KIDS HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Up until yesterday, we didn't have costumes! I took this super easy DIY costume idea from over at the hello, Wonderful blog and adjusted it to fit Xavier's request of a green dragon with black spikes and fiery breath! He LOVED it! A few friends have asked how I get him to do these poses and I thought I'd share a few tricks. My husband is standing far right telling him he's a good, nice dragon (he doesn't want to be) and he is instantly trying to ROAR back with his fiery breath, saying he is very tough, enabling the perfect photo op! Rest assured he was absolutely bribed with Halloween candy too (he is a third child after all!). 

The girls on the other hand were so excited to have their twin baby fawn costumes finally ready that they wanted the photos taken so they can look back on them through the year. The head bands were a quick glue gun job and the clothes were existing they already had.

We had so much fun this weekend with the kids being excited about dressing up, carving pumpkins, eating seeds and talking about the magic of Halloween...going out at dusk, playing with neighbourhood friends and yes, of course, eating candy.

Happy Halloween...xo

CAPTURING A MOMENT IN TIME {WITH MINI WHITE PUMPKINS}

It's been a tremendously rainy, windy weekend here in Vancouver and sometimes these grey and cold days lend to more indoor time with the little ones and more time to reflect on the little moments. 

I had taken these quick shots a couple of weekends ago when the sun was out and the weather was obviously warmer. I wanted to capture the essence of autumn and the little pumpkins that I'd been trying to find around the city for a couple of weeks. I had no intention of posting them but then thought it might make sense to share how quickly I captured these (10 minutes!) and how you can create a mini photoshoot with literally a few little pumpkins and some sweet smiles! 

So, instead of thinking how hard it will be, just get your kids, pop outside with the pumpkins you've collected from the farm or the store and take a few snaps! I ask them questions as I click, such as "if your pumpkin was an animal, what would it be?" I find that when they are engrossed in telling a story, the smiles naturally come out and their faces light up. If you are shooting more than one kiddo, it helps to pop them on the a set of stairs so that they are captured at the same depth (or plane) on camera, which works to keep them all in focus.  

The pictures may not be perfect, but they recreate this perfect memory...our front steps, their mini pumpkins, fall 2016 and my very favourite little smiley faces. Sometimes the little moments are the ones we'll look back on and remember with the biggest fondness. 

Happy Monday friends!

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WORLD GEOGRAPHY WITH LITTLE PASSPORTS

I finished high school and it was an easy choice – grab my passport and go traveling. I wanted to see more, know what was out there, meet new people, taste new foods; EXPLORE! So when Little Passports contacted me to work with them and offered to show me what big things can be taught from a little suitcase, I immediately said YES!

I met my husband (an Australian) abroad (in London) and once we were finished our time there, we naturally took time to travel. We have traveled to well over 50 countries. My first time overseas was at a year old and basically it never stopped. My parents are European and I was born and raised in Canada. We traveled. To see relatives, to explore different cultures, to learn how lucky we were to be raised in a safe and wonderful country…we traveled.

That was all BEFORE KIDS. Yes…you heard that. Our traveling has basically entirely stopped since having children. It’s not that it can’t be done; it’s simply that it’s not quite the same easy and carefree experience given we have two 5 year olds and a 3 year old. My desire for the amazing sights, sounds, smells, tastes and colours of other cultures still pulls at my heartstrings regularly. The conversations you have while traveling are the best kind. The people you meet. The experiences that just don’t compare to daily life. The memories that are created.

We will definitely pick up where we left off again…but until then, Little Passports is a great way to teach our children all about the world we live in. It’s such an easy process; you order online and receive a starter kit in the mail with a sweet little suitcase for your child to put all of their treasures. We chose the Little Explorers package, which was perfect for our preschoolers. There are also characters (Max, Mia & Toby, the dog) that write a letter to the recipients and our kids instantly fell in love with them. The girls especially loved the characters, Xavier, my three year old especially loved the suitcase and all of the kids enjoyed putting the stickers into their passport and seeing where the continents are on the map.

It helps that we have family and friends all over the world; I showed them where everyone lives and we talked about all of the places we dream of going together one day. I also found this amazing DIY that explains the concept of how our community fits into the wider world to explain the concept to young children.

The kids were extremely interested in the whole thing and once I told them another package would arrive in about a month, they were very excited to check the mail each day!

The second month, we received a package all about landmarks. It was great fun as I could tell the kids stories about going to some of these landmarks (take me back to the Eiffel tower and the great sphinx of Giza now please!) and the kids then wanted to re-learn all of the things we had talked about a month earlier.

By the time the third package arrived, the kids literally ran to the door yelling, "Mama, Max and Mia are ready to take us on another adventure! Mom! It's the music one!" They were SO excited to explore music of other countries and I was impressed that Putumayo World Music (who put out some of our favourite playlists) had been involved to produce a new cd about songs from different countries.

The learning from this package is endless and provides such a fabulous foundation to start telling the kids about our world. As a parent who has traveled extensively and is now trying to teach my children about other places, Little Passports is instrumental to this process. I would highly recommend giving them a try; what a perfect way to introduce geography to preschoolers!

You can take advantage of The Little Passports Back to School Sale by using code READY15 at check out.

*This post was created with Little Passports. All photos and words are my own.

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THE STORY BOX

SCANDINAVIAN MAKEOVER OF WOODEN PLAYHOUSE

I have seriously dreamt of making over this wooden playhouse (similar) since the day it was put together...three years ago. Sigh. Children...take what seems like a busy life and they magically make it even busier. It was in serious need of a major overhaul as the stain had faded and wood planks had fallen off. It was a case of "good enough" and "someday" but this summer, it finally got the makeover it deserved! To redo the whole playhouse took a little work, to say the least. We started by removing all of the curved features. Then, after the initial sanding, it took 3 coats of Behr Ultra White paint to get the house covered and then the fun began! We spray painted all of the trim (easy and quick!), fixed the boards, added a few extras and then it was simple decoration.  

Now...let me just show you what this beauty looked like BEFORE the playhouse makeover.

And...AFTER!  

Same same but, oh-so-different! What do you think? Do you like the lighter version with pastel hues a little better??? You can shop the stools (and our play table, not pictured) here!

It's true...so many adventures really do happen here. With three kids 5 and under, there are countless play dates, backyard summer escapes, imaginary pies, lemonade stands, muffins made. Keep in mind I really do have a 5-year-old whose favourite food is blue cheese! Don't you love this adorable wooden sign from Parade and Company? It pairs perfectly with the garland from Canadian maker Jae to the Wall. These peaches were hand picked from Papa's tree the day we left from our week in the Okanagan and apart from making perfect props for the revamped playhouse, they were the juiciest, most delicious peaches I have ever tasted. 

This gorgeous market basket is from Majorel Design and I love the flowers from Gypsy Petal so much. They are indestructible and the kids love playing with them!

So there you have it. Our wooden playhouse lovingly restored and refreshed for the kids to enjoy and make memories in for years to come. Who wants to come over and play?

MAMA & ME OUTDOOR SUMMER PHOTOSHOOT

After seven years abroad, my sister is home! This is cause for celebration on SOOO many levels (hello real life visits and wine chats on the couch!), and I am very very lucky to have her back here to beautifully photograph my growing family! She mainly photographs newborns over at Amanda Haddow Photography in Victoria but on this occasion she agreed that I needed some mama and babe shots, so we headed to the park with the kids, took a picnic and the kids ran around, picked flowers, made daisy chains and played. 

It is unbelievable how few photos moms take WITH their children and our family is really just the same. I would love to change this but since I am typically the one behind the lens, it may take some time to get used to being in the frame with the kiddies. I had the cutest shirt picked out for Xavier but he absolutely refused to wear it (or any shirt for that matter!) so we just went with it and thankfully that bare belly turned out to be the most adorable thing. Capturing his personality at this stage is really so much more important anyway, right?! Although we rarely get a 'perfect' picture, I look back at all of our photos together with so much love. Seeing how little the kids look in past photos is the best incentive to get out there and take more!

Just look at my gorgeous little ones! Nothing makes me happier than seeing their beautiful faces and delicious giggles captured to keep for years to come. 

We haven't been particularly great at taking photos all together (even these ones are missing my number one sidekick, my husband) but I have taken lots and lots of the kids over the years and have learned a few tips along the way. Here are my top tips for getting the best success when shooting with kids.

At the end of the day, it's the unexpected moments of pure joy or love or surprise that shine. Or in this case, pure goofiness. The outtakes are always so funny. C'est la vie when you have a three year old along for the ride!

All photos taken by my uber-talented sister Amanda (thank you! thank you! thank you!) from Amanda Haddow Photography. Visit her in Victoria for newborn photography or to book a mama and me session of your own!

Kaia's dress: Zara kids
Noelle's dress: vintage fabric, made by Nana
My dress: Lucky Brand
Blanket: Amazing find from Salvation Army
Basket: Majorel Design
Girls' shoes: Saltwater Sandals
Hat: Hat Attack, similar