Amanda + Tim - Waiting for Baby :)

Looks like I'm going to be an auntie again! Later this month, Amanda & Tim are expecting the latest addition to their super-cute and hilarious family :) We went out to visit just before Christmas, and had lots of fun out in the blizzard taking photos and playing in the snow!

 The blizzard didn't stop us from going to Santa's village, where Cooper had the whole train to himself, and got to feed "Rudolph the Rudolph" :) Cuteness overload!

When we got home, he got covered in kissing cooties, and then read one of his favourite
stories to the baby :)

 These two are a couple of the most fantastic parents I've ever seen, and I can't wait to see how awesome of a big brother Cooper will be!

Amanda & Tim: we are so excited to meet your new little one in a few weeks! Life at your house is about to get unbelievably cute!

xoxo

Jessica + Norman

Welcoming Baby Henry to the Family :)

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Baby Henry for the first time :) As a third brother, he has been born to experienced parents and two very excited older brothers! Things were a bit chaotic at times (as all parents can relate to I'm sure), but wee Henry just took it in stride. Here are some of my favourite images from that day..

Sarah is an amazing knitter, and made this gorgeous blanket. She and Mike both made Henry's sign using the yarn left over after the blanket was made :)

Daddy entertaining the two big brothers while we spent a bit of time with Henry :)

I love his perfect Superman pose (below), his wee smile, and of course - the tiny baby toes!!

(I'm not the only one who thinks his toes are pretty great!)

I love the range of expressions in these last images - Oliver's at an age where he's quicker than 4 adults and kept "escaping", Cameron is an old pro at being photographed and can be quite the ham, and Henry - apart from one big yawn - just chilled :)

Sarah & Mike: as always, it was a complete pleasure to capture this exciting moment in your family's history. We had so much fun photographing and being entertained by your three sweet boys - the two of you are doing an excellent job :) Can't wait to see you soon to show you the rest of the images!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Meet Sweet Baby Lachlan at 2 Weeks Old :)

Andrea & Dave have felt like old friends of ours from about 5 minutes into our first meeting - we had a great time photographing their engagement session and fantastic wedding a few years back, and even more fun at their recent maternity session this fall :) So it came as no surprise that the newest addition to their family is also awesome. Meet Baby Lachlan, master of many facial expressions and wielder of (knitted) axes, two weeks old..

 Here's what I love best about newborn sessions: the snuggling :) Also the sweet soothing, and the blissful wonder on the new parents' faces :)

This range of expressions happened in the span of about 5 seconds! I especially love the last one (bottom right)

Baby Lachlan is blessed with a few very talented knitters in the family :) And while he may not be ready to go axe-throwing just yet, at least he's got the outfit for it ;)

 Andrea is an amazing jeweller, and has made many "wax seal" monogram pendants for her clients - now she's got one of her own to commemorate the arrival of Baby Lachlan!

You may remember Dave's "stoic" look from their Brick Works maternity session.. well, it seems he can't hold it for long around this adorable little guy :)

Andrea & Dave: "thrilled" would be an understatement of how happy we are for you and your families :) We loved spending time with the three of you, and can't wait to do it again soon!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Spring Fun: Amanda & Sam's Family Portraits :)

When Amanda & Sam first came to Canada from Australia, they thought they'd stay for about a year. 5 years and two super-sweet kids later, and they're still here :) We recently had tons of fun hanging out with their family.. playing trains, reading (and chewing on!) books, and going to the park on a gorgeous early spring day. Here are some of my favourite images from this playful and candid family portrait session..

How sweet are those smiles?!

There was multilingual toe-counting (a first for me, and I have to say a pretty awesome way to count toes!), and Baby Sister patiently sat still for lots of kisses from Big Brother - super-cute!

Amanda & Sam: we loved spending time with you guys and your adorable wee ones! Thank you so much for having us over to capture this fantastic time in your family's history :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

Welcoming Baby Oliver to the World :)

Almost 3 years ago, we saw how naturally parenting came to Sarah & Mike when they had their first baby, Cameron. Now that baby Oliver has arrived, we noticed that big-brothering seems to come very naturally to Cameron :) Admittedly, it's not a huge challenge with a baby as sweet as Oliver! It was so amazing to watch the two of them together.. If Oliver started to fuss, Cameron would take his hand and sing to him, give him kisses, and coo "It's okay, Oli-bear" - and Oliver would immediately calm down :) We spent a lovely afternoon with the family.. here are some of my favourite images from the session..

 

 tiny baby parts, and Oliver's "Mommy's Friends Blanket" :)

to decorate the nursery, Sarah crocheted rainbow bunting, and Cameron made the cutest collection of animal portraits at daycare! 

If Oliver's first 13 days are anything to go by, this is going to be a pretty adorable year for the whole family :) I can't wait to see how much fun we're all going to have at his 3-month session!

Sarah & Mike: congratulations on your beautiful new baby boy! It was so great to spend time with all of you, and we're really looking forward to watching Oliver grow over the coming year :) And thanks again for the rhubarb!

xo

Jessica + Norman

{if you're expecting a tiny new addition to your own family and would love gorgeous maternity and newborn portraits of your own - email us now for more information! We also do gift certificates and registry - inquire for details!}

Ben Becomes a Big Brother to Baby Sam :)

I swear - it seems like just a few months back that we were photographing Jane & Ned's wedding.. and then just a few day ago that we were there to capture their new baby, Ben, at 7 days old - but time flies; Ben is now 2 1/2 years old (!), and has just become a big brother to tiny new baby Sam :) It was amazing to see the whole family, and to be able to capture this newest stage in their history..

the only thing cuter than little nursery things is little baby toes!

 as you can see, Ben is auditioning for the role of "photographer's assistant" with his 

chicken puppet skills below ;)

This was my favourite - Ben has been a big brother for all of 10 days, and he's already an expert at soothing baby Sam.. first some gentle "shh-ing", then a nice pat on the head, and finally a kiss to make it all better :D I also love that I took pictures of his mom & dad doing all these things for him when he was that size :)

 This final images matches perfectly with one we did of Ned holding Ben when he was the newborn baby in the house :)

Jane & Ned - it was such a pleasure to photograph your family again! What a joy it is to see the little boy that Ben has become, and we loved meeting baby Sam :) And - as always - thanks for the yummy sandwiches!

xo

Jessica + Norman

{if you're expecting a tiny new addition to your own family and would love gorgeous maternity and newborn portraits of your own - email us now for more information! We also do gift certificates and registry - inquire for details!}

Baby On The Way - Sarah & Mike's Family Maternity Session :)

I love it when this happens - I first met Sarah & Mike 7 years ago when they were starting to plan their wedding. We photographed their engagement session in High Park in the spring, and their beautiful lake-side wedding that fall. 

A few years passed. They bought a house. They called again - they were expecting their first baby :) Cameron was one of the first babies I photographed, and we captured all the excitement and changes of his first year in 5 sessions spread out throughout the first 12 months. From his newborn session at just a week old, to his first birthday party with rainbow cupcakes, we had so much fun getting to know this little guy!

And now - he's about to become a big brother :) 

He's been reading up on learning to share, but only time will tell if that lesson extends as far as his Thomas trains.. 

Sarah is a star with knitting needles, and finished this amazing sweater for Cameron just in time for our session - thankfully he was eventually talked into wearing it when he found out it was a special "big brother" sweater ;) {check out those elbow patches - love it!}

Sarah & Mike - the next time we see your family, there will be four hands in the stack :D I can't wait to meet Cameron's tiny new brother next month!

xo
Jessica + Norman (+ the Chicken puppet ;) )

{if you're expecting a tiny new addition to your own family and would love gorgeous maternity and newborn portraits of your own - email us now for more information! We also do gift certificates and registry - inquire for details!}

Lauren & Michael's Gorgeous Beach Wedding in Panama (part 3 - evening)

Last month, Emily and I went to Panama to photograph and film one of the most amazing couples and their beautiful wedding :) You definitely don't want to miss out on the pre-wedding fun earlier in the week, or the stunning ceremony on the beach if you haven't already seen them!
Once the sun started to go down, family and friends gathered at their tables around a dance floor made of sand, and settled in for an evening of pure magic :) In case you think I'm exaggerating, have a look through some of the highlights of the night and I promise you'll agree..

I think maybe all first dance locations should be framed by palm trees :) 

I've never seen a dance floor fill up so instantly and enthusiastically! 

 

I loved how Lauren's maid of honour (her sister Vanessa) told about the bride's tendency towards accidents, but said the best and biggest fall of all was when she fell for Michael :) {yes - I'm a total romantic sap, but I love knowing that I'm not the only one!}

the Panama canvas filling up with signatures, and the Sasquatch feet make an appearance on the dance floor.. 

 So if right now you're thinking "wow - what a beautiful day Lauren & Michael had!", then you'd better do two things: 1. Click here and listen to this song in the background (this was actually playing during some of the moments below), and 2. imagine being on a beach at your favourite restaurant, with 70 of your family members and friends.. It's totally dark, the weather is perfect, you can hear the ocean.. And then one by one, these fiery globes start glowing around you, and then floating up over the water.. magic :)

This was truly one of those moments when you feel like you're a part of something that has made your heart just a bit fuller than it was before.. When you realize you're standing in what feels like the middle of eternity, and it's beautiful.. 

Lauren & Michael - I can't thank you enough for not only allowing us to be a part of your amazing adventure, but for being so incredibly lovely to be around throughout it all! We wish you a lifetime of the kind of love that we saw you surrounded by on your wedding day, and may all the wishes on all those Chinese lanterns come true :)

xo

Jessica

{Adventure and Romance are my two favourite things :) If you've got a destination wedding adventure in your future, please get in touch!}

Venue: Pipa's Beach Restaurant

Photography (stills and film): Jessica + Emily, Jessica Lin Photography

Lauren + Michael's Romantic Paradise Beach Wedding in Panama (pt.2)

In case you missed the beginning of this story, Emily and I were fortunate enough to spend a week in Panama with some of the nicest people I've ever met :) Lauren + Michael are Canadians who've been living in Panama for a few years now, so it was only natural for them to get married on a beach in the paradise they've adopted as their home. Unlike most destination weddings - where the "destination" is far from home for the couple getting married - they had the wonderful opportunity to get married at their favourite restaurant on the beach, Pipa's.
The whole week was full of fun and gorgeous photographs waiting to happen, but as I've been going through those many many images it's struck me that what made the week - and especially the wedding day - so amazing and beautiful wasn't all the palm trees, sand, surf, hammocks, wildlife, or even piña coladas.. it was the 50 or so guests that flew down from Canada, and the additional 20 friends from other neighbouring countries who flew in to celebrate with Lauren + Michael. And after knowing the couple for only a few hours, I could see why 70 people would get on planes to be with them as they took this step into the future together. Warm, gracious, and thoughtful are a few of the words that come to mind when thinking of these two, and that's what set the tone for their wedding week. They have an easy sense of fun, and didn't seem to get stressed out about anything, even when about half the guests ended up getting sick throughout the week (including the two of them). And - best of all - they are totally, sentimentally, very romantically, in love with each other :)
Anyways, without further ado, here are some of my favourite images and moments from Lauren + Michael's beautiful wedding day..

One of the things I loved best about Lauren + Michael were the sentimental details.. they each had a surprise gift custom-made by the same jewellery designer who made their rings - Michael gave Lauren a heart necklace that contains a sound wave from part of their first dance song, and Lauren gave Michael a tie clip that was engraved with the coordinates and dates of their two wedding ceremonies (this one in Panama, and their upcoming one in Canada this summer) - how sweet are they?!

 

best shot glasses EVER ;) 

Lauren's hair piece was made with lace from her mother's wedding gown, which was also used to trim the neckline of Lauren's gown :)

The Sasquatch feet have a long history, and also showed up in Lauren + Michael's engagement photos (along with the rest of the Sasquatch suit!), so it seemed only appropriate for Lauren to be wearing them the morning of the wedding!

Lauren is a woman of many creative talents, and she made beautiful necklaces for her bridesmaids and for her Mom :)

Stunning..

I love this shot of Lauren and her two beautiful sisters :) 

When guests arrived at Pipa's for the wedding, they were greeted with not only a beautiful setting, but tonnes of personal details.. There was a canvas printed with a map of Panama for guests to sign, homemade hot sauce for everyone to take home, and lots of photographs to share memories of 

Lauren + Michael's adventures together, as well as some classic family photos..

Another great personal touch - the ceremony was performed by Lauren + Michael's friend Sava :) 

 

:)

Originally I'd said I was planning to do this sneak peek as a two-parter, but there were just too many gorgeous details and moments! So stay tuned and I'll share some images from the fantastic evening that followed, including the amazing Chinese lanterns..!

xo

Jessica

{We love to travel! If you've got a destination wedding in your future, please get in touch!}

venue: Pipa's Beach Restaurant

custom jewellery: Apa Design

photography (stills and film): Jessica and Emily, Jessica Lin Photography