Look at that smile and those gorgeous baby blues! What a treat it was to photograph Lexi and her beau, DJ. The fun clothes, the texture, the colorful junk…my photo heaven! We were in a race against the rain and made it through the last shot with just a few sprinkles falling on us. Lexi was down for getting dirty and up for anything I threw her way. I’m not sure her clothes survived, but I hope the images were worth every junk stain.

DJ headed south to play hockey so Lexi’s heart is a little heavy and I’m hoping these images make her smile. Soon she’ll be tearing it up on the volleyball court and working hard to finish her senior year which will make the time apart and her senior year fly by before she knows it.

With her beautiful smile, those bright blue eyes and her funky hair (care of her fun employer Charlotte Rouge Hair Spa) you can’t miss this cutie in a crowd.

Thanks for trusting my vision. Keep your chin up and keep smiling!

Enjoy!

This little boy has made a mark on my heart that is difficult to explain…

I think it’s a combination of a few things…sharing in the miracle of pregnancy and birth with my cousin, girl friend and business partner was a treat and blessing beyond what I can express. Savoring the moment of learning a little boy has been born was such an awesome surprise! Capturing Pius’ first images as he came into this world and greeted his Momma with open eyes that stared into her soul was breath taking. And, I think top on my list is the mark this little guy will leave on us and especially the baby in my belly – it’s a joy that melts my heart. For almost 33 years I have cherished my relationship with my sweet cousin and watching our three year olds light up when they see each other brings a pitter patter to my heart. Marek and Lael are 5 months apart and Pius and this little one in my belly will be too and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them.

It has been awesome watching your family grow, you guys have done an beautiful job raising your babies. The tenderness that Jahnna and Zavier have shown to Lael is so special and it means the world to me that they take time to make her feel so loved,  Thank you for letting us share these moments with your incredible family. We are blessed to have you in our lives!

Enjoy!

I have been dreaming of this shot for quite some time and I needed the perfect fit to make it a reality. Kelly’s Tire Station has been apart of our family since my dad was a little boy so having a family baby boy this summer made it perfect.

The smiles he was giving me were to die for!

I mean seriously, look at this smile!

And there’s another one!

Are just so stinkin’ cute together!

These two have a story much like ours…they began dating at 15, dated through the remainder of high school, headed off to a bigger city to brave college together, moved home, got married, became parents to a little chocolate lab to ease into the role of parenting and now after 15+ years together they are entering the most fulfilling role yet. Your new little guy will be here so soon and he is going to fill you with more love than you ever knew your heart was capable of. Like us you’ll likely wonder why you waited so long to have a family. You wouldn’t trade those years of fun and being together for anything, but the joy your little guy will bring you will give you reason to wonder. You are going to be such wonderful parents. I can’t wait to meet him and take his first photos – I have some fun ideas in mind for his photo debut. Stay tuned. Enjoy!

Just three days old and she couldn’t have been more content, cooperative or yummy! I’ve been dreaming of these outdoor shots and Hayden was the perfect fit. When her Momma and Daddy came for their maternity shoot I started talking about my vision for their newborn shoot and they were stoked and willing to try anything. They trusted my art and just let me do my thing…my favorite!  

The first shot is my favorite from their maternity shoot which leads me to a topic I’ve been wanting to approach on the blog…I do a ton of maternity and ‘hottie’ shoots, but have thus far been apprehensive about blogging these shoots. With client approval of course I’d like to blog some of it, but wanted to see what my blog readers think about posting semi-nudes on the blog. Please shoot me an email, leave a comment, call me, whatever, just let me know if those are posts you’d like to see more of. If you’d like to see more of that line of my work check out my beautiful bodies section in my galleries on my site. 

Back to the adorable, sleepy, happy and healthy, Hayden. Enjoy!

I love it when my clients are so easy going and down to earth. Brooke, Shawn and Emma were  just that and they made my job a breeze. Even though I pushed the envelope a few times and they just rolled with it. They trusted me to take them in the swamps, dirty ditches and to even let little Emma sit on a fence railing about 14 feet off the ground. What I loved the most was they let Emma be a kid and that makes for the BEST images of little ones. I wish them the best as they are await the arrival of their new little one and I can’t wait to capture them as a family of four. Thank you for such an easy going shoot, you guys were awesome!  Enjoy.

We took a couple quick trips while my in-laws were in town from Texas. Our first adventure led us WAY up north to Coldfoot, Wiseman and Adigan Pass. And what an adventure it was! The temperatures varied from 60 in Fairbanks to a windy 20 degrees in the pass. We saw caribou, sheep, moose, incredible rock formations, the ice jam on the Yukon and the treacherous and famous Adigan Pass the truckers brave on their way to Prudhoe Bay.  

We met a lovely family in Wiseman and stayed at their cozy bed and breakfast called the Arctic Getaway.  If you are ever headed up North look them up – the cabin is immaculate and has all the comforts of home and they’ll cook you an incredible breakfast to boot. Wiseman is beautiful, quiet and full of history and I am so happy I got to see it. 

Us girls were prepared to have dinner at the Coldfoot truck stop and were so surprised when we found out instead we’d be having a late night king crab feast at the cabin what a great Mother’s Day treat!

Just before our family went home we took a day trip to Denali and Cantwell. We have a piece of property in Cantwell that we feel incredibly blessed to have found. The last two shots were taken a couple minutes from our property on the Jack River. We feel ‘at home’ there and cannot wait to be able to build our cabin there. After playing in Cantwell for a couple hours we went 30 miles back into the park then out to dinner in Denali. We had an awesome day!

Amazing weekend, girlfriends and scenery! We had an incredible time with our book club on our first overnight adventure. Laughing so hard our cheeks hurt, hiking so high our buns hurt, eating so much our bellies hurt and some of us drinking so much our heads hurt! It was a very special trip with very special girlfriends. Since I was on ‘vacation’ I only captured images from our hike and saved the silly ones for the others. Thank you to these 8 amazing gals, I sure love you. To M & R you must join us next year – you were sadly missed. Enjoy!

To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.

by: William Blake

While my Dad was reading my blog over the weekend this quote came to mind and he and mom shared it with our family. It holds so much in three short lines and gives one a lot to ponder. Both my parents attended Monroe Catholic High and were taught by a priest named Fr. Boileau. Each day he would begin his lecture with this quote. After 40+ years it sticks with them. I’m happy they shared it with us and that I can share it with you.

Since posts are better with photos here is a shot of Worthington Glacier near Valdez that I took last summer.

While the rest of the crew we were road tripping with hiked to the top of the glacier I sat back on the rocks at the bottom nursing Lael and taking in the sheer beauty around me. I wouldn’t have traded that hour with Lael for anything. Had I known this quote then it would have come to mind during that quiet hour. Have a wonderful weekend. For the full version of the poem click here.  Enjoy.

My Auntie Dee Dee and Uncle George live a beautiful life. They live on a quiet little farm with an amazing mountain view in Wasilla. They take in abused or unwanted horses and give them a fabulous place to recuperate and train them so they are able to be ridden again. I think my Uncle George is a horse whisperer – he can calm a wild stallion or an abused mare with his presence alone. Look at the way that horse is calm against his gentle touch or the way he lights up just talking about his work!  

Auntie Dee Dee is a passionate about everything she does whether it’s rescuing animals, teaching her little nieces about baking, make-up and dressing up, loving her babies and husband with a fire others have trouble expressing or her dedication to being the best teacher she can be. She makes those around her feel special and loved in a way I’ve seen from few. She is fabulous and I am so happy she has made such a wonderful life in Wasilla. I just miss her so…    

The boys weren’t around so I wasn’t able to capture them on our visit, but they are two beautiful boys who are almost all grown up and who have been raised to be confident, hard workers, incredible horse riders, awesome soccer players, and most of all they know they are loved, loved, loved!

They have a beautiful life in Wasilla and I’m so happy they have found it. I am only sad to say we don’t see them enough and I miss them while they are away. I want my little ones to know them and to see how special they have been in my life. I want to visit more often so that my kiddos have memories carved out in their childhood from spending time with them like I do.

Thanks for so many sweet memories, I sure love you guys!  

This visit was last August and I’ve been meaning to blog about it so we can show just how great our little visits with them are. There are lots of photos, Enjoy!