Hidden Valley Park in Savage-A great location for Portraits!

Any photographer will tell you how difficult your own children can be to photograph. They see mom with a camera in her hands almost all the time and think, "another one mom????" And I just delightfully smile yes in hopes that they will smile back at me. Sometimes they will smile nicely...




Sometimes I am lucky enough to catch them dancing (all of our kids LOVE music, I wonder where they got it from?) which I LOVE!



Sometimes you get a fake smile and sigh on the inside...



Or you catch them when they are just being their adventeurous selves!



And sometimes you get them striking a pose without even trying which just makes you beam at the marvelous glimpse of who they are and who they are going to be and you catch it on camera to keep that memory fresh FO-EVA!



Any way you slice it and dice it, just about anything that has to do with photography makes me GRIN :)


If you're interested in Hidden Valley Park as a location for a shoot, just email me. It really is a great park for fun times!

The Language of LOVE

The thought of shooting the S family was something I knew I wanted to do with all my heart, but I will be honest, being a newer photographer I knew I needed to pay great attention to what was best for them and take their lead. See, M is non-verbal and has certain conditions that prevent her from speaking or moving around her house on her own. Mom and Dad spend hours every month driving to appointments, unexpected hospital stays, and are now on record with rare conditions for not only our state, but the whole world. Though I faced this challenge with my own children (to some degree) who were delayed they have mostly outgrown it. H, M's mom, gave me the wonderful opportunity to come into their home and take pictures of them to capture their lives, now. Just as they are. It's a concept that can't be told, but expressed.
Saying or hearing "I love you" is something that some of us take for granted. For most of us, we can say it, we can hear it. For some of us, we may never hear out kids say it. Though the thought of that tugs at my heart, I learned a lesson that warm June afternoon. The language of love has no words. It's the few and far between experiences and examples that we come across that remind us that a touch, a sigh of contentment, and response to such, can say "I love you" in a far more meaningful way than just words. There was a ton of love in the room that day!
I feel so grateful that the S family welcomed me into their home and I hope these photos can enrich your lives as you have enriched mine. Thanks for giving me the opportunity, I am forever grateful!


I just love how her and Dad have the same expression.


Here I feel like she's telling mom. "but I don't want you to fix my hair" and it makes me grin.


She has the prettiest hands with beautiful nails.


We did manage to get some grouped shots...



Here is M's new chair that's much better for her!



M is a big sister and she loves little G!



I am told I wouldn't get a smile out of V, but lookie lookie!

And I will let H explain why he was smiling;)

Memorial Day Weekend Fun!

Who's a Farmer's Market fan???

I am, I am!!! I love the flowers, the fresh veggies and fruit, but the balloon animals just puts me over the top! And the kids loved'em! And here in Belle Plaine, we have TWO!



Here is our Marcia's Angels pose!

Fourth of July

I am sure, that like everyone else, we have been enjoying the best part of summer. THE MIDDLE! The weather is still nice, the days are long so you get more out of them. We also have the most dates with stuff to do! There was my birthday, our trip to WI, Fourth of July, and BBQ Days in Belle Plaine! I have been soaking up every moment up of family that I can, and we also decided to repaint our house so it has been BUSY BUSY BUSY!! Here are a few pictures from the Fourth when our great friend Sandy came to visit us from the great state of TX:)





I just love what a ham that my third is, she is always full of life and sooo doesn't fit the mold of a photographer's child. She actually loves her picture taken. Except now, when she has chicken pox!










I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend, I know we did!

Be Like Mike 2009

This shirt says it all. Though others who read/follow this blog may have never known him, most of you know how his life affected mine. He was a bright light that you couldn't help but watch what was coming next. Mike, or as I called him, Mikey was my cousin, but we were all so close in age he was like a brother to me. Mike lost his battle with Leukemia on June 20th, 2008 and that day, was more significant than I could have ever forseen. My cousin's life was full of joy, of helping others, of being present and making a difference in others lives. Most of the time it started with a smile, just a simple kind guesture that had this ripple effect on everyone he knew, Mike was just different. Special. We often think now, What would Mike do? So to this day, we try to strive to "Be Like Mike".
To this day, we miss him dearly, almost as if it was yesterday. However, it was so important to us to get together, celebrate his life, and talk about the great memories he left for us. So to Danbury, WI we went. We laughed, we cried, we enjoyed all his favorite activites in his favorite spot, we just enjoyed the connection we all had. So here are the pictures of that glorious day :)










Just think "I've got Friends in LOW places..."





To the tune of Tommy Boy, "Fat guy in a little boat!" This was the tune he was singing as we left the dock!




Something about putting the antique touch on Camryn's photos makes me treasure her pictures!




Have you ever seen a ladder as a diving board? I just had to photograph this one!




"Higher next time!" This girl just couldn't get enough!!!



I don't know what made her laugh, but I just had to catch this! It just brings a smile to my face!