Jason, Keigan, and Taylor

Jason was thirteen years old when I met him.
I've been trying to figure him out ever since.

For much of our teenage years, we were inseparable. He taught me to drive a standard, took me to my first formal dance, babysat me the first time I got drunk, and was the first to really break my heart. He crashed on my couch any number of times when he and various friends drove four hours to show up at my apartment out of the blue, and he called me when his son Keigan was born to tell me he was a daddy.

So when he told me there was a new baby girl, and that Keigan was moving away with his mother this summer, it was important for me to be the one doing the family photo shoot.

Once again, I can proudly say that my friends make beautiful babies!

Keigan's quite a stunner.

And Taylor is absolutely priceless.

Jason will be thirty this year, and it's kind of bizarre to think that he is the same person that I knew back then. We touch base every so often to have a coffee or just to catch up. We laugh (a lot) about the old days, and discuss the latest dramas of being an adult. After all, isn't that what being an adult with the same people you were a kid with is all about?

Prospect-Dover

Forty minutes outside of Halifax is the peaceful community of Dover. It is tiny, and picturesque, and I was fortunate enough to get the grand tour, camera in hand, one day last August.

Our first stop was Shaw's Landing where I tried my first oyster and laughed at my crazy friend/tour guide as she flirted unabashedly with our waiter. 

Then we drove on to Dover where we traipsed through the yards of relatives to find these beauties:

 And finally made our way to the end of a dirt road that culminated in a scene that took five shots to capture.
Breathtaking!

It's hard to believe that I have lived in this area of the province for over a decade and was not aware of some of the incredible beauty that is on my doorstep, and I'm grateful to have a friend who would think to distract me from a bad day by showing it to me. Thank you, Monique!

New Home Owner's Tip #27:

There's a reason there are two different detergents for the dishwasher and for washing dishes in the sink. :)

Joey

Meet Joey.

His parents are dear friends of mine (whom you have already met here) and when they found out soon after their wedding that Karen was pregnant, I was all over it. For her entire pregnancy, she put up with my excessive daily, and sometimes hourly, "how do we feel now?" with a smile and an honest answer. Then, two days after Joey was born, I visited them in the hospital and held this little tiny person in my arms.

And he didn't even cry.

Now, at the ripe old age of 14 months, it appears he doesn't remember those moments with the same fondness I do. :)

Or maybe there are just more interesting things to look at than that chick with the camera. Shoes, for example.

Or that thing over there!

Dandelions (which he promptly ate afterward) are worth smiling for.

And, of course, DADDY!

Needless to say, once the camera was away, little Joe was all smiles. I have assured him that I accept the challenge, that he and my camera will meet again someday, and that next time, I'll have some sort of baby bribery in hand.

I think that might have been his plan all along.

Ahhhhh.... summer....

This is what it's all about.