The message that I got this morning from Tasha and Ryan Westerman is that life is precious.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got to their house but I was greeted with smiles and wonderful people.  This photo session was different than most that I have done… both Tasha and Ryan have been diagnosed with cancer.  Thankfully, Tasha is in remission but for Ryan it is another story.  For more than 10 years he has been fighting a brain tumour that is seeming to be relentless.  Thankfully, Ryan and Tasha are relentless too.  They are fighting to beat this and at the same time they are counting their blessings.

They have told their story to the newspapers and television stations in hopes that we will all count ours.  Most of us are not in the position they are in, where every single second counts… but it should.

I had a wonderful morning with the Westerman family at their Calgary home.  Ryan and his son, cutie pie Talyn, played hockey, fought with light sabres, played with some of the new Christmas presents, read stories with Tasha on the bed and shared lots and lots of hugs and kisses.  It was a blessing to watch this family as they are struggling for life and it was a pure pleasure to spend the time with them.

You can read the story of both Ryan and Tashas fights on their blogs…

Ryan’s path

- Ryan’s blog

The journey – part 2 – Tasha’s blog

You can also donate to help assist in Ryan’s treatment which is not covered by Alberta Health Care and costs almost $10,000.00 per month.  You can donate at any RBC bank in Calgary.

Playing with the Space Shuttle – Ryan and Talyn both love anything that flies.  Ryan used to be a Commercial Pilot.

Talyn Enjoying a moment with Mom and Dad

Ryan has started to lose his hair and decided that shaving it off would be better so I stayed to document the moment.  Talyn was helping for a few moments after he disappeared for a cookie first.

A few fun moments between Ryan and Talyn

We are so lucky to live in a Calgary community that has a Lake. We used to love going out the Allen Bill Pond to skate but since the flooding a few years ago that pond became a part of the river and now it is not suitable for skating. Yesterday the kids decided we needed to go skating for the first time this year so we dug out all of the skates and took off for the Lake. It has been so cold here (-40 celsius some days with the wind chill) that we have been hibernating like bears. It was nice to get out and breathe in the the fresh air though noses and toes got cold VERY quickly once the sun went down.

I managed to get a few quick pictures of the kids but with my mittens on it was a little tough to find the buttons on my camera and not worth the frost bite to have them off. Adam was hilarious, he is the biggest 2 year old I know and trying to stuff him into the baby sleigh was a little tough. Not only that but he looked pretty funny in there, a bit like a sardine in a can actually. You would think this hulking little guy would be brave but he started to scream any time anyone tried to pull him fast. As much as the kids wanted to pull him around on the rink he just wasn’t going for it. He and I sat happily in the snow watching the antics of the big boys as they sped as fast as they could across the ice and then leaped head first into the snow banks along the edge. Kiana happily showed of her “skills” that she was proud to have retained since her skating lessons last year.

If you live in Calgary you may have heard of the Westerman family… they are having some troubled times right now and need well wishes and/or prayers and assistance. You can read Ryan Westermans Blog here… “>here

I had wonderful intentions on getting Christmas cards out to everyone this year, including all of my clients, however, Father Time had different plans for me. I want to wish each and every one of you a very very Happy Christmas. While you are stressing about all of the little things that need to be done before Christmas day please take some time to destress and relax to enjoy your family. This is supposed to be a time of love and joy.

Not everyone is blessed with good health and happy homes and we need to remember that everyone and everything we have is a gift. Enjoy what you have.

I know it is a super busy time of year but just wanted to send out a quick reminder that if you are having a baby between now and February and want newborn portraits done, it is preferable that you book your appointment before your baby is born. This will guarantee you a portrait date for your baby.  If you want the curled up, squishy sweet little newborn portraits that you see on my website, they need to be taken before your baby is 10 days old.  Of course I come to you so you don’t need to venture out into the winter snow with your new baby. 

On another note… this storyboard was delivered to my door a couple of days ago and I was soooo happy.  It is a whopping 20 inches x 20 inches and gallery mounted so it doesn’t even need to be framed!  It couldn’t have turned out any bettter!  Of course it helps that the baby was just perfect to photograph as well.  I dropped it off last night to some happy parents.

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