ROTH - FAMILY & BELLY

Well I don't think a ten plus hour road trip has ever flown by so fast...thanks to editing!!  That being said, I'm officially on VACATION and am making this post as short as anything I write can be (HA!)  This session was so much fun and very special because mom Manda (she goes by Amanda now but I just can't get used to it!) and I have been friends since 3rd grade.  As you can see she is glowing and beautiful and...well...READY to have this baby!  She's due August 27th and is not finding out the gender so I can't wait to hear the news!  She already has a 2 1/2 year old named Autumn who is the adorable little blonde in the pics...who looks JUST like her mom when she was younger....lucky girl ;)

Thanks Roth fam for inviting me into your home to be a part of such a special time in your lives...and Manda thanks for being open to my crazy ideas :)  

HENRY 1 YEAR

What a crazy fun weekend with 3 sessions, the 2nd of which was with Mr. blue eyes Henry and his parents, Jennie & Bill.  We arrived at Forest Park first thing Saturday morning when the heat was still at bay so that Henry's parents would have plenty of time to finish getting ready for Henry's 1st birthday party!!  I haven't talked to them since, but they were set to have a full house and anxious for all of their friends and family to help celebrate Henry's big day.  They were just the cutest little family and it's obvious from the pictures how much his parents adore the handsome little fella...and who can blame them!

    Henry loves his baby blue blanket and he was such a happy guy...especially when he
was all cuddled on top of it!  

This shot cracks me up, I picture him saying "what are you worried about guys I'm happy" ha!  So cute!

What a sweet little man you have Swobodas!  I hope Henry's 1st birthday party was a success despite the smoldering heat and thank you for letting me a part of the celebration!  Enjoy every minute they grow up way too quickly :)  

ENSTE FAMILY

The first memories I have of mom Shell are my sister and I playing softball with she and her sister for Copperuz...you heard me COPPERUZ...remember that place?!  Their mom, Lynn, coached us and we had quite the rowdy crew!!  Remember when my sister got hit in the head with a softball when we were practicing at Dunegant Park?  OUCH! (okay I'm giggling a little)   Well Shell is still as sweet as she was back then, except this time I got to see her in action as a mommy to 6 month old Maddox.  I have to say she and her hubby, Eric, were so great with him and you could just see the love between them and for Max.  Max had a little cough, but it didn't even seem to phase him.  He was SUCH a happy little guy I barely noticed the 100 degree weather (wink wink).  Here are a few of my favorite shots from the session.

   It was so much fun watching you guys interract with Max, thanks for letting me capture it all!

KALLER FAMILY

Second time's a charm with the Kaller Fam!  Despite the crazy sky, we decided 'what the heck!' so we headed down to Main Street and figured we'd give it a shot.  Halfway there a torrential downpour began and it was not lookin' so good for the pictures.  I called mom Amy and she agreed we'd try again later, but since the kiddos were all decked out, Amy said they were just going to drive around and maybe pop into a random church or gas station so the cute outfits didn't go to waste...LOVE IT!  I can definitely tell you and Kelly are sisters with the quick wit and sense of humor...sure makes things fun for me :)  

The kiddos had a blast playing on the trains and exploring the riverfront as you can see.  Little Jack was cracking me up, when we would ask if he would like to check out the train station or go to a certain area he would politely respond "no thank you"...how do you argue with that?  Sorry Jack, I still managed to steal some looks and I think you'll be quite pleased at how handsome you look ;)  

Then we have little Miss Lilly!  She didn't say much, but boy is she a spunky one.  You can definitely tell she has an older brother because she doesn't let anyone push her around ;)  But then there would be moments where I would catch little glimpses of her girly side too which with those eyes (here I go again with the eyes) she's going to be breaking hearts someday!

       Thanks Kallers for sharing your cute little look-a-likes with me!!

WEILER FAMILY

As soon as I got out of the car, I just knew it was going to be a good morning...low 80's, sunny and a 100% chance of the cutest little blonde ever :)  As you can see the camera loves Audrey, and after spending only a short while with this family I knew right where she gets it from...the whole family is quite photogenic (not to mention fun)!  It was so obvious how much love this family has for each other (sniff sniff) and it was such a pleasure being a part of it and being able to capture it all.

Thank you Weiler family for inviting me into your lives and your family for the day, I had a great time and I hope you did too!

BURCH FAMILY

Meet the Burch's....Lizzie, Nate and Cooper!  It started out a little gray and rainy at Forest Park on Sunday, but we didn't let that spoil our fun...we just pulled out the umbrellas and got to work!  When Lizzie first contacted me, she wanted to do something special for their 2nd anniversary which I thought was so sweet.  Engagements and weddings are beautiful and exciting and of course you want to capture them on film, but it's nice to know that even two years later these two haven't lost that lovin' feeling : )

Hope you two have a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY today, you make a great couple and cheers to many more years of fun and happiness!!    

  

AVERY KATE

This is what happens when I babysit for my really stinking cute niece Avery.  I try to contain myself, but well I just can't...I mean look at her!  I don't know what it is with the eyes, but man they suck you in and get you all googly eyed making zurber noises and the next thing you know you're cross-eyed with your tongue out and your thumbs in your ears looking like a real idiot....not that it's ever happened to me...I've just seen other people doing it (wink wink)  Nonetheless....here are some of my favorites from our latest babysitting adventure!

Even the top of her head is cute :)

  Remember when I mention the googly eyes and zurber noises....yeah, these will getcha every single time!

Yep, she's teething like crazy and still this happy....oh to be a baby again!  Oh and she's already counting on her fingers so impressive.

Love you cutie pie, can't wait to "babysit" again :)

JACKSON 5

Couldn't think of a better way to start my Independence Day celebration than with a photog session with my good friend Katie and her son Jackson who's about to turn 5!    We weren't originally planning on doing it on the 4th, but when we were rained (more like thunderstormed) out the week before it seemed like a good way to make up for it!!

Jackson can pull off a hat like it's nobody's business, he really works it right?!

As you can see from the sky, we were again facing t-storm threats but that didn't stop us!  It was so cute, when mom was around Jackson was a little shy, but the second she walked away BAM he turned it on (as you can see)...and oh how I'm glad he did!

  Thanks Katie for being a trooper and scoping out the good "spots" with me!

Jackson - Happy almost 5th birthday!  I hope you have a fun and chocolate filled day and enjoy your Toy Story birthday bash!  

MENKE FAMILY - TAKE 2

After a long week and weekend, I'm finally getting around to posting TAKE 2 with the Menke family...the WHOLE crew this time!  Thank goodness the weather was a little kinder this time around, it was much cooler and less humid....a perfect morning for pictures in the park!  All of the bright colors definitely upped the fun factor too :)  

This was the largest family shot I had done to date, so I was really excited everyone was looking and looking happy at that!!   Thanks guys for your patience and cooperation...I know the rocks were not so comfy  :)  

 When they asked me to get a shot of dad and the 3 boys, I thought that was really cool!   

Then there's the middle Menke son, Todd, and his family...are they adorable or what?  

Their 3 boys LOVE the camera and as you can see it sure loves them!  They are all SO sweet...and those eyes!

I had to give big brother Owen some props all to himself since he wasn't able to make our last session, we sure missed you last session but glad you were able to make it this time around!  

Thanks Menke Family for inviting me to capture your good looking family!!

 

MICAH 6 MONTHS

My Saturday morning was busy with two back to back sessions so I knew I had my hands full, but I was ready to take on the challenge and actually really excited because both sessions were with old friends who just so happen to also be IWA Alum (insert loud cheering here)!  Of course it also didn't hurt that my first session was with Micah Molina...doesn't that have a nice ring to it?  Watch out Yadi!  He can melt your heart with one quick flash of those big brown eyes....oh you'll see what I mean :)  

He is already a natural in front of the camera, popped collar and all....watch out ladies!

Um yeah, those are the larger than life brown eyes I was talking about above...melting as we speak!

This is his favorite blanket and after getting my hands on it during the shoot I can see why....so soft and cuddly!

Yeah okay so I snuck one more close-up of his eyes in....can you really blame me?

Thanks Molinas for sharing your handsome little model with me...I will gladly take his picture anyday!

Happy 6 Months Micah!!

DICKSON ENGAGEMENT

It's not everyday I get a chance to photograph my beautiful sister and her fiance so I just had to share some of my favorites with you!  It's exactly 50 days until their wedding and I cannot wait to share in their special day with them!!!

As your big sis, you know I can't help myself when it comes to giving you advice :)  

Here are some things about marriage that I have learned so far (the ones I can post here at least hehe!):

Never assume.

Compliment more than you criticize.

Always make time for the two of you.

Communication, communication, communication.

Never underestimate the power of a good belly-laugh and don't be afraid to laugh at yourself!

And Bobby, always remember to kiss my sister goodnight :)  Love you guys!

MENKE FAMILY - TAKE 1

Meet the Menke family...well part of them anyway!  Between running around with playful little Dylan, Trent getting all Zoolander on me and Mitch just being his sweet self, it was a wonderful start to my weekend.  It started out with booking one Menke family session and soon multipled so we decided that it was going to take more than one morning to get this good looking crew wrangled up and photographed...stay tuned for next week's TAKE 2!

I think this picture captures Dylan's personality perfectly...happy and full of life!  Oh yes and the good looking couple to the left just so happens to be this little guy's parents...could their family be any cuter?

  The bonus of having such an energetic subject is that you get variety and a workout!

This little guy sure did love being in between his parents holding both of their hands, you could just see his sweet face light up!

Now for the first of the next family of adorable Menke boys....Mitch and Trent (Zoolander).  We are missing their older brother, Owen, but he will be joining the rest of the crew for TAKE 2.  These two sure loved being outside and playing in the water and with sticks and rocks and anything else they could get their hands on....boys will be boys!

Thank you Menke family for inviting me to capture your boys and your family...can't wait to get the rest this weekend!