Welcome Baby Boy!

With two adoring big brothers, this is one lucky baby boy!  Only 12 days old and still so tiny he was perfectly content and sleepy during his session today!  And, what a beautiful baby boy!  I love days where I can hold a newborn (get a little newborn fix) and capture those sweet, precious early days of life.  What an amazing miracle!  Thank you for a fun afternoon and congratulations on your newest family member! A quick sneak peek for you.....

and the adoring big brothers....they love their baby brother!

Lovin' the Desert Backdrop!

I have a thing for the desert.  Always have.  Not sure if it's the dry heat and gorgeous weather or the unique southwest landscape.  You just don't get the prickly cactus, desert palms and beautiful mountains in the midwest.  The desert makes for a gorgeous backdrop and it feels so good to have a session outdoors again!   I was looking so forward to getting a chance to photograph these sweet girls again.  I'm lucky enough to be their Aunt and I only wish that I could get them in front of my camera more often!!  We had so much fun and it was such a treat to spend a whole weekend with them!  I have so many great images to process....but I wanted to get a quick sneak peek up on my blog!!  Thanks for the super fun visit!!

Another Celebration in the House!

Well, we have another birthday in the house....they come so quickly around here.  This time my baby turns two!  I attempted a two year session with him.  I didn't set out to capture this image but as you know, it's nearly impossible to take photographs of your own children. It was getting close to nap time and he wanted his 'Bun-yay' (sounds almost French for Bunny) as it's referred to around our house.  My fourth baby has been my only one to suck his thumb.  It's soooo sweet (for now, ask me when he's 6yrs and cannot stop the habit!).  His ritual:  he takes the little tag on Bun-yay and rubs it against his nose and sucks his thumb as his comfort and makes his own little humming noise.  I know someday he will outgrow this....and these sweet days will be a memory for me.  Even though I was going for an image of his smiling face and big brown eyes, I was so happy to capture this moment as he was snuggled up with his Bun-yay and his thumb while getting some kisses from his big brother.  This is one of those images that truly captures a moment, a moment in time that I will treasure!  Happy Birthday baby boy!

Home for the Holidays

Nothing says Christmas time better than spending it with family.  This family counted their blessings as their loved ones traveled across country to be together this snowy Christmas;  a first in many years that they could all be together.  Nothing better than to share in the excitement of little ones awaiting Santa's arrival, stockings filled with chocolate, and an heirloom mistletoe hung for all who enter.  How wonderful to document and capture some of the memories made this special weekend.  Here are just a few from today:

Her Nana's mistletoe....love traditions!!

Love the twinkle in his eyes.....

Winter Wonderland!

Winter wonderland....that is what it looked like after a fresh coat of snow had fallen on the ground!  Taking advantage of the beautiful snowfall, these gorgeous kids couldn't be scared off by a little cold weather. They did so awesome despite our temps in the 20's.  Brrr....but with a warm car and a little hot chocolate nearby it kept them going!  I had a blast!  Thanks so much for braving the cold with me!  Here are just a few from our session:

And doesn't this image just scream winter?  I LOVE these ear muffs and need to get myself a pair!!  Doesn't she have the cutest smile!!

Kids say the funniest things....

While photographing this family I was asking the little three year old what he was 'into' these days.  Fully expecting to hear "Thomas the Train", "Diego" or "Lightening McQueen", I laughed so hard when he gave me a one word answer - "Poop".   The word made him smile to say and the fact that his parents weren't stopping him, he kept smiling as he repeated it a few more times and I continued to have a conversation for the first time about 'poopin on the potty' while taking photographs.  What a hoot!  Seriously, this family was so fun to photograph.  Since I've known them for nine years now, I've known these gorgeous kids since they were babies!  They all have these amazing eyelashes as you can see!!  Here are a few from our session:

Party of Seven!

When this family of seven called to book a session and mentioned they had this old Chevy pickup truck that was her husband's since he was 15 yrs old - I thought super cool.  Then when they selected a location on nearby farmland - I knew I was going to have a field day (pun intended).  I absolutely love the backdrops on a farm!  But looking at these beautiful five children it wouldn't even matter the backdrop!  These kids were amazing to hang out with - the one and only little boy couldn't have had bigger eyes when he spotted the large tractors...he was so excited!!  And, with a first birthday celebration last week for their baby girl, we were able to get some fun birthday photos!!  Here are some fun ones to share....

and this was just too cute for words...

Totally Fun Family

This totally fun (and busy) family took a break to spend time together and enjoy each other as we captured some beautiful family time!  It was so fun getting to know them better and these kids really rocked their session with tons of cooperation and great ideas!!  Thanks for the great session!!  

A beautiful Day!

Today was special for me as I got to spend time with a dear friend and her family that I don't get to see often enough.  This young, hip mom and I hold way too many memories together from our waitressing days!  We were in each other's weddings and I'll never forget the day she had her first baby....and this month he will be getting his drivers license!  What??  How did that happen?  She and her hubby turned out four wonderful boys!!  You go girl!  I couldn't help but get a few of the images from today up on the blog for you guys....thanks for the fun day!  Soooo good to see your family!

and we had a beautiful hot air balloon sighting during our session.....

All Aboard!

These three boys had a ball hanging out by the tracks and checking out the train cars!  What an amazing fall day we picked to capture family photos!  Such cute boys with the bluest eyes!!  These little guys had totally fun personalities and were such great models!  Beautiful family on a beautiful fall night!!  Thanks guys! Here's a quick sneak peek...

and meet the photographer in training.....

Ready to Play!

What a fun afternoon I spent with three adorable children who were ready to play!  From wagon rides to  catching crickets, laughing about it raining gumballs to finding even more crickets - these cuties did great!!  It was so much fun meeting you!!  Here's a quick peek at last night's session....   

and meet 'Hoppy'....one of our new cricket friends