We traveled to Calgary this weekend to spend more time with our soon-to-be daughter, currently going by the name of Serenity. Our time with Serenity kicked off at a Church Christmas party with a dinner, program, and dance. The highlight was watching Serenity dance– the girl has rhythm and energy! I even had my first dance with her which was a great moment. She has really already formed a strong attachment to Daria which is so cute to watch. Saturday Serenity came over to spend time with the boys at my in-laws. Joshua’s characteristic instinct to love and protect has already kicked in and he has been so tender and loving about and with Serenity. She is a fun little girl who loves to laugh and play and has a good nature about her. Noah loved seeing another little person smaller then him. I’m looking forward to them having lots of playtime in the coming months and watching that relationship form. Today we spent another hour with Serenity and we learned some of her favourite foods and that she is a very good copycat right now. She copied nearly all of my hand movements and facial expressions. We’ve decided we are going to do baby sign language with her as she has lots to express but no vocabulary yet which is visibly frustrating her. It was a magical weekend that we couldn’t have orchestrated any better. She recognized us, started to call us by names, and gave us all oh so many hugs and goodbyes. I’m going to really miss her this week and can’t wait till we can take her home for good. I have no doubts about her place in our family.
Category Archives: Photography
Amazing Photography
If you haven’t visited my brother’s photo blog I highly recommend it. His developing eye and compositions are a joy to view. I’m thinking about making up some prints from his work. Also check out my father’s great photography also exceptional.
I’m still waiting to see some photos from Conor’s Lensbaby. Did you get it?
Gorgeous Prints
We just had these 4 incredible prints of our boys printed at 10″x 10″ in size. Believe it or not that is cropped from the original size even at 200+ resolution. We framed each boy in these delightfully square double matted frames which are hanging up in our room on our wall of fame. Daria has already alluded to how much we are enjoying our new sanctuary of a bedroom and these shots just add to our enjoyment. It’s nice to be in that room and review in my mind how important my kids are. Having such great photos of them is a great visual reminder to guide my thoughts about nurturing, teaching, loving and planning for them and our family.
Such a Good Boy
Noah is suffering with some sickness right now but he is still quite capable of being cute and pleasant. Thus far he has handled the challenges in his life with nary a complaint. It is so wonderful to have a pleasant baby with a cheery disposition. I want to be like him when facing my challenges. In this photo he seems quiet, composed and unphased by his illness. I’m trying to eliminate complaining from my life (which I differentiate from sharing legitimate concerns) and Noah is a good example. He has the advantage of having no vocabulary, mind you, but still a good example.
I also gave Noah a priesthood blessing today, along with two friends who watch over our family, invoking the Lord’s assistance in restoring him to wellness. I’m confident and peaceful in Noah’s recovery. I hope someday that my brother-in-law Brett will be available to help our family in this same way. I long for him to be part of all our son’s church ordinances. Dylan is only some 14 months away from his ordination to the same priesthood Brett holds, and his direct involvement is so important to all of us.
Dylan is Available
That cute handsome fast-maturing boy I know as Dylan is now available in his first online photo album spanning 102 photos. I wish I had even more shots to post from his younger days (I do, but I mean already scanned; Dylan was born in our pre-digital phase). I like the shots that show a classic Dylan expression. You’ll also notice plenty of shots where he is with younger cousins and siblings. With rare exception, these shots typify Dylan’s loving nature with little kids—he’ll be a great dad and uncle someday. Right now he’s a super kid: sensitive to peoples feelings, responsible and kind—even charitable—and a pleasure to guide as a parent.
Were planning on signing Dylan up for some basketball this spring. It will be good to get him into an environment where someone can coach him and he won’t have any of the pressure of family coaching. He’s really enjoying swimming these days so hopefully we can keep that up too.
What’s your favourite shot of Dylan? I really like this moment captured with Daria
