It's the little things

A lot of my life seems to be spent in battle with one or both of my kids at the moment - I love them more than anything but the daily struggles of family life can really take the shine off that sometimes.

Battles include any or all of the following:

1. 
   
   
   Mess. My husband will tell you that they've inherited this from me and he's probably right (but don't tell him that!). I've never been the most tidy but my mess is OK, it's others mess that annoying right? My daughter's ability to completely obscure the carpet of the living room in a nano second is a skill in itself.



2. 
   
   
   Paper - bits of paper. Megan is, erm, creative. She's discovered the world of Roald Dahl books and has now decided to be an author herself. Cue tons of bits of paper being sellotaped together, made into books and then cast aside as another, more exciting title takes its place. We now have a libary of these books, strewn the length of the house...



3. 
   
   
   Laundry - we are very lucky that Andy's mum is one of those rare breeds of people who actually enjoys ironing. So the washing and drying gets done then folded into baskets where unless, it seems, it's picked up by me and put in the car to take to 'the ironing lady' it can languish there for weeks. Three, THREE baskets are currently waiting for delivery.



4. 
   
   
   Hairbrushing - natch



5. 
   
   
   Teeth cleaning - double natch



6. 
   
   
   X-box - I'm not even going to start on this as I'll turn myself inside out but one of these days the boy is going to find himself with only a hoop and a stick to play with !!

So what are these little things then I mention in the title of the post?

They're the little things that remind you of why you love your kids, the gestures and actions that make all of the above seem not quite so bad, at least for a while!

I've just come out of hospital after a knee arthroscopy. I was supposed to come home the same day but due to a small complication had to stay overnight (in a very smart, clean and modern ward, private rooms with ensuite bathrooms no less - courtesy of the NHS - lovely!). The kids were apparently very upset at this news and immediately set about making me a couple of get well soon cards - I've posted them below - gorgeous and of course they made me cry!

Add to that my breakfast in bed this morning from Megan (toast with a dob of butter in the middle, nowhere else and a cup of tea made with hot water from the tap) and more cuddles from Courtney than I've been allowed in the last year I'm really feeling quite loved up and have decided that the mess and the xbox can go to the back of my mind for a few days at least!

{portraiture} Megan & Ryan

Today was the long awaited photoshoot with Sarah's Megan and Ryan. Megan goes to school and is the same year as my daughter Megan - they're great friends most of the time although it's difficult to keep up with who is best friends with who these days, it seems to change by the minute!

Ryan is 10 months old and the happiest baby I've come across in a while. His blue eyes are pretty fabulous too!

Thanks for inviting me along Sarah - your kids are gorgeous and I hope you like the results!

It's always the quiet ones!

This afternoon I met with Vicky and Robert who are getting married in December. They want to have a photographic guest book at their wedding so this was to grab some shots for that.

Having met them a few weeks ago I thought they might be quite nervous but they were complete naturals who indulged my passion for brickwork and staircases as we worked our way round Lymm village. Robert at times ended up suggesting poses and locations - Robert, if you ever want to be a photographer's assistant, you have my number!

The highlight of the afternoon was them being invited onto one of the houseboats for a few shots. The owner apologised for the TV aerial which was getting in the way but apparently there was some kind of football match on this afternoon, Liverpool, Everton or somebody (you can guage my interest in football from this sentence by the way!)

We have another photoshoot scheduled for January which will be very exciting indeed but I'll leave the details until then...!

Thanks Vicky and Robert for a fun couple of hours and thanks also to Lindsay, a colleague of my husband's who came out to help with reflectors & brolly carrying. Best of all, she brought me chocolates - Lindsay, you can come again any time :)

These are a few quick edits for tonight - I'll post more in a few days.

Messing about with dresses

A couple of weeks ago I got together again with Helen of Verity Plum and her friend Jo, both of whom had agreed to don wedding dresses to indulge me in some fashion shots for my portfolio.

Helen wore her own wedding dress, a gorgeous silk dress with ivory coat and train.

Jo wore a dress kindly loaned to us by Karen of Agape Bridal in Knutsford. The dress was beautiful but it had a small mark on the front which meant it was proving difficult to sell.

We had a great time, ably helped by Jo's son Jonnie who didn't care that his mum and friends were being daft with dresses and cameras - we were after all at Tatton Park - in the adventure playground - heaven for a wee chap.

Thanks Helen and Jo for a great day out - you're both beautiful and can't wait until we hit Manchester for the next installment!