Halloween

My boys LOVE halloween! It all starts after Thanksgiving, we head out to the pumpkin patch. The boys get a kick out of the hay ride to the patch. This year it was soooo muddy (which was just more awesome in the minds of a 3 and a 5 year old). We made our way through the field, and the boys ran around and found their perfect pumpkin. The Fruition pumpkin patch is great for kids. They had hay bale mountains to climb, a hay bale maze (a giant one too), and photo cut outs. We left with two great pumpkins and a whole lot of mud!

This year the boys took their pumpkin carving to a whole new level - with power tools. Max wasn't too sure what to make of them, but he warmed up to the idea and they started blasting those pumpkins. The boys did a great job drawing their pumpkin's faces, Grant went for a spooky look and Max wanted a happy face. Neither of my boys are big fans of the slimy seeds, so there was a lot of scooping with spoons to get everything out.

The last couple of years, they have teamed up so that their costumes are related. When Max was only two months old, Grant was a vampire and Max was his bat and last year they were Buzz and Woody from Toy Story. This year they wanted to be Mario & Luigi, and I have to say they looked pretty cute. We made our usual stops to Grandma & Grandpa's, Memere & Poppa's, and all of their aunt & uncle's houses to trick-or-treat before hitting our own neighbourhood. Their baby cousins, Henry and Shea looked adorable as a dragon and a lion. The boys had a blast running from house to house trick-or-treating. I was surprised that Max lasted for over an hour, Grant could have continued but I was able to talk him into going home to sort his candy. Halloween was a success in the Dowker household!

Kind words = an awesome end to an already great day!

I truly love what I do. I can't explain the rush that comes over me when I get that awesome photo. For me, taking a photo is preserving a little bit of history forever. Memories fade, but the details come flowing back with that perfect photograph. I know that even if I won the lottery tomorrow, you would still find me photographing families, babies, weddings, and events.

I had a busy, but great day. The kids are in bed, and I finally got a chance to sit down and open a card, from a couple who I photographed their wedding for on August 20th. It was a whimsical black and white card, which totally reminded me of their wedding decor. In it was a beautiful note, thanking me for their photos. Their words mean so much, and for me, kind words are one the best perks of my job. I almost didn't book their wedding because their date also happened to be my youngest son's 3rd birthday. However, after I met Kayla and Adam I knew that I had to be their wedding photographer. They had such a great energy about them that I knew it would be a fantastic wedding.

In the end I want my clients to love their photos as much as I do. I want them to smile every time that they pass them on the wall in the hallway, in a frame on the bookshelf, or propped up on their desk at work. I know that I will smile every time I pass the beautiful card as it sits on top of my piano, next to another sweet note from my dear friend Nicole (who I photographed pictures of her adorable little man Oliver in July). I know that life is busy, but please know that I appreciate the time that you took to put your thoughts down on paper.

Thank-you Kayla and Adam for being so much fun to work with, I thoroughly enjoyed myself at your wedding too, and I'll look forward to the next time that we have the chance to get together:)

(You didn't expect me to write a post without photos?!:)

Back to School

We've had a great summer. It didn't go by too quickly, and I really felt that I was able to spend a lot of time with my boys. We didn't travel too far, but made the most of our backyard and visited the local beaches. We made day trips to the cottage, and the boys spent many hours fishing in Loughborough Lake.

Back to school affects the boys and I in September. Grant was so excited to go into grade 1. He was almost vibrating on Labour Day Monday with excitement! We packed up his backpack several days in advance, and he helped me make his lunch the night before school. On Monday afternoon, Grant wrote a list of things that he needed to do in order to get ready for grade 1. It read:

1. Say "I love you mom".
2. Play ninja.
3. Practice kung-fu.
4. Say "Is everything ready for grade one mom?"

Grant was up early and ready to go. Grandma walked him to school, since I teach at a school with an earlier start time than Grant's school. I had a great day with my new class, but I couldn't wait to pick him up at 3:35pm. I didn't see him coming, but was suddenly hit from behind with an enormous bear hug around my waist. His little hand quickly slipped into mine, and he chatted the whole walk home. Just as we were approaching the house Daddy and Maxer arrived home. Max had an important day as well. He moved up to the "Cool Crocodudes" classroom at his daycare today. With a huge hug from Max and a lot of cuddles, it's been a great day! I can't believe that Grant is in grade one, and look out Kindergarten, Maxer hits the books next year!