Mix Tape - I'm Alive (Life Sounds Like)

Ben and Kate love dancing to this song in the car.

I'm Alive (Life Sounds Like) by Michael Franti & Spearhead
16/52

September in 16 Squares

I recently started using Instagram to document all the little moments I would otherwise miss if I didn't have a camera on hand.  It's hard to lug around an SLR sometimes!  So here's our September in 16 squares...

Kate, in Layers

Fall is my favourite time of year.  I love everything about it, the coolness in the air, the beautiful colors on the trees, the leaves crunching beneath my feet.  But the best part...dressing in layers and layers of clothes!  I turned over Kate’s wardrobe when we got home from Hawaii and I’ve been having lots of fun putting together new combinations over the last few days. 

On Kate: Hat, H&M. Jacket, Baby Gap. Dress, H&M. Leggings, H&M. Boots, Joe Fresh.

Mix Tape - Casimir Pulaski Day

Sad and beautiful and hands down one of my favourite Sufjan Stevens' songs.

Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens
15/52

Our First Sunset at the Beach

This was our first, of many sunsets at the beach in Maui.  Each evening, we'd try and make it down to catch those last few moments of golden light.  Ben spent his time digging in the sand while Boris and Kate walked along the water's edge.

On Our Way...

Both our kids travelled well on the plane to and from Hawaii (the only glitch was the seat kicking, screaming toddler right behind us on our way there).  Here's Kate, just killing some time at the Vancouver airport.

We're Back from Hawaii!

We spent the last few weeks swimming and soaking up the sun in Hawaii and now we're back to reality after a much needed vacation.  We're all pretty exhausted from our red-eye flight home but I managed to muster up enough energy to post one photo of Ben on the beach.  More pictures to follow soon!

He Said (On Love)...

Ben: "Your heart is in your throat.  It makes you love."

Interviewing Kate (at 16 Months)

Kate is beginning to talk.  She has a handful of words that she uses regularly.  She’s big into animals right now and loves mimicking their sounds.  I thought it would be cute to take a little video of her, but it proved to be more difficult than I thought.  It took three takes but I finally got her to “answer” some of her favourite questions.

 

Moments to Remember - Kate, Waking Up

You’re a lot like me in the morning.  When you wake up, there’s no middle ground.  One moment, you’re asleep, the next you’re wide awake and ready to go.  However, on this day, you sat on the couch staring off into the distance.  I wrapped you in your swaddle blanket (yes, at 15 months you still need your legs swaddled to fall asleep) and you sat quietly.  Ben, wanting to play, pulled the blanket off your tiny body and threw it over his head.  “Peek-a-boo”, he yelled, confused by your reaction.  Instead of laughing as you usually do, you began to cry, big crocodile tears running down your cheeks.  I wrapped you again, a little tighter this time, and you sank back into the warmth and comfort of your cocoon.

I love every detail of this photograph.  The expression on your face.  The look in your eyes.  The car placed on top of your blanket, a peace offering from Ben.  Sometimes an image is what it is.  And sometimes it’s more.  The more you look, the more you see, the more you fall in love...with the photo, with the person, with the moment.

Moments to Remember - Ben's "Toy Map"

We went to the store to buy you a new pair of shoes but you had your eye on a new toy instead.  When it was time to leave, you began to cry.  The kind sales woman gave you a little box with a miniature astronaut and a toy catalogue inside.  You clutched that figurine in your hand for days, taking it everywhere you went.  With great concentration, you studied the “toy map”; in the car, at the restaurant, outstretched on the ottoman in the living room.  It was so well loved it grew ragged and tore (I taped it back together for you).  You would run your small hands across its surface and say, “I want all of these for mise (your version on “my”) birthday.”  The map became your bible.  You wish.  Your prayer.  We bought you the rocket ship for your third birthday and your longing slipped away. 

Mix Tape - Night Swimming

This song has been drifting in and out of my head for days now.  It reminds me of being young...

 

Night Swimming by R.E.M.
14/52