jenni & co.

I first worked with little Jay during his one year portraits a few months ago. He was recently back for his 18 month pictures. And, boy oh boy, did this boy make me work for them! The first five minutes had his daddy and grandpa (and, truth be told, me) in somewhat of a panic: it almost looked as if Jay was going to pull the plug on the session and refuse to take pictures. But after we sat in the grass to watch the ducks, and grandpa let me borrow his phone to make some silly calls, little Jay warmed up. And once he did, it was smooth sailing. Oh sure, we still had to run all over the park to keep up with the toddler, but he was up for anything. Stacking bricks at the tracks, collecting coins from Grandpa, and climbing on everything. Jay, thanks for braving the heat and bringing him out to play! Jenni, I look forward to meeting you at our fall session, and enjoy your sneak!

paige & co.

Little boy Brady. At 9 months, he has quite a sense of humor. Which is most likely due to having a crazy mama like Paige. And I can call her crazy because when she was in college, she and her gal pals (my baby sis included) came to stay with me in Chicago for a weekend. They went to Navy Pier, crashed a private party on a yacht and stayed out until morning. Granted, this was almost ten years ago. But she's always been crazy Paige to me. She taught me that dancing, while clapping, isn't really cool. She knows how to curl her hair with a chi like a pro. And now she's a mommy. And a very good one at that. And, true to Crazy Paige form, she can make a noise in her throat that sounds like one of those squeaky things you find inside of toys. It's ... crazy. And seeing her as a mommy is crazy sweet. She adores her boy, he clearly adores her, and sweet Daddy Justin rounds out the mix. I had so much fun with them, as I always do, and it was such an honor to photograph this uber hip fam a few weeks before Father's Day. Paigey B., thank you for the fun session, and enjoy your sneak!

andrea & co.

Sweet baby Jake. S. W. E. E. T. Seriously, such a dream. At 6 months, with the bluest eyes and silliest little dance, he was the best way to start a weekend of All Boy Sessions. He brought along his mommy, daddy and two grandmas. Both of whom were so very helpful when it came to holding and reflecting, etc. Jake was so funny. When he was super excited and about to flash the sweetest smile, he'd do this little jig. His whole body would sway and shake, and he'd move his head from side to side, and then he 'd smile. We went through a few outfit changes and lots of smiles in less than an hour. And I honestly could have spent all day with him. And his entourage, for that matter. Andrea, thank you so much for bringing your boy over to see me. Please bring him back. Soon. Enjoy your sneak!

tammie & co.

I guess if I had to get busted for shooting on the grounds of a church, during church services (where I was a "distraction" ... even though I didn't know services were being held in the room overlooking our session ...), I'd want it to be with Tammie and her crew. This was my first time to work with the fam, but it felt like we were old friends. Which really helped in the Humiliation Factor when I was busted. Chris, Tammie's Zach Braff look alike husband, was Ever the Comedian, entertaining all of us with his one liners and observations. When I found out at the end of the session that he a) works for Homeland Security and b) flies airplanes for fun, I was just a bit impressed. Tammie was absolutely so sweet with her girlies and just the epitome of Laid Back Momminess. And the girls. Well, two year old Eden came to the session sporting hot pink sunglasses and was Little Miss Sass personified. Baby Maren (don't their names just want to make you go shopping at Anthropolgie?!?!) was ever the Sweet Girl, in spite of not having napped prior to the session. When it came to sit in the grass with Eden, she politely refused. But she did love the tufted chair I brought along at the last minute. This session was so fun, so laid back and just the perfect way to end a weekend. Zach ....er, Chris ... and Tammie, thanks for such a fun session. Your girlies are delish, and it was too much fun! Enjoy your sneaky!

tamara & co.

The night before my session with Tamara, I was psyching myself out for the Senior Shoot. She had a son, and we were going to take some rockin' senior photos. It had been awhile since my last senior session, so I was thinking of different poses for him, google-ing the latest hip songs and references so that I'd have something to chat about with the young man, and wondering if he'd become my friend on Facebook. I was completely ready for the shoot, and when I pulled up to meet them, I froze. In her arms, Tamara was holding the cutest boy. Little boy. As in toddler. And they were both dressed in white. I figured they were wanting to get in on a few shots with the senior ... and then through a horribly awkward conversation, I came to find out that they were not my Senior Session . But my family session. Oh what a good laugh we shared over that. Of course, mine was more of a nervous, mortified laugh ... but I digress. Needless to say, my Case of Mistaken Identity did not hamper the session. Whatsoever. Little Caden, who is a Mama's Boy (in the sweetest sense) through and through, was All Boy. Fresh from a slumber party at Gramma and Grampa's the night before, he did not seem to mind the early morning hour at which we met to shoot. Nor did Tamara and Ken (fresh from the Byron Nelson the night before, and off to the Jimmy Buffet concert that night!). I simply love this age: while it's a challenge to get an almost 3 year old to stand still enough to take a picture, it's so much fun watching them go from picking dandelions for mama, chasing butterflies in the grass and playing with their beloved bouncy ball ... all in less than 7 seconds. Tamara and Ken, hope the concert was a blast. Sorry for the confusion that began our session, and enjoy your sneak!

meredith & co.

Every time I have scheduled a session with Meredith, it rains on the day of the shoot. Now, when the session is indoors anyway, no biggie. But when we had planned to go outside, it kind of throws a kink in the plans. As the date of Miss Lilly's 9 month session neared, the weather man was predicting rain. Lots and lots of rain. And I held my breath. For a long, long time. Having already rescheduled this session once because of previous rain, I was in a panic as to when I'd be able to fit it in again ... But, alas, the rains did not fall. And I was finally able to photograph the little strawberry blonde outside. In the sun. And in the flowers. And it was so much fun. In a little under an hour, Lilly had four outfit changes, several different scenic changes, and in spite of not eating breakfast or taking a nap, was an absolute angel. And oh how she loved to snuggle with The Crazy Lady with the Camera. And I couldn't get enough of it! Toby (but you can call him Troy; I do) was 20 pounds lighter than the last time I saw him. And if he had not been such a help with the reflector, I really would have hated him. Meredith was as lovely as ever, sporting her Jackie O-ish dress, and already planning the Fall Session at the Farm for Lilly's one year portraits. Guys, thanks for the fun. For finally not bringing rain. And for bringing me my Lilly Bean! Enjoy your sneaky!

april & co.

My sweet, sweet Cowen. Nine months, talking up a storm and literally on the verge of walking. Correction: running. I have literally known this baby since the day after he was born. And until we moved away a month ago, I got to see him grow up. Every day. It absolutely astounds me that our next time shooting will be for his one year. And that the absolute perfect baby I photographed in the hospital, sleeping so soundly, can now belly laugh with the best of him. His mama holds a special place in my heart ... and so does he. I know she's dying for the sneak, so I'll save the nostalgic mutterings for his one year. Until then, enjoy your sneak (and so glad Justin got to join us this time!).

christie & co.

Blake Thomas. Blake. Thomas. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Almost a nice Superbowl Ring to it? .... Christie and her hubs, former Greenbay Superbowl Champ, Rod came out to see me. Bringing with them their impossibly beautiful daughter, Layla, and Rookie of the Year, Blake Thomas. This was my second time to work with the fam, and like last time, it was non-stop comedic stand-up routines the entire time. Rod, you see, was just back (literally) from a Charity Event in Houston. With Donald. Driver. I poked fun at him most of the session, while the gorgeous Christie (who looked entirely too perfect to have just had a c-section two weeks prior) tended to her sweet boy and girl. Christie's sis, Lisa, was in from out of state and was a huge help throughout the whole session. And the babies. Sigh. The babies. The beautiful babies who were literally born to pose for my camera. Layla turned 3 in April. She fed Blake. Told Mommy when to burp him. Was just the Little Mama herself. And when it came time to take pictures, she was The Professional and absolutely rocked the camera. As did Baby Blake. While he was definitely not a fan of the naked baby shots, as long as he was being rocked or snuggled, he was a dream. Such a fantastic session, with so many faves; it was impossible to narrow them down to a few for a sneak. Christie, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of this beautiful moment for your insanely beautiful family. Enjoy your sneak ... and tell Rod to tell Donald I said hi!

anna & co.

Oh, Mr. Miles. Such a sweet, sweet baby boy. Only 9 days old ... and not the least bit interested in sleeping. At least for me. But oh how he loved to pose! And I'm seriously not kidding. Son to the equally sweet Anna, nephew to the Niki Taylor look-alike, Katie and grandson to the super helpful "Grandiva", Miles brought along quite an entourage. And aside from one very messy blanket debacle (which, I'm not kidding, Grandiva took care of in two seconds), it was such a fun session! While Miles posed and made killer eye contact, the girls and I gabbed. And it really felt like I was hanging out with friends I've known forever. Which would explain why Katie is now my babysitter, Anna (who is a nurse) is now my Medical Advice Consultant, and Grandiva is my Dry Cleaner. And Miles? Well, Miles is just my Zoolander. Girls, So. Much. Fun. Thank you for coming out to see me, for bringing the sweet boy (and all of his hats), and for doing my laundry. Enjoy your sneak (and the sweetie who posed for them!).