully I can go look at purchaseing some flowers and hanging baskets. The following weekend is Liam's big Mickey Mouse party!

2008-05-05T08:10:00.004-04:00

I forgot to share some great news in my last post. Last week I found out that a nursery school was moving into Calvin Christian. It isn't run by Calvin, they are just renting a space. I became very excited for the possibilities that all three kids would go to school in the same place in fall, which is also just down the street and quickly registered Liam before they filled up!

fun with blocks. . .

2008-05-04T10:36:00.003-04:00

What a busy weekend and it is still not over. We were able to get a few things accomplished this weekend. We were expecting very warm temperatures but last minute the forcast changed on us. Kind of a bummer since we had a beautiful week. I am tired of the up and down temperatures and wish we could just stay the same.

Yesterday I convinced Steve to do a few things around the house. We have SO many things that need to be done and since everything is so expensive we haven't been able to do things as fast as we would like. Steve insalled a new vanity downstairs in the bathroom, finally!! So all you visitors, you will get to wash your hands in the guest bath rather then using hand sanitizer. This was a project we kind of weren't in a rush to do since it is our third bathroom but it is nice that it is done. This bathroom still has alot of work but it is now functional.

We also found a new light for our entrance. I have been watching for a while for one that matches our light in the dining room and we finally found one. I was so happy to see the ugly old brass light fixture go in the trash.

Last night Steve and I hired a babysitter and went to the Starfield concert with some friends. I am sure you all heard of the accident, or read it in my sister Jamie's post at there concert a week earlier. They shared quite a bit from there experience there and had a prayer time for the people who are hurting. They had a fantastic concert and I am glad I got to see them. The reason I say "I" and not "We" is that Steve had to leave halfway through because Liam started freaking out. He has been doing this lately and we didn't want our young babysitter to have to deal with that. At least I got to enjoy it.

Tomorow is Aidan's first soccer game. We all enjoyed soccer last year and it was good to get out with the entire family. The other kids enjoy the time as well. Last year we had a terrible experience and Aidan's soccer coach quite halfway through, just never showed up. It was dissapointing for the kids but thankgoodness for some willing parents who stood up and took charge. I am sure this year will be different.

Hot weather and Snow

2008-04-28T11:47:00.008-04:00

What a crazy few weeks we have had. I am so excited to see May right around the corner. May is always a busy month, we celebrate two birthdays in our family (daddy and Liam) plus mothers day. Soccer also begins in May and Cassidy just started gymnastics.
Our weather here has been so crazy! Last week we hit HIGH temperatures, I got sunburt and even started a good sandle tan. We even got our first thunderstorm for the year! Then thursday we had some wild winter system come through that dumped snow, sleet, hail and rain. Not much snow, it is already all gone but it was still a little depressing.
It is now back to sunny times and today should be a beautiful day! Warm enough to break out my capris and sandles again.

Over the weekend I went to the church woman's retreat. It was the first year I have gone and I quite enjoyed myself. They go to camp Cederwood which is up in Lac du Bonnet(which is more like resort then a camp) and we have lots of sessions, food, cool crafts and just hanging out. I am still trying to catch up on my sleep and feel very 'hung over' from being sleep deprived. Steve held up the fort here all weekend and everyone was still in good spirits when I got home.
Cassidy started gymnastics two weeks ago. She loves it, I am rather impressed at all the stuff they are learning. They don't allow the parents in the class (easier for kids to focus if we are not there) so I have yet to get any pictures. Next week we are allowed to watch. Cassidy is enjoying it much more then ballet.
Aidan starts soccer right away and that is always a big time commitment for us but I look forward to it and he is very anxious to get started.
Not much else is new here. I have quite a few photo shoots set up for the next few weeks, plus tons of yard work so I am sure I will keep rather busy. All of these overgrown flower beds are overwhelming and I don't know what to keep and what to chuck. The kids are excited to plant some vegtables this year.

been a long time. . . .

2008-04-15T12:52:00.019-04:00

I know it has been a very long time since I have posted. Mainly because blogger has been giving me problems and I don't feel like fighting with it. As well, I have been working on my other blog and have come to the conclusion that I need to create a good website for my photography, not this cheapo blog thing.
Life here is on fastfoward like usual. Not much free time here as we go from one place to another.
First of all I will give a little recap or our spring break. We didn't anywhere to far. The kids and I did some different things, museum, library etc... here they are with painted faces from the afternoon at the manitoba theater (they had an open house with activites for kids)

We then had Laura and the cousins Maddy, Olivia and Judah over for a sleepover. We enjoyed some play time at a park with them and for some reason my kids managed to get soaked and Laura's stayed dry
The end of the week we headed to some friends cottage and the kids had a blast. The temperatures were cold and it would have been nice to be warmer but we still enjoyed ourselves. I was happy to see lots of snow melted when we arrived home. I have to say I barely took any pictures when we were there, which is rather odd.

It was then back to real schedule. The kids were very ready to get back to school, and we were excited to see temperatures start to rise. Now the snow is gone and I am comfortable in sandles and capris. It is about time!

We have been spending every minute outside, I am a tad overwhelmed at the landscaping that needs to be done but terribly excited to start mowing grass!! We have lots of big plans for the yard and although I hated the layout, and the fact we aren't all fenced in, the bay is so quiet that I have no problem with the kids playing all over it.

It was VERY excited for the kids that after two long summers we were finally able to set our trampoline back up. They can not get enough of it.

That is about all that is new. The kids are still the same active self and I am so glad the weather is warm enough to send them outside. Liam's birthday is in a little over a month and I am starting to think about what we will do for him.
I am seeing more and more the changes with the kids before my eyes. Especially Cassidy. She spends hours in her room drawing, writing or doing her "homework" as she likes to say. She does very well with her words and letters and I can see what her strong point in school will be. She is working along Aidan with the Hooked on phonics and is doing excellent.
Cassidy is also growing like crazy. I can not keep clothes that fit her and unlike Liam (who is still wearing 18-24 months) she seems to need her drawers cleaned out constantly. I am defiantly going to have to shop for her for summer.
Liam on the other hand still fits all his 18 month summer clothes from last year.
Now my question for you blog readers, where do you find the time to blog anymore???

Easter Weekend

2008-03-24T13:31:00.021-04:00

Sunday evening we got home from our fun packed weekend at Granny and Grandpas farm. We had not been out to the farm for quite a while and the kids were counting down the sleeps before we left.
Friday morning we headed out. It was nice to have no work and no school that day so we could make the trip a little longer.
When we got there Steve got to work with my dad to finish there sunroom ceiling which they were lining with cedar. The kids were right in there in the action and had to do some building of there own.

Aidan enjoying a fresh snowfall.

Cassidy baking with Granny
Liam eyeing the dessert
Saturday the kids cousins Maddy, Olivia and Judah came over and the painted some easter eggs.

Saturday evening Granny did a special activity with them. She had found an Easter story cookie recipe. As the kids made them, each thing represented part of the story and we read scripture along with it.
The white cookies represented the tomb.

At the end, the kids had to put the cookies in the oven and tape it shut tight, so that they knew no one could get in.

In the morning they opened up the oven, took the cookies and broke them open to find that they were hollow, representing the empty tomb. It was a great object lesson for them.
Sunday morning I also made a little treasure hunt for the baskets. I usually do an easter egg hunt outside, but was a little lazy this year and tried something different.

Aidan and Cassidy were thrilled to find Webkinz in there basket.

My nephew Judah (I was able to do some portraits of him and have included a few on my photography website, he was SO adorable I had a hard time choosing one or two to post)

Now we are back to regular schedule. Liam went for another speech assesment today. They are planning to start some kind of program with him. We meet again in a month plus have another ear test. They are concerned with his slur speech and the fact he is hard to understand. He is similar to how Aidan was at that age and Aidan has defiantly come along way.

Aidan also got his report card for this term. It was excellent and again the teacher commented on his imagination and love for science. She also said how much he has improved in his speech. It is hard to believe in three months school will be done for the summer. The year sure has flown by and I can hardly wait for Cassidy and Aidan to both be in school.

I am also going to be doing quite a few photography shoots in the next little while. I have lots booked and a ton of interest so that is rather encouraging. I am not planning to make much money with it but maybe eventually I will be able to. I have been adding alot more to my site so feel free to check it out. Someday I hope to splurge on a nice site, but hey, can't beat free blogger for now!

I am officially back to marathon training. It is SO nice to run in this spring weather. This is my favorite temperatures to run in.

That is about all that is new around here, last thing, next week is spring break, so you can pray for my sanity.

HAPPY EASTER!!

2008-03-19T18:40:00.002-04:00

nice weather

2008-03-11T14:17:00.008-04:00

It is beautiful out today. I don't want to get too attached to the nice spring weather yet. It has been such a nice change though. The kids have enjoyed most of yesterday and today outside. Although it is wet, and they come in drenched, they are happier with all the fresh air in them.
Yesterday, when they got home from school, we enjoyed the sunshine and took advantage of the perfect 'snowman snow' and made a few.

Cassidy made a princess, Liam a mickeymouse, and Aidan was making a giant. Here they are displaying there work.

Over this past weekend we took a quick trip to Brandon. It has been a very long time since we have been there. Steve had a bit of work to do in our rental there and he wanted to work on our taxes with his dad.

It was a quick trip and the kids were sad that we had to leave so quickly. We really have to make it out there more often.

It was time. . .

2008-03-04T17:37:00.005-05:00

It was time for a new header on my blog. Not too creative, but nice and simple. I didn't have the time or energy for anything more.
I just needed to post this one picture of Cassidy, this one is especially for Granny and Grandpa.

2008-02-29T17:10:00.005-05:00

It is March tomorow. What a sigh of relief! We have almost done it, made it through another winter.

As I walked through Zellers today (to buy a plunger, will fill you in on why later), I noticed all the summer patio sets, BBQ's and other stuff is out. How exciting is that? I am really starting to get excited about all of our summer activities that we enjoy. This weekend is soccer registration for Aidan and he is very anxious and excited to start again.

Today was another eventful day. Along with the running around between schools, Liam decided to flush an entire roll of toilet paper down the toilet, and then he tried to clean it up himself. This whole process happened in a mater of minutes while I was changing Nathan's diaper and disposing of it.

When i walked into the hallway there was water everywhere, and of course, we left our plunger at the old house. But now it is done and I just have lots of dirty towels to wash. Through it all I was rather calm, which surprised me. Liam sure keeps me on my toes.
This past week Jamie and the kids came back to visit, It was also Granny's (my mom) birthay and she was able to celebrate it at our place

We have another busy weekend coming up. I feel like every weekend has been jammed packed from start to finish and they haven't been very relaxing. I think this is why the last few months of flown by so fast.

I registered Liam for preschool last week. This was something we have debated about. I was told it was filling up fast and decided to register him anyway, that way if I decide not too in fall, I will just cancel it. I think preschool will help with his speech.

As for other news, I am looking for willing participants to photograph to add to my portfolio. Especially infants and maternity, but really anyone who is willing and ready. Email me if you are interested, my head is spinning with creative ideas. ekeown@mts.net