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Dearest Cecilia,

The past 4 months have flown by too fast. It is amazing the bond between you and I; a mother and her child. If two people met and then discussed their relationship after four months, they would acknowledge they had only scratched the surface, their understanding of each other would still be shaky, unsure and tentative.

We on the other hand, dear little daughter, we KNOW. You may be only four months into this world but you are certain of my love. You know that I will always come running. You know that I will smile at your gummy grins, even at 4am.  You know that I am the chaser of bad dreams, the comforter during the cold nights,  the protection from the scary unknowns.

I know, without a doubt, of your precious innnocence. I know you are pure, your love is open, frank, honest and loud. There are no pretences with you, no falsehoods, your moods are open and bare. When you are happy you squeal (loudly) with joy and when you are in need or unhappy you roar your displeasure and plead with your eyes at me to set your world right once more.

As we both age our relationship will change and evolve but for now I will pick you up, bury my face in your sweet chubby cheeks, kiss you till you coo (it doesn’ take long or many kisses) and be completely absorbed in this raw love between us.

This letter is part of a series that I write every month, to read another letter like this one, head over to Lauren Sanderson’s blog.

Dearest Cecilia,

The past 4 months have flown by too fast. It is amazing the bond between you and I; a mother and her child. If two people met and then discussed their relationship after four months, they would acknowledge they had only scratched the surface, their understanding of each other would still be shaky, unsure and tentative.

We on the other hand, dear little daughter, we KNOW. You may be only four months into this world but you are certain of my love. You know that I will always come running. You know that I will smile at your gummy grins, even at 4am.  You know that I am the chaser of bad dreams, the comforter during the cold nights,  the protection from the scary unknowns.

I know, without a doubt, of your precious innnocence. I know you are pure, your love is open, frank, honest and loud. There are no pretences with you, no falsehoods, your moods are open and bare. When you are happy you squeal (loudly) with joy and when you are in need or unhappy you roar your displeasure and plead with your eyes at me to set your world right once more.

As we both age our relationship will change and evolve but for now I will pick you up, bury my face in your sweet chubby cheeks, kiss you till you coo (it doesn’ take long or many kisses) and be completely absorbed in this raw love between us.

This letter is part of a series that I write every month, to read another letter like this one, head over to Lauren Sanderson’s blog.

This time of year the cold weather drives us indoors normally and is not thought as ideal conditions for outdoor pictures but I think the snow is the perfect atmosphere! Today was not too chilly, the snow was falling prettily, Kathleen and I were dressed warmly, this was a perfect combination.  The end result was a lot of fun!

This time of year the cold weather drives us indoors normally and is not thought as ideal conditions for outdoor pictures but I think the snow is the perfect atmosphere! Today was not too chilly, the snow was falling prettily, Kathleen and I were dressed warmly, this was a perfect combination.  The end result was a lot of fun!

One of my clients told me how she was not looking forward to picture day, they have a young family with busy little toddlers. To them, picture day is stressful and involves tears and is as popular as a root canal.

As a Mom of 4 small kids, I can completely empathize! Formally posed pictures and little kids do not always go hand in hand but there are some tips and tricks I can share with you to get those family photos you desire.

First, lower all expectations! Getting everyone looking at the camera and smiling may NOT happen. But I aim to get everyone looking at the camera. With adults and older children I ask them to at all times look at the camera and let me work on coaching a smile or even the attention of the littler ones.

Sometimes little ones just need to get up and run around a little bit, no problem! Allow them get those wiggles out and act silly with them and MAKE IT FUN! As a photographer, I always have my camera ready and I am just waiting for those little moments to happen. They may not be perfectly posed and smiling but they are authentic, real and they are 99% of the time my clients FAVORITE pictures.  I snapped this picture of these two sisters, it was so sweet and cute, it is one of my favorites.

 Second, make sure everyone arrives with full bellies. Hungry children and adults can cause everyone to get a little cranky. I also suggest brining a snack, something that is not messy, and then give me that snack to me to use as bribery. Let’s face it, kids are SMART! They can sense the desperation in their parent’s voices. They know you are begging them to be good, they sense you are not just going to walk away from this  and this can lead to some naughtiness. However, when I hold that elusive treat, they don’t know me. They don’t know how far to push me…it often can be very effective.

Try to schedule the session for a time that works for your little ones. If they normally nap in the morning, don’t schedule a session for that time. 

Bring a spare outfit just in case, bring something to wipe their faces with…little ones have a knack for getting dirty:) And dress for the weather. Cute outfits are nice but the focus is on your faces, and warm and dry little ones (and adults) make sessions so much easier.

And third, be prepare to act very, very silly!!  Nothing makes a 15 month old laugh harder then seeing Mommy doing jumping jacks behind the photographer’s head;) For older kids I may break out the very cool phone app with fart noises. Gross? You betcha! But it will make 12 year old boys give those genuine smiles that you see so rarely! Let me know what your kids love, what makes them laugh.

Working together, we can make well prepared sessions fun. I want you walking away realizing that if your kids were wiggly, or making face that is honestly does not faze me one bit. They are just being kids and sitting down and smiling is a little bit boring.

So, don’t stress, my kids are much worse then yours:) I literally have to chase them down with the camera. With Mom as a photographer, they are a little too used to a camera in their face. When I decided to do our Christmas card, not one of the pictures was ‘perfect’ but looking at the numerous tries was more fun then the final result. This shows truly who my kids are at this time and I managed to capture a memory.

One of my clients told me how she was not looking forward to picture day, they have a young family with busy little toddlers. To them, picture day is stressful and involves tears and is as popular as a root canal.

As a Mom of 4 small kids, I can completely empathize! Formally posed pictures and little kids do not always go hand in hand but there are some tips and tricks I can share with you to get those family photos you desire.

First, lower all expectations! Getting everyone looking at the camera and smiling may NOT happen. But I aim to get everyone looking at the camera. With adults and older children I ask them to at all times look at the camera and let me work on coaching a smile or even the attention of the littler ones.

Sometimes little ones just need to get up and run around a little bit, no problem! Allow them get those wiggles out and act silly with them and MAKE IT FUN! As a photographer, I always have my camera ready and I am just waiting for those little moments to happen. They may not be perfectly posed and smiling but they are authentic, real and they are 99% of the time my clients FAVORITE pictures.  I snapped this picture of these two sisters, it was so sweet and cute, it is one of my favorites.

 Second, make sure everyone arrives with full bellies. Hungry children and adults can cause everyone to get a little cranky. I also suggest brining a snack, something that is not messy, and then give me that snack to me to use as bribery. Let’s face it, kids are SMART! They can sense the desperation in their parent’s voices. They know you are begging them to be good, they sense you are not just going to walk away from this  and this can lead to some naughtiness. However, when I hold that elusive treat, they don’t know me. They don’t know how far to push me…it often can be very effective.

Try to schedule the session for a time that works for your little ones. If they normally nap in the morning, don’t schedule a session for that time. 

Bring a spare outfit just in case, bring something to wipe their faces with…little ones have a knack for getting dirty:) And dress for the weather. Cute outfits are nice but the focus is on your faces, and warm and dry little ones (and adults) make sessions so much easier.

And third, be prepare to act very, very silly!!  Nothing makes a 15 month old laugh harder then seeing Mommy doing jumping jacks behind the photographer’s head;) For older kids I may break out the very cool phone app with fart noises. Gross? You betcha! But it will make 12 year old boys give those genuine smiles that you see so rarely! Let me know what your kids love, what makes them laugh.

Working together, we can make well prepared sessions fun. I want you walking away realizing that if your kids were wiggly, or making face that is honestly does not faze me one bit. They are just being kids and sitting down and smiling is a little bit boring.

So, don’t stress, my kids are much worse then yours:) I literally have to chase them down with the camera. With Mom as a photographer, they are a little too used to a camera in their face. When I decided to do our Christmas card, not one of the pictures was ‘perfect’ but looking at the numerous tries was more fun then the final result. This shows truly who my kids are at this time and I managed to capture a memory.

Dearest Kathleen,

You are my first daughter. I have dreamed about you since, I was small. I always assumed I would have a little daughter, I never once questioned that statement.

I wanted that same bond I have with my mother and my sisters, who I adore.

I was so sure of you in my life that I saved my prized China Dolls, saved my favorite pink stuffed cat my Mom brought from Dallas back to Canada. My mother had faith that I would have a daughter and saved numerous dolls and ALL of the Barbies my sisters and I owned. Before you were born there were treasured items waiting for you.

When I discovered I was pregnant I dreamed of my daughter, I picked out pink bonnets and never entertained that the baby growing in my belly was anything but my daughter! When the technician told us it was your brother Peter, I wept.  Not because it was a boy but I mourned the daughter that was not to be. My second pregnancy brought another boy and I wept again, wondering when I would meet you. How I love your brothers!! I would never trade them for a hundred girls:)  But I began to wonder if I was destined to be the mother of sweet little boys, a mother who was learning about trucks and the wonders of mud.

The third pregnancy was hard, morning sickness claimed me as a victim the entire pregnancy…my mother kept saying only a daughter would do this to her mother! I was convinced that this child was a boy and I dreamed of another blued eyed boy and I placed blue sleepers into the dresser but my mother carefully washed frilly pink dresses and soft pink sweaters that I once wore many moons ago in Germany.

We decided to not find out the gender this time…I couldn’t bear the shame of my sadness finding out it was another boy but I knew that at the moment my baby arrived boy or girl I wouldn’t care. When your father declared, “I think it’s a GIRL.” I cried tears of happiness and disbelief. As did your aunts and grandparents. A girl! A daughter! How long we waited for you!

Now we cannot imagine our lives without you. I love how you think you are a princess. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. I have more fun shopping for your Christmas presents. I love sitting with you pouring over the Sears Wish Book, staring at this year’s Holiday Barbie. When you sit on my bed and have your hair braided, pig tailed or curled I feel a certain completion in my life, even when you whine I caught a knot. Painting your chubby toes chokes me up.

Don’t tell your father but I like the drama you bring to the house. I love you have feelings. You make your brothers realize they have to be a little more sensitive and words DO hurt…because you won’t let them get away with anything. Someday, when they are grown they will be good husbands and that will be in part thanks to you.

I know your father swells with pride watching you play hockey in your little pink helmet. Anything the boys can do, you are determined that you can too and you always manage to somehow keep up.

Watching you with your little sister makes my heart swell. I know you are thankful to have another girl in the house, you will now have someone to play Barbies with, someone to play dolls with and someone who will understand a little more then a brother.

I have waited so long for you, you were worth the wait, you were not what I expected and yet, you were so much more.

Letter to Our Daughters is a Project by 12 photographers from ClickinMoms. If you enjoyed my letter, you will enjoy the next letter in this month’s series by Gretchen, visit her letter on her site Gretchen Willis Photography

Dearest Kathleen,

You are my first daughter. I have dreamed about you since, I was small. I always assumed I would have a little daughter, I never once questioned that statement.

I wanted that same bond I have with my mother and my sisters, who I adore.

I was so sure of you in my life that I saved my prized China Dolls, saved my favorite pink stuffed cat my Mom brought from Dallas back to Canada. My mother had faith that I would have a daughter and saved numerous dolls and ALL of the Barbies my sisters and I owned. Before you were born there were treasured items waiting for you.

When I discovered I was pregnant I dreamed of my daughter, I picked out pink bonnets and never entertained that the baby growing in my belly was anything but my daughter! When the technician told us it was your brother Peter, I wept.  Not because it was a boy but I mourned the daughter that was not to be. My second pregnancy brought another boy and I wept again, wondering when I would meet you. How I love your brothers!! I would never trade them for a hundred girls:)  But I began to wonder if I was destined to be the mother of sweet little boys, a mother who was learning about trucks and the wonders of mud.

The third pregnancy was hard, morning sickness claimed me as a victim the entire pregnancy…my mother kept saying only a daughter would do this to her mother! I was convinced that this child was a boy and I dreamed of another blued eyed boy and I placed blue sleepers into the dresser but my mother carefully washed frilly pink dresses and soft pink sweaters that I once wore many moons ago in Germany.

We decided to not find out the gender this time…I couldn’t bear the shame of my sadness finding out it was another boy but I knew that at the moment my baby arrived boy or girl I wouldn’t care. When your father declared, “I think it’s a GIRL.” I cried tears of happiness and disbelief. As did your aunts and grandparents. A girl! A daughter! How long we waited for you!

Now we cannot imagine our lives without you. I love how you think you are a princess. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. I have more fun shopping for your Christmas presents. I love sitting with you pouring over the Sears Wish Book, staring at this year’s Holiday Barbie. When you sit on my bed and have your hair braided, pig tailed or curled I feel a certain completion in my life, even when you whine I caught a knot. Painting your chubby toes chokes me up.

Don’t tell your father but I like the drama you bring to the house. I love you have feelings. You make your brothers realize they have to be a little more sensitive and words DO hurt…because you won’t let them get away with anything. Someday, when they are grown they will be good husbands and that will be in part thanks to you.

I know your father swells with pride watching you play hockey in your little pink helmet. Anything the boys can do, you are determined that you can too and you always manage to somehow keep up.

Watching you with your little sister makes my heart swell. I know you are thankful to have another girl in the house, you will now have someone to play Barbies with, someone to play dolls with and someone who will understand a little more then a brother.

I have waited so long for you, you were worth the wait, you were not what I expected and yet, you were so much more.

Letter to Our Daughters is a Project by 12 photographers from ClickinMoms. If you enjoyed my letter, you will enjoy the next letter in this month’s series by Gretchen, visit her letter on her site Gretchen Willis Photography

Photography is simply art and every photographer has their own style.  There are two vastly different styles of portraits:

‘Formally Posed’ such as the holiday card I did of my children the other day, have been traditionally a favorite of parents for years.  They are wonderful in the simple fact for many families it is a tradition to dress up in dressier clothing, big smiles at the camera….however, for parents and children this can very stressful. Children are asked to sit unnaturally still, some may be uncomfortable in their clothing, there can be time constraints, lights are bright and this discomfort can translate into the portrait (take another look at my baby’s face…does she look like she is having fun?)

‘Life Style Photography’ is just simply what it says it is..life style. Pictures just taken from everyday life, for me personally they are may favorite, they are a piece of my everyday life. My kids are relaxed and absorbed in their own little activities, sometimes they shoot me a glare because Mom is once again stalking them with her camera but what they don’t realize is looking at these pictures in a few years will take me back to those moments.

We are a hockey household, my three oldest children all play, different days, different times and my husband coaches each of their teams. As stressful and hectic as this seems there are sweet little moments because of the crazy schedules, certain nights of the week I either have just Kathleen at home with me, or just Peter or just the boys. With four children time alone with Mommy is a rare event, so we try to take advantage of this.

This evening was Kathleen’s hockey night, while the baby napped, the boys are I did yard work in the chilly cold.  After coming inside they chased off the chill with a warm bath and fuzzy jammies. I allowed them the special treat of watching cartoons in my bedroom, while they waited for their Dad and sister to return home.

Photography is simply art and every photographer has their own style.  There are two vastly different styles of portraits:

‘Formally Posed’ such as the holiday card I did of my children the other day, have been traditionally a favorite of parents for years.  They are wonderful in the simple fact for many families it is a tradition to dress up in dressier clothing, big smiles at the camera….however, for parents and children this can very stressful. Children are asked to sit unnaturally still, some may be uncomfortable in their clothing, there can be time constraints, lights are bright and this discomfort can translate into the portrait (take another look at my baby’s face…does she look like she is having fun?)

‘Life Style Photography’ is just simply what it says it is..life style. Pictures just taken from everyday life, for me personally they are may favorite, they are a piece of my everyday life. My kids are relaxed and absorbed in their own little activities, sometimes they shoot me a glare because Mom is once again stalking them with her camera but what they don’t realize is looking at these pictures in a few years will take me back to those moments.

We are a hockey household, my three oldest children all play, different days, different times and my husband coaches each of their teams. As stressful and hectic as this seems there are sweet little moments because of the crazy schedules, certain nights of the week I either have just Kathleen at home with me, or just Peter or just the boys. With four children time alone with Mommy is a rare event, so we try to take advantage of this.

This evening was Kathleen’s hockey night, while the baby napped, the boys are I did yard work in the chilly cold.  After coming inside they chased off the chill with a warm bath and fuzzy jammies. I allowed them the special treat of watching cartoons in my bedroom, while they waited for their Dad and sister to return home.

I grew up in a home that encouraged reading and we have done the same for our children. We are constantly buying them new books, on any subject we think they will love and for every holiday. Every night is ended with a couple of stories, our boys who are in elementary school, are now reading several pages to us.

Sometimes it is a battle when they are learning to read, they are required to read to us frequently from books they bring from the school. They get tired of being pushed with their reading skills. Yet, we keep pushing them further and we do see them progress.

Nothing makes me smile wider when I see them pick up a book to read, on their own. A nice and rarely heard silence enters the room, nothing but the sounds of the pages turning.

Kathleen cannot read yet but she too will pick up a book and quietly browse through the pages, looking at all the pictures. With the holiday season upon us, my kids have been reading every Christmas story book from their library.

I grew up in a home that encouraged reading and we have done the same for our children. We are constantly buying them new books, on any subject we think they will love and for every holiday. Every night is ended with a couple of stories, our boys who are in elementary school, are now reading several pages to us.

Sometimes it is a battle when they are learning to read, they are required to read to us frequently from books they bring from the school. They get tired of being pushed with their reading skills. Yet, we keep pushing them further and we do see them progress.

Nothing makes me smile wider when I see them pick up a book to read, on their own. A nice and rarely heard silence enters the room, nothing but the sounds of the pages turning.

Kathleen cannot read yet but she too will pick up a book and quietly browse through the pages, looking at all the pictures. With the holiday season upon us, my kids have been reading every Christmas story book from their library.