Back for a visit...

I've just about got everything buttoned up for the holidays around here, but holiday time means families, like this one, visiting home.  It was great to visit with them again, the last time I saw them their silly little man was just a tiny baby.  They moved out of state shortly after that.  On this trip home they wanted to meet up with me to get some new family portraits.  It was great to see them again and to see how much the kiddos have grown and changed.  We laughed a lot with this funny little bunch.

A little Holiday humor...

I love getting Christmas cards!  I especially love the ones that really show the funny side of the people they are from.  I'm sure this family's card for 2012 will be just that kind of card.

I have been waiting for this session for over a month when Mom emailed me with her idea.  The more we planned, the more excited I got for them to come into the studio.  It turned out just as fun as I'd imagined- maybe more!

We did do some traditional portraits of their beautiful family while they were in.

Happy Birthday!

This little guy made another visit to the studio to mark his 2nd birthday.  He is such a handsome little man, full of curiosity, energy and love.  I think that 'Two' is going to be a wonder-filled year for him, especially once his baby sister arrives.

Happy Birthday, Little Dude!

Home for the Holidays...

It is always fun to actually be photographing in a client's home but usually I'm working with kids or tiny babies.  This time I was working with a large family group that had gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving.  I had to stop by before the session to make sure that the space they had in mind would work for a group of this size and accommodate my lighting (we scheduled the portraits for evening so natural light was not available).  They have a lovely home that is very open so I knew we would be in great shape for the real thing.  What I like about photographing people in their home is that we know it will go well with their decor and they are very at ease in their own surroundings.  This lovely family was certainly that!  We laughed a lot and it was truly a pleasure to meet them.

We made portraits of the whole group then did the same with the kids and grandkids and their families:

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving with so many blessings to count that you'll still be counting when the next holiday rolls around.

Lovely, Lovely, Lovely!

I've said it before & I'm going to say it again- I am so impressed with the high school seniors that have come through my door this year!  The lovely Abby is as beautiful inside as she is out.  I only talked with her over the phone before her session- talking with her and her mom in person was a real treat.  I loved hearing about her mission travels and up coming plans for even more.

The only prop she brought was a Star Bucks coffee, LOVE it!

And just a couple more favorites from the studio:

Abby, I really enjoyed my time with you.  You are a beautiful girl with an amazing heart.  I'll keep you in my prayers for a successful trip.

Four beautiful Grand daughters, One very lucky Grandma...

Grandma got these lovely ladies together so she could have some Christmas pictures of them this year.  Lucky Grandma!

A little princess turns 1...

She was a little unsure about this whole Cake Smash thing but once she got a little taste of that frosting, she got into it.  Those big brown eyes will be so hard for Daddy to say "no" to someday.  She is just such a little doll.

Sad to see the fall season end...

It has been so fun meeting new families, getting reacquainted and catching up with others as they've come for portraits in the fall colors.  This has by far been my busiest season.  The weather has mostly been cooperative.  I'm sad to see it leave until next year!  All the faces I've had in front of my lens have touched my heart.  This sweet family is most likely the last one I'll have outside for fall 2012.

{sigh}Those blue eyes on their dapper little dude!

Fall has fallen.  The white stuff will fly soon- and that can make for some fun sessions too for anyone brave enough to face the cold.  And I'll still working away in the toasty studio until spring unfolds a new set of colors.

Sweet Senior...

I first met this lovely young lady when I photographed her brother's wedding.  I had so much fun with that family on that day so I was more than thrilled to hear from her about photographing her for her senior portraits.  She has become even more lovely, sweet and more fun over the last couple years!  Spending my afternoon with her was the perfect way to spend a chilly fall day.

Wonderful young lady....

and I got to spend the better part of my day with her.  If my kids turn out half as amazing as Ellie, I will be very, very blessed.  One of the neat things was when I told mom as much, she beamed with pride and said, "I know".  Ellie is beautiful, smart, talented, funny and has the sweetest, kindest heart.

She seems so comfortable in her own skin, quick with a laugh, a funny face, and a great smile.  I just love that all the facets of her personality came out during her session.  That also made for a great "photobooth" feel for some of her studio images:

And just a couple more from the rest of her session.  

There are SO many more to show her but I'll wait until she comes in for her reveal.  I had so much fun with her & her parents!  I'm looking forward to getting the rest ready for you all to come back in to see.

Another cute fall family...

We had some rain delays but I was finally able to get out in the meadow with this family.  We go back quite a ways, I used to watch the oldest little man when he was tiny, before I picked up my camera and I've known Dad since, well, forever it seems.  And they live about a block away from my family so we see each other out and about from time to time.  It has been fun to watch this family grow and their little men develop into silly little guys always ready with something funny to say {can't imagine where they get that from}.  I had so much fun chatting with the boys, getting reacquainted with big brother and learning a little more about little brother.  They are both pretty neat little guys, and their parents are fun too.

Sweet Family!

And a chilly one too.  Their little beauty was shivering from the moment she shed her jacket until we finished up.  But that smile never left her face- such a precious, happy little girl!  It is easy to see why she is so happy- there is just so much love in this family (and the promise of McD's).  They make me smile...

I hope your little troopers enjoyed their evening out!  It was great to spend time with you!

Oh those big blue eyes!

I love this kid!  He is sweet and funny and just plain adorable.  Those eyes are going to have all the girls chasing after him...

My Sister is getting {married} Part 2

A few months ago I posted the first part of an engagement session for my sister & her fiance.  We finally found time to meet up where it all began- on the playground of their elementary school {isn't that just too sweet?!?!}  This is also the spot he popped the question <3.  In spite of some tricky lighting on a clear, sunny day with very little open shade in the area that holds the most memories for them, I simply cannot think of a better location to create some images for their save-the-date cards.

{B & T:Engaged}

These are the swings where they first became friends...

Where they stood in line at the end of that fateful recess:

This spot doesn't have any sentimental meaning, it is just where the good light was :)

This just goes to show you that friendships created long ago, that may not have seemed significant at the time, can come to mean everything.  I am so happy for you both!  I know that this is just one little bit of the rest of your story, I cannot wait to share in the next chapter on May 18th and seeing the rest unfold over many, many happy years to come.  Thank you for letting me play this small part in it.  Love you!

It's all about {family}

And this time, it is about my family.  This is my aunt and uncle and their family.  My cousins asked me to meet them for some family portraits as a gift to their parents and I was more than happy to share my time with them.  The last time they had family portraits, was, well, lets just say a time ago.  A lot has changed in those years, the kids are grown and have kids of their own now.  An update was definitely in order, so here they are: the G Family...

Silly grandkids/cool grandkids:

{M+B} Engaged

I love Pinterest!  It is just packed full of inspiration for pretty much anything.  This bride-to-be is also a big fan and came to their engagement session with lots of Pinspired ideas that she had customized for her and her groom.  Megan wanted their engagement session to tell some of the story of their courtship while Bruce served our country in Afghanistan.  She brought love letters that they had written to each other during that time and I loved watching her open some up and spread them out for some detail shots.  She got nostalgic, remembering the words on the pages as well as the emotion behind them.  For me, it was a great reminder of not only the sacrifice made by our military personnel, but of the ones who wait for them to come home.  To all of our service people and their families, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  God bless you all.

Ok, so here is what you're all waiting for!  Megan & Bruce, engaged:

They are such a fun, adorable couple who are so very much in love.  I cannot wait until April to share your big day with you!

Baby on the way...

Another beautiful family is growing.  This little guy is getting a baby sister for Christmas!

Thank you for meeting last week!  I can't wait to meet her!

A two for one...

Some of you have met Lori, she has helped out with many weddings and I just adore having her along! She is a very talented photographer, fellow of mom of multiples, and a great friend.  I felt very honored when she asked me to photograph her beautiful family for her!  She knows the value of professional portraiture.  She understands the positive impact that having family portraits prominently displayed in your home can have on your kids and your family as a whole.  I cannot wait to see some of these images hanging on the walls of their new home!

And the twofer was that her sister-in-law's family came along so that they could have some portraits made of them and of the cousins together.

With this bunch, needless to say, it was a bit chaotic at times but every single moment was genuine.  All of their little personalities shined through and I can only hope that the memory of the afternoon will be cherished for a very long time to come.

Thanks for the giggles! 

At home...

This was a 2nd attempt with these little girls.  Big sister loves the camera and is always ready with a smile for me, little sister is a little more skeptical about what I'm up to.  We decided to try having me come to their home so that she would be, well, at home.  Sometimes the comfort of your own surroundings makes all the difference in the world!  We played in the back yard for maybe 20 minutes on a chilly morning.

We were done so fast, I had time for a cup of coffee and some chatter with these fun little people and their mom.  I enjoyed the morning immensely and I look forward to next time, especially that Miss M & I are great friends now.  Thank you for the coffee and fellowship, I always enjoy talking with all of you.

Fall Colors...

I know I'm not alone with my love for fall colors, the crisp, sweet smelling air.  It is always sad to hear the weather man say that the colors are past peek because that means the really cold stuff is coming soon.  For us in central Iowa, that peak came weeks ago.  And I'm still seeing so many beautiful colors out there in some of my favorite spots.  I hope you'll get out to enjoy what is left of the season with your families!

A family adventure...

It was a windy and chilly evening when I met this family for their session.  Combine that with the personalities of these three boys and we were all in for an adventure.  I love these guys!  They are fun little people to spend time with.  All of them silly, but each in their own special little ways.  And when the three of them are silly together- the way only brothers can be, well the images says it better than words:

I've had each of the boys into the studio several times and even the three of them together but this was the first time Mom & Dad got in on the action for an updated family portrait.

I'm so glad we found the time to get together!  It was lovely to spend time with all of you again, in spite of the weather.