February 2015 – ALLYSON ELL PHOTOGRAPHY

February 28, 2015

Letters to my Littles | February 2015

It’s time for another Letters to my Littles blog circle. After you enjoy my words to my children please go to my friend Jess’ blog to see the words she has written for her little loves.

Dear Caleb & Liam,

February has been all about family. I hope this month has brought you memories of wonderful times that you will always remember – not because of the events, but because of who you shared this time with.

We spent the Family Day weekend at a wonderful and relaxing house on the water – which you two have dubbed “the mansion”. Our whole extended family stayed together under one roof enjoying each other’s company, eating, relaxing, play games, watching movies (and hockey), fishing and canoeing/kayaking. Caleb you caught a lingcod with Uncle Regan – you were both so proud of this first catch. Liam, you set up Monopoly Junior and taught poh-poh how to play. I love that we had this special time with her and the whole Sunday dinner clan.

Your great grandmother has taught me some very valuable lessons in life. The most important lesson is that family is everything. Spending time together with those you love, and having rituals together, make family bonds that bind tight together. Poh-poh has taught me to cherish not just the big holiday traditions, but also all the little moments too. She has taught me to document and remember all the little moments. Time goes fast, she always says. Enjoy life.

Enjoy life… this is something we are trying to do a lot of. Especially in these next few weeks and months – I want you to really enjoy and appreciate the life you have. There are going to be some big changes soon, and sadness. So for now, enjoy life.

We get busy. But we will always make time for family and friends. You both enjoy spending time with your social circles. Some of those friends you have we now think of as family too.

Liam you always know how to make your friends laugh. Have I mentioned you also have a new found love of hair coloring? I’m so happy you are such a loving and accepting friend. You try to include everyone into your games. You love to make people smile. It’s no wonder people love to be around you.

Caleb you are a loyal and devoted friend. You are also someone who is accepting of others and tries to get everyone included. You have such a kind heart and gentle soul. People are drawn to you too. I’m so happy that you have some very close best friends. You and B have been friends for almost 5 years now. I love overhearing conversations you two have about being roommates in the future and living an apartment with heated toilet seats. I’m so glad you that you have Cub Scouts together, and still spend so much time together, even though you no longer share a classroom at school.

I hope as you both grow older you will also see the value in being friends with each other. Although you fight – a lot… I know you do love each other. I know it’s hard for you to be affectionate, and Caleb you are indeed having a hard time hugging your brother back. But family is everything. No matter what changes life brings – you will always have each other. Remember as brothers, you’ve got each other’s backs.

I’m glad we’ve been able to have some fun together as a family this month. I love that as we make present memories we are also reminiscing about the past. You are learning about your family histories and a little about your culture. Caleb you have finally embraced the fact that you are half Chinese! Liam, you like to tell this fact to people.

Life is an adventure, especially with you too. I’m so glad I get to enjoy life with you.

Love,
Mama
XO XO

February 25, 2015

The Q Family | Day in the Life | Victoria BC Lifestyle Photography

In the fall I had the pleasure of photographing the Q family – in their home, with the kids doing what they loved: playing with their trains, jumping on the bed, snuggling with their parents and walking around outside. What made this session wonderful for me was that the kids were relaxed, and the smiles were real. Mom and dad really love these boys, and the love they have for these two really shows. The love they have for each other shows too. I hope when they look back on these images, they remember how fun their kids were at the ages of 2 and 4, and despite the hard times, the busy schedules, the long list of appointments, and the stress of being working parents – they were also four people who love one another, love to play together, and love to laugh together. Thanks for sharing a morning with me Q family.

I’d love to capture your family this way too. If you are interested in booking a family playtime session or a day in the life of us session please contact me. I’d love to help you showcase the love you share with your family in your everyday moments.

February 16, 2015

Origami Yoda Valentine Tutorial

My oldest is very into the Origami Yoda series of books right now. It’s made him very interested in the art of origami, and I find little origami chewbaccas and storm troopers all over my house. For Valentine’s Day this year we decided to have him make little Origami Yoda finger puppets for each of his classmates. I love to encourage creativity, and in the fourth grade it gets hard to come up with crafty Valentines for a boy. My son loved the idea, and his classmates loved his origami finger puppets so much that he actually did a class presentation on how to make them. He’s pretty proud of these! So together we wrote this step by step tutorial so that you can do this easy craft with your kids. Enjoy! And if you like this – you have my permission to pin this or link to this tutorial – but please give us credit!

Start with a piece of green paper sized 6×6 inches:

Fold the paper into thirds:

Fold a slight angle into each outer third – starting your fold about half way down the length of your paper

Then fold where you made those angled folds -about 1/3 the length of the paper

Draw on Yoda’s face with a sharpie marker

Next take a 6×2 inch piece of brown paper

Fold it in thirds around Yoda’s body

Then fold each side on an angle to create his robe

We used a little tape on the back of the robe to stick it to Yoda

And then taped on a glow stick to the fold of one side of his robe for a light saber

We taped on a little card to the other side. How awesome are these little origami finger puppets? Yo-da best Valentine!

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial! If you liked it please leave a comment for Caleb – he’ll be thrilled to read them!

February 10, 2015

Life in Black and White | February

Once again I am participating this year in my Life in Black and White blog circle with an amazing group of photographers. After looking at my post please following along in the circle to my friend Pamela’s blog post for a glimpse into her monochromatic life.

This past weekend my boys learned some fishing tips from their great uncle. They had a great time out on the water, and my oldest even caught a ling-cod. I’m so glad they get a chance to have this connection with their extended family. (More photos from the family day weekend to come).