tara, bill and baby makes three
Old neighborhood friends Tara and I were, back when we rocked the neon jellies, constructed forts in the front yard, and bizarrely sang kumbaya while guarding a t-shirt in a game of capture the flag. It’s been ten years since we both graduated from High School and it was our high school reunion that finally gave us a chance to fully catch up on all things. It was no surprise that Tara was expecting, as she cutely arrived with her perfect baby bump. Let me just say, Tara is definitely one of those girls who can pull this whole pregnancy look off and most definitely makes any girl wish that one day when they are pregnant, they’ll look as good as she does. Seriously! So I was so thrilled when she expressed that she’d really like for me to do a maternity session when I came home for Christmas. And so we did and it was so much fun to reconnect, meet her sweet husband, see her parents whom I haven’t seen in a looong time and to do my first maternity session, photographing a childhood friend who’s got such a beautiful mommy glow going on. So glad we could squeeze this in and so very excited for the whole family.
the garvers
It was the first cold day I’ve had for a session and I knew our Indian summer/fall days weren’t going to last forever. Although we weren’t going to let it stop us from getting some great shots of this fun and good-lookin’ fam. Especially when we got warmed up by a little moving around in the yard, chasing the dog, Boji, and kicking around the soccer ball. Miles was full of energy and was sure to show me all his favorite toys, books, his moves, and cute expressions. Ruby was all dressed up for the occasion in her ruby red outfit and bow, and it’s easy to see that Miles loves his new baby sister. Lots of love and fun to go around in this family and I was happy to document a day in the life of the Garvers. Hope you had a wonderful holiday with your new little bundle of joy!
the gowens
It was backyard fun at the Gowen home and these cute kiddos were all about showing off their swinging and sliding techniques for me and I must say, they were pretty much experts. I guess with a backyard as cozy as theirs, there’s a reason for that. It’s no surprise that the whole family spends quite a bit of time out in this yard year-round, getting plenty of fresh air and burning energy the good ol’-fashion way. And I must say, there was no shortage of sunshine and smiles as I followed these two little cuties around with my camera. Their brother/sister love was very much apparent as I asked them to pose with each other. We even managed to get them pulled aside for a few family shots on their freshly-stained deck. Pegonia, the family cat, got in on the action as well and struck a pose a time or two. I really enjoyed spending the morning with such a loving, kind and beautiful family! You guys make this whole parenting thing look (dare I say), fun and easy!
the Applemans at an apple orchard
This family is not only ridiculously amazing, sweet, fun, beautiful, and in these pictures, seriously workin’ it for me and my camera, they are a family that I have grown close to throughout the past few years, who I absolutely adore. And talk about adore…this little guy (aka “JT”–Justin Timberlake), is a cutie patootie who I’ve known since he came into this world. His little voice makes my heart kinda melt when he casually calls me “d” and asks me to sing silly songs with him at the dinner table, while he pounds an entire quart or two of blueberries instead of eating his chicken. Needless to say, he’s had some practice with having my camera in his face and he’s become quite the little pro at this modeling thing. Since Ang and Cam hail from Iowa, we decided to take it out to the country for their session. We enjoyed a late afternoon out at the Weston Red Barn farm and it couldn’t have been a more lovely fall day with some of my favorite people.
the neidleins
The last time the Neidleins got professional pictures taken as a family was back when Ty was itty-bitty and in the confines of a JC Penney studio. Needless to say, it was time to get some family shots (before Ty gets any older), open-air, laid-back and in the comfort of their backyard and neighborhood park. We did just that and you’ll see as you scroll through these pics, we got a little mix of everything. From the perfect Christmas card photo, to letting loose and shooting some hoops on a great surface with their alma mater’s mascot, to feeding Rip some treats for his paw-shake tricks, we got some great shots of this beautiful family. Tina is a damn funny humor writer for Hallmark and I’m willing to bet that she’s never gotten any kind of inspiration from her family! 
You guys were troopers, especially on an afternoon when the Packers were playing, but I think grandpa will especially appreciate a family photo this year, as he was the other lucky one to see this photo magic go down in the backyard!
Ameriprise KC Pumpkin Patch day
It was a family, fall-festival kinda day, put on by a team at Ameriprise Financial and I was there to photograph all the kiddos and families enjoying all there was to offer at KC Pumpkin Patch in Gardner, KS (including those apple donuts!) The day prior was chilly and windy, so we were lucky to have one of those warm, fall days we’ve been so fortunate to experience a handful of times already. I met some fun and spunky little ones and even managed to squeeze in a family photo here and there as they were excitedly buzzing around to find that perfect pumpkin or that next activity they wanted to be apart of. It was another successful day, even if I had one to many handfuls of kettle corn and one too many apple donuts.
