[Sisters] Acting their age!

Another blast from the past - my high school friend Lisa invited me over to meet her two little girls on Saturday and take some family pictures. The older is turning 5 soon; the younger is 2. The 5 year old was perfectly awesome. Smiling, showing me around, an excellent hostess (just like her mother) - generally an all around good kid.

Have I mentioned that 2 is my absolutely favorite age? There is a fierceness and rawness to their emotion. They do what they want; they say what they want. When else in life can you behave so honestly and it's perfectly normal? I love it.




So anyway - some of my favorites from the morning....

(really not happy here, but she's trying really, really hard to be a good sport)

(so over this whole thing)

[Beauty] Baby Belly!

I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa for a maternity session on Friday. Can you believe how great she looks? And she's on modified bedrest? Seriously!

So glad I am able to capture this moment in time for her. Motherhood truly suits her. Looking forward to meeting the little baby soon - but not too soon!

[Cheerful] Daniel is 9 months!

The last time I saw Daniel in the fall, he was just a wee little thing. We wintered over and everyone went into hibernation in St. Paul. His mom asked me to pop over for some 9 month pictures recently and look who greeted me? This sweet little boy!

He is just the happiest little guy. So willing to sit and smile. Love love love!

[Welcome] Baby Ruby

There's nothing more satisfying than a love story with a happy ending. Its even better when the ending is really a beginning. Remember the wedding Sara and I shot back in January? It was a great love story between two people who finally found each other.



And now Miss Ruby came along to continue their story. What was so amazing about this little girl is that even at a week old she knows - really knows - her parents. Her dad walked in to help with the session and she just calmed. It was amazing to see such intense bonding so early in life.

[Little Things] Dan + Tracy + Gracie

About a year ago, I reconnected with one of my dear high school friends on Facebook (isn't this how every story begins lately?). We caught up on each other's lives and eventually she began posting photos with a great new guy, Dan. Tracy and Dan had met briefly years earlier, and Tracy even had a photo with Dan in the background on her fridge for 7 years.

They plannned their wedding at Camp Kawaga, a boy's summer camp in Minocqua, WI. When I got there, I could tell Tracy and Dan had put so much effort into all the little details. Their desire for a memorable wedding and party for their closest friends and family was obvious. I couldn't help myself and post more than usual - there were just so many awesome moments to capture!

At the salon the morning of the wedding, I could feel that something amazing was going on. There is just so much love between Dan and Tracy and Tracy's daughter Gracie. This little girl is loved. Loved. Here she is sharing a hug with her grandma, Tracy's mom:

The couple had busses hired to shuttle the guests to and from the camp.

After the attendants made their way to the wedding tent, the camp bell was rung to annouce the arrival of the bride and her father:

Again, all the little details - all handmade by Tracy, Dan and the wedding party.

The evening ended with lots of dancing under a blanket of stars with lights twinkling around the camp. Best of luck, friends and thank you for making me part of your day.

[Capture] The memories...

A bit of a departure from a usual post, but I wanted to share these sweet little memory boxes I made recently. After having three kids, I had collected a lot of ephemera from their births - bracelets, hats, annoucements - all that good stuff. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but I knew I didn't want to leave it stuffed in a bag another day.


I found these awesome shadowbox frames at IKEA for $10/ea. Added some scrapbook paper that I already had, some glue dots to hold it all together. I made reprints of my favorite newborn photos so they would be cohesive. The whole thing took less than an hour to assemble. Now go make some yourself!