Carrie and Jay- Engaged!

On the day that I met Carrie and Jay for their engagement session all of the leaves seemed so vibrant. We walked around the park to view the scenery, talk a little, and to take in the day. It was beautiful.

I heart this picture. I love the color, the closeness of Carrie and Jay, and the camera perspective.

This one makes ya' wonder what the converstation was about.
Towards the end of the session I got to meet Genghis. He is so adorable and is a very good listener. I pretty much wished that I had a bone or a fake duck (he is a hunting dog) so that we could have played together. He is just so adorable.

Waataja Family

I love the Waataja family. They are like a second family to me so when they asked if I would photograph a group portrait for them, I jumped with excitement.



We met at their home for the portrait session. Carolyn had a vision of where she wanted the images taken and I could understand why. Their backyard is like a little nature oasis. It is filled with tall trees and itty bitty baby ones. They informed me that the tree on the left side of the image below was actually planted by their youngest daughter when she was little. Now the tree is well over 35 feet tall.



The tree isn't the only thing that has grown throughout the years, their family has grown leaps and bounds too. The family went from having the Waataja girls to having 2 son-in-laws and 4 grandchildren in just a few years.






Here is an image of Gabby, Grant and Connor. Can't you just feel the love that Gabby and Connor are giving Grant?!
Here is a picture with their parent's. Aren't they cute?!




Here is an image of the newest family and their little girl.

And these are the folks that started it all...

Schaefer Family

I cannot even begin to tell you how much fun I have had over the last 5 months photographing the Schaefer's. At my first session with them this year Zeke couldn't even sit. Now he doesn't seem to like sitting still...he is too busy for that. He has changed so much right before my eyes.

His sister Zoie turned into one of my most popular models this year. She was in 3 portrait sessions and she was a flower girl at Jenny and Adam's wedding in August. She is definitely a pro in my eyes. Here are some images from the most recent session with the Schaefer family.

Don't ya' just love the orange and brown? I wish that I looked that in orange.


I LOVE this image. Zoie leaned into her brother to snuggle with him all on her own. I told you, she is pro.
Zeke got to play police officer for a few minutes. He had so much fun throwing the hat off every time his mom placed it on his head. He just kept giggling.

Zoie and Zeke- thanks for playing with me again and for letting me take a few pictures. I am looking forward to seeing Zeke walk and for Zoie to show off his laugh out loud smile.

Katie and Brian- Married!!!

I first met Katie and Brian last winter. Right away I was able to see how much they cared about each other and depended on each other. Whether it was sharing a laugh or Brian literally carrying Katie, they were there for each other.

It seemed like only a few weeks had past, in reality though, months had past and their wedding day was here. Katie and Brian were married on October 4th at Zion Lutheran Church in Anoka. During the ceremony the Pastor referenced how Katie and Brian had touched him and the other Pastors with their answers to some of the pre-marital questions that they were asked. I cannot say that I am surprised. They are just that type of couple, one to admire.

By the time the reception started at the Holiday Inn Metrodome, the celebration was in full swing. I could hear laughter as I walked down the hallway towards the ballroom. As I turned the corner, I could see more than 150 people sharing smiles and stories about the couple and about their lives. The whole evening was filled with non stop good time. It was really a joyous event.

Dan, Carrie and Zoe

Last Friday I meet Dan, Carrie and Zoe for an afternoon session. I was immediately smitten for little Zoe. She had the most adorable outfit on and her personality matched it perfectly. She wanted to play and have fun.

I quickly acted when she posed for a formal portrait with her parents a few times.

And I did capture quite a few shots of her smiling and looking right at the camera. The following images though are some of my favorite ones that I took of her. I fee like they capture her super cute personality.

I imagine that she is saying to her self, "What are they thinking? Why do they want me to sit on this bench?"

I love the crooked smile in this one.

In this image she was playing with a little toy that didn't really go with her outfit so I quickly photographed her wanting to show the toy to her mother (who is standing right outside of this frame). I love this image because it shows her genuine excitement.

Jeni and Adam-Enaged!

Jeni and Adam are getting married in December. New Year's Eve to be precise. I feel like making up my own lyrics to Prince's song 1999, but I don't want to hurt everyone's ears by my lack of singing ability. (I am a excited...can you tell?!)






Adam started to take Sign Language classes recently. As you can see, we weren't quite sure how to sign I Love You, but him and Jeni gave it their all and had a few laughs along the way.

Surprisingly, we were only able to find 1 fall colored tree at the park. It just so happened to be right next to a parking lot and a road, but through the magic of camera angles...you cannot tell.

The best part of about this tree is that it had already lost some of it's leaves so Jeni and Adam started leaf fight and were able to relax near it.

I love this picture sequence. Jeni kisses Adam's head, Adam doesn't like the lip gloss so Jeni laughs so hard that her eyes close, and then Jeni helps Adam wipe off his forehead (while still laughing).

The Gregory Family

You may remember the Gregory Girls from my blog posts in May. It has only been a short few months, but boy have they changed! Just take a look for yourself.

In addition to photographing the girls, their parent's were able to join in the photo fun this time.

We were even able to snap a few shots of just Cassie and Ryan without the children (they were snacking on crackers). Ryan and Cassie were married 7 years ago and I am pretty sure that they haven't had many pictures of them taken since their wedding day. I know how that goes...I am in the same boat.

Baby Joey- A new beginning

Joey was born on September 17th. He is just a little tiny peanut who does the most fascinating little expression that just melted my heart.

His newborn session was held in the most comfortable place in his little world...his home. I had the opportunity to photograph Joey in the places where he was going to grow up in. I imagine that one day he will create little stories about the different picture that hang on his wall.

And I imagine his parent's looking back at this image in a year from now and marvel over how much he has grown.
Then they will look at his little kissy face and give him big smooch on the lips.
It is moments like these that go by so fast, yet we all desperately want to hold on to.
Welcome to the world little Joey. I am really looking forward to watching you grow and marveling at all of your accomplishments.

Lucas- The 4 year old

It was time for Lucas to come over and play...in front of the camera. It didn't take him more than 10 seconds before he started to show off his big blue eyes and bright smile.

We kept trying to explain to Lucas not to smile for a few of the images. He didn't care to listen to us (remember...he is 4- who listens at that age?) I did snap this one during the quick millisecond that he stopped smiling. His look cracks me up. Is he sad? Is he confused? Is he annoyed by using trying to explain that he didn't have to smile for all of the images? Or was he just being silly? I will let you decide what his facial expression says.