The Leonard Girls

I've known Emily and her mom for about 7 or 8 years now. I met them when I was a second grade teacher. Emily came to my class for math one hour a day and I knew her mom because she was a substitute teacher in our building. I remember Emily as a  bright, bubbly, model student. I really enjoyed having her for that hour a day.

Fast forward five years or so. My sweet Maddy was of an age where I felt like I could leave her with a babysitter. We usually used the grandparents, but they were not available this time.  I panicked for a moment until I remembered Emily! Even though I only had Emily for about an hour a day for a year, I didn't forget that personality (plus I knew her mom already - BONUS!). So she became our go-to babysitter when the grandparents were unavailable. My girls love her!

This year Emily is a sophomore and I can't believe it. My daughter is now the age Emily was when I met her. What an awesome role model this gal is for my girls! I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after I read her pre-session questionnaire. I was amazed that a 16 year old could be so wise.  I know I wasn't at 16! This wonderful girl is an honor student and involved in everything under the sun at school. She walks to the beat of her own drum (or as she put it, the opposite direction in a crowd), she is creative, loves to write, play piano, sing (she's in a rock band!) and have fun with her friends.  I thought I'd get in touch with her mom to get some tips on raising my girls. ;)

Meet Miss Emily and her lovely mom and sisters....

What a gorgeous bunch!

I may post a few more as I edit. Stay tuned!

Tween time, part 2

Going through the photos of my session with Marissa, I realized I wanted to post a few more!

Marissa spotted the Liberty Tax guy in costume across the street!

Tween time!

Yesterday's temperature was a very welcome break from the crisp, 30º temps of the prior week.  Just in time for my session with Marissa! As a tween, (not a little kid, not a teen) I knew we'd have lots of laughs.  Real ones, and the fake ones in our laughing contest.  I wanted to capture who Marissa is in this stage. Still a playful kid, but on the horizon of being a young adult!

We headed to a new location to discover some new spots and had a lot of fun in the process. Here are a few of my favorites!

To see more, go to part 2!

I pledge......

...to take more photos of my family this year and DO SOMETHING WITH THEM! The "doing something with them" part has been eating at me for the last year or so as I fall further behind in creating family photo albums. (Not to mention my second child is 2.5 and there is no baby book in sight) Enter the 52 week family photo project! This is NOT my idea, but I love it! I learned about it through a wonderful photographer I follow (Brooke Snow) and she learned about it from her friend Rhonda. I have heard about the 365, photo-a-day projects, but this one fit my lifestyle so much better. I can do 1 photo a week! So I have set out to follow along with these two gals and have myself a fun little album full of memories at the end of the year.  Rhonda explains the whole project HERE. I love that she sets some rules to overcome her perfectionist tendencies, as she puts it. (wow, I relate to that!) I am already behind a bit, but no worries. At 1 photo a week, I can catch up. ;) I'll be posting a few of my photos now and then and per Rhonda's rules, I won't be changing anyone beforehand, straightening up anything or always dragging out my 5d (my rule). My iPhone will do just fine. Heck, I probably won't edit most of them.  Get 'er done. Capture the moment. Won't you join me?

The first week was photos in the car. We spend a lot of time in the car. I think a lot of moms can relate! This was snapped on the fly with my phone. Oh, and I was stopped in a parking lot, not driving!

Valentine's Day Cards

Just a sample of a cute little 4x5.5 card you could send to family, friends or classmates for Valentine's day. No one else will have one like this! This one would look great printed on pearl paper. Other sizes available. Don't miss out on this fun opportunity! Sessions still available. Read the post below for details.

sweetheart sessions! {valentine's mini-sessions}

New Year's Greetings! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are ready for a great New Year! I sure am. I'm planning lots of great things for YOU! First up are Valentine's Day mini-sessions! Valentine's Day is right around the corner and this is a great way to show off your little sweetheart! Maybe with some custom Valentine's Day cards or with just a few portraits or a digital file so you can go make your own cards.  I will be doing mini sessions on January 21st at the Country Club Cafe in Shawnee. 

What is a mini-session you ask? It's an awesome way to try out custom photography or get a few shots of the kids in between your main session. To find out more, see the flier below or get in touch and I'd love to fill ya in!  Oh, and be sure to pass this on to anyone you know who might be interested. There are only a set number of spots that day, so call soon!

Did I mention we'll have lots of fun? ;) Hope to see you there!

Laura and kids {Joplin Smile}

This family was my last session on the day I spent in Joplin. I felt so blessed to meet them. They are all great kids and Laura is a great mom and such a gentle spirit. They survived that horrible tornado and lost their house, but they have each other. You can tell they are a tight group and they take care of each other. It was hard to choose only a few to post. There are many more!

Meet the beautiful mother of this fun crew...

It's Yainer's senior year and we were able to grab some fun shots for he senior portraits while we were at it!

The Whites

It was so fun meeting and working with the White family! They were playful and open to fun ideas. Even had the awesome idea of the first image you see below. 

The Bret Family

This lovely family has been with me since the beginning! They are more than just clients. They used to live two doors over and our girls played about every day. Since they've moved, we don't see them as much. So I really enjoy my time with them during our yearly session! Enjoy a few from their session.

The Unruh Family

I met Maggie at a good friend's baby shower this past spring. We got to talking about our businesses and just hit it off! Before long, we were partnering to do giveaways, auctions and just promoting each other. You've heard me brag about her before, so if you guessed it was Maggie of Lily Cole Designs, you were right! I just love this gal {and her creative ideas} and now that I've met her family, I love them just as much. What a fun bunch to be around. Maggie had some great ideas and we ran with them. The result: fabulous and fun images! (which were very hard to select for this post I might add!) Enjoy.

How Divine!

Meet the Divines. I loved our time together! It was a gorgeous day and so fun to watch them interact as a family. They sure know how to have fun! Enjoy a few.

The Nelsons!

This is my second year photographing this lovely family and it was such a pleasure, once again! They are so fun to work with and turns out we know a lot of the same people! :) Enjoy a few from our session in the park.