Best Wishes

... as we come to the close of the year, we want to wish you all a blessed and happy New Year!!

We have just gone through our extrememly BUSY season and with the new year around the corner we are likely about to experience big changes.  We hope to sell Printed Matter to make more time first for my wonderful hubby (love you so much Ben) and dear Ranen and also to explore more into the photography world!  Looking forward to what it may bring :)

On top of work, December was a crazy month...  My birthday, Ben's birthday, more family birthdays, Ranen got the cold sore virus which broke out around her eyes, Ben and I went together to Whistler for a couple of nights (absolutely wonderful :) ), Silverstar with my family for 5 days, and topping it off with family dinners!! 
Wow! - here's to hoping for a little slower January :)

Well that was all written in December... now it is January 3!! 

I'll add a few pictures and wish my 'little' sister a happy birthday :)

Also letting you in on my plan for this year (don't want to call it a new year's resolution because I don't want it to fail!!! ha ha) - My plan: to take at least 1 picture every week day for the entire year!!  with the hope of catching more everyday moments like this!!! (and then hopefully blog them weekly - at least the blogging part for sure once the business is sold!)

Cayden and Ranen enjoyed there many days together in December (surrounded by our severe clutter from a busy month!! -  at least they don't seem to notice!)

Auntie Cathrine cuddling with Ranen when she didn't feel so good!

I love this boy!!  I love this picture of him :)

 Our sweetheart with her cold sore infection!  She looks at this picture and laughs now!!

Pigtails for the first time :)

Twins - always buddies :)  Love you guys

Last year at SilverStar we had a picture of the girls holding the kids like this... now the guys!!

Richelle and happy Taycin and another little one - just hiding yet for a couple more months! Love you too :)

Sledding... I didn't like the cold air in my eyes very much!!

And my sweet little sister and her boyfriend!  Happy Birthday Laura!!  You a such a sweetheart :) Hope you have a great year - supposed to be a big year for you - grad and all!!  Wish you well :)  Love you!

Well... here's to a little better, more regular blogging this year!! xo

Happy Birthday!

2 special people had a birthday yesterday...  Ben's Dad and Opa Oudshoorn.  Hoping you had a wonderful day and a blessed year ahead...  wishing you all the best.

Ben's parents on their anniversary last November

'Opa' (Ben's dad) with 2 of his grandsons...

Opa Oudshoorn enjoying his Sudoku along the Fraser River last fall - because there just isn't fishing like this in Alberta (we love you Albertans though!!)

First look at Ranen in the Abbotsford airport...

Opa and Oma with Cayden and Ranen last September...  Wow time flies!

Bust a Gut!!

I had to laugh when I read that 'Bust a Gut' was the theme for I Heart Faces contest this week! 

This shot absolutely cracked us up on Saturday... what a little darling with total attitude!  One day she will be able to stick up for herself... very well that is!

What was a nice laying down, between Daddy and Mommy pose soon became a 'I'm not doing it', cross my arms pose :) 

You can check I Heart Faces site for more 'bust a gut' shots :)

There are more shots from this family session in the next entry...

Christmas Card Photos...

On Saturday, this fun family joined me at the Blue Heron Reserve for a few 'quick' family photos to use for Christmas Cards.  It was pretty chilly but the rain held off until we were done and the girls were awesome about putting their coats down for a few shots :)  Of course promises for lunch and starbursts pretty much do the trick for anything :)

Here are a few of my favourites :)

Thanks W&M!  I enjoyed taking these for you...

Thank You!

We’ve been together for a while now
We’re growing stronger everyday now
It feels so good and there’s no doubt
I will stay with you
As each morning brings sunrise
And the flowers bloom in springtime
On my love you can rely
And I’ll stay with you

Oh I’ll stay with you through the ups and the downs
Oh I’ll stay with you when no one else is around
And when the dark clouds arrive
I will stay by your side
I know we’ll be alright
I will stay with you

Though relationships can get old
They have the tendency to grow cold
We have something like a miracle
Yeah, and I’ll stay with you

Oh I’ll stay with you through the ups and the downs
Oh I’ll stay with you when no one else is around
And when the dark clouds arrive
I will stay by your side
I know we’ll be alright
I will stay with you

And there will be heartaches and pains, yes there will
But through it all, we will remain
In this life, we all know
Friends may come, and they may go
Through the years I know
I will stay

And in the end I know that we’ll find
Love so beautiful and divine
We’ll be lovers for a lifetime, yeah
And I’ll stay with you
-John Legend




My love, my dear, my wonderful hubby... thanks for all you do for me... especially now in my busy time!  I appreciate you picking up my slack and helping me out.  I love you SO much!  xo

Peek-a-boo Daddy!  We love you so much!

 A couple pictures from our walk a couple weeks back...

Oh, I'll stay with you...

Happy Birthday Derek & Corina

Congrats twins!  22 years old today and looking absolutely great! 

Derek... Mr. Humour who generally has the crowd happy - you are energetic, competitive, very loving and sensitive.  Pursuing an electrical career while holding dear the woman of your dreams.  You are super awesome with the kids and very passionate about the firehall!  You are loved very much!

Corina... You are much loved - especially as you go through this time of trying to decipher where you want to go, what you want to do, etc. etc.  You have very dilligently worked on getting your EMR (emergency medical responder) certificate [remember you did not even want to come for dinner with us when we came out to Vancouver to see you!!! all good :)]  You have been sidelined from one of the things you enjoy the most, soccer, and you are taking it all in stride!!  We appreciate your organized, energetic, competitive, dilligent, and lately (just kidding), even helpful nature:)  We love you very much!

A few pictures of you guys :)

We hope you have a great day and a blessed year ahead!!

Love you!

Arrived and going...

It feels like Fall has just arrived and is planning on going already!  It is starting to get pretty cold outside and yesterday we had the first frost for this end of the valley... time to harvest my grapes and make some juice and jelly!  Looks like we are going to have another beautiful day today!

Ranen has really enjoyed being with Daddy in the tractor this year - we buckle her car seat into the second seat and off they go!  Most of the field work is done for the year (even though some things didn't get done like they wanted to, they have run out of time in this late year!)

No Mommy, you are not coming to take me out right?  I want to stay!!

We are enjoying the fall - I do love this time of year and hope that it will hang around a bit longer!

Great Opa and Oma Lindhout stopped in for a minute on Monday - while taking a drive down memory lane in this neighbourhood!  Oma grew up in Greendale and they owned property here where they would go logging in the winter....  Ranen sure loved Opa!

On the picture on the right she is showing Opa what the gorilla does!  Ranen loves animals (and that is an understatement!) and if I tell her once what an animal says or does it usually sticks!  For the gorilla she starts hitting her chest and says "WAAAA" :)

Last week we celebrated Ben's sister Annette's 40th birthday!  Congrats :) She sure is looking good for 40!  They just recently had family pictures taken at Kristy Klaassen Photography and wow, what a beautiful family!

Also, October 25th was Cathrine's birthday... I surprised her yesterday with an orchid!(which she says she will try to keep alive!)  Cathrine does extremely much for me and really I don't know where I would be without her!  Every Tuesday we spend together working on printing stuff and then if she is bored she still comes here other days to give me a hand!  What a GEM!!  I love you Cathrine -you are one of the most beautiful ladies I know - inside and out!!!  And Cayden and Ranen really benefit from some sharing and caring time!!

I hope to come back tomorrow to let you know who's birthday it is then!

We have been also very busy with doing photo shoots for customers... here are some proofs of that!

These first ones are from Ben's nephew and his fiance!  Just engaged:)

This I do believe is one of my all time favourites!!

These next ones... you may remember that a posted a couple of this family back a while... now they have a beautiful baby boy!

Another favourite... big time!!!

And we had one other baby shoot...  an 'uncle' and 'aunt' of mine were blessed with this beautiful boy:

Thanks everyone for the oppotunity to take pictures of you... 

Hope to be back tomorrow!!