So the kids went back to school this week - did you shed a tear, or breathe a sigh of relief? Or were you something like me and did a little bit of both? Miss 6 has been ready to go back to school since about the first week of school holidays. We've had an pretty constant line of questioning something along the lines of: "When can I go back to school?" "How many sleeps is it NOW?" "WHY cant I go back yet?" etc etc She had new school shoes and spent the last few weeks clomping around the house in them. She's instigated games at home where she is the school teacher to Mr 4 (he is SO used to being told what to do already lol!) and she has even been spotted sitting down reading a book to him, teacher style. So its safe to say, this week, she is one happy little vegemite. Mr 4 on the other hand has spent the last 6 months telling us he is NOT going to kindy, and getting upset every time it was mentioned. Even promises of a school bag of his choice (Avengers), a fancy lunchbox, lots of painting, new friends... "NUP! Not going mummy. I wanna stay home with you!" So it was with great trepidation that we arrived at kindy on Wednesday. I was nervous for him, but I kept my tone light, talking about all the fun he was going to have. We walked through the door and he was off, playing! I spent 10 minutes chatting to the teachers, and then told him I was going. He ran to me, gave me a big hug and kiss, then waved me off with a "See ya mummy!" and barely a backward glance! And now I dont know whether to sigh with relief that he's settled in so well, or to be slightly miffed that he doesn't need me as much as I thought he did! Harris family shoot; I love doing family shoots at this lovely park - every time I go there I find another little gem location with amazing light and a spectacular backdrop. Trees aplenty, lots of shade, and lots of space for the kids to run around and have a ball! The Harris family did just that - and 3 very energetic and absolutely gorgeous kids made for a fun day at the park. And the best bit is they got to have a play on the playground as a reward (for all those beautiful smiles!) when it was all over! Thank you Harris family for allowing me to capture these memories for you!
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Every now and then, you get a bit of a wake up call, and are shaken into the realization of just how precious life really is. We have recently returned from a 3000 km road trip to Canberra and back, and on our last day on the road, New Years Eve, we very nearly had a head-on collision with another car. We were on our last day of driving and had just switched drivers about 45 minutes earlier, so I was at the wheel. In a 100 km zone, single lane, the road headed into a gully. There were double white lines, so no overtaking. I saw a big B-double truck coming towards me in the other lane. Then suddenly a black Peugeot pulled out from behind the truck into MY lane, to overtake the truck. My husband and I both uttered a few expletives but fully expected the Peugeot to pull back behind the truck when he saw us. He didn't. He just... kept... coming... It was one of those surreal moments when you knew you had nowhere to go but had to do something anyway. There was a thin stretch of gravel on my side of the road but not much else (since it was a gully) so I had to squeeze into that space without crashing off the side. Somehow, some way, I aimed for the gravel and we snuck past without a scratch. I dont know how we didn't scrape mirrors or shave off paint. My husband was freaking out beside me saying "Are you alright? Are you ok? I cant believe that just happened! Pull over, pull over!" I kept saying "I'm fine, I'm ok!!" but I pulled over a few hundred metres up the road and the reality of the situation set in, and I instantly burst into tears! Then a massive rush of adrenaline hit me and I started freaking out and shaking uncontrollably. We made it - our lucky escape. And I tell you what - that was just the wake up call I needed. I dont generally do resolutions, but this year I do. My New Years Resolution is to stop stressing about every little thing. To enjoy the moment. Relish the "now". Stop worrying about things that might never happen. Because you just never know when your last moment is going to be. Catching up on some of my final sessions from last year: I met Tamika, Shane and their two gorgeous boys on a glorious day at the beach! Baylee and Levi were awesome to work with, super helpful and super smiley too! Running around on the beach, enjoying an afternoon with an beautiful family makes my job so easy :) Gorgeous boys. Cuddles with dad :) ... and kisses for mum! Thank you Tamika, Shane, Baylee and Levi for sharing your afternoon with me!
Ok, I'll admit it. A few years ago I succumbed to the great Elf on the Shelf craze. I am torn between loving this little guy beyond words, to feeling very bah-humbug at the very sight of him by mid-December. For the uninitiated, the Elf on the Shelf is one of Santa's little 'scout elves'. Once you have adopted one (and his accompanying storybook) - he arrives in your home at the beginning of December and hides somewhere in your house to spy on the kids, to help Santa with his 'naughty or nice' list. The kids love trying to find him every morning! Every night the Elf flies back to Santa to report on the day. Each morning when he comes back, he finds a different spot to hide. So from December 1 to 24, dedicated grown-ups everywhere help their little Elf find a new hiding spot each night. In my own stupidity, I've added a secondary tradition whereby our Elf "Dash" also fills the wooden Advent calendar each night, for a new treat for them to find in the morning. For the most part, I LOVE Dash because he helps keep the kids in line during these CRAZY days before Christmas. I mean seriously, kids start acting up or fighting, and all it takes is a casual mention of "Don't forget who's watching!" - and their eyes bug out of their head in panic as they throw a quick glance Dash's way. Quietness ensues, well, for the next 5 minutes anyway. Also, I know that this magical little period of time where they believe EVERYTHING is so so short. I will truly miss it when they're too old for this kind of carry-on, so I must savour it while I can. But I must admit, after the initial first week of enthusiasm, I begin to tire of the chore, and also, run out of interesting places to hide him! Just about every damn night I almost forget to move him, or forget to add a new treat to the advent calendar, or I bolt awake at 5am and do the mad sprint out to the lounge room to change it all over before the kids wake up and discover the fraud! Do you do Elf on the Shelf? Do you feel the same way? (I got my Elf on the Shelf from www.bookdepository.com a few years ago) A few weeks ago I met up with the Campbell family for a Mini Family Shoot on the beach. The weather had been threatening storms all day but we ended up with a beautiful afternoon!
Jodie and I were good friends at school, and when I last saw her, her little ones were much smaller! It was lovely to see them all again, to marvel at how much they have all grown, and to meet the newest additions to the family, the lovely twin-baby bump! These guys had so much fun in front of the camera, and it shows in how relaxed they are in their images. Here's just a small selection of some of my favourites from the day - the natural beauty of the surrounds, the feel of sand in your toes (I do all my beach photoshoots barefoot!) and a wonderful family to share a fun afternoon with - awesome day! Its the eve of mister-almost-4's birthday, and I'm operating somewhere between denial and excitement at the thought of my baby boy turning 4. Each morning this week I open Facebook and bask in the "You have memories on Facebook" reminder, reliving all those last days of the baby bump and all the highs and lows that went with it. Including smirking at my wishful status updates that I wanted to go into labour early, when in the end, I had to be induced at 10 days over. Little bugger did not want to come out. And now here we are, 4 years later. Seriously, where did those 4 years go? (That's my boy in the image above, big brown eyes!) Naturally the excitement is high in our household right now. Add in a Christmas tree, the arrival of our Elf on the Shelf "Dash", and big sisters last few weeks of school, and its a mad, crazy, loud and emotional house of fun here at the moment. December birthdays, do you have any in your family? We have EIGHT December birthdays in our combined family... EIGHT!! And my parents wedding anniversary. Its a big month. Dare I say, its an EXPENSIVE month! And with 2 young kids with birthdays so close to Christmas, it begins to resemble a toy shop at our house by the end of the month! Am I just destined to be surrounded by Sagittarians and Capricorns all my life? Oh December, cant believe you are here already, I'm SO not ready for you yet! I met the Kelly family a little while back, and I have been delighted to do not one, but two shoots for them recently! Our first shoot was at the beautiful Underwood Park, and let me tell you, the camera just LOVED master Ryder, seriously, he was just a dream to work with! Lots of big smiles, he loved running around, having lots of cuddles with mum and dad, and doing everything I asked, and more! What a gorgeous family! This is the ONLY way to travel! I love these tender moments with mummy :) All smiles for dad, loving that ball! This little man is such a natural with the ball! Way to make my job easy, Ryder!
Thank you to the Kelly family for sharing your morning of love and laughter with me! Capturing all these lovely families lately has made me realise I don't have ANY recent photos of my own little family - we have photos of my husband and the kids, and of me with the kids, but not many with all of us! I have plans to rectify this in the next few weeks! Mums, exist in photos!
This year, coming up to Christmas, I have offered mini family shoots for the first time, and I must admit I really enjoyed them! These are a really great way to update your family photos, without the cost and time commitment of a full session. I've really enjoyed having to think quick, keep moving and capture some really lovely moments in a shorter space of time. Of course, having an awesome location really helps, this is one of my favourite local spots in the Ormeau area! The Verschuren family came along for one of my mini sessions recently, and Miss Lacey and her baby sister Paige totally rocked it! I loved chatting away to Lacey, who had so much confidence and told me lots of gorgeous stories. Paige got the giggles towards the end, which was the cutest! I've got more mini shoots to share soon - watch this space! Currently I have about a zillion things to think about. Sleep - who needs sleep? Does anybody actually get enough? I've struggled with bouts of insomnia in my time, terrible endless months where sleep just evades me and turns me into a walking, talking zombie. It can take a while to break the cycle. Do you have one of those brains that just wont quit? I can be perfectly relaxed and calm before bed, and then the second my head hits that pillow - BOOM - I think of a million things I should have done today, or need to do tomorrow. I remember I was supposed to get the steak out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow and forgot. I remember that I meant to call my brother back. I remind myself to remember to do something. I dont just leave it at remembering, I venture into the deep dark depths of WORRYING about everything too. Goes with the mummy-territory I guess. So sometimes, it can take forever to get to sleep. I need to step away from my computer and editing by about 9.30pm, otherwise I'll still be mentally hyped at 11pm. At the moment, that's just not happening. Too much going on!! And lately, if I wake up in the middle of the night, it can take me hours to get back to sleep too. And maddeningly, I have a husband who can fall asleep within 20 seconds of climbing into bed! With all the stressing about sleep lately, its always a beautiful thing to see a new little bundle of joy, sleeping, calm and happy in their parents arms, and thats exactly what little Benji did for almost the entire hour of his family's photoshoot on the beach. This little man is a super trooper! When he did finally wake up, he was super relaxed and happy - such a joy! Awww, nothing better than a peaceful, sleeping baby! So much love... And then he woke up and just chilled out with dad... So much beautiful light during late afternoon beach shoots, I love sharing them with beautiful families. Thank you Brian, Anita and Benji for allowing me to capture these memories for you!
Isn't it funny how when you're a kid, all you want to do is grow up? Dress like a big kid, eat what you like, do what you like, stay up late and play for as long as you want - heaven, right? My own miss 5 is becoming "miss independent". Achievements are coming thick and fast - first we could click our fingers, then whistle (wasn't THAT a fun week at our house!!) Now we can tie our shoelaces and show everybody at the first chance we get (seriously, we stop and untie our laces every 10 minutes, just to show everyone we can) She has lost her second tooth and been on her first school excursion. Tying her own hair is the next challenge. Although we do battle EVERY - SINGLE - MORNING getting ready for school. Apparently its impossible to get ready without having every single step spelled out at least 3 times. "Time to put your uniform on please"... (Goes and checks 5 minutes later to find her playing instead) "Why aren't you dressed? Get dressed please!" (Checks soon after) "GET DRESSED!!" Repeat same conversation for: Brushing teeth, putting shoes on, combing hair, picking up school bag etc. But honestly, WHY do we want to grow up so fast? I mean, being a kid means someone else pays all the bills, puts meals down in front of me, does all the washing, drives me around everywhere I wanted to go...? And also, being a kid looks like so much fun! Just ask Jayden and Hudson from my recent shoot with their family - they had a blast! (And secretly I did too!) Riding on dads shoulders, I'm sure many of us remember doing this as a kid? Kinda scary but kinda exhilarating at the same time! Tackling your brother from behind, big bear hugs :) Running, running, everywhere - why walk when you can run?! Rewards for good behaviour - still works for me now actually! But best of all, cuddle and tickle time with family!
Yep - pretty sure being a kid is still pretty cool. If only we could appreciate it when we're that young! Are you the mother of a boy? I must admit, I was not prepared for all the joys that this special group is privy to. Perhaps I use the term 'joys' loosely. Boys are challenging in a very different way. I'm pretty sure its not just my son who is like this, but here is a brief rundown of life with Mr 3-and-a-half: Dirty, messy, noisy. Walks past something and kicks it, for no apparent reason. Smashes stuff. Breaks stuff. Curious beyond measure. Picks up every filthy piece of rubbish off the side of the road as if its the most interesting jewel in the world. Cannot resist throwing sticks or pebbles. Climbs like a monkey. Obsessed with diggers. Unclear what his chosen career path might be some day, but we're thinking something in Demolition. I joke of course - what I didn't expect, when this little baby boy was placed in my arms 3.5 years ago, was just how loving and affectionate he would grow to be. My cuddly little dude. He constantly climbs onto our laps, blessing us with "squishy hugs" (where the receiver is squeezed as tightly as possible) and gives big smacking kisses right on the chops. I might be in the middle of telling him off for something, and he will stop me in my tracks, through his tears, to ask for a 'huggle'... Are your boys like that? We also have a beautiful, amazing and loving girl too, not quite as cuddly but with many other endearing qualities which I love and will talk more about in future. So I had the pleasure recently of doing a morning photo shoot with TWO gorgeous boys, aged 2.5 and 5 months. It was a little bit cool on this particular morning but they handled it like superstars and quickly warmed up. I think the secret to shooting this age group is to just keep talking - you capture the most amazing expressions and learn some fascinating things along the way too haha! The very handsome Zac Brotherly love... Beau - super cuteness x 3 And the most beautiful smiles, so gorgeous! And a big wave goodbye!
Thank you gorgeous boys, for a fun shoot! I remember during those long, seemingly endless months of infertility, promising myself that if we were ever lucky enough to be blessed with a child, that I would never take that child for granted. This long wished for and dreamed of baby, who would make our world complete and bring us everlasting joy and happiness, no - not me. You hear so many stories from those older and wiser, that you must enjoy them while you still can. "They wont stay little forever", those wise owls proclaim, as we tear our hair out and wonder if we will ever sleep properly again. You wont get this time back. You will look at them one day and wonder where the time went, how they got so big? Part of me rejoices at each small step towards independence. Part of me whispers "they're not your little babies anymore"... With a 5 and 3 year old, I know that the time for cuddles on laps, kissing "ouchies" and loving on them is now. And though I get frustrated with the constant interruptions, the demands for snacks, the whining and bickering over toy ownership, and the constant chatter & hullabaloo that is the background music to any parents life, I try to stop and remind myself to breathe - remember, they will not stay little forever. One day I will stop and realise that the house sounds empty and I will miss kissing "ouchies" better, I will miss having little hands to hold, and I will miss having a soft warm body climb onto my lap for cuddles and to see what can be swiped from the computer desk. I will miss this stage. I am lucky enough to get to photograph lots of little cuties, and honestly, no matter what the age of my young models, I think to myself "Oh I loved this age..." I do. It reminds me that it wasn't that long ago that my "littles" were that, um, little! And how quickly they grow, and change, and become independent of us... yes, a bit sad, but also a bit awesome too. I was lucky enough to photograph the Richardson family at a nearby park recently, and spent a lovely morning exploring the area and capturing memories. Miss Abigail is 6 months old, an absolutely gorgeous age! She seemed quite fascinated by the sounds of trucks nearby, kids playing and birds singing as we moved to each location. Anyone watching on would have had a bit of a chuckle at me, as I was trying to sing bits of Wiggles songs (her favourite) and busting a few moves to try and catch her attention! Not so easy with a camera in hand I can tell you! Luckily, having mum or dad dance around behind the camera (when they're not in the shot) helps too :) How cute, loving being able to "stand" just like a big kid! And sitting up? Too easy! But you cant beat cuddles with mum and dad :)
Enjoy these special moments while you can - they are only little for a little while. One of the best things about having a family shoot is the quality time you get to spend with loved ones, laughing, joking, smiling and goofing around together. I love it when families are relaxed and fun, and the Chisholm family shoot was exactly that!
I also got to photograph a gorgeous pregnant belly too, how lucky am I?!! Thank you Chisholm family for sharing your morning of memories with me. |
AuthorHilary Hudson Photography. Natural Light Newborn and Families Photographer based in Tamborine, QLD. Australia. Archives
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Hilary Hudson Photography is located in Tamborine, Queensland, photographing newborn portraits and family sessions in the Gold Coast, Logan and Scenic Rim areas of Queensland, Australia.
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