Why Life is Worth Capturing

When my parents had me, they didn't pick my name simply because they liked it. In fact, they were planning on naming me Morgan (sorry to all the Morgans out there, but that name is not my cup of tea). At the last minute, after a bit of begging from my Nonna, they named me after my Auntie Diana - my dad's older sister who had passed away at the age of 25 from a rare hereditary disease called porphyria. Fast-forward 21 years and I'm glad to say I love my name - both for its meaning and just because it's sweet to my ears.

Moving on, my aunt lived in a time when it wasn't so common for people to chase around their kids with a video camera. Sure, her pictures still exist, but we don't have any videos of her. My dad, who was a teenager when his sister died, of course tries to keep his memory of her alive yet feels so frustrated that he can no longer remember her voice. He says it would be the greatest thing if someone could just find a video of her because he wants to hear her voice again. I can only imagine how that would feel - for one sound to spark years of memories.

Unfortunately, we can't bank on our brains forever - eventually we do forget even if we don't want to. And I wish that I could magically make a video of my Auntie Diana appear. It would mean so much to my Nonna, dad, and Aunt Louisa (my Auntie Diana's twin). 

And here I am in 2013. I own several cameras, a computer with a camera, and a cell phone with a camera yet I don't have enough videos of Carter. I have thousands and thousands of photos of my little boy, but not enough videos. So, I'm learning from my Auntie Diana's life and I'm going to start to vlog a little bit more often. 

I love Carter's voice, giggles, silly sayings. I love watching his mannerisms, the way he draws on his chalkboard, how he smiles from the top of the slide to make sure I'm watching. All these things I'd love to record, remember, and share with others - maybe even pass it down a few generations. 

Little pieces of myself and Kyle I wouldn't mind recording and sharing too. I can just imagine us watching old home videos and laughing at ourselves saying, "those were some good times in our twenties." Oh, the things I would do to keep Kyle's smile and the sound of his laughter fresh in my mind. 

You see, these things are so important. It's so easy to let them pass everyday feeling a little bit too sure that tomorrow will come. Don't take it for granted. Life is beautiful - it's worth living and it's worth capturing. 

I'll make sure to share our family's vlogs here on my blog. You can also find them on my YouTube channel. Check out our first "daily vlog" below. 

Goodbye Summer

Here I am. Sitting on my bed past midnight and it's officially September 1st. I didn't get to say a proper goodbye to summer. Rather than ending it off with a fun day at a beach or carnival, I ended it off with a shopping trip. That's okay though. We had a pretty awesome, low-key summer - just enjoying each other's company, barbecuing like there is no such thing as tomorrow, and taking our first camping trip as a family.

I'm now looking forward to cool breezes, falling leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, lots of red lipstick, and over-sized knit sweaters. There's something about a new season that makes me super inspired too. New goals and perspectives, Carter's third autumn, more room to grow, a different palette of colors.

Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is Goodbye Summer 2013. You've treated us well.

How was your summer? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Little Bits of Happiness {3}

Every night, before I go to sleep, I say a prayer to God and thank Him for everything wonderful - and even the not so great things - in my life. I ask for guidance and protection and for the safety and well-being of family and friends. It feels amazing to take those few minutes to reflect on what is really important in my life and to notice how lucky I am to be alive and to have a family and to be happy.

Little Bits of Happiness makes me the feel the same way. By making these posts (all thanks to my blogger friend, Stephanie), I get to reflect on my life and share it with the world. And sometimes finding little bits of happiness makes you realize that they aren't so little at all. In the grand scheme of things, most of these little things mean the most to me.

For this week's Little Bits of Happiness, I'm sharing with you a day trip Kyle, Carter, and I took to Niagara Falls a few weeks ago. It was a last minute decision, the weather was beyond perfect, and we cleared our day to make time for each other. It's a fun place to be for the day just to adore the falls, walk around the gardens, buy tons of candy, and go to fun houses and arcades and wax museums. Anyways, it was a sweet day with my little family and of course we snapped a whole bunch of pictures with my DSLR!

the American side of the falls



the Canadian side

Photo Love: My Third Mother's Day

This Sunday was my third Mother's Day! I can't believe how blessed I have been since becoming a mom. Of course, the best part is my sweet Carter who just brings so much greatness to my life! There's nothing like watching your child grow. Just his smile is enough to make my day. And I love being able to see and understand the world through his eyes.







Every day of motherhood is a step of the journey and an opportunity to learn. Seriously, the way I see it is that becoming a mom has changed the way I look at life. It has helped me to be more appreciative and loving. And it made me realize that my main purpose in life is to be a mom, to have a family. Being a mom has allowed me to let love guide my life. How amazing is that?

Well, this Sunday, Carter joined me, my mom, my aunts, and my grandma on an outing at our favorite farm. The weather was fabulous and we just sat and laughed and enjoyed the scenery - while nibbling on fresh tarts and muffins. Carter had a blast rolling in the grass, gazing at all of the flowers, and visiting the little animals.
















Once Kyle was done work, it was his turn to spend some time with me (Trust me. I had a blast using the "it's my day" line). And we went out to see The Avengers. We had been dying to see it ever since it came out. Let's just say that I was not let down. Pretty awesome movie.

So, a day with my Carter and a night with my hubby... a lovely Mother's Day indeed!

Hope all you mamas had a great Mother's Day too!

Photo Love: Sunny Weekend

The sun came to stay this weekend and it was perfection. We spent most of our weekend outside with family - and their pets! You can't go wrong with a toddler, parks, running around, and beautiful skies. And the hubs and I even snuck in some weekend bonus points when we squeezed in date night to watch the Mayweather-Cotto boxing match. Winning weekend? I think so.

Also, don't forget to check out which heels I wore this weekend! And my latest makeup tutorial!