Vancouver Lifestyle Photographer | Day in the Life, Volume 1
Vancouver Lifestyle Photographer | Day in the Life, Volume 1
I believe that the most significant days of our lives are disguised in routine and monotony. That there is magic in the mundane and beauty in the chaos if we are just willing to stop and recognize it.
~Jessica, Jessica Thomason Photography
Honestly, it's September and it's my first DITL? Shame on me! Well, I have my friend, Jessica, to thank for giving me an inspiring, hard kick in the behind to do this project. I did one of them last year on July 10th, 2013 and funny enough, it also included Maplewood Farm as featured in this volume's DITL! Well I start with Volume 1, being VERY optimistic about more volumes before this year is through....feel free to kick me again if I forget ;).
It's no secret that I cuddle my Kona, a lot. I've been encouraging the girls to show him affection so that they can forge faster into that "BFF" status. Elliotte's taken my advice to heart lately, so I think he might be stopping his growls at her when she walks by him. That's a win in my book! Little J's been encouraged to dress herself. She's definitely gotten the hang of which is front and back but pulling the pants up is still a challenge for her. On a good day, I prepare breakfast in the form of cereal, yogurt, milk, fruit, toast. When I'm really ambitious, I pull out the crepes. When I'm really lazy (check below), mini Lego my Eggo wafflettes are like a treat they've been dying to have. Yes, I deprive my children of all the best things. And there's my breakfast of champions - my morning crema, courtesy of Nespresso. I can function once more; and yes, it's only 9am.
After breakfast, I get them settled to their free play time. J loves puzzles and dinosaurs, and this one's a shoo-in. She would pick dinosaurs and ocean animals puzzles over princesses any day...I'm seeping with pride! See the playroom and E's room with stuff everywhere? Yes, that's the norm around here. I'll get to the cleaning at some point but really, I've gotten very good at coming to terms that all my tidying efforts are going to be undone again anyway, so why hurry to tidy? E's wearing those dreaded clunky plastic heels again. But it's the way she stops to look herself in the mirror that forwards me onto her teen years too soon. Oh my heart. But she makes up for it by making her bed and making me one happy mama!
Finally, we head out the door to Maplewood Farms. The petting square with goats and donkeys are a huge hit. The girls didn't want to leave, but the bag of bird seed is enough to lure them to the pond where they make those ducks very very happy and fat. Along the way, J's been picking stuff off the bird crap littered (and god knows what else) ground. You better believe the last place we visit before leaving is the washroom. Scrubbing of hands ensues.
We had planned on a picnic but they were both craving the mac & cheese from Whole Foods (which alone burns a hole in my purse) so we get some lunch and eat outside on the terrace. A lovely warm September day....heaven! When we get home for J's nap, Kona's over the moon about our return and E gets a great big hug! Not Inside this House is a current favourite for J, and I think it's because she likes hearing the ridiculously familiar voice I do when I read the angry mom's part. She's a non-reasoning preschooler after all!
While J naps, it's time to dig into school. I play the teacher, and E plays the student in our classroom that is the playroom. I set up her work desk where she's chosen to practice cursive letters and 3/4 letter word spelling. No I don't do this and no I'm not homeschooling, but the provincial teacher's federation is on strike (indefinitely as of today) and we need to do something before her brain turns to mush, or as Derek likes to say, turns into the size of a brachiosaurus' brain. Our time is interrupted by loud crying upstairs - J's up! It's unusual for her to be upset when she wakes up; it's sweet that Kona's curious as to what's up with her. See how far E and Kona's relationship has come? He's asking for chest rubs and she obliges, and she gets showered with his love. I melt.
Daddy's home early! The whole family celebrates and Derek proceeds to get sit on by J as she gives in to her inner princess. We make a plan for Friday night dinner out to one of our favourite Japanese Izakaya restaurants, Guu Garlic, with a promise of a beach play to end the day. The west end never disappoints for a beautiful sunset. I get into the frame once more today, thanks to my lovely husband, who likes to call his images © DYP. Wannabe. I play with my new Sweet 35 Lensbaby on the drive home...the blue hour is calling. This is a sweet way to end the day to this volume of DITL.
Felicia Chang Photography specializes in newborn, family and birth photography in Vancouver, British Columbia and surrounding areas including but not limited to North Vancouver and West Vancouver.