My crazy, beautiful life

What a week!

Wow it's been a busy week. Not yet adjusted to having one kid in school, Grace started playschool this year AND we had a FULL week of hockey. Nothing like JUMPING into the swing of things! Whew!!

Grace began her school career on Tuesday. NEVER have I seen someone so excited!! It was adorable...simply adorable. Taylor was excited to go, but didn't understand what playschool meant. Grace KNEW exactly what it was all about and was ready to go an hour before we had to leave. She seriously stood beside the door with her backpack and lunch waiting. For an hour! Once there, she gave me a hug and a kiss and walked away...not nervous or hesitant, but confident that it was going to be fun. And she loves her teacher. Loves her.

Did I take pictures of Grace in her adorable little purple frilly skirt and yellow shirt with pigtails in her hair? Of course I did! But I can't get them. You see...my camera...the one that I have had JUST over a year...broke. It somehow contracted dead battery syndrom and though I managed to get through my wedding on the weekend and the session I had on Sunday, it refused to work for me any longer. So it had to go into the Nikon Hospital for fixing.

First, might I say that London Drugs really impressed me with their customer service? I tore my house apart and do you think I could find the receipt for my camera. I kept it. I know I did. I bought it before even considering head over heels and so I put the receipt in a safe place. I have no idea where that safe place is. London drugs, knowing the date I purchased the camera, went through their PAPER files to find my proof of purchase so that I could get my camera fixed on warranty. THis may not sound like a big deal, but to me it was huge...good customer service is hard to find and this meant a lot to me!

And being that this is a busy time of year for pictures...I needed a new camera. Part of this was bitter sweet for me. I REALLY wanted to wait until Nikon's potential new release in October. My camera was going to be in the shop for 4-6 weeks. I couldn't wait. So...London Drugs gave me a great deal on a new d700. My other camera will become my back up.  I am in LOVE. I haven't played a ton yet...I've really only played with high ISO. I'm amazed. While I got considerable noise going above 400 ISO with my d200, I played around with 6400 ISO and was amazed. Very exciting for me!

So...I am going to replicate Grace's first day of school...same clothes...same hair and I know that she will display the same excitement over going!! And next week...I will post pictures of HER "first" day of school.

So much has changed...

It has been a rough couple weeks I tell you. Life has been great, but so many things have changed and I don't know that I'm ready for it all!

Of course, Taylor had his surgery! And he has been doing really well. But it was really hard on me to watch him go under, and see him come back up to his room groggy and sore. And it was hard to watch him the first couple weeks as it really did take a lot out of him. He's making up for lost eating now...and is doing well.  Back to his old, normal self and for that I'm grateful. And...there is no more snoring. And he doesn't stop breathing in the middle of the night anymore. That is a great relief!!

Last weekend, Andrew packed up all three kids and headed to Grande Prairie for the long weekend. I stayed home. I had a wedding and a couple photo sessions. I haven't had the house to myself for that long in five years!! Boy did I miss my family! I had never been away from Mya overnight. I nursed Mya one last time before they left, and as they pulled out of the driveway I stood there crying! It was very hard to watch them go...knowing that my life as I had known it for the past five years was never going to be the same. Sounds deep I know but it is the truth. No more nursing. No more pregnancy. No more babies. It was just plain hard!

I am thankful that I was busy all weekend. Besides taking pictures, I worked. I got caught up, focused quite a bit of my attention on my business and where I'd like it to go. I sewed the cutest little dress for Mya (it doesn't fit over her head). I cleaned. I kept busy!!

Having them come home was awesome. I am proud of Drew for taking on the task...I have to admit that I don't think I'd drive up there with the kids on my own. But he took it all in stride and did awesome.

So...as if all that isn't hard enough on a mom. Taylor started kindergarten. He was soooooo excited...and I was excited that he was excited!! He got all dressed up and we drove to school. And the teacher just whisked him away! No hug! No good luck! Nothing. That was it. He was immersed in school. Truthfully I was okay with it all on Wednesday. Now today...not so much! I'm actually having a pretty hard time with it. Maybe it's the fact that he is now to cool to give me a hug at school. Seriously. What is up with that? Really! I thought I had a good couple years before all that started...apparently not!

And...Grace starts playschool next week. She is so excited. Again,  I am excited for her enthusiasm. But why do they have to grow up so fast? 

That all said...all these events have caused me to think. And I got a lot or prioritizing done in my mind this past weekend. I am enjoying my days. All the moments I have with my kids. And we are having so much fun these days. After my break, I have become a happier mom. We are all laughing and playing more and I think the weekend at least was exactly what I needed.  

So many things

As summer dwindles we have been enjoying time outside...simply hanging out! A week was spent camping in Leduc while Taylor played hockey. It was a fun time...nice to be outside and busy all day with the family. It was bike riding, swimming, baseball, golf, hockey and visiting with friends. Good times, good times!

Can you believe September is almost here? In my mind, school starting marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall.  Fall is a bittersweet time of year for me though. The weather is still warm but not scorchingly hot.  The colors are stunning. And...because I AM a farm girl...I LOVE to see the equipment out in the fields as they harvest. Yes...it is a nice time! BUT! It means that the cold of winter is around the corner. And THIS year it means that two of my babies grow up just a little bit more.

Taylor is anxiously awaiting the start of kindergarten...to be delayed for him an extra week due to the fact that he had his tonsils and adenoids removed a couple days ago. Have I ever mentioned how proud I am of this kid? He is a trooper...quiet as can be even though I know his throat is SO sore. He is looking forward to feeling better and getting back outside to play and run I think. And he's pumped for school. Which makes me happy. And a little sad all at the same time!

A picture of the poor guy sleeping in the hospital right after they brought him up from recovery.  He was so STONED! Poor guy. Excuse the picture quality...it was taken with my phone...that I no longer have because Mya dropped it in the toilet! I'm feeling pretty disconnected though I should be up and running again by the end of the day.  Mya seriously made me flush 300 dollars down the toilet. Ah well. I'm sure I will laugh about it later right?

Grace begins playschool and can hardly contain her excitement.  Is she truly old enough to be going? I can't believe it! She COULD in reality begin kindergarten next year if I really wanted her too. Crazy! Crazy!!!

Oh...and on my photography front...we have a new webite. Well, two actually. An actual site and both Vanessa and I have our own respective blogs.  I have a crazy busy two months ahead of me with bookings as well as a course. I'm so excited about all that is to come. Check 'em out if you can!!

Head Over Heels Photography

Krista's New Photo Blog

And finally...just leaving you with a picture...I took Grace out the other night to play. I have purchased a few pettiskirts recently and have been waiting to take pictures of her. We are heading out the two of us for an evening of pictures...and ice cream but this past night, but I just felt like playing a little.  She was far from cooperative!  Grrrr....

A slip and slide kind of family dayrd

Yesterday, we went to the annual Harink family get together. I really look forward to these days. As you know, I am all about family. And since I have no brothers and sisters, getting together with all my aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids is the next best thing! When I was young, I spent a whole lotta time with many of my cousins. Good memories were made...riding horses, showing cattle, jumping on trampolines, and even painting fence.

It was a beautiful day...so Matt got out his fire truck (yes...he owns his own REAL fire truck) and sprayed the kids as they ran down the slip and slide. It was so fun to watch!

Below is Matt. He was on the go at the time and I was holding Mya so it's a little blurry. Anyways... I'm not sure who had more fun...the little kids or him? Matt is a great guy...a kid at heart really. And it was just as much fun to watch him spray everyone with the huge fire hose as it was to watch the kids run and fall down the slip and slide.

Taylor found it pretty fun too...though I don't believe he's quite the little fish as Grace and after a handful of runs he was content to get dressed and ride his bike.

Grace loved it! There were quite a few big kids running around and she would patiently wait her turn to run and slide.  So funny! She is definately a fish...even when everyone had given up on the slip and slide, she went back in to just splash in the water. 

Mya did end up going in the water to splash around, just as we were leaving and I had my camera packed up. She is just like Grace...loves water and would splash for hours in a mere puddle. I am sure next spring will be fun when we all go out wearing rubber boots to splash and splash in the puddles. 

Busy week ahead of us...I have a three photos session, will be heading to Lacombe to spend a night at my moms, will hopefully take the kids to the beach while I am there. I will be packing for our camping trip, getting Taylors equipment ready for hockey school, doing some baking, working on some new things for HOH. I'm not quite sure how i will fit it all in, but I will manage. I may be pulling a few late nights to do it, but it's all good! I am soooooo looking forward to having a full week with my family. No work (well, I do have a course on Sunday and a wedding on the following Saturday but that's it). No computers. Just a week of outdoors, good old family time! Yay!!

I am not liking the fact that I have neglected my blog for so long! Wow!  But summer days are not meant to be spent in front of the computer and so, rather I have been outside enjoying the heat and the kids! It's hard to believe that summer is half over...and that in a short month Taylor will be off to school!

We have been busy...doing what I am not sure! But our days pass quickly! We bought the kids a trampoline...a great investment  as the kids LOVED jumping on it! I could even still do my tricks from my days as a gymnast. Totally surprised the kids...and Andrew to see me doing backflips and front flips.  I'm speaking in past tense because we had it no more than two weeks and it got trashed. I came home from the city one afternoon (the afternoon of the big storm) to find the trampoline in pieces all over the field. As well as the kids playcentre. And the stairs to our house. And my clothesline.  It was disheartening to see the rubbish all over the field...and yet I still felt so blessed! It could have been so much worse. We could have been outside and been hit by debris as the storm came on so fast. Things could have damaged the house or come through a window. We were still lucky. My heart goes out to all the people who were injured during BVJ, and to the kids of the mother who was killed. Weather is such an unpredictable act of God! We've had pretty severe weather this summer...between drought and wind. Whew!

Last week was crazy busy. I attended to photography courses...they were amazing! I still haven't soaked in all the information! One of the afternoons was spent with the instructor watching him shoot. It's so neat to see how other people work! I have two more course before the end of summer. I can't wait!

In between the course days, I was blessed to witness the miracle of all miracles! My good friend Joanne invited me to be part of the birth of their second child. I was able to work with Barb, and help Joanne and when Faith was born I was brought to tears. It's such a beautiful thing, the birth of a child. The thought of not doing that again, and not falling in love with a new baby of my own again is almost too much to take!

Pictures have been keeping me very busy as of late! I had a couple weeks of downtime in July, but then was hit with a vengence. And I am so grateful. I have met so many wonderful people, and I enjoy it so much. And I am so grateful for all the help I have had with the kids. I am blessed to have such caring people who love my children and take such great care of them when I need the help. I am not great at asking for help...though I am getting better! So for all who have helped...I thank you soooooo much.

Kids are fine. Happy. Growing. Mya now walks more than crawls. She's almost running. She sure is growing and getting big. Taylor is excited for school. He's looking forward to hockey camp in a couple weeks. Grace is Grace.  Happy. Cute.  Wild.  Full of love and snuggles. I'm worried for Taylor to start school. They are the best of friends most days and Taylor will be missed by Grace.  This I know for sure.  But she is excited for playschool to begin. And I am so proud of the children they are!

Happy Thursday everyone!!

Summer Days

I love summer. Since school has ended we have been enjoying nice days outside! Though I can't really tell you what we have been busy with, we have indeed been busy. And happy! Life is good!!

Taylor had his first day of kindergarten! It was a morning orientation. I talked myself into the fact that he wasn't REALLY off to kindergarten yet, so I was okay with it for the day. It was afterall only for a couple hours. No different than playschool. But in September, when I take him for his first whole day...I don't know what I will do! I'm sure I will cry. And I will miss him terribly. As will two other little girls in my house!

Mya celebrated her first birthday. We haven't yet had a party for her...that is to come once we find a weekend in which we aren't booked!! I can hardly believe my baby is one. I still remember being pregnant. It seems like yesterday! This past year has passed soooooo quickly, and each day the babyness in Mya seems to disappear just a little bit. She is now walking...though chooses to crawl if speed is an issue!  She can sign many things, and can say a few words...all done, tadaaaa, momma, dadda, TayTay, nana (banana), up, on occasion puppa (puppy). She is a climber. Loves being outside! Loves looking at books. And is a lover of ALL animals!! She is losing her dark hair, keeping her blue eyes. In general, she's just a little gem!

Grace...is Grace. My little cutie, but my little spitfire! She received a new pettiskirt yesterday. I have wanted to buy one since before Christmas, but finally bit the bullet and bought one off etsy. Worth it's weight in gold!! She put that dress on and twirled and twirled around like a little ballerina. I'm looking forward to taking her outside to get some photos. And to buying a few more of the cute little things. I LOVE them!!

Though we are enjoying the warm days of summer, we are praying for rain. Our grass that we planted isn't doing so well. And the crops around us are disastrous! And that's an understatement. This isn't a good year to be a farmer. Any type of farmer. Those who rely on crops as their source of income are in a very tough spot. Those who have cattle are going to be hard pressed to find feed for a reasonable price in order to feed them. And there just simply isn't enough pasture. As much as we would LOVE to be full time farmers, we are so happy this year that we aren't. The uncertainty of it all would make me so nervous.

I haven't been all that regular with my blogging these days. And I probably won't be for the summer. I have made a point of scheduling my days, and prioritizing my time, and blogging is something that is falling a little short. Not too sure how many people check out my blog anymore anyways...comments are few. I suppose things haven't been all that interesting anyways. I had thought about giving up blogging altogether  though I enjoy looking back at previous posts and seeing where I was at in my life at a certain point of time. So I will continue with my online journal...if not for anyone else but for me!

Wishing my readers, whoever they may still be...a very happy day!

Bean

So...I thought I'd introduce to you the other members of this family...

Those of you who know me, even a little bit know that I love horses. I was that typical little girl who asked for ponies for birthdays...and when I finally got a horse (or two), I spent hours outside with them. My old friend Jocelyn would come out to the farm, and for a whole week we'd be outside running our own little pony club camp. Riding several times a day, cleaning tack, feeding, watering, grooming, bathing, creating things for our horses. I have such fond memories of those days.

Meet Bean!

Of all my horses, I've had her the longest. She was my showhorse. Some of my proudest moments on a horse were on her. We really were quite the team. I remember at a provincial 4-H show I was in the command class. This class really demonstrates the teams ability to tune into each other perform various tasks. Multiple horse/rider combos are in the ring. Commands are spoken over the loudspeaker. Horse and rider must perform these commands. You get one shot to do it right, AND it must be done within a timely manner or you are asked to leave the ring. Bean was perfect for me. She listened so well, and did things that we really hadn't ever done together before. You see...she was only a three year old at the time. We won that class. And though it may not seem like a huge moment to some, it was a great moment for me! And it was 11 years ago!!

She is as easy going as they come. She has had sooooo much love over the years. I trust her completely...around me and around the horses. She holds a very soft spot in my heart and we visit daily. She's the first one I go to and the last one I say goodbye to. 

She's just another member of the family!!

Just when I'm on a roll in blogging world...almost a month passes between posts! 

Well, Taylor is done school for the year. He really enjoyed this year, and so did I. I met a lot of new people...more than I met in Leduc and I was on the board there! But despite the fun, I am a little glad it's doen for the year. Two and a half hours isn't quite enough for him to be gone. Not because I want him out of the house, but because by the time I got home from dropping him off and put the girls down for a nap...there just wasn't a lot of time to get things done in between.

The kids have started swimming lessons! They are loving it. Grace has always enjoyed the water. Taylor has been more hesitant. I am amazed however at how confident he is getting in the water. He is swimming all over the place, and has a constant smile on his face. Grace can't wipe the smile off her face either and I love to see them enjoy an activity so much. I was just sitting on the sidelines and watching the lessons with Mya. That wasn't working. All Mya wanted to do was crawl into that pool and go swimming. So, two days a week I am in the pool playing with Mya while the other two are in their lessons. A little daredevil she is!! She crawls up the slide, and slides down and climbs up and then tries to swim away. WITHOUT ME! She is definately a little fish.

Things around the farm have been happening. We finished the railing around our deck and I am really pleased with how it looks. And while I was afraid the railing would make our deck look small, this isn't the case. We also managed to plant our grass seed, and I am so happy to see the little bit of rain we have this morning! I'd be happy with a good solid three day drizzle...not only for our grass but for all the crops around us. It is just sooooooo dry! This weekend I'll be planting my garden and my bedding plants. Hopefully we'll be cleaning out shed and cleaning the bbq as well!

I've been busy with pictures. I'm loving every minute of it and am so pleased that I  decided to take the leap and begin! I am noticing improvement with each and every session. I have signed up for a course the end of summer and am planning on going to either Vegas or Arizona this coming march for a conference. I am nervous to be potentially going alone but I am so excited to network and learn and bring it all to the next level. This has fit perfectly with my family, and what I stand for. And I thank those who have been supportive of this endeavor! I've had a lot of help from family, and a few friends and I'm appreciative of that.  So thank you!!

And now for a picture that Andrew took of me while we were camping. I don't make it into many pictures these days, so I'm appreciative of any that I have. No matter how I look!

The great outdoors

Well, this past weekend was spent in the great outdoors. We went camping with a great group of friends out at Wilderness Village, and aside from a few moments, the only time spent inside was when we were sleeping. There e is something about being outside in the fresh air, surrounded by family, good friends and the laughter of children that is refreshing to the soul. I feel rejuvenated.

Aside from Mya, we have all camped before. But the kids all had the greatest time. They played...HARD! I think Taylor was on his bike more than he was off of it this weekend. Grace just had fun playing at the park, digging in dirt, looking for strawberry plants and lady bugs. Even Mya was in her element. She really enjoyed crawling around in the dirt and the sand. And I got to see the kids with constant smiles on their faces...all laughing infectiously at their many different experiences. To me...everything about the weekend was indicative of what life is really about!! 

The only picture I was able to get of him. Because literally...he was on his bike ALL weekend.

Grace, loving every minute of the park! 

And Mya, loving the sand. We borrowed this one piece suit and it was the greatest thing...everything just slid off her. I think she should live in it!!

This weekend was exactly what I needed!

Mya

In a month and a few days, my baby girl will be turning one. I can't believe it! This past year has gone by so fast...and I'm told that as the kids get older and get busier in extracurricular activities, the time goes by even more quickly!! Wow!

At 11 months, Mya will stand on her own. She has taken a few steps on her own, but doesn't do it frequently because she's a BIG chicken! We try to get her to walk...she looks at us and smiles and then sits down! When she stands on her own, she throws her arms up in the air and says "tada". Love it! She can say puppy, and pants like a dog each time she sees one. She loves being outside...getting dirty is great fun. She is doing well at not putting too many gross things in her mouth! She loves to be chased. She loves to wrestle. She loves all food! She hasn't turned her nose up at anything! She has a lot of character, and is madly in love with her big brother. I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual! Unlike her siblings at this age, she isn't interested in baby einstein. She's much happier to play with all her toys and will do so independently quite well! She loves baths...swimming is pretty fun for her too! She's simply a joy to have around! We are all so very blessed to have her in our life!!