maple and scone

I love taking pictures of my son. I love capturing his funny mimics, his adventures and our daily life. My husband on the other hand, never, and I mean, never thinks to take pictures. We end up with albums of our son alone or with his dad. The odd few pictures of me we end up having are selfies, oddly positioned timed pictures or from the random person that may be with us that day. There is no consistency in pictures of myself with my son. I wish my husband could take a nice picture. However, I think he is genetically and physically unable to do so. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the reason professional photographers and selfie sticks were invested! Because of the inability of husbands to take nice, creative or even centered photos of us with our kids! Most nice pictures of myself and my son are completely orchestrated! This picture was taken on a ledge with a timer! This beautiful picture is completely staged because I want to remember sleeping and cuddling with my son...

Living in a new country is a crazy experience. It's exotic, it's an adventure, but for me, it's been mostly a great humbling experience. Yes, I speak the same language. Yes, our cultures are similar. Yes, we share a Queen.. whatever that means. Yes, we celebrate many similar holidays. However, nothing seems the same to me. I have such a hard time understanding some people. The accent, the pace and the expressions they use are often new to me. In the past, I would of simply pretended to understand and go on with my day. Now, I have to actually understand, because this person may be my family doctor or the police officer trying to warn me. The food is similar but the names often require me to do a quick Google search: Who knew Gammon was a type of pork like ham? Who knew clotted cream would be delicious? Who knew spotted dick was a desert? Well, in most cases.. I find myself simply starting a conversation with someone near me and simply asking what is it? Pe...

Coming from the second largest country in the world, a 45 minute flight anywhere doesn't take us very far! Here in Europe, you can fly from the UK all the way to the Netherlands in this time. Once in the Netherlands, little A. got to meet his Omi for the first time and play with his "cousins". Between visits, we explored the country, enjoyed Dutch sweets and great beers. Seeing the sea, the sand dunes, the fields, the windmills was so therapeutic. It felt so good to be around things that are, somewhat, familiar! I love the Netherlands, the people, the food, the scenery, the way of life. We biked, walked, took the bus or the train everywhere. It felt liberating and little A. was in heaven. We came back a week later, energized and ready to welcome the fall. -M.