52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 11

It was a glorious weekend, really quite hot for March. The girls had changed into swimsuits and headed outside to drench each other, then returned for towels and snacks. When I glanced out of the window, this was the sight I saw; two best friends sharing snacks and secrets. Does it get any better than that?

Eight

Ah my sweet girl, she turned eight today! This is a child who gets on and gets things done. When she sets her mind to something it is hard to make her change it. She is strong, yet incredibly delicate, still figuring out what life is all about. She loves hard. She does everything at the 100% level, no middle ground or halfheartedness for this one.

She is a sweet, yet sometimes tormenting sister. She is helpful and smart and beautiful. She works hard and plays hard and loves to laugh and have fun.

Sometimes I look at her and can see my mother as a child, she is my only child to give me that gift. My first daughter, we are learning much together and although the road has sometimes been a little rocky we will travel on.

I love her deeply and want only the best for her; to protect her for as long as possible, to encourage and challenge her, as she does me. We have fun years ahead.

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 8

The best beaches have sand and rocks. A kid can play and dig and clamber and climb and run from the waves, or just sit and think, for a few moments. Oh what I would give to know the thoughts that run through his mind. He is a thinker.

Can't beat California, sun and the beach in February. It may be colder again today, but these random gorgeous days are such a gift.

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 7

Ah my sweet girls. I love to watch their relationship; they love each other to death and are best friends, but of course they know each others 'buttons' like nobody else.

I have recently been learning to crochet and made them each a cute hat last week, which they actually like and are wearing(!), they were so cute together that I had to take a photograph. Any excuse right?

Ten

Ten years ago we welcomed the most amazing baby boy into our life. A decade...how is that even possible? I could not know how much I would love this little guy and how much he would change me. I had no idea what to really expect, how to be a mother...but we learned together. Such a sweet, sweet time.

He is truly beautiful, inside and out. He has a sensitivity, that I know at times must seem like both a blessing and a curse, but I know he will grow into that and will always bless others.

Like me, he sees things very literally and can be an over analyzer and like his daddy he is free with his emotions and wears his heart on his sleeve. He is creative, an amazing artist with a crazy imagination. Although they bug him at times and he craves alone time, he adores his little sisters and I know he would do anything for them.

He is on that cusp now, he is still very much a little boy, but growing all the time; intellectually, emotionally and physically. The small child is standing in the doorway, one foot in childhood still, but peering across into adulthood, he's not quite ready to cross that threshold but it is just a matter of time. It makes me catch my breath...

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 4

Meet my nephew and niece. Great kids. The thing I love about family is that there is no pretense, you see the good and the bad and you love through it all. I have watched these children grow up, the cuddles, the tantrums (fortunately not directed at me), highs and lows and I love that I get to see them developing into the people they will become.

If you have children, or grew up not as an only child, you know that they can be the best of friends and the worst of enemies. They love each other, yet they can bicker and quarrel and torment each other. At the end of the day though, they will have each others backs. The shared history, the mutual grievances with parents, the secrets they share, or keep from each other. There is nothing like the bond you have with your siblings.

It's true, over and over again in relationships, from marriages, to parent and child and of course with siblings, no matter how mad each may be with the other, if they can laugh together, all can be right in their world.

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 41

I am currently in England for a week, for my brother's wedding and boy do I miss my family. They couldn't come with me and are at home in California. Those sweet smiles brighten my day, every day and the hugs and the kisses and the little hands. I miss them all. I know they miss me too, but I am only one person to miss and I am missing four (counting my husband too). Sigh.

I am happy to be here but so wish they were with me. Can't wait to be home with them again.

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 39

He loves his daddy so much. It was particularly sweet yesterday as he chose to wear a cap, just so he could look him him. Of course you know I had to capture that!

And one more, just because he's my sweet boy and growing up way too quickly.

Family

These two sisters have eight children between them, all aged 6 1/2 and under, (the youngest is only a couple of weeks old) and they still managed to look this good! Seems a little unfair to me :P

All of these children were stunning. In my family, I am surrounded by blue eyes, so I find brown eyes absolutely mesmerizing.

Sometimes I like what might be considered outtakes the best. True personalities shine through.

 So much love from the old baby to the new one.

And even if it's only a few moments, got to get a couple of Mom and Dad together. Life is crazy and hectic with kids and especially a newborn, but that relationship is so important and beautiful.

Thank you for the chance to work with your beautiful family Christine.

If you are interested in family photographs, email me at juanita@juanitacannanphotgraphy.com to find out more or schedule a session.

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 33

When my wonderful husband moved me to America, 15 years ago this October, I knew nobody other than he. That first weekend we met an engaged couple at church, who invited us over for lunch and thus began a lifelong friendship. We would spend weekends together, roaming San Francisco for parking and some new place to eat, driving aimlessly for hours on our little adventures. We helped to decorate at their wedding, years later we bought houses walking distance from each other, we went through pregnancies and had children together...and that is the fun part because now our children are best friends too.

We aren't neighbors anymore and they have accepted a new position at a new church so things will undoubtedly change, but they will always be people we can count on in our lives. We will just have to be more intentional with our plans. I know from experience that true friends can always pick up where they left off, no matter the distance or time between them. Here's to friendships that last forever, for us AND our kids.

(My sweet boy is missing from these pictures, as he has been hobbling around on crutches, but he is very much a part of the gang too).

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 31

Ah my boy, growing up so quickly. Not yet a man, but certainly not the little boy he once was. He still has an innocence about him, things he has not been exposed to and a simple view of the world. He still knows how to play games full of imagination and pretense, how to build Lego for hours and get lost in a book. He is kind and compassionate and cares deeply about right and wrong. He likes to help and LOVES to cook. He takes great delight in making others laugh.

His foundations are good and I know that he will be a wonderful man and an amazing father some day. It boggles my mind to think of all the changes there have been since he was born, yet alone the changes to come in the years ahead.

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 28

This child brings so much joy to my life and her smile truly is a gift, even in all it's gummy, missing teeth glory. She is kind and affectionate and thoughtful and sweet and she loves to sing and make others laugh. My days are going to seem a little longer when she starts school and is no longer by my side. She makes me smile, she makes me happy.

Then there are her eyes. She's just an amazing child.