Outnumbered!

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Marnie & I have been good friends for nearly six years now. We met in prenatal class with our first sons in the fall of 2005 and immediately clicked. It's funny though, because her husband's father and step mother have been close friends of my parents for over 25 years - small world!

Anyways, there were four of us who hit it off, and continued to get together with our babes well after we were done with prenatal class. Our kids have been `buddies` as they call each other, since they were born, and there have been several additions to the kiddlet population along the way. Unfortunately we don`t get together as often as we`d like, but we have carved out some traditions such as buddy birthday, our halloween party, summer bbqs and cottage days, and good old fashioned playdates at our homes (as well as the occasional mommy only `playdate` at our favourite restaurants).

Marnie and Ted are pregnant with their second little boy, due at the end of September. Big brother Sam is so excited, and I know that he will fall right into his role once Henry arrives. Marnie looked amazing while she was pregnant. She does the whole pregnant thing really, really well! I was so happy to be able to capture some memories of her belly, and them as a family of three.

I am so happy for you Marnie and Ted, and I can`t wait to see Henry mix and mingle with the big buddies:)

Welcome Shea

I posted a little while back about my sister-in-law, Emma, who gave birth to my first nephew Henry in August. Well, her twin sister, Kate was also pregnant at the same time. They didn`t plan it, but it was an amazing surprise to have both Kate & Emma due 7 weeks apart.

Kate was due on September 28th, but in true `Dowker boy style`, Mr. Shea decided to come late. We were all waiting anxiously to hear that he had been born, and that mom and baby were healthy - and Shea didn`t disappoint. Shea Daniel Millen was born on Sunday, October 2nd just after noon. We are beyond delighted with the newest member of the family, and I became an auntie for the second time! Shea is absolutely perfect, and he is the spitting image of his daddy.

Shea is so well loved by his mom & dad, grandparents, many aunts and uncles, and his three cousins, Grant, Max, and Henry. The grandson population had doubled, and Poppa is already planning out the climber to be built in his backyard for the boys.

Shea with his cousins, Grant (5), Max (3), & Henry (8 weeks).

Shea(7 days) & Henry (8 weeks)

Beautiful Day

Another beautiful day in September! We have been blessed with 'summer' weather throughout September and October now, let's hope that it continues:)

I have been photographing this family for over three years now, and I absolutely love getting together with them every time. Dawn is a good friend, and I have the pleasure of teaching her eldest daughter Mikaela piano lessons, so when you can mix your personal and professional lives together it's always a bonus. Dawn is also the heart behind an annual fundraiser that she coordinates to support finding a cure for juvenile diabetes, which you can see here.

Dawn had approached me about doing a family session, but including her sister, and parents as well. This has been the summer for families making the time to get together. We met up downtown on a beautiful Sunday morning this past September. As usual, everyone was such a good sport, and they were up for anything from climbing trees to jumping off ledges. I'm not sure who were the bigger kids, the little ones or the big ones

Thanks again for an enjoyable morning!

Boys in Trees

I photographed this family on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in September. They met me after a weekend at their cottage, and we went back and forth between a cute little downtown park and a stunning limestone wall across the street. The boys were so much fun to photograph, and they loved climbing on the old tree which was in the corner of the park. The baby of the family was one of the happiest little guys that I've worked with. Dorene certainly has her hands full with a household of boys, but you can tell that they love their momma.

Enjoy your sneak peak, I love this set!