Belated Merry Christmas!

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

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.

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.

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

so sad......

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...

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?

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

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.

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?

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?

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

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.