7D

Gary and I have been talking on and off, for the past year, about buying a new camera; a Canon EOS 7D. Our cameras are great but if we want to keep improving and moving forward, I felt like it was time to upgrade the 40D we currently have (the 5D is still fabulous and will be our other main camera). We bought it last night. The 7D is great for so many reasons but for the 50 shots or so I've taken so far I have noticed that it shoots really well in low light and there is way less noise at high ISO's. Awesome for ceremonies and receptions and in homes!! It also does video which is a whole other aspect that I would love to learn and develop but don't have time for just yet..you know video and photos intermingled..awesome. I try not to think of the money (we did buy second hand, although it is only 5 months old, and will be selling the two lenses it came with) but we work hard and it's good to put money back into your business! It also has the vertical grip which I `need' and two 16GB cards. Being that my kids do not like getting their photos taken at all these days, I took it to my sisters house to try it out on her kids:)

Aren't Izzy's eyes incredible?!

Kenzie is just 7 weeks old and over 14lbs, she's huge. Very huge. She has started smiling although only when I was holding her which didn't work for getting pictures. We'll have to put her in one of her cute 6 month outfits next time:)

The picture below demonstrates the clarity at high ISO's and low shutter speeds in a dark room...shot at 1000 ISO with a shutter speed of just 1/40th (**oops, just realized it was ISO 800..sorry! Still, way more clarity at 1/40th than my 40D would've done!**).

I'm excited to have such a great camera. If anyone says that having a great camera is all you need for good pictures, I will not be impressed. You need to have an eye for it and you need to know how to use it!

I'm really hoping the weather for this weekend improves because I have 3 shoots that will be tres difficult to reschedule. Today would be a fabulous day for a photo session, that's for sure!!

Have a wonderful day.

Love, Louise

Life

{They were flying around VERY quickly trying to keep Koen away from me so he didn't need to have a nap.}

Life is good. I feel like we are into a good routine. The boys are at a stage where they play well together; usually in the basement, outside (making a HUGE muddy mess), or playing with playdough in the kitchen. We go out at least once per day; the park, grocery shopping, Home depot, or to my sisters. etc. I'm not a big play date person. I'm such an introvert but mostly do it for my kids to socialize:) I need to get more exercise in there somehow, but the boys don't do well in the stroller together if I want to jog or get a good walk in. I guess Kai could bike. I miss our family walks...somehow going out in the dark rain after dinner isn't quite the same as it was in the summer time!

Gary and I put in the closet organizer in the basement closet last night. It was not hard at all...it was just sad drilling tons of big holes in our lovely clean wall. Well, I should say mostly clean wall. Koen found a pencil down there and went to town. The bathroom will be finished on Thursday. Awesome. Some random things still need to be done like door knobs and shelves but the basement is totally usable as is right now.

I was worried about having a billion chocolate bars in our house but Kai has done well with the `two treats per day' rule; he can have whatever two treats he wants whenever he wants. I have not done so well with this rule! Yikes! At least my meds were cut in half meaning I'm a little more hyper than hypo right now:)

I've started really wanting a daughter. I think it's by being around my adorable nieces and then always photographing the most beautiful little girls ever...I know, it's not all about the pigtails and the cutest clothes but seriously, wow. I'd be more than happy with either but ya, that is where my heart is now. It was when Kai was this age, that Koen is, that we got pregnant with Koen. I'm so wishing that I knew we were `pregnant' via adoption right now. It's getting harder to trust that it will happen. I actually did discuss pregnancy with my endocrinologist. It is not in our plan at all but could be in the future if it looks like we won't be having a baby in 2011. If you haven't read my thyroid blog, I'm almost off of my PTU which means I'm almost normal (for now:). Trust. Trust. Trust. Patience. Patience. Patience.

Have a wonderful evening.

Love, Louise

My Pumpkins

We had such a great time with Halloween this year. I cleaned out two pumpkins with Kai and then Gary carved them with him. Something so simple was so enjoyable! We had Chapman extended family photos (done by Gary and I) in the afternoon so it was a long day for the kids (hence Kai having no desire to look at the camera here). Both boys were sick. Koen even puked in the morning...good thing we did not carpet clean yet!! He puked, then I said,`Sh+&', then Koen said, `Sh+&' and then puked again. It was kind of funny:) Don't tell grandma.

Kai did not feel well enough to eat dinner (if Kai doesn't eat, he's sick) but was desperate to go trick or treating. We just took them out for an hour and they got TONS of treats. They had the best time ever. As soon as someone put something in his bag, Koen would say `Candy!! Ha ha ha!!'. We came home at 6:30pm and had at least 150 kids come to our door in an hour. We ran out of candy (we were even giving out the kids candy...Kai was totally fine with it and loved handing it out). So, we turned out the lights and hid:) Our neighbourhood is CRAZY for halloween.

Tomorrow at preschool they are having a dinosaur dig and I'm thinking Kai is too sick to go:( Kai is NUTS for dinosaurs (by the way, 4 pack of awesome dinosaur puppets at costco for $8.00...my boys love them!). Poor bubba.

We need to do more fun filled family activities. I feel like Gary or I are always busy with something and I love having time set aside to go on a little hike or go to the beach. We need to get better at that. It rejuvenates us as a family and the boys love any kind of exploring.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Love, Louise

The Fireman

1. Gary was gone all week, hiking, and is back and safe and sound. Nice. The boys were really good for me when he was gone.

2. I returned the basketball arcade hoops game. Very fun but just too big:( Thank you for your help. I usually need to bounce everything off Gary...I returned several things when he got home.

3. Kai had his preschool party day today. I sent him with the sniffles. I think both boys are getting sick AGAIN. The teachers have been doing a great job of keeping him separated from the other boy that gets him acting all crazy. I'm so thankful that they are aware of it and helping the situation:) Kai just wanted to dress up as a fireman...easy! We've had this costume for forever, glad it's getting used. I think Koen will be a pumpkin.

4. Plans for the weekend? Three photo shoots, trick or treating, installing the bathtub surround, church, and just good old hanging out as a family:)

Uh Oh

So I need everyone's opinion ASAP. My husband isn't around to tell me if I'm crazy or not. So, I purchased this at Costco today to put in our basement. I was planning on buying a kids tent to put in the main area but then the boys went nuts over this. So, I've been assembling it for 2 hours and need to know whether I should continue (just one more hour) or pack it up and return it. It does fold up (the base with the bballs folds up) but is still quite large. That is what is holding me back. The price was actually really decent, it's just the size.

It's pretty cool as it has an electronic score board etc...

So, keep it or pack it up?

Sisters and Brothers

First off, thanks for all the comments on the overalls. It was worth keeping them in the closet for 10 years, just for that.

Last night I had my sisters Jackie and Jantina over for dinner. Koen was infatuated with Sami. He just watched everything she did with such interest. I think he'll be a wonderful, gentle big brother! Sami is the sweetest little girl and soooooooooooooooo easy going. We love her.

Sami put something in her mouth, Koen copied her. Jackie, are you excited for your guest appearance here? Hey, so that's what three kids would look like. It looks pretty good to me! Can't wait. I'm ready.

I wanted to show you the basement when it was all set up but that will take a while as we decide on blinds and frames/decorations etc so I will just give you a peak right now. The bedroom is actually going to be a playroom for the next few years. It has a giant closet that will store all the games etc. If we ever have guests, it will easily convert to a guest room.

The main room is part playroom and part studio. I actually only use the studio about once a month so I'm going to pack up all the lights and put it either in the closet or buy a storage cabinet of sorts to put it in. May mount the paper directly onto hooks on the wall to make more room. Don't want to worry about the kids wrecking the lights or anything. May put a tent or something in there for them to play in (something easy to pack up or move). They had a tent down there before and they loved it.

The couches down there are so comfy and perfect for reading in. The couches also have great pillows for pillow fights.

I have realized that I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I notice every single thing that is not done properly down there and want to fix it. Gary is not a perfectionist. Neither of us is `right' but wow, are we different!

I would have to say that I thought that renos would be stressful on our marriage but it wasn't at all. Gary was the perfect teammate and I'm really proud of how hard he worked and how patient he was with me (especially when I would gasp when he cut something a little `differently' than I would've). The hardest thing ever on our marriage was having a newborn just 3 months after my mom died. A newborn in general is tough, that's for sure! I don't think anyone told me that when you have a newborn (and are super sleep deprived), every single thing your spouse does, or doesn't do, is the most annoying thing in the world. Well, that's how it was for me anyway.

I almost didn't push the publish button because I'm boring myself. Sorry.

Louise

Yeehaw

Apparently nobody cares about our linoleum (based on major lack of comments). I'm sorry, but we're kind of awesome.

This weekend I had one of my favourite photo shoots in Port Moody (will be posted in a few days) and we did the Fall Carnival photo booth at church again. When we arrived 15 minutes before it started, we realized there was no `set'. We had to borrow items (let's be honest, Gary went around stealing stuff from other booths) to make some sort of set with a fall-ish theme. Grandma and grandpa took the kiddos to the booths to get way too many sugary treats while Gary and I did photos.

Here is our family photo. Koen is having his first rocket pop (is that what they are called?) and is in a sugar coma. Later that evening, he was the craziest that I have ever seen him. Kai is just thinking this is the worst idea ever and just wants his bag of candy. I'm dreading Halloween and the month of sugar afterwards. Thank goodness some people gave plastic animals etc as prizes.

The reason I posted this picture? My overalls. It's always a country theme and I love pulling out these overalls. I bought them 12 years ago, from the GAP, for $110.00. That is the most I have ever spent on a piece of clothing (besides my wedding dress and the winter jacket that I've had for 7 years). I'm telling you, they were cool at one time. I had two serious boyfriends during the time that these overalls were actually worn..in public. People dated me while I wore those things. Wow. The thing about these overalls is that they are HUGE. Like, Gary could probably wear them. Seriously, what was I thinking?

Have a great evening.

Love, Louise

Linoleum

This weekend we installed the linoleum in the laundry room and bathroom. In case you are interested, here are some facts:

1. Most places only sell a minimum of 12 feet so we got a 12X7' sheet and used it for both the bathroom and laundry room. Total cost? Only $160.00 from Nufloors. They had an HST free sale.

2. I was curious about installation (Home Depot currently has a $1.00/square foot installation sale which would've just cost us about $100.00) and Nufloors was going to charge $350.00. We decided to install it ourselves. Total cost? $20.00 (adhesive and trowel). Time? 2.5 hours.

3. We made one mistake. Crap. My bad. So, first you dry fit it in (actually harder than you think as we tucked it under the drywall), then you pull back one side and put adhesive (using a trowel) in semi circles, on every square inch. Note: every square inch. Then you lay down that side and apply pressure and roll it out to get rid of all ridges/bubbles etc. Then you pull back the other side and repeat. Now, the mistake. In the laundry room. I did not get enough glue in the very center as it was where it folded each time (does that make sense?). Did not know I had to cover every square inch, if I knew, I wouldn't have made the mistake. There is now a bubble of linoleum, that is not glued down, in the center of the floor. I know it's there. You might not notice, but we do! I totally, totally wish I had realized that last night. Was not on the online video I watched:(

The laundry room (still need a shelf/cupboard put up and Gary is currently putting the sink back in). Oh ya, one other mistake. The lid of the adhesive container got rolled into our linoleum and there was sticky adhesive on our lino. I washed it off but not with soap...let's just say that it's a bit sticky under the dryer:)

The bathroom. When it's done I'll show you the nice vanity light we have in...not sure why I didn't take a picture of it! It's much nicer than our ensuite one. This is the very last thing that needs to be done. The only thing, actually!!! We just need to put in the tub surround (I'm too scared to tile yet I'm also freaked out to put up the surround) and get the plumbers to put in the toilet and sink. Ta da! If you noticed that it is not sealed between the lino and tub, we know. We'll do that too:) Oh ya, and I have to put together a ridiculous closet organizer for the bedroom. I finished step 1 of a billion and got discouraged. Maybe I should have my dad over for some father daughter bonding time...dad, what do ya think?

Bon nuit.

Love, Louise

Adoption and Grief

I am currently reading `20 Things Adoptive Parents Need To Succeed'. One thing that I've heard over and over (seminar and this book) is the importance of dealing with grief before bringing your child home. Now, I have no idea what kind of grief I will feel when we bring our baby home but here are some things I think I am currently grieving or might be grieving at that time:

1. My mom not meeting her grandchild. I've gone through it twice with my kids already and also with each niece that is born. It sucks but I'm kind of just used to it. I don't really know what my mom would've thought about the idea of us going through the adoption process but I know that she would have supported us 100%. Also, whenever I have a newborn in the home, I dream of having my mom helping me and supporting me, she would've been great.

2. A ridiculous disease prevented me from having another biological child. I mean, I could try, but it would be so hard on my family, fetus and myself. I have to say that although I do desire another biological child (I really do!!), I have no desire to be pregnant because I know my body would go crazy, my thyroid is not stable enough. I am thankful that I do not have the desire to be pregnant (yet incredibly thankful that I have experienced it twice), it makes it easier.

3. A change in our family. We work so well right now. It's easy. My boys get along well and they both have a healthy attachment to us. When any new child is introduced into a home, there are changes and the kids roles get shifted around a bit. I don't know why I'm trusting so much that it will all be `fine'. I mean, even with biological children, you never know what kind of temperament and personality you will get. Even when Koen was born, I grieved in a sense, what Kai and I had.

4. Because I do not know the race/gender/age of our baby it's hard to know how that will come into play. Maybe if the child has a different ethnicity, I could feel that our family would now `stick out' a bit and would grieve just blending in? I have no idea.

5. I believe that the largest grief I will feel will be for our child. When he/she is older and starts to wonder more and more about their birth parents and the whole reason why they have two sets of parents. I'm really hoping that being open and honest from the beginning will make it much easier. I'm really praying that the birth parents that pick us decide to have an open adoption. It's not that I want that for myself, but I want that for our child so that as many questions as possible are answered. Along with that, I would grieve for the birth family and all the feelings of loss that they would have to go through for the rest of their lives.

In adoption news, there is no news. Just waiting. No one has looked at our portfolio since being active. Just waiting and wishing I could know a date, that's the hardest part for me. September 2011? May 2012? Two weeks? It seems like everyone is announcing spring pregnancies, I wish I could announce a due date too.

Kai's Comments

Me: I don't know if I can carry this door.

Kai: I know you can do it!

Me (lifting up the door and carrying it)

Kai: That's my girl! You are a very impressive mommy!

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Kai (talking about seeing his old preschool teacher): I just couldn't believe my eyes!

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Kai (explaining why he and Koen were screeching): Mommy, we're practicing our pterodon calls!

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Kai rubbing his chin: Mommy I'm starting to grow a beard like daddy! I won't be cute anymore, I'll be handsome!