September 2015 – ALLYSON ELL PHOTOGRAPHY

September 30, 2015February 28, 2016

Letters to my Littles | September

Welcome to my monthly Letter to my Littles. After you enjoy my letter please continue on through our blog circle to see what my wonderful friend Christine has written to her littles here. Keep reading through the circle – it’s a wonderful glimpse of motherhood from various corners of the world.

Dear Caleb and Liam,

How has the summer ended and fall begun already? We finished our summer with a fantastic adventure and dream vacation, and then headed right into the school year. It is a milestone year for both of you. Caleb you are in your final year of elementary school, and ready to rock grade five. You are a lunch monitor this year and a leader at the school. Liam you are on the other side of things. This is your first year at the school and you are finally in Kindergarten. (You’ve been waiting two years to get yourself into the big school!)

Another exciting thing that has happened this month, is that Island Parent magazine contacted me to use one of my photos for their September issue. Caleb -it was a photo of you! I was trying to keep it a surprise for you to suddenly see as we walked past the magazine rack. But while we were in Florida I kept getting Facebook messages and shots of the magazine cover so I had to tell you early. It was a whole week later that we finally got to see it in person!

They also gave me a quarter page ad, so of course Liam I had you and daddy end up in the magazine too.

September means that we are back to swimming lessons – Swim Kids 5 and Red Snapper. Caleb you are in your final year of cub scouts. Daddy is a cub leader again. Liam you are now a Beaver and so excited to finally get to officially join into Scouting. Daddy is now also officially a Beaver leader too.

You both are trying to squeeze in as much of the end of summer as you can. Until today Caleb, you were still wearing shorts everyday. And both of you are still outside as much as possible. Lately you have both been obsessed with finding insects and bugs with your friends. Recently you ended up relocating a slug that you and the neighbourhood boys named Yo Sluggity. Caleb you are reading all the time and Liam your imagination takes flight more often than not. It’s a good well rounded mix. Now I just need to get you to stop fighting so much with each other!

The finally hooray for September is another milestone of mine that you have both been a part of. Back on January 1, 2013 I started taking a photo everyday – with my big camera and my iphone camera. This photo a day project was documented here on my blog as well as Instagram. Well, I haven’t been very good at editing and sharing pictures from the big camera as much as I wanted. But I am still taking a photo everyday – sometimes with both the big camera and the iphone, sometimes just with the iphone and sometimes with the point and shoot. But every day I have gotten a photo – and 95% of the time one of you has been in it. This last Sunday I took photo number 1000! It’s hard to believe I have been taking a photo everyday for 1000 days! I know you both have had times were you really didn’t want to take a picture. But you are both also really good at coming up with ideas and asking me what the “photo of the day” will be. So thank you both for keeping me inspired and helping me to document our days.

I’m so glad that this was photo 1000…

Here’s to our next 1000 days and the wonderful journeys those days will take us.

Love,
Mom

XO XO

September 25, 2015February 28, 2016

A Dream Vacation | Part 3 – Universal Studios

Disclaimer – this is a long, image heavy post. Photos are my own taken with a Canon 5d mk iii, Fuju x100t, or iphone5.

As we headed back to our hotel after a long last day at the Disney World theme parks, Caleb began talking about how much fun he had, and how much he was going to miss our vacation. As we sped along the highway he asked “Are we going home tomorrow”? So we decided to tell him the truth… nope, not going home – we were going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Huge cheers from half of the backseat of the rental car. The other side of the backseat was snoring and missed the announcement!

We spent Thursday at both Universal Studios theme parks – Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure. This part of our trip was also all done with our airmiles. (Trust me when I say that I did a lot of shopping at airmiles sponsors and even today feel compelled to go in and buy extra stuff to get the bonus miles!) We had a few very specific things we wanted to see: Minions and the Wizarding World. Having the park hopper tickets for these parks was definitely worth it.

We started with Universal Florida first, and of course our first stop was the minions mayhem ride. It was so much fun. OF course after exiting the rides we had a chance to meet a few of them. Liam had fulfilled another thing on his bucket list… hug a minion – check!

After meeting Bob and Stuart, we had a chance to meet Shrek and Donkey. Donkey really does talk a lot! When he found out we were Canadian he gave the kids heck for not bringing him any maple syrup for his waffles! Here’s the video:

After the Shrek 4D adventure, we then headed off towards Diagon Alley – stopping first for the popular London phonebooth pose, and to chat with the knight bus driver.

Diagon Alley was amazing. We literally walked right into this magical wizarding world, exactly as you imagine it from the books and movies.

Of course the first stop was for a few glasses of Butter Beer. It was super hot out, and these wonderful concoctions were delicious!

We had a quick chat with one of the Gringott’s bankers, then Adam and Caleb rode the Escape from Gringott’s ride. Universal Studios has a fantastic parent swap program. Liam (who did not meet the height restrictions) and I got to tour inside Gringott’s with the other ride goers, then we got place in the waiting room right next door to where people are seated on the ride. As soon as Adam and Caleb got off I could have jumped onto the next empty ride car with Caleb, but once on that ride was enough for him.

We then headed to Ollivanders to gets some wands for our little wizards. Caleb got picked from our group and had his wand chosen for him my Ollivander himself. Or I guess, the wand chose him after a few unsuccessful wands!

The wands came with maps and special spells. As we wandered Diagon Alley (and later Hogmeade), there were special spots the boys could stand at and do spells. As they point their wants and wave them, things would happen: water pour out of cauldrons, dancing skeletons, lights flickering etc. It was great interactive fun. We then took a break for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron.

After wandering through Knockturn Alley, the Weasley’s shop, and a few other fun Diagon Alley stores, we headed for the Hogwarts Express. It was a very fun train ride.

We were now in Hogsmeade! The boys and I wandered while Adam rode the Hogwarts Express a few more times to retrieve a few missing wand boxes and maps that got left at the Leaky Cauldron. Oops! We grabbed a few more butter beers from the Three Broomsticks and then headed to Hogwarts. Again they let us too short and too scared non-riders all the way through so we could experience the inside of the school. Adam went on the ride, while the kids and I waited in the air conditioning!

Crossing into Hogsmeade on the Hogwart’s Express is also how you get from one theme park to the other. Hogwarts is part of the Universal Adventure theme park. So we spent the rest of the afternoon going through Dr. Seuss Land and part of Marvel World.

Adam got to ride the Hulk coaster, the boys met Spiderman and we all rode the Spiderman ride together. The kids wanted to jump back on and do it a second time! We then crossed back over to the Universal Florida park – missing the parade but getting prime spots to watch the 100 years of movies evening light and water show. It was wonderful – but still not as amazing as those Disney Frozen fireworks!

As per usual – Liam ended the night like this. He passed out at the food court in the Universal City Walk.

Friday morning we packed up the hotel room, and grabbed some Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast. Then we spent a few hours at Downtown Disney getting a few last souvenirs, and a last family vacation selfie.

We got to experience a torrential downpour on our way to the airport. We have never seen rain like that before. And the thunder and lightening was directly above us. This closed the airport down for an hour, so all flights we delayed. But after a long wait (and also a sick Liam), we made it home by 2am.

It was a wonderful trip – with incredible memories. I love the time I got to spend with my little family. Thanks for letting me share our time with you!

Part one of our trip can be seen here – and part two here.

September 15, 2015February 28, 2016

A Dream Vacation | Part 2 – Disney

Disclaimer – this is a long, image heavy post. Photos are either my own taken with a Canon 5d mk iii, Fuju x100t, iphone5 or from photos purchased from photographers with the Disney Memory Maker Photo Pass.

Welcome to part two of our vacation…

Sunday morning we woke up early to eat a super quick breakfast before disembarking. Our ship had reached Port Canaveral, Florida (after a slightly rocky night) – and our luggage was already leaving the ship. We took the last few minutes in our cabin to tell the kids the next surprise in the dream vacation… we were on our way to Disney World! It was pouring rain as we rode the shuttle bus back to the Orlando airport where we picked up our rental car. We got to our hotel, unloaded the suitcases, then headed out for lunch at Olive Garden and to pick-up a few essentials from our favorite places Target and Trader Joes. After unloading our essentials, we waited out a thunderstorm, then hit up Downtown Disney.
Of course the kids bee-lined it for the Lego store. We had a 40 minute wait for our table at the T-Rex Cafe, and all of that time was spent inside the Lego store. Then we had the world’s loudest dinner sitting next to two baby woolly mammoths, and watching asteroids hit the very life-like dinosaurs every ten minutes or so. Surprisingly enough, the Brachiosaurous bruchetta was some of the best bruschetta I’ve ever had!

We then had to stop and shop inside the largest World of Disney store. Liam promptly picked out the mouse ears he wanted for this trip. Disney + Superheroes = Very Happy Liam! All the running around also meant he was a very tired Liam. So yes, the last part of our Downtown Disney trip was a little like this.

The next morning we had to wake up our kids to go to the Magic Kingdom. Like, literally, we dragged them out of bed. Then we found out why the Park Hopper tickets are not really recommended for Disney World. Getting to the Magic Kingdom is an experience in itself: park in the lot, shuttle from the lot to the ticket gate, go through security, catch a ferry, bus or monorail – then you finally get to Main Street! Try hopping parks when you have to go through all that! While on the ferry over, I realized I forgot to switch my camera battery and only had 15% battery life left. (Photographer fail!… But through some very carefully planned photo timing, I made that battery last!)

(These next two photos were taken with Liam on my shoulders watching the “Wishes” Show. Due to the height of the construction fencing Liam couldn’t see – so I gave him a boost. Then, while keeping one hand on him, I would focus the camera and hold it still, and he’d hit the shutter button. I think we did pretty good together!)

We rode all our favorites and a few new ones. Liam and Caleb did their first little coasters, then Caleb rode a few bigger ones with Adam. We did get a little rained out and the park closed the outdoor rides for a few hours while a thunderstorm was happening. But it was a fun day. That night 3 of the 4 of us got to watch the classic Main Street Electrical Parade. Liam fell asleep during the fireworks before the parade!

The next day we let the kids sleep in a little bit, then we went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This was my favorite park. The safari ride was amazing. They also have a great program for kids called Wilderness Explorers. Just like Russell from the movie UP, our kids became Wilderness Explorers and had a handbook filled with activities to complete. These activities ranged from identifying animal tracks, to knowing five characteristics of gorillas, to learning about deforestation. Each activity earned them a badge (sticker) in their handbook. It was a great way to keep the learning interactive and fun.

I did use my 135 1.4L lens to get most of the animal safari shots. It was a ridiculous lens to drag along on this trip for one day of use. But I am glad that I did it. It was a bit of a feat trying to keep my gear dry on the Kali River Rapids – but that ride was so much fun. Adam also rode on Everest. We saw the Bugs Life show, under the Tree of Life, and watched Nemo the Musical. We ended our day at Animal Kingdom watching the Lion King Show. It was incredible. The kids got picked from the audience to participate in one of the final numbers.

Since Animal Kingdom closes at 5:00 we left and actually managed to park hop to Epcot. Park hopping does required shuttling back to our car, driving to EPCOT, and thankfully we were parked close enough we did not have to shuttle to the entrance gate. But it was still about 6:00 when we got in! We did a whirl wind Epcot experience, and even split up a little to do a few separate rides. Adam went on the test track, and we did Nemo. We also did Spaceship Earth and Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure. The kids loved this interactive adventure game. We met a few characters along the way too. We then watched the fireworks performance – and Liam stayed awake for it this time!

Wednesday was our last Walt Disney World day and we spent it at Hollywood Studios. During the summer, there is a really big emphasis on the “Frozen” summer here. It’s really hard to, um, let it go! Despite that we still had lots of fun. This was the hottest day yet. We took the boys on Star Tours, which they loved, and Liam got to battle Darth Vader – something he has wanted to do, since Caleb did it in Disneyland in 2013. The kids met Phineas and Ferb. We saw some amazing shows, although we only got to see about half of the park. The night ended with a Frozen Summer dance party with DJ Chill, and fireworks that summerized the storyline of Frozen. Even Adam was impressed and agrees these were the best fireworks we saw in all the theme parks. In true Disney magic, at the end of the fireworks, Princess Elsa made it snow in Florida. My two Canadian kids thought it was great! We closed out the park!

And of course our last Disney day couldn’t have ended without Liam falling asleep on the shuttle tram back to the car.He missed out on the announcement of our third surprise for the last part of our dream vacation. To be continued…

Part three of our dream vacation continues here.

(If you missed it, part one of our dream vacation can be found here!)

September 6, 2015February 28, 2016

A Dream Vacation | Part 1 – Crusing

Disclaimer – this is a long, image heavy post. Photos are either my own taken with a Canon 5d mk iii, Fuju x100t, iphone5 or from photos purchased from photographers on the Royal Caribbean photo pass.

Anyone who knows me personally, knows that the last few years have not been the easiest. We have had our share of tragedy in our family, and some real lows as parents, as a couple and as a family unit. On Valentine’s Day my husband and I took some time on our date night to meet with a travel agent, Heidi, from Cruise About Uptown. We wanted to price out a family trip – something that would bring some joy to us, and help the four of us reconnect with each other. Pricing turned into booking. For 6 months we kept this a secret from our children. Then at the airport at the end of August we told them the truth – we were going on a Caribbean Cruise. It was the start of a dream vacation! (We only told them about the cruise at this time, keeping week 2 a secret for a little longer – and the next blog post!)

They were in shock and awe – almost silent as they absorbed the news. In fact they didn’t even believe us until we actually boarded the cruise ship after taking the red eye overnight from the Pacific Northwest to Orlando!

We cruised with Royal Caribbean on their Dreamworks Experience onboard the Freedom of the Seas. We originally were supposed to do the Eastern Caribbean – but Hurricane Danny (which later got downgraded to Tropical Storm Danny, and then had Tropical Storm Erika on it’s heels) forced us to change course and we ended up following a Western Caribbean route.

(Above two photos taken with the Fuji x100t while we were on the ship’s tender going to port – settings: ISO 100 | f/2.8 | 1/2000)

Within the first hour on-board the kids were already in the H2O zone – a huge pool/splash park area that our kids practically lived in for a week. Thankfully we had packed the $2 water wings that I bought for Liam earlier in the summer – he lived in those things and was comfortable floating around in the deeper pools. Dreamworks characters – Shrek, Fiona, King Julian and Alex the Lion greeted everyone with a set sail pool party. We went to bed early that night, since we had been up travelling the night before.

Day two of the cruise had us anchored at Coco Cay Bahamas – the private beach island for Royal Caribbean. The water was warm and crystal clear and we enjoyed half a day of floating, suntanning, and frolicking in the water. It was blissful. We had to drag the kids back to the ship, they were having so much fun.

Night two of the cruise was our first formal night and also the first night we put the kids into the Adventure Ocean program. Through Adventure Ocean, each of our boys got to be in an age appropriate group setting with leaders and other children doing themed activities, while we got to have adult time on-board! The staff were amazing with our kids and accommodated Liam’s peanut allergies well. We had brought walkie-talkies with us to use with the kids, and they also had a few mobile phones that they would lend us to contact us in case of emergency. The boys loved going! Caleb was old enough to sign himself out, and we let him have some freedom to wander around the ship on his own a little once he had our cabin memorized.

Day three of the cruise was a sea day. We spent the morning in the H2O zone, watching the belly flop competition and eating ice cream. Caleb went to Adventure Ocean club in the afternoon, and Adam and I spent time with Liam. We mini-golfed, Adam surfed the ship’s Flowrider, and Liam and I met King Julian from Madagascar. After our dinner we sent Liam to Adventure Ocean club and spent some time with Caleb. He had ice cream at the Ben & Jerry’s, and watched the entertainment on the Promenade deck with us.

Day four of the cruise had us in port at Montego Bay, Jamaica. We took a bus tour of Montego Bay and Falmouth – seeing some of the historic sites, some varying communities and then doing some shopping along Montego Bay’s hip strip. We ate at Margaritaville with the kids, taste tested some rum, and had samples of Jamaican coffee and banana bread. It was such a valuable education for our children to see how other children live, and to see another culture. Caleb especially understood how lucky he was, as he watched children selling fruit in the street.

The evening of day four was pirate night for the Aquanauts (Liam’s AO group). They performed the most adorable little parade and show on stage in the theater. He was thrilled to be part of the show. I think musical theater is in his future.

Day five we anchored in George Town on Grand Cayman Island. We had to tender off ship again. We then went to Dolphin Discovery and had a chance to swim with dolphins. It was amazing to be belly to belly on top of our dolphin Copernicus. The kids loved it! We then did some shopping in the town, and somehow ended up at a Margaritaville again – to have lunch and wait out a little tropical rain. We ended up on their waterslide and pool – with Adam and I taking part in some adult waterslide alcohol shots. (It was vacation time afterall!) Although we missed out on 7 mile beach (mostly due to weather) we still had a fabulous time on Grand Caymen Island.

I had the pleasure of having a massage in the ship’s spa when we got back on board. (Thank you Heidi for the surprise treat!) It was formal night once again and we dressed up in all our fancy wear. Adam and I each had lobster tails. We watched the Royal Caribbean show Once Upon a Time – it was fantastic!

We then left Caleb in charge of Liam while Adam and I wandered around the ship’s casino. I played my grandma’s favorite game – a Wheel of Fortune slot machine. I won $12, but I lost $20. Oh well. It’s exactly the way my grandma play too. (Miss you lots grandma!) We also enjoyed the evening white pool party – a club party on the dance floor in the middle of the main pool.

Day six we were in port in Cozumel, Mexico. This is the second time Adam and I have been here – the last being in 2003 when we were honeymooning in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. However, this was the first time either of us, and the kids, had been snorkeling with stingrays. It was a big learning experience for the kids, but we had an awesome instructor William from Stingray Beach who helped out. After snorkeling we got to play with the iguanas, parrots and hermit crabs. One of those parrots even made it into our family selfie!

We then spent time walking through downtown Cozumel. We did some shopping, and had lunch at a delicious Mexican restaurant – with the best salsa and guacamole. Before we went back to the ship we explored the tide pools in the rocks along the coastline.

We then had a dinner reservation on board the Chops restaurant where our kids got their first taste of filet mignon, and of course totally loved it. The kids then had PJ and movie night at Adventure Ocean club while we went to the Freedom Ice show at the ship’s skating rink.

Day 7 was our last full day on our floating home. It was a sea day, and we were busy for most of it. We started our day with a character breakfast, enjoying our eggs and juice with Alex, Gloria and King Julian from Madagascar. I had a facial and body scrub at the spa, the boys went mini golfing and Adam went rock wall climbing. (He was fast at it too!) We then spent most of our time at the pool. It was super windy, and we had reports of rougher weather back in Port Canaveral, Florida, where we were headed back to. We also took a few photos with Shrek and Fiona.

Just before dinner we watch the Dreamworks Move it! Move it! Parade, a final event for our Dreamworks experience. I had mentioned at breakfast to a staff member that we were disappointed that our oldest never got the chance to meet Puss in Boots. She told us a very specific spot to stand and watch the parade. As it ended, Puss came over and gave our kids a hug and paused for a photo op. They were the only two kids that got this special treatment. I am so wowed by the way the staff on board made sure it was a magical experience for our kids. We had our last dinner – and as promised the boys got magic tricks and balloon hats from our waiters Jay and Brian. They did an awesome job taking care of all our fancy dinners on board.

The kids had their final Adventure Ocean time while we packed up the luggage. Adam smoked the cigar that he bought in Jamaica, and I lounged on a deck chair on last time. The next day we disembarked. Although we were sad to leave the ship – week two of our dream vacation was about to begin.

…to be continued!

Part two of our dream vacation is here. And part three can be found here.