Our 2010 Summer Wedding Season is slowly creeping to an end, but with every end of the cycle, a new one begins! We have been receiving a number of inquiries for 2011 and have been furiously keeping pace with finding new products and offering new services! We are absolutely ecstatic with some of the new and exciting brewings in the RAD Studio bowels (yes, I said bowels).

The reason for this series, is that we do things a little differently here at RAD Studio. We are NOT the typical “show me the package” type of studio. There are a lot of little cogs that make our RAD Studio experience .. well um.. RAD. So I’m going to take some time every week to explain some of the unique aspects of what makes our Studio tick. Things like our Custom Quoting, Image Presentation, Services, Designs, and Products. We’ll also answer some questions that come up often. Questions such as, “Why don’t you offer packages?”, “Your style is so out there, do you even shoot family formals?” and the infamous, “Why do you only blog one image?”

We’re excited to share with you the innards of the RAD Studio Wedding experience. So stick around. Also, if you have any questions that you would like us to order, just send em over : r@radstudiophoto.com. Put the subject: BLOG Series Questions and just write your question in the body

We woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of raindrops on our driveway. The only day of the summer that rained! But we were still so STOKED to get our groove on for Rina and Carlos wedding. We couldn’t wait to get started! Funny small world story was that Danelle was in the same grade as Carlo’s younger sister, and I was best friends with Rina’s younger brother. We didn’t find out Danelle’s connection until we met with them to discuss wedding photography! Crazyness!

So it goes without saying that we have seen glimpses of their relationship in the past! They have always had a smile on their face and have had nothing but fun in the few times that we hung out with them To think… a whole day of that? We were in for a good one!

Since we first sat down to talk shop, Danelle and I, felt that without words, they exuded a great sense of support, connection, and admiration for each other. On our part as the photographer, it was just a dream to get them in front of the lens and know that what we would get, would be nothing short of classic romance. The other side of the coin is that they have such an unbelievably deep respect for what we do, and how we capture life by spicing up the ordinary through how we shoot. Their appreciation of our art coupled with their love for each other, we knew we would be able to get some seriously bad ass portraiture!

From the start of the day until the end, we saw them so gitty to start the day, getting antsy and emotional before the ceremony started, cherishing the first time they held each others hand as bride and groom at the foot of the alter, and they couldn’t stop caressing each others hands throughout the whole ceremony! Just watching them was so endearing, not to mention adorable!

The rain didn’t stop us from having so much fun with them. If anything, it pushed us to find some great nooks and cranny’s! After that we headed over to the reception. A place where everybody… I mean EVERYBODY was getting down and partying hard (and the bride and groom weren’t even there yet!).

The DJ was playing the best jams, and the MC’s started it off right! With the awesome entrance of the bridal party, the long awaited moment of the bride and groom graced the reception and dazzled us with a fantastic first dance as husband and wife to start of the evening

Rina and Carlo, the day was sooo spectacular, we wouldn’t change a thing! We were so blessed to celebrate and take part in one the greatest moments of  your relationship – for that we thank you! We appreciate the kindness and love you have shared with us, that undoubtedly you’ve learned, received and passed forward from your family and friends. We can’t wait to show you the rest!

What an insanely fun emotional rollercoaster of a day! The pastor said it best when he described Ryan as, “every time I see you, you are either Laughing or Crying!” The latter is not meant in a teasing way, but was more endearing than anything else. Ryan wears his emotions all over his body  His laugh is contagious, is smile is effortless, and his tears are joy filled. Valerie was a vision for her wedding day! She was drop dead gorgeous, but what I love about these two, is that they see past the wedding day and see their marriage!

Valerie and Ryan have built their relationship on a solid foundation of faith in God, and spending 5 minutes with them, it becomes very apparent. These love birds can’t keep their hands off of each other! Their love and admiration for each other is fuelled and inspired by their faith. Their supernatural bond together climaxed as valerie started to walk down the aisle as Ryan waited for her at the alter.

Of course Ryan couldn’t keep it together, but looking around the room (and even myself), I couldn’t blame him It’s as if everyone’s breath was simultaneously held as all watched Valerie and Ryan finally grasped each others hands to begin their new life together.

As the ceremony went on, there were many inspiring, funny, and emotional moments. However, my most memorable of their day was when Valerie had to reach back to her bridesmaids to take a kleenex for tears. Not hers, but Ryan’s!

Their Celebration continued as we ventured to Kirin Restaurant in New WestMinister. It was full of family, friends, and coworkers, united in hooting, hollering, and cheering, making a very memorable night for the newlyweds.

I’m sure all of you have seen your fair share of kissing-esk games to get the couples to kiss during the reception. This one, I have to admit was a combination of many that I have seen, but really did have some mischievous undertones. To get the couple to kiss, two people had to demonstrate it. But someone nominates that couple. To nominate someone, you have to pay some money. The pot was $2. So you can imagine how many people had twoonies in their pockets. There was so much kissing it made my lips chapped from watching. The price was so low, that at one point the kids table pooled together their coins to volunteer all their parents to kiss! Haha! It was hysterical!!

We had so much fun from beginning to end with these two. Our RAD image this week portrays them perfectly. Ryan, who is so fun and in your face entertaining, and Valerie watching with quiet admiration at her honey

We’ve been so excited to shoot these understated rock stars! You know when you meet with a gorgeous couple, who YOU KNOW they look like they can rock it out – you’re in for a good one!!

When we first met Carleigh and William we hit it off right away! Their personalities were larger than life and the fun they had together was even greater! We loved how they appreciated amazing photography, and how they ‘got’ our style What we were surprised by is the fact Will described himself more like Chandler from friends – You’ll see by the image that it is SOOO not the case! By the looks of our initial meeting (even initial phone conversation), we instantly knew there was going to be a crazy love jamboree on August 1st between us and this phenomenal couple! The initial meeting even had me and Will dishing out the man love immediately. What was weird, was that it wasn’t so weird HEHE.

So the moral of the initial meeting story was to knock out GQ cover shots and not MAD magazine With this guys it was ridinculously easy.

Starting out the day seeing how chill it was for Carleigh at Terminal City set the tone for the rest of the day! Color it Fantastic! (Sorry had to put a pride reference in there somehow ). She was absolutely drop dead gorgeous, and she wasn’t even done getting ready yet! I had to quickly dash off to the Canadian Memorial Church for the dudes.

And the gents were ready. Hahaha, the funny thing was that Will prepared them for GQ insanity and let me know that they were foretold! Haha! I love it! Needless to say, these guys couldn’t turn it off. It was so easy to shoot them, and we had fun the entire day.

Both Carleigh and William have an amazing circle of individuals that have such a positive influence in their lives. We can tell this easily by how they were all treating Danelle and I. Just with simple words of encouragement and lending helping hands throughout the day to us (just strangers to them), allowed us to see such big hearts that their family and friends had!

It also was apparent to us when we were seated at “THE TABLE” for the reception. You know what I’m talking about. There’s always at least one “THE TABLE” at each wedding. Well we were seated there and got a lot of fist bumping, hooting, hollering, jeering and fist pumping action from them! Haha. Man it was so much fun!!

Carleigh and William thank you so much for trusting in our art. As we look back at the images we can’t stop smiling when we see you guys. The day was absolutely perfect from start to finish. It was certainly a day that everyone will remember as such! We can’t wait to show you what we captured for you to relive, relove, and remember the day.

ps. Will, when you see the rest of the shots, we won’t need to photoshop Brad Pitt’s body into the images – cuz when Brad see’s these images, he’ll want to Photoshop you into his

WOWEE ZOWEE! Okay… seriously – What doesn’t belong? An fantastic sunny wedding day, rockstar shots, dumpsters, ice cream trucks, hip gyrations and PLINKO… ya, PLINKO. Have an answer? … Trick question. These were all (some more than others) aspects of Jeff and Monica’s wedding. Danelle and I had an amazing time with these two! They have such big hearts and are absolutely perfect for each other!

All day was a breath of fresh air! Not only are Jeff and Monica so awesome, every person that was close to them shared the same characteristic. From meeting the boys in the hotel room, to the girls getting ready at her place, we felt so welcome and allowed us to shoot them.. well.. being them! from friends to immediate family being comfortable around us, we were able to witness who Jeff and Monica really were. The day was filled with so much fun that we can’t possible describe it all!

Jeff is cool, confident, and not to forget suave and stylish! Shooting this guy was an absolute breeze! Hanging out with the guys was a lot of fun. His bridal party was a riot! So friendly, unbelievably funny, and definitely had Jeff’s back. A lot of Man Love was shared!

Monica has a calm and strong demeanour. Her smile is gorgeous, and she is absolutely stunning – inside and out! There is absolutely no way to take a bad picture of her. She is a vision!

All day we were able to see the love that each of them shared for each other. I know it is a small thing, but the morning of the wedding, I asked Jeff what he was up to the night before. He told me he was doing non-wedding stuff – which was installing an air conditioner at his place. I would like to take this situation and point out how much Jeff continues to think of Monica. You see… the girls were getting ready at their place, and instead of just kicking back with the boys, he went ahead, and I ensured that Monica was more than comfortable while getting ready to marry the man of her dreams!

We did some crazy dynamic light shots, dumpster shots, sun flare shots, but of all the shots we took of the terrific two – We chose to blog just an intimate moment shared by them. In such a cropped shot, it still shows how crazy in love he is with her, and how beautiful she feels when he is around.

Monica and Jeff – we thank you for inviting us to witness the beautiful the start of your life together. We have so much to show you, and can’t wait to have you in!

Please allow me to preface the following blog post by stating that there are no words, expressions, or experiences when regarding your first born kid!

I am still elated at the fact that I am a father of a beautiful baby girl Elated is an understatement. Is there a way to describe Disneyland to a 6 year old? Or how about illustrating why dogs do that thing to your leg to a 5 year old? Or how about describing why a honeymoon is important to a… er.. nevermind

All I am saying is, it is the biggest inside joke phenomenon ever! Outsiders won’t understand it, but those before you smile and ‘get it’

Sure you hear the words, ‘how long was labor?’, ‘how much did she weigh?’, or ‘are you getting enough sleep?’. But those words are just words, until you are fully immersed into how they those words are attached to their respective meaning.

The goal wasn’t when Micah was born, nor was the start where the intial contractions occured. No, I know that this is a lifestyle, and parenting is not something where we check in and out. My pastor always says, “I don’t know if you are a good man, until I see your grandkids”. It’s not about the instance, but about the generations. Having said that, I would like to back up for a bit and talk about how radiant Danelle was during her pregnancy!

She was a sight to behold! Throughout the 3 trimesters they were defined by characteristic milestones in our life. The first Trimesters we actually travelled a lot with baby! We went from Calgary (to watch the Canucks game), to San Diego and LA, and capped off the travelling with a SHABANG in New York City!!

The second Trimester was characterized with our nesting phase. We mentally and spacially got everything ready for baby when she was ready to pop out!

The third Trimester, Danelle embarked on a project that, to me, superceded, anything a post-partum soft cover book can offer. It brought with it a wealth of experience, gleaning from mothers that have gone before us. Some mothers just newly acquainted with their little one, to mothers with the rich knowledge of their flock. Danelle would ALWAYS come home with a huge smile on her face while working on her project Although she wasn’t able to ‘finish’ up her project, via the blog, she has been working on other things to blow everyone out of the water!

I’ve asked her many times, “are you going to miss being pregnant?”, easy to say that in the moment without holding onto baby now. But in all honesty, her answers always blew me out of the water.

“To be able to witness and be the only one to know when my baby is moving, hiccuping, or kicking – is an experience I will always miss. Nothing will every be able to replace that. Even though other things will come and share that spotlight, I won’t be able to feel that intimate connection in that way again.”

Wow.

Maybe dudes are missing out?

Needles to say anymore, pregnancy was one journey we would love to do again and again!

The whole labor and hospital process was very long. We were there for close to 7 days after Micah was born, and without a laptop, weren’t able to communicate to the outside world  for a while In the middle of our stay, I sent out an email to our family and friends to give an update on what was going on, just so they knew we didn’t drop off the face of the earth So instead of re-writing everything, here is the email (if you want a more detailed description of what when on, ewww, just let us know (I don’t know why you would want to , but just let us know) and we can fill in all the child birthing details ):

Danelle woke up with cramps on Thursday morning at 3am. Contractions all day ranged from hold your breath uncomfortable to tearfully painful. The contractions also kept faking us out from being as close as 2 minutes apart to 45 minutes apart. The unpredictability was not fun The contractions finally were 6 mins apart for a good half hour, we then drove to Women’s hospital at 1am. The contractions by this point were not causing Danelle to stop what she was doing at that point and focus mentally on minimizing the pain. When Danelle was assessed at 2 am (23 hours of labor) she was only 3 (out 10) centimetres dilated. WHAT?!?!

I was 3 cm dilated!

So of course they asked us to walk it out. The next 6 hours the contractions began to become more intense and became more frequent. They ruptured Danelles water to get things going. By 9am Danelle was 5 cm. and was now starting Active labor (increasing labor pains). The pain became unbearable by 11am that she needed to use laughing gas. From 11am to 4pm the pain was SOO much that I don’t recall Danelle openning her eyes anymore Although we had our reservations, I couldn’t see Danelle like that, so to relieve her pain we opted for an epidural.

They missed 3 times. How do you miss 3 times? word to the wise – NEVER let a Resident Anesthesiologist administer the epidural (just my opinion). By 4pm Danelle was so exhausted she fell asleep and slept through 30 mins worth of contractions. The attending physician was then called down to administer the epidural and it finally worked!

The actual pushing lasted for 1.5 hours, which was pretty good. All you soon to be/future fathers out there – there are simply NO words to explain this miracle process. So that’s all I will say about that!

Micah Maui was born at around 9:00pm on June 11th. However after the deliver Danelle wouldn’t stop bleeding. They eventually proceeded with a DNC on Danelle, which from what I understand was a procedure that need to scrap the inside of the uterus out. Normally the uterus would deal with all of that after deiivery, but after such a long labour, we believe that the uterus was just overworked to keep going

Enter the next day. Thinking that we were able to go within hours. Our doctor, in passing, noticed that Micah had puffy eyes. With no concern in her voice, she thought to be on the safe side and asked to go ahead for a jaundice test.

After the results were back, our nurse whisked us away, literally in the matter of 10 minutes, transferred us to another room, explained to the new nurses about what is going to happen, took our baby, and put her into an incubator. She then told us of some of the risks, such as brain damage and hearing disabilities. Wow… scary? Micah underwent aggressive photo therapy to try to bring the jaundice down. No one spoke to us about what was happening until after the whirlwind, and that is when the nurse told us that we were at a high risk stage. So Micah needed to be in there for as much time as possible, meaning we could only breastfeed for 30-40 mins out of the incubator every 2-3 hours or so. No cuddle time, no playing time. IT SUCKED.

I know that Juandice is common in newborns, but she wasn’t even a day old and we weren’t even able to hold her anymore It was very difficult for us. Especially since mentally we were preparing to go home. After 9 months of imagining and anticipating what the dream would be like – this was obviously not part of that vision

SO after almost a week we are finally home and trying to amalgamate the dichotomy between the life that was Ral and Danelle with the brand spanking new Nicanor Family! Here are a few more images I was able to snap:

This will probably be one of the greatest shots I will ever get to take in my entire life. This is the first time Danelle gets to hold our daughter.
Micah only a few seconds old. Where did that full set of curly hair come from? What? Don’t look at me.
Micah only after a few hours old

Her first bath!!!!

Super model? Or super Tired? You can pick. Maybe both?

Last year during the May weather craziness, I wondered how it would be in 2010. I say this because we met the always awesome Sue and Brandon around that time. We shot Sues brother Mike a few years back. Actually, a href=http://www.radstudiophoto.com/?p=111 target=_blankMike and Suzannes engagement shoot/a was one of our first as RAD Studio monkeys! You know your old when… haha. Well shortly after, we shot their wedding and first met his little sister.

We received this email last year that totally brought a smile to our face

“Hello Ral and Danelle.
As you may already know, I am Mike’s little sister. I still remember seeing Mike and Suz’s engagement photos and being blown away by how well you captured their personalities and their relationship in photos. It was truly astonishing. Of course their wedding photos were also incredible and I remember thinking, “I would love them to do my wedding.” Now that day has come. I am engaged to my high school sweetheart, Brandon, and we would be honoured if you would agree to be our photographers. You guys truly have a gift. “

Wow! Time and Time again, I always say – I love what I do because of the people who allow us to do it! Sue and Brandon trusted us, and allowed us to interpret their world through our lens. We are always so humbled and honored to be not only welcomed to such an intimate occasion, but to be invited into their world. Photography can be such an invasion of personal space, but with understanding comes trust. Sue and Brandon got it. Many times during our meetings they always expressed – We trust you, Youre the experts, Im not worried at all, because you guys are just that good

With such confidence in our skillz we wanted to destroy the shoot and show it who was boss!

We started the day off at her place, and Brandon was expected to come any second. They arranged to see each other during a First Look then head off. During this time, it was simply magic. He waited outside anxiously for the door to open up, while Sue was to first see him at the top of the stairs. There was no doubt in my mind that Sue was probably trying to sneak a peekerz at him through the frosted glass inlayed on their front door

When the door swung open… family, friends, even us, held our collective breath as they looked at each other for the first time. Again, it was magic. She walked down to meet him. Stared at each other in adoration. Kissed and embraced. I thought to myself… Now this is how you start!

We made our way to  Minter Gardens for all the action! and might I say, it did not slow down at all!

From the amazing family love, to guests shooting butt shots , the amazing food that always had a line up for more, the skits (yes… thats right! Skits!!), heart warming speeches, and of course the RAD couple! Sue and Brandon, customized and put so much thought into their wedding – and if anyone left not knowing these two more, were most likely comatose and sitting in the car! Their love is apparent, their personalities are striking, and their relationship is something to behold! Many people say opposites attract, and some may think that Sue and Brandon have hints of that. I would have to respectfully disagree.

These two have are so madly in love with each other it can make a new born puppies roll over!

The images we got from these two are fast and furious! They were also so diverse as they were able to work it for us! From cozy and intimate to freaking RAD and in yo face! The blog image for this week is chosen from the latter.

Sue and Brandon, thank you again for trusting our art. We hope and pray that the wonderful ride of marriage will continue to excite, nurture and cause you to be in awe of each other each and every day! Love and hugs!

Enjoy!

I really enjoyed the time I had to sit with Angie and reflect. Seeing her response as she would talk about the kids and her husband Emmet really made me want to reflect like that after 4 years of being a mom. Her confidence and pose through the questions made me want to hear more and I loved how candid each response was.

Here is my time with Angie:

Name: Angela

Age: 34

Profession: Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) & Doula

Children: Avery is 4 years old & Atticus is 2 years old (Angie is 5 months pregnant!!)

D: How were your pregnancies? Did you carry the same?

A: Yeah, yeah I did. For me, I do get nauseous but I don’t ever vomit or anything like that, its my biggest complaint for the first 12 weeks but when the 12 weeks are done, its like BAM! it’s over! I don’t become a very bulbous pregnant woman, I carry my children deep inside of me and I don’t know if its because I’m all or… everyone seems to become an obstetrician when you’re pregnant… ‘oh it must be because I’m tall, or my torso is long.’ I mean, who knows its probably more genetic if anything. I don’t swell too much, I don’t seem to have any of those issues. There are vascular problems, I get varicose veins but so far they’ve (both pregnancies) have been the same. Girl first, boy second, I didn’t really detect too much of a difference. And with this one too, I don’t know. And we’re not gonna find out if its a boy or a girl. It’s really a crap shoot… Emmet always says there are only a few things in life that are truly a surprise -

D: Right! He was the one who told us that its like opening a gift before Christmas!

A: And for him it would be the biggest let down to find out. We were at the obstetrician’s office on Thursday and she had a big screen TV. She asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby and Emmet was like “Absolutely NOT” and so she said, “I should really turn off this TV then because if I get the leg in the right position you’ll probably figure out if its a boy or a girl!” So he’s really adamant about not finding out whether its a boy or a girl and I get that. I mean, there are so many things with technology these days in this day and age where we just kind of know and figured out, this is one of those things where you’re able to keep this secret and carry it around with you for nine months and when you show it to the world finally, its amazing.

I’d like to think I’m fit and I like to exercise, its hard to let go of something taking control of your body. Your breasts become these things, like you don’t even know… like what is that?! And your stomach and your legs… its hard to let go of the control. I’m not one to say “oh well!’ I fight it a little bit. Not too much but its one of those things where I don’t feel most beautiful when I’m pregnant. But people tell me, ‘you look great’, ‘you look beautiful’ but its just you and your body. Like if you’ve ever had self conscious issues and you’re like ‘oh right, I’m pregnant – that’s normal! I’m supposed to gain weight and have like Chernobyl boobs’ and stuff like that. I mean its normal. And for me, I don’t get very, very big. I put on some weight and I remember I was teaching a student and he asked ‘how are you’ and I was like ‘I’m good, I’m good. I’m going on mat leave in a little while’ and he was like ‘oh really?! Thank God you’re pregnant, I thought you were just gaining a lot of weight and I was like “oh…”. And its just ’cause I don’t gain a lot of weight in my stomach and when others ask if I’m pregnant and I say I’m due next week they’re like “nooo…”. I don’t turn into this Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair, all belly and nothing else. I gain it everywhere, with both kids so far and this one too. But with the pregnant women I know, I look at them and think its the most beautiful thing in the world. I look at them and think ‘you’re beautiful’ and ‘you look amazing’ and when Zoe was pregnant I was like ‘Wow, you just look so motherly and luscious.  There is something you’re giving off right now that is just so comforting’.

D: What is it that grounds you? How do you stay Angie, the individual and a mom at the same time?

A: I think I need to have a little bit of time for myself and I think everybody needs to have a little bit of time for themselves. The way that I keep focused is going for a jog or even having a day of work, like I work one day a week. Its nice to go to work and feel like you’re giving back and its so fun to be a mom and so fun to have another layer to yourself as well because it makes coming home to your kids that much more exciting. I work on Wednesdays and there’s nothing greater than Wednesday night, walking through the door and they both come running to me and for a moment, I get to feel what Emmet feels Monday to Friday. And it feels good to go and then come back. It makes you appreciate them, it makes you appreciate what you’re doing. I think its like taking time away and contemplating and then coming back down to zero, you know? It lets you take whatever they throw at you. Before I became a mom, I always thought ‘I’m never going to work, I’m just gonna be a mom’ and I think is so important to keep something that’s yours. Its like it shows you that you as a person have these multi layers and multi dimensions and it shows your child as well that there are other bigger and better things out there. They say all the time that your child grows better when other people in loving environments nurture them. Whether it be your mom or your husband’s mom, you have a secondary caregiver showering them with love. I’m really lucky that I have my mom who is awesome with my kids. Nobody loves them more than my mom. Our parents really take a big part in taking care of our kids, that really grounds us. Also, going for walks with Emmet. Just spending time with him is just so good for me. Its not something we always get to do but he’s a great person to talk to and debrief on the going ons of the week. Every once in a while we get to go for walks and its really special.

D: Can you tell me a bit about Emmet as a dad?

A: He’s an awesome dad. He should give lessons as a dad. I’m being honest… I’m gonna start crying. I weep and that’s how Emmet knew I was pregnant with Atticus, I was just so weepy. But yes, he spends every minute that he’s not working trying to be there for his kids. He’s so patient with them. He has really amazing coping tactics with with what they’re going through and I love how we have different views on things and how to handle the same situation. He is always so thoughtful and everything is so well thought out. I’m in awe of him that he can just work his day and come home and be such a part of their lives. The children absolutely adore him. He’s gentle, he’s kind… Emmet’s favorite thing in the morning,…  Atty is really into hockey and Emmet taped the last twelve minutes of the gold metal olympic hockey game and he comes downstairs with him in the morning and says, “hockey daddy, hockey” and they turn on hockey at 6 o’clock in the morning and watch that match everyday. And every time Sydney Crosby scores, Emmet and Atty go “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” (low, chanting voice – so cute!) Its hilarious. Its so neat to see your husband be so in love with someone. He loves me but when you actually get to see him be in love with his kids like that its just amazing. It makes me want to have more and more kids with him but I think we’ll probably try to focus on this new one for now. (laughs)

D: Going from being just a married couple to establishing your family and relearning intimacy, what is it like being married with a family?

A: Its neat how it is constantly growing and evolving and changing. I think that one of the reasons I thank God for him too, that Emmet’s in my life because he’s so into sitting down at night and talking about the goings on of the day and it just seems to get better and better with each day and the more you’re with that person, you just seem to understand them more and the thing I find amazing is that I’m learning more about him everyday. You know when you think you know someone and you’re like, ‘ya I know you and we live in the same house, we’re married’ and it just so neat to see new layers in each other and having kids, different stresses come into play and you learn even more about your upbringing and your insecurities and you kind of get more and more intimate and it gets more and more special. I can’t imagine wanting to have a relationship with anyone else in my life. You know what I mean? Why would I ever not want to be with the man I’ve created a deep and intense relationship with? It makes me even more certain I’m with the right guy. As everyday goes by, I think about that. And that’s why I want to be in the city, so we can be with each other more. We lost a lot of our family time to the highway and its not our ideal. I love having my mother close but I’d love to have my husband closer.

D: Are you the same person you were before you had Avery and Atticus?

A: No. I think you can’t be, right? Because you have to become selfless and I think until you have kids and even in your first pregnancy, you’re selfish. Like you to to the yoga classes, you’re rubbing your belly all the time and you’re thinking about you and how you’re gonna deal with it and all the new things that are coming your way and how lovely and wonderful it is and I think the moment you and your husband become a family, it all becomes about being a family. I remember when I had Atty, I was thinking ‘how’s Avery going to handle this?’ You spend a lot of time with your kid talking about the baby. And its not about you, its about this child. Avery came into the ultrasound room with me and asked, “Mummy, why is that baby so small? Is that baby gonna grow?” it’s all about your growing family and how they’re doing. Even when a couple is pregnant, its still just about being pregnant the concept of a child is not really developed yet. And men are different, they’re so visual so they need to see the baby before they say ‘oh my goodness, our life is completely changed’. Like you feel it and you’re feeling the baby move, your stomach is growing but until he can hold that baby it his arms its like, ‘oh now I get it’. I really just don’t think I can be the same person that I was 4 years ago and be the mom that I am. It was all about me and now its not about me at all. And I’m okay with that, its something you take on when you agree to be a parent.

D: Are there similarities to how you were raised and how you’ve raised your children?

A: Ya, I think you use the tools that have been given to you. You know what you know, right? And I think that there were things where when I was growing up I said I’d never do to my kids, I’m never going to say those things and I find myself saying them. And I’m like ‘oh gee, oh well…’ … therapy will hopefully figure that out for them. (laughs) I turned out okay, I guess. I think my family is really traditional and respectful. When I see Avery being disrespectful, I don’t like it. Family respect is such an important thing. Like when grandparents come into the room, you have to be respect full and that’s something my parents taught me and I think that’s something that I try to teach her as well. But I do see the similarities, its really hard to break that. The good and the bad.

D: What does a normal day look like for you? And what is your energy level like?

A: My energy level definitely changes depending on how much coffee I give myself. We have morning preschool on Tuesday and Thursdays and that’s always really hectic. You want them to be brushed and dressed and out the door. You’re trying to teach them how to be on time too, and I’m always late. We have ballet on Tuesdays. Tuesdays seem to be our busy day and I think that exhausts her quite a bit. Atty is still napping for 2 hours a day and so he kind of breaks up our day and in that time he’s napping, its a really special time for Avery and I. I think that’s our time to make play dough and reconnect. There’s a special bond between you and your first kid. You’re always trying to get that what you had before that second or third or fourth kid came along. I heard a funny thing, someone said she was the oldest of 7 kids and her nickname was “Pancake” and someone finally asked why her nickname was “Pancake” and she said it was because the first kid is such a flop and all of the mistakes are made with the first kid so her siblings called her “Pancake”. Thank God I’m not the first kid! So I may just call my brother that. But its true! Wait, I can’t remember what the question was… (laughs)… Yeah, we spend time together and love being in our house. There’s a park on our street, get together with other moms and have a cup of tea with them. That’s a great place to get some peace. Just being with others who get where you’re coming from and its just nice to be with moms who are really kind. There are moms out there that are not so kind and will judge you and there are moms that I like to surround myself with who never make me feel judged. Its nice to come from a place of honesty and we all need that. Some days are harder than the next, your kids become your own thing and when you’re on that hospital bed and your thinking ‘I have this other thing to feed’ its never as easy as that first day. There are so many layers to what you’re going through, there’s this and that and you become a shuttle service, then a sounding board, then a mother of a teenager and on and on, its a life long job… (laughs) but the best job in the job, the worst pay but best job!

D: What do you enjoy the most about being a mom?

A: Goofing around with my kids. Avery has a tent over her bed and we go in there and we tickle each other, and jump on the bed. We joke around with each other and we don’t have to rush anywhere or go anywhere or do anything. We are in the moment with each other and it goes so quickly. 4 years ago, I was holding a 2 day old kid and now she’s at ballet and doing things on her own. Watching Hannah Montana and listening to Miley Cyrus, giving me attitude and I think ‘oh my goodness’, you really need to hold on to those tickling each other in the tent moments.

D: At the end of the day, what brings you joy and peace?

A: Having them asleep in the house, and Emmet and I reclining and being in our home. Just knowing that they are upstairs sleeping peacefully and that my husband is home with me and we’re making idol conversation. That feels good just to have this family you’ve created. Like, ‘this is the family that I want, I made this’. That’s pretty special. I think I’m a person who is all about my family and I take pride in that… but its also that they’re just asleep and its quiet, its joyful. The little things are what you receive the most joy out of. And would I say that 5 years ago? Would I say ‘having my kids sleeping upstairs and being with my husband watching Glee’, would that be the epitome of what my life is? No. It would be something fun or adventurous, or being out on a night in town or hanging out with someone famous or cool… but that’s not important anymore. Really, that’s so not important anymore. Its neat how you change that way.

D: What has been your greatest struggle as a mom?

A: Hmmm… getting my hair done. Looking normal in the morning. Showering, again, the basic things that you take for granted. Its really, hard. Hard to do those things you used to take for granted. Getting your eyebrows threaded, with two kids sitting on your lap. Its not cool! (laughs) Letting go of it not being about you anymore, you have to accept that, and its hard. We’re all egocentric people and its hard to say, ‘this is all for you kid, all you’ you just still kind of want to look normal and have time to yourself. I think I get resentful of Emmet sometimes because I think ‘you get up and go to work, and when you want to go to the bathroom, you just go to the bathroom. When you want to get a cup of coffee, you go get a cup of coffee. When you’re hungry, you go have lunch’. When you’re a mom, you’re constantly thinking, ‘okay, they’re clean and they’re fed – ohhh wait, he pooped, but I’m hungry, but he pooped. Clean poopy diaper or eat?… Clean poopy diaper, which one do I pick? I’m so hungry’.

D: What have you learned about yourself in all of this?

A: I’m stronger. I’m more patient. I’m more patient about the big things that go wrong and less patient about the small stuff. (laughs) I try not to sweat the small stuff. I’m not a superwoman, but you get a lot put on to your plate and you’re thinking ‘I can do it because everyone else is’. I just do feel like I’m stronger and more patient, I’d also like to think I’m more organized but that’s hard! Organization is a difficult one for me.

D: What do you like about yourself?

A: I like that I’m a comfort to my kids. I love how when they hurt themselves, they want you. They want to be with you. Nobody else in the world can do what you do for them. Its so comforting. It feels good to be that everything to someone, you know? Which is why I think its hard when the kids grow up and mothers miss not being that. I like that I have a good sense of humor about things,  you really have to laugh it up because it takes too much energy to cry and really at the end of the day its not that bad. I think I’m good at making light of things.

D: How has your work as a doula been affected as you’ve had children?

A: Mostly empathy. Before you go through it you’re kind of thinking deep in your mind, ‘c’mon its not that bad… suck it up.’ Like you feel bad for the person, you see that they’re laboring but you really have no idea of what they’re going through. But when you go through it you’re like, ‘oh wow, ya, this is hard and it hurts quite a bit. I now see why its so difficult’ I see why its called labor. Its not called “planting trees” for a reason. So, its a really exciting thing to doula for people before and after where someone invites you into a very intimate moment for them. It’s big and life changing so I feel really honored that someone would want me in that room with them. They go in as two and come out as three (or four, depending on if they have twins) and its just so special. Its nice to see the relationship tick or twitch that changes each couple just a little bit. If I could even share a picture of what that looks like when you’re in that room with them, its special.

D: Can you give me a word describing what it was like seeing Avery and Atticus for the first time?

A: Mmm… I don’t know. (tears)… its like peace, you know? Even though they were both screaming when they came out, you just know they’re okay. You worry about what’s going on in there for that time that you’re pregnant and then when you finally get to hold them, its like, ‘oh thank God you’re okay’ and now I can take care of you and its just… just, I’m so happy for us because people who don’t have kids or can’t have kids, I feel bad for them because they’ll never experience that. Even for your husband, they don’t even get to experience that ‘I grew this’, its so much more than you’ll ever feel, you need to savour that how ever long they give you… half an hour or so to bond with the baby. You’ll never get that back again, you know? But its just the most amazing thing in the world, I think. Oh, I’m so weepy.

D: Advice for new moms?

A: Take a little time for yourself. Remember that this too shall pass. (laughs) Even though everyone may have all these things to say to you, listen to your heart. We are all mothers inside and we all have an innate ability to be a mother and nurture. So, you’ll know what to do. Take advice, but take it lightly. Everyone will try to tell you what to do but listen to your inner voice. And, take a shower, get your hair done and get a cup of coffee.

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Here are some essentials:

Where have we seen these Goldfish crackers before?… I see they are pretty important! The Kiki candy is kind of like Starburst, its actually quite good.

Gotta keep the kids entertained!

For Avery, lipgloss is like candy to her. She made sure to have some on for our photo session, so cute!!

A cute little personal item of Avery’s.

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Angie, thank you so much for sitting with me and sharing your wisdom. Ral and I really respect you and Emmet and are so thankful for the energy and joy you’ve shown those times we’ve seen you. Your love for the kids and your ever-strengthening relationship with Emmet fascinate me, I just love how you seem to keep it fresh and simple while enjoying such a rich and happy family life. Always a pleasure!

Have you heard of Tweet ups? I haven’t either. Well… Not until recently. It is a combination of Twitter and meeting up. Get the picture? =P

One of our gem clients Elisse is undoubtedly one of the funnest people to talk to in the world, that paired up with Twitter – is a deadly procrastination combination Having said that, we would never have met this FANTASTIC couple! A Twitter friend of Elisse (someone whom she hadn’t met) Dilara, decided to meet up at a local event. Thus the Tweet up was complete and the rest is history (with some RAD Studio flavour somewhere in the middle).

When we first had our consultation with Dilara and Dennis, we had an extraordinary time! Not only was it a lot of fun, but we had moments that epitomized who we loved shooting. In each of our meetings Danelle and I listen and glean to everyone’s story. When were listening to Dilara and Dennis’, there were tears shared. Tears were evoked by simple words of ‘what do you mean to each other?’  -   Simply amazing.

Their session was no different. It was a concentrated dose of absolute awesomeness.