The importance of skittles.

Every Sunday at church I take care of about 10 children – ages range from 18 months to 3 years old. Each week I search for games to play, songs to sing, and crafts to distract them for 2 hours. Unfortunately, some of the children are not convinced their parents will come back for them, making them skeptical of everything I present. No matter how much work I put into a craft or how enthusiastic I am while singing a song, I cannot stop the tears from flowing.

I have a trick though that works almost every time… skittles. I know, I know, I am a dental hygienist, how could I right? But if you shake the bag just right… the children quiet down just enough to try to hear the sound and if you plays the cards perfect, one tiny skittle solves all of my problems.

This week a friend of mine wanted some family photos done before they took off on an adventure to Newfoundland for the summer. They have the sweetest little 15 month old boy. I am very excited to welcome him into my nursery when they come back in the fall.

Don’t be fooled by the sun shining, it was freezing outside. However, I am happy to say that my skittle trick worked! Except, as you can see, one skittle was not enough. He was too smart for me and I couldn’t get him to stop pointing at the bag…

Love, CAT

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How can you resist these cheeks?

For those of you who know me, when I walk into a room and see a child, I forget all about the adult conversation and I am for the moment the child's best friend. I haven't found what draws me in each time, maybe their innocence, pure kindness, or that they would never judge a soul. My favorite qualities are their sense of adventure and quickness to forgive. I have opened my heart to every child and found, if only for a brief moment, the person that I want to be.

A close friend of mine recently had a sweet little boy. I was ecstatic when she asked me to take a few snapshots of him. However, I was more nervous than I have ever been to take a picture. You see, I love newborn photography. Through all the photographers efforts and edits they eventually find the perfection to each newborn. The big, beautiful, bright eyes that captivate you; the soft, porcelain skin that you can't stop kissing; all of the intricate details right down to the tiny toes. How was I ever going to capture that?

Love, CAT

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70's Horror Film

Only a three hour plane ride takes you to one of my most favorite cities. I have somehow come to enjoy sitting in traffic for hours, having a horizon of buildings so tall they touch the clouds, seeing beauty in the webs of telephone lines and feeling engulfed by the almost unbearable humidity. Because in all of that there are the joys of hundreds of shops, thousands of ethnic restaurants, millions of people from all over the world and a beach.

This week I was able to visit my sister and her husband and attempt to capture the incredible beauty of Toronto. I had so much fun learning and growing with them. We took props from their home and found an old graveyard for this shoot. They had plenty of ideas for me, but I take credit for eventually getting them to smile! They are film photographers with a very unique style and according to my sister, they don't smile for pictures.

Although you may think our choice of location is creepy, maybe even like an old horror movie, you must understand my fascination of graveyards. Look at how unique each stone is, imagine who that person once was, where they came from, and what their story was. 

Love, CAT

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