This session was bittersweet for me as it closed out the first-year package that Heather and Al had booked with me. I’ve come to grow very fond of this family of three. Heather is an amazing and strong mother; and Al is hilarious and dry, and proves us that he’s a good sport time and again. He also is one of the brave, who serves this country, even though it means he has to be away from his two darlings. At the time we took these photos, Heather and Al were building their home so they borrowed a friend’s place as it was a wee-bit chilly outdoors.

Charlee was as ornery as ever. Take a peek at some of my faves…I hope to see these fave clients of mine again soon!!!

Cerner is one of Kansas City’s leading employers so it’s no surprise that Alissa & Greg, like the bride and groom from my last post, are Cerner employees. Alissa’s role with the company forced her to travel a lot, but on an off-week that she was going to be in town, she was asked to assist with an event of a client of Greg’s. They ran into one another at the inhouse coffee bar and soon took their conversation to IM. (See a common theme with Cerner lovebirds?? ha)   They had their first date at Harry’s and have seen or talked to one another every day since. Most of their relationship developed via Facetime due to Alissa’s traveling schedule.

They are an outdoorsy couple, and on a hike around Lake Tahoe, Greg went down on bended knee, his hands holding a gorgeous diamond ring that Alissa willfully slid onto her finger after he asked, “Sweetie, will you marry me?”

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago for our session. The foursome got down to the River Market area before I did, so they scouted out somewhere that appealed to them. They found a spot I had never shot in before…and it had great light. Alissa & Greg clearly have amazing taste. I mean, check out their wardrobes!

They share a fondness for biking and fitness (please take note of Alissa’s arms…they are THE arms that most every bride covets… no fair!!!). So they brought along a tandem bike to incorporate at the end of the session and Jenna and Cole were all too ready to use it as a prop. They were two of the most cooperative, cheerful children I have every had the pleasure to work with. Props to mad parenting skills!

The sun was setting quickly on us as we set up along the river and I just kept shooting. I could have shot for another hour but rumbling tummies and loss of light were in our way. Darn it! Just kidding, we got TONS of great stuff.  It’s definitely a session of too many favorites. Such a great problem to have, no?

Their wedding is set to be a romantic, rustic affair. Alissa has a gorgeous vision and I can’t wait to see it come into play. And I love that their engagement/family session took place somewhere with such a different vibe than what their wedding images will portray. I can’t wait to play with them all again!!! I came away from the session knowing full well that this soon-to-be family of four was meant to be. They are picture perfect…and the kids AND their dad so obviously adore Alissa. She fits in so well that I’m pretty sure the official event in October will be a seamless segue to a long-lasting journey of memories.

1. Both of these ladies are my friends.

2. Their names look like they rhyme…. Lara and Cara. But Lara is pronounced “Lah-ra.”

3. Lara AND Cara are both GORGEOUS mamas…and they have little GORGEOUS daughters. Carys (in the first set) will be 2 this July, so she was 15 months in these pics) and London was 2 in February.

4. Their husbands are great sports for not being super fans of being in pics, but they know how important it is to the woman they married.

5. Lara AND Cara are both photographers. So they get lots of pics of their younguns but not so many pics of THEM in front of the camera with the loves of their lives. I know the pain all too well! So I am incredibly honored they trusted me to get some images for them to cherish in other ways.

6. Lara ANd Cara have been my assistants at weddings in the past (separately!). I love shooting with them!!

7. Both of them wanted sessions as late in the day as possible because they know all too well how amazing that end-of-day light is. And as you can see with these pics, it was yummy all over.

So here are Lara, Chris and Carys’s pics first. Love the color palettes. Love Carys’s playfulness, and I adore the color palette. My husband helped me out during these mini shoots and at the end, Carys signed MORE and pointed to Neil. I wanted to cry. How cute is that? She wanted MORE NEIL!!! who doesn’t? So many of their pics were textbook-dream session quality.

So many faves!!!!! 

And lastly, Cara, Chuck and London. Cara always comes to the table with a vision, and I am always excited to work with her. London might not have been the smiley-est thing in this cold weather, but darn it, is she darling or what? All three together are simple picture perfect…and added to the golden light of late fall… I WILL EAT YOU UP!

My most favorite shot of the entire mini session spectacle is this one….

Anyway ladies, thank you for coming to me! And for allowing me to watch your kiddos grow up on Instagram and the like. You both are amazing mothers, and I am so grateful to have pals who have so much in common (with one another, too!) with me as we walk this journey of being moms, wives, friends and photographers together!!! xo to you both. and to your fams!

So anyway…. This family has become so special to me… My first shoot with them was in the late summer of 2011.

Since then, I have photographed them 3 other times. Today’s post marks the FIFTH time in less than 2 years that I have turned my lens on them. If ever a family existed that truly understands the value in capturing the early milestones of their beloved children, it is this one. And through these shoots, I have fallen head over heels for Adelyn (2 and a half) and Kate (who just turned 1), in addition to forminga kinship with Laura & Chris…one that has bloomed into a friendship. I couldn’t want better clients…. they are the epitome of the type of family I want to attract with my lifestyle photography.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…they are cute. That’s just a plus. The other reasons are as follows:

1. They “get” what it means to truly connect with the one they trust to document their family.

2. They appreciate photos  don’t always have to look picture-perfect to a stranger’s eye. There are no fronts with them.

3. They might trade in the girls’ daycare play clothes for darling attire, but do not be fooled. This family of four is so real, so genuine, so full of love and patience, that I admire them through and through.

4. I was excited that for this session, they opted to invite me into their home. I wasn’t there more than 90 minutes for this shoot. But in that 90 minutes, our goal was to merely hang out and not push any major photographic agenda. You know how rare that is?

5. Their favorite images from the day won’t be the same as other people’s favorites. They value the images, they FRAME the images, that speak to them as a family full of love, ornery lil’ girls, and delightful smiles. My heart sighs when I get the inevitable email from Laura that outlines which pics she will treasure most and why. (Yes, Laura, that means I’m expecting yet another one! hahaha)

So when you look at these images, look at them from the perspective of the mom and dad…who admit without shame that their life is a bit unmanageable at times, outright chaotic at others, but it’s always always always cherished.

It was perfect timing, as we soon after discovered that we were expecting our first baby. And when Rev. Thom and his wife, Anne (who is perhaps one of the most sweet people I’ve ever met!!!), announced a few months later that they too would be stepping into new roles as parents for the first time, I was very excited.

Thom had me shoot his headshots for the church web site and wall … and they called on me a few weeks after baby Lydia was born to document their new family of three. Incredibly honored, I showed up in November and was immediately enamored with their daughter. Her hair! Her round, alert eyes! She looked like a mini- Anne…as you’ll totally agree. And might I add, she was THE chillest baby I’ve ever worked with. I don’t even know if I ever heard her cry the entire time I was there.

Here are some of my favorite images from our time together. I am so lucky that I get to see her grow up too because she just gets cuter and cuter and cuter and cuter. And you don’t think it’s possible…and then I see her the next Sunday and her lil’ gummy grin gets me all over again!

Although this is late in posting, once again…congrats to Thom & Anne for being part of the most rewarding and challenging club ever–that of a parent!

We had a mini Halloween shoot with them back in October. Gina proposed doing something for Valentine’s day…dressing them up and playing up their cuteness. And since it’s my slow season, I perked up. We had grand visions of a kissing booth and mailboxes full of fan mail. And perhaps someday we’ll bring that one to life. But since Weston’s first b-day part was just the week before this, I could only take on so much in terms of developing the scene. Gina rocked her end of the deal though and made the banners…which turned out perfectly!

It didn’t go exactly as planned (does it ever when kids under the age of 4 are involved?!)…but we definitely came away with some keepers. I think our lil’ studs look so darn darling that I could just pinch myself in hopes that this isn’t a dream. I think i speak for Gina when I say these boys are the LOVES of our lives. They are the most special Valentines we could ever ask for…and no cupid is needed! (We love our husbands too of course…but come on…our husbands don’t look THIS good in bow ties and newsboy hats!!)

So please enjoy  a lil’ dose of lovable fun on this holiday for loves of all kinds….

Gina and Neil had their share of work cut out for them……

(please note something different in the far right pic…can you spot what held Evan’s attention???)But I got him to sit for ONE more…kinda. 

And then a few more from another session. Kim is Brandy’s aunt! (Brandy is in the above photos!) I had such a good time making them giggle and make fun onf one another. (wink wink.) And 16-year-old Blake was such a good sport. He even acted like he loved his parents!  

Thanks to both parts of this great family! I enjoyed it…and hope you thawed out quickly. xo

The first session was at 8:30… and it was 24 degrees out!!!

(And if all goes right this year, I will be holding these sessions again at the end of Sept or early October in hopes we beat the silly horrid low temps!!)

First up… the E family. The mom, Natalie, is my sister’s good friend. And she and Jeff make MODEL-icious kids.

OnceSeriously….how can she be this young and already know how to work those puppy dog eyes!!?

And again, the first family to kick off the weekend. They look all warm and cozy…but that is soooo not the case! Sara is someone I met in preschool…and I find it so cool that we had our kiddos just 4 months apart!!!! Lil’ Harper couldn’t be more darling (or look more like Sara when she was that age!!!)

Thank you to the E & O families for manning up and owning the arctic embrace of an early winter!!!

More mini sessions to come!!!!

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I cannot say enough about this family. You may have seen them before on my blog. This is Caleb and his parents, Mike & Katie. Caleb was born 2 weeks before Weston was, and since Mike works with my husband, we stay up to date with one another. It’s always cool to have friends who experience the same life stage that we’re going through, as we go through it.

And Caleb is a peach and a half. He’s darling…blue eyes… baby face… and expressive eyebrows are my dream come true. For this session in the fall, I went to their house and we just went with it. It was a cloudy day so their wardrobe colors popped!! Their dog even got to show face. My favorite series is the set of three pics below with her and Caleb front and center.

And I kinda missed lil’ Caleb when I drove off that day… so it was a good thing I was headed home to my own son.

I hope you enjoy seeing these pics as much as I enjoyed taking them! I hope to see them again in the New Year!

This sunshiney family might look familiar as Danielle & Andrew’s wedding was my last of 2011. Danielle has always been such a genuine source of kindness and we stay in touch on Facebook. She and Andrew have a little girl named Peighton who is a healthy mix of both of them, both in looks and personality. And she is ornery and sweet and all things adorable. For their session, we took to a rural location. Danielle brought a tea set and an old suitcase. Peighton didn’t have any troubles working those props into the shoot.

Before the shoot, Danielle warned me she thought we wouldn’t get many “good ones.” This is often the fear of parents who have children between the 1 and 3 age. And for good reason as I’ve said before, that age group is the toughest to keep in front of the lens.

But Peighton, though rambunctious and on the go, proved to be one of the easiest toddlers I’ve ever worked with. Probably because she’s part ham.

Enjoy some of my favorite images from this session in the countryside of good ol’ Missouri.