Reynolds Family Sneak Peek - One Year

Another year has flown by, I swear that's what happens once children enter your life. Try as you might to slow down time, it just seems to keep speeding up. We took maternity photos and the sweet newborn photos, but now Miss. Ruth is almost one year old. We headed over to Crissy Field to celebrate and capture this milestone.

We even finished the session off with a cute cake her Mama made. Her first cake ever, she certainly didn't waste any time and seemed to know exactly what to do with it. What a trooper, she deserved it. Happy Birthday sweet Ruth!

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 9

I had a meeting in the city (San Francisco) on Tuesday morning and as my husband did not have any work scheduled, he came in with me so that we could spend time together afterwards. There is so much of this city that I have not yet seen and it turned out it was a day with many attractions offering free entrance.

I had grabbed my camera, as we headed out of the door and for some reason I had decided to also bring my macro lens. It's not one I bring as a matter of course, it's for detail shots and is fun, but not always useful. When I saw that the Conservatory of Flowers was on the list of freebies, I knew immediately that was where I wanted to go. It was fun to wander through, just the two of us and admire plants we don't see in every day life (and without little ones tugging on our clothes to let us know they were bored and ask when we could leave)!

Next time he gets to choose where we head to.

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?

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 6

And then the rain came and it wasn't just a soft rain, it poured! The kind of weather that most definitely made me want to be indoors, wrapped up warm (wishing I had a fireplace). When you're a kid though, what could be more fun than to splash in puddles?

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 5

They grow up so quickly, but watching them sleep takes me back in time. I can see them, once again, as they looked as babies. It is an amazing thing.

This one is, of course, way past needing naps, but after a couple of very late nights last weekend, when forced to be quiet and still she actually fell asleep. I know she needed it. I watched her as she snoozed, so pretty and peaceful and I marveled at the girl she was and is becoming.

Such hopes and dreams we have for our children, that they will be children for as long as possible, that they will grow into confident and strong adults.  The years we fully have with them are so short and precious. I hope we grow to be great friends, moving beyond the parent daughter roles we have today. I hope she will always know she is loved and beautiful. I hope she will speak her mind, even when she disagrees with others and not be afraid to be different. I hope she will take risks and laugh at her mistakes and try again.

I know that she truly has the ability to move mountains, not only in her life but in the lives of others and I hope that she will believe that for herself and be an encouragement to others.

I love this sweet (and spicy) girl!

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.

Riley Family Sneak Peek {Marin County Family Photographer}

This family holds a special place in my heart. This is our pastor who has the ability to make everyone feel loved and special and taken care of! When I moved to America, their oldest son Jared was away at school, whilst Jon and Becky were teenagers in the high school youth group. Now look at them, all grown up.

Jared is now married and living in Utah, Rebecca is a vet in North Carolina and Jon recently also came on as full-time staff at Open Door Church, in San Rafael, here in California. It's not often that they are all around at the same time, so we had to do a few photos just after Christmas.

They have been married for thirty years and still look at each other like this and can just laugh together, love it!

The 'children' all grown up.

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 3

Last week I accompanied my daughter's kindergarten class on a field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science, in Berkeley. It was so great. Their group had a 'Fizz, Pop, Wow!' science class where they learned about mixing different ingredients and watching reactions, observing the properties of solids, liquids and gases. Then they got to explore the main halls, full of exhibits and hands-on displays. It really was a place that showed how fun learning can be. The groans when it was time to leave, were heartfelt and everybody agreed that the time had been too short.

It is so wonderful to see children's eyes light up as they learn and get excited at discoveries they make for themselves. The joy of understanding something new and feeling empowered. If you live in the Bay Area and haven't already visited, I would thoroughly recommend it.

Sneak Peek - Westbrook Family {Marin County Family Photographer}

This great family contacted me asking for some family photos to use for a ministerial resume. Not quite as formal as regular head shots, but not as informal as one of my normal family sessions. Of course we made sure to get some cute one-on-one shots with the kids and their parents too.

This is one attractive family, with stunning eyes and gorgeous smiles. Enjoy!

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 2

We need rain, I know it, yet one of the things I love most about living where we live, is the sunshine. Even if it is cold, our days are normally bright and I have come to realize how much my mood, my outlook is impacted when the sun disappears. When the sun is in hiding, everything seems just a little harder for me.

We had one day of rain this past weekend and I was struck, at one point, about my need to keep perspective, to keep control of my thoughts, to not go down a negative path, you know, one of those that can so quickly spiral downwards.

It was a busy morning, my husband had to go to the city for a music practice, I had to run my son to karate and drag my reluctant girls with me. We had to fit in a few frantic errands, then do a pick up from karate, with two extra cousins and a trunk full, which meant re-arranging the whole car to be able to make seats work...all in the rain. One daughter had to be back in our town for a birthday party while the other two did not want the cousin fun to end and it was all going to be a far too short turnaround. Well the play time got to be extended and as I drove my daughter to her party I connected with my husband, who it turned out was leaving too. I asked him if he'd eaten, as I was starving and he hadn't, I told him I hadn't either. I figured we'd be able to get something together. I dropped my daughter to her party and checked in again to see about our little date we would be able to sneak in before collecting our other kids, only to find out he'd already grabbed something to eat.

I started to feel rejected and sad, then upset. It was quickly escalating and yet, somehow, I was able to force myself to step outside of my situation to acknowledge that my husband loves me and is a good, kind man. He may have been a little thoughtless but he had not intentionally avoided spending time with me. We had poorly communicated. Believe me, there was a battle going on in my mind, that I was completely aware of. It was like one of those cartoons with a demon on one shoulder and an angel on the other, both trying to shout in my ear, each trying to drown out the other...and the rain, the grey day, the rain drops distorting my view. Wow it was hard. I can't say that the clouds broke and I saw the light and all was wonderful again, the rain continued and my mood did not significantly improve, but I chose to not water that seed of negativity any further. I chose to deprive it of oxygen and not feed it and let it grow. I believe it was God who gave me the ability to see a little clearer in those moments and who helped me when I cried out, through gritted teeth, for the strength I needed go in the right direction.

Later when the rain stopped, I could see all the droplets clinging to blades of grass and I was inspired to snap and thoughts started to jumble and formulate in my mind. A drop of water can itself act as a lens, like a very simple camera lens in fact, BUT the refracted image is upside down. It's a true image, but distorted, turned completely on it's head. That's how my mind had been working earlier, the facts were true, but they had potentially been distorted, maybe by all those water droplets? Maybe by outside forces trying to cause division in my family, in my marriage?

We have choices to make every day and we have the freedom to make good or bad decisions. We can stop and wallow in self pity, or anger, or rage or we can acknowledge them for what they are and keep moving forward. It's not always an easy choice, sometimes it can be tempting to stay in that place, but I promise you nothing good can come of feeding distorted thoughts. Do all you can to get the right perspective, call on friends you can trust to speak truth to you, pray, fight with all your might to get out of that place. Force yourself to look for the positives and the things you have to be grateful for and soon enough the rain will hopefully clear and the images will once again be the right side up.

Sneak Peek - Baby Bjerke {Marin County Newborn Photographer}

Ah wonderful newborns! There's nothing like capturing those early days...blink and they are gone and without photographs, with the lack of sleep and reduced brainpower it can be hard to remember all those precious details.

These are days you will never get back, which you will look back on with fondness, even if in the moment it can seem so hard and at times overwhelming.

I think that they are all smitten!

Just look at her little personality already shining through and she is most definitely her mother's mini-me as well as looking so much like her brother (click here to see his newborn photos).

So much love to you sweet Bjerkes. Congratulations on your beautiful growing family.

If you are interested in newborn photography, do not hesitate to contact me at juanita@juanitacannanphotography.com or through the contact page on my website www.juanitacannanphotography.com

52 Weeks of 2014 - Week 1

A favorite photo for each week of the year. It may not always be stunning, but it encourages me to keep carrying my camera and keep documenting the moments for me and my family too. After all, this is where it all started.

Why not join me?

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 52

And just like that, another year is over! I wanted to end with a photograph of me and my kids...finish strong. I cannot even put into words what these children mean to me. For someone, who for so long, did not even know if she wanted to be a mother, who thought she would gladly forgo that chapter of life, sometimes I look around at where I am now and I could just cry at what I might have missed out on.

I am a better person for them. They bring me joy and laughter, they love me when I feel unworthy, they stop playing in the middle of a playground and without even grumbling, happily take photos with me, because they know it will bless me. I hope that one day they will look back on these moments that I have captured and that they will smile, that memories will come flooding back, that they will see all that we had.

These family relationships are what shape all their future relationships, I am so glad that love flows freely in our family, that this is a safe place to express emotions and feelings and although I know we will all change over time I hope we will always be close.

Some families just seem to grow apart and it saddens me, even within my own extended family to see how that can so easily happen. Distance, I know from my own experience, does not help, but family ties should be treasured and nurtured and sometimes it takes work and I know I will fight for that with my own children.

I hope that 2013 has been a year you can look back on and see growth. Maybe things went well for you, or it may have been a hard year, but either way we keep moving forward, pressing on. We are each responsible for our own actions and the things we say, or do not. If each day of the coming year we can make a difference, no matter how small, in another person's life, then by the end of next year we will have each had a positive impact on over 300 people. We have huge potential. Let's not waste it.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you, here's hoping for greater things in 2014!

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 51

Christmas day has to be one of the most exciting days of the year. I remember as a child, waking earlier and earlier each year, full of anticipation, eager to open gifts. Now I get to experience the excitement all over again watching my own children. They are so happy and grateful and I truly get to live the fact that it is better to give than to receive. I feel so much joy at their joy and it is the most wonderful feeling.

My Family - Happy Christmas {Marin County Family Portrait Photographer}

From my family to yours, we would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas. This really is the most wonderful time of the year, not just because of all the excitement and presents, if you have children, but because we get to celebrate and remember the birth of Christ.The gift he gave in giving His life.

I have the most amazing family and friends and clients and I am grateful for each and every one of you. Thank you for visiting my blog and following along. Enjoy your time with family, whatever that looks like for you and don't eat too much!

I have to end with just one of my amazing children, the most amazing gifts in this life of mine.

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 50

Last Friday my amazing husband graduated from Seminary with his Masters (Missiology with an Urban Concentration). I am incredibly proud of him. He worked hard, not only with his studies but also working full time, running his business and providing for his family.

In many ways it has been a long time coming. When I met this man, seventeen years ago, I knew he had a call on his life. He is a man who loves God and loves people and his greatest desire, all these years, has been to serve God, fully. He has done that faithfully, in whatever he has done.

He was always someone who wanted to be a doer, not just a talker. When our first child was born that desire increased dramatically, as he felt the burden of being a real life example to his own children. Willing to risk it all, not just talk about risking it all and making sacrifices. Some may wonder at a grown man, with a family to support, going back to school, but there are times when we do what we must, regardless of what others may think. Could he have continued running his business, with some ministry here and there, as time would allow? Of course. But by furthering his education, new doors can open, new opportunities to serve more fully.

It has not been the easiest few years and there have been challenges, but this was a great accomplishment.

For now, this non-denominational, baptist seminary attendee, is returning to Anglican roots and pursuing ordination. In the meantime, there is some more studying to be done....but watch this space.

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 49

Children and puppies, I swear, are a match made in heaven. No judgement, just love. We could all learn a thing or two from them. This beautiful little girl, unfortunately, is not ours, but she has already become a firm favorite.

Our good friends have extended their family and we get to live vicariously through them, until such time as we move to a place where we can have a pet of our own. Then we too will, hopefully, complete our own little family.

52 Weeks of 2013 - Week 48

She arrived on his birthday, such a perfect gift. They will always share that, share their special day together. She is his baby, our baby...although yesterday she turned six. The oldest and youngest in our family, they have such a sweet bond.

I hope that our girls will always remember the love their father has for them, the love he shows for me and that it will always serve as an example of what is out there. I pray they won't settle for a cheap imitation, for not all men are equal. I was blessed to find my own prince (minus all the wealth :P ) and I wouldn't trade what we have, for anything.

Happy birthday to two of my loves!