Molasses in January!  That’s what my Mom used to call me when I was a little girl.  Apparently, you’d never see anything slower in your life than me trying to get ready in the morning!!

And truth be told, I stayed true to this name for thirty years!!

I was that girl that growled at the alarm clock…pulled the blankets right over my head…dreaded any hour prior to noon.  I just didn’t like the mornings!

Then I had a baby…and everything I knew about sleep went right out the window!  Sleeping in…sleeping through the night…sleeping at all.  Gone!

But now I’ve had almost five years to get acquainted with the early morning hours.  Sometimes on my own before the sun even gets up…other times, as the four of us take walks through the neighborhood.  But I’ve only slept past 8am a handful of times since having my children and honestly, looking back, I feel like I was missing out!

The early mornings are now my absolute favourite time of day.  I love the quiet…the peacefulness…the way you can almost hear the world stirring.  Sometimes I’ll even get up an hour or two before the kids just to enjoy it on my own for awhile.

So it seemed surprising to me that Victoria and Ryan were my very first morning session.  Ever.  We met in the very cold morning air…had some coffee…and enjoyed the crisp light while much of the world still slept around us.

It was exceptionally tranquil and lovely.  It was exceptionally beautiful and wonderful.  It was an exceptionally incredible way to start the day…