I can expense that, right?

A few weeks ago Erin and I braved an 8.5 hour drive to Saskatoon with all four kids (my two snotheads and her two turdballs). I had a regional hockey tournament to attend (yeah, we’re that good).  I managed to convince Erin to join me because we’ve got lots of family there. My aunt/godmother, Judy, moved there 30+ years ago and raised her family of 4 there. They’re all adults now and they all still live there and now they’ve got a few kidlets of their own. So we threw some lunch in a cooler and packed Erin’s VAGON (she won’t call it a van) full of books, blankies, diapers, wipes, toys, and a BLESSED portable DVD player and ventured out. The drive out went so swimmingly that we knew the ride back could not be without a few glitches…in the world of literature that’s what you call foreboding.

While visiting, Erin took some photos of Cooper (our cousin Adam’s little guy), Jessie and Tegan (our cousin Jenn’s two cuties) and I took photos of Izzy and Kennedy (our cousin Jo’s ‘kids’). Newborn Kennedy is the cutest newborn I have EVER seen…even cuter than my own adorable poop machines were at birth. She was just two weeks old when we met her and she was so strong and was already genuinely smiling. I know farts and I know smiling. She smiled.

We lost all three games in the hockey tournament (okay, so we’re not that good) but got an amazing visit in with everyone. It rained all weekend. By the time we left on Monday morning the kids missed their dads, their beds, and had been cooped up for 3 days. We knew we were doomed. The first half of the ride went without any real problems but seemed to drag foreeeeever. Erin’s oldest, Willem, takes 30 minutes to go the ‘bathroom’ and he did that twice. We stopped for an hour for lunch and then again for 30 minutes to let them get their beans out. So 9+ hours into the drive we (stupidly) turned the DVD player off and tried to force them all to take a nap. Didn’t happen. At all. In fact there was an uprising and the hostilities between the warden and the inmates became such that Erin and I laughed/cried for the last hour and a half of the drive.

Still worth it. We took photos on the trip, so I can expense it, right?

Here are some of the images we took of the girls of Saskatoon:

This is Jessie. She's the 'thinker'.

Tegan took some time to warm up to us but once she did...all hugs and cuddles.

Kennedy. Are you kidding me? Freakin' adorable!

This is Cooper. We think he may still be teething. 🙂

Izzy's SUPER excited about her new baby sister, Kennedy!

We (finally) did it!

Okay, so the new website is up and running. Click here to view it! We’re really happy with the final look of it. There’s still a little tweaking and fine tuning to be done, but I got an itchy trigger finger yesterday afternoon and gave our hosting site the go ahead to ‘go live’! The main page will eventually have a slide show of 10 images running through it, but for now we’ve just got a little introductory blurb about our special and welcoming Erin to the team. Which, can I say, is so amazing to me. Growing up I never dreamed that I’d get to some day live out my dream of being a mom and a creative professional along side two of my best friends (I just wish Meg lived a little closer to share in all of it; I guess Morden is closer than Vancouver Island, so I shouldn’t be complaining too much). There are definitely moments when the business puts a strain on us as moms or wives or friends or daughters or siblings, but by and large it’s the best gig I’ve ever had and I’ve had A LOT of jobs: waitress, hostess, PR rep, marketing manager, nanny, prep cook, teacher, liquor store cashier, clothing sales, retail store manager, insurance claims clerk, fitness instructor (yes, for a short while I worked at a Curves in the Cayman Islands). Phew, when I look at that list I’m almost embarrassed by how many hats I’ve worn. Oh well, each thing I’ve done has brought me to where I am today. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world! So I want to say ‘thanks’ to everyone who supports our company, to Mya for helping build it to be what it is today, to Erin for having the faith and trust in BTP to leave a career in law and take a gamble on this whole photography thing, to our husbands for their patience and help and to my kids who inspire me every day to be a better mom and a better photographer.

Happy New Year…and all that jazz!

Well, the Christmas Olympics closing ceremonies took place yesterday. I finished with 2 medals and whole lot of stuff I didn’t know I needed; who knew my sock drawer was missing two pairs of lavender, sparkly, reindeer socks? We (my family unit) don’t have any big plans for New Year’s; just a backyard bonfire and some baileys and hot chocolate and then just straight baileys for me once the kids pass out from their spiked hot chocolate, yum! I’m feeling a little weepy about the year that’s passed and how each passing moment means my babies are getting bigger and older and smarter and mouthier (they get that from their dad). I’m careful to savour each second (even when I was on my hands and knees wiping up spilled milk for the third time today). Can you believe it’s going to be 2010?!? It seems like just yesterday I was in a friend’s basement ringing in the millennium, waiting for the world to crash (and by world I mean the computers at UofW I used to write all my English papers), and crying to my girlfriends because Kevin hadn’t proposed yet! Ah, those were the days!

Still without television, and only able to justify watching a certain amount of True Blood on DVD, I’ve found time to get loads done on the new website. I’m still waiting on Mya and Erin (if you two are reading this: ahem!) to get their good stuff uploaded and then there will be some final tweaking before we go live. Keep an eye out!

Oh, Tracy and Lee (the adorable couple below) had their little boy early (on Christmas Eve); they named him Vaughn, how cool is that?

Here’s an adorable shot of my kids with their cousins on my side. The chaos that ensues when all six are together is unfathomable, you can only imagine what it’s like with presents to open, Christmas baking to consume, and Grandparents to spoil them rotten! This photo was taken by me, but Erin wants 75% of the credit because she acted like a complete fool to get them to look at the camera. I believe at one point she may have even barked!

l-r: Theo (mine:18 months), Willem (Erin's: almost 3), Ben (Meg's: 4 in March), Moira (mine: just turned 4), Eli (Meg's; 2.5), Edie (Erin's; 14 months)

4 more sleeps…

and if you can believe it, I’m completely and totally ready for Christmas. I don’t have a single thing to do. Nada! I’m caught up on all my BTP stuff, the house is clean (thanks to no TV; more on that later*), the baking is done (my 4 year old, Moira, and I just finished a batch of over-sprinkled shortbread tonight), the presents are wrapped, the tree is trimmed, and falalalalalalalala! I’ve got time for TV, just no TV, so I’m about to pop the HBO series ‘True Blood’ on DVD into my iMac; just what I need, another TV series to become addicted to.

*A few weeks ago my husband said, “When do you want me to pick up the Christmas tree?”. I replied, “Remember last year when I said, ‘I’m not cramming a friggin’ Christmas tree into the living room again next year; this monstrosity of a TV will be gone’, well, yeah, I meant it.” He said, “So sell it.” I called his bluff, and well, sold it. So, long story short, he’s buying an even bigger TV once the basement renovation is completed (which should give him some motivation to get stuff done)! In the meantime, my living room looks gloriously spacious and festive! Yay!

We’re going to be offering a great deal for photo sessions booked in January, February, March and April so keep your eyes peeled. There will be more info on the website when we’ve got the new site up and running in early January! This will likely be my last post before the holidays are through (though Mya and Erin might find time to crank one out before 2010 slaps us upside the head). So until then, BTP wishes you and yours a very happy holiday and a wonderful New Year!

Cheers,

Jody