351/365 how do spell you trouble?

well tonight we spelt it K-A-E-D-E-N, M-A-X and S-A-Mthese boys are so fun together
loud, wall bouncing excitement
oh sure they look innocent and quiet here
but I tell you 2 seconds before this was snapped, so not true!

Day 335/365+1

a quiz for picture no. 335

what place do children love 

that will make parents break into hives

and buy a bottle of Advil? 

yep that would be...

the whole experience complete with Mr. Chuck E Cheese himself

the three crazy amigo's 

Kaeden - Max - Sam

with their "best, can't I just get a nice picture" smiles

Kaeden and Max showing their mutual admiration 

for each other by beating each other up as usual.

As Max and his family will be in Hawaii for 

Kaeden's Birthday party we got together to celebrate 

this afternoon.

 of course, I have a picture (or  a thousand ) of my photo muse

 these boys are so funny together

 love this picture

all and all we had a great afternoon at the old Chuck E Cheese

my expectations were VERY low

so decent pizza and a clean environment won me over

and you can't beat the happiness in Kaeden's eyes

hanging out with his ultimate best buddy

eating pizza

playing video games

a true (for 5 year old boys) nirvana

A funny side note that I want to document for future reference, that Kaeden might find amusing when he is 30 and has his own children: 

He used to  ask to go to Chuck E Cheese ALL THE TIME and it got to be a bit much so I started to tell him that it is only open every other Sunday, every other month for 2 hours and explained today was a special occasion that they were open on Monday - I am sure this lie won't stand for too much longer but it is has been great while it lasts.

another day, another...

beautiful and i must say extremely patient family

i know i am the only person around today that was upset it was so sunny

but i struggled with the bright direct sunlight today

probably because i wouldn't let scott buy a diffuser yesterday

so the sun was doubly as bright when 

we met up with shaun, casi, max and sam
i have been taking their family photo's for years (i think they were actually one of my first family fall sessions)

they are great friends of ours and never cease to amaze

me with their smiles and patience

as i make them sit in odd places

and walk through muddy grassy areas with 

new (and expensive) boots.

Day 266/365+1

Fall Walk (and bike ride for the boys)

Griffith Woods (Calgary)

Today Kaeden and I were lucky enough to meet up with Casi, her mom Linda, Kaeden's bestest friend Max and my photo muse, Sam for a wicked lunch, topped with Crave cupcakes...and if that wasn't enough to make us thankful to be alive on this first day of fall we headed down to Griffith Woods. 

An absolute beautiful nature park full of all the colours I LOVE this time of year! 

Max was a hoot today, pointing out all the BEST places to take pictures, 

Kaeden was a pickle which was too bad as he had been looking so froward to this afternoon

and Sam (who calls me "dea (idea without the "I") was so funny  and as always was my favourite photo subject.

Sangria with the Birthday Girl

Discovered I love Sangria a whole lot last Saturday while out celebrating Casi's birthday. Scott and I met up with Casi, Shaun and a few other couples at Julio's Bario in Kensington. As you can tell from the pictures the girls were hanging out at one end of the table with our pitchers of Sangria and therefore the boys didn't make it into many pictures!

Casi and her sister Kayla*Yummy Sangria*Tara
Loretta*the birthday girl*Kayla
Kayla and her friend*Leslie* Me and Casi


A tribute to the birthday girl... not just a list of my usual top ten but 28 nouns, adjectives or verbs that remind me of Casi

*Strong *Funny* Resilient*my muse's mom*boot camp buddy*fellow starbucks fan *talented* *beautiful"my natural colour" hair* ham and cheese ball*my nail lady* patient*Hawaii is her homeland*loves hot weather*the year of 2003* her infamous Casi-roles(always has the best casserole recipes which I affectionately call casi-roles)*Secret Punch Recipes*crafter* creative* Fall Family BBQ*strong family connection* never met an appetizer she didn't like*animal lover* a favourite photo subject of mine*generous*private*beautiful (and always clean) home* Kaeden's best friend's mom*lucky to have her as a friend*

Happy "Boo"day!

The Birthday Boy - Sam

(aka my muse, sammers, blond surfer boy)

Age: 2

Personality: Sunny, Giggler, Easy Going

The theme of the party was a Boo Birthday! Casi did an awesome job with the decorations and the food (ohh, the food was soooooo good) and of course my favourite part...the Crave Halloween Cupcakes!The Birthday boy opening the goods


The Guests - Kaeden the Red Power Ranger Avery the MonkeyKaeden and Max checking out the opening of the gifts actionEnjoying the cupcakes...if you live in or around Calgary, I encourage you to try a Crave Cupcake! and what would a Halloween party be without some spooky ghost pictures...
A huge thank you to Casi and Shaun for inviting us to celebrate with Sam. As always, the food was amazing and it was wonderful to visit with everyone.