Wednesday, August 28, 2013

It's been almost a year?! - Quad Cities Family Photographer

I feel like it was just yesterday that I photographed this beautiful family...and then I walked up to them and saw how the kids had grown and it was clear that it has in fact been almost a year!  There is a new addition since the last time...well, she was in the pictures before, it was just in the version of belly shots. :)  My how a year can change everything!

One thing that didn't change...they are still as gorgeous and kind of a family as ever. :)


Jay, Kandis and Jaida.  They don't make families much more beautiful than this...


Oh wait...apparently they do!
Brandon, Miranda and their boys, Carter and Chase.
Adorable!


And the proud grandparents. :)
They certainly have a lot to be proud of!


And we couldn't forget a shot of Grandpa and Grandma alone...they totally do NOT look like a "Grandma and Grandpa"!  Such a beautiful couple inside and out!


Carter...he was incredibly amazing and cooperative for pictures...and soooo stinkin cute!
 


Sweet Jaida pretty much never stops smiling...ever!
 


And the birthday boy, Chase got to do a cake smash session!  He loved eating the cake!
Oh my, he is so gorgeous!
 


Cousins!


Thank you again, Konrardy and Bower Families for allowing me into your world again this year for a short time to capture your amazing families!
 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Blessed they are family - Quad Cities Family Photographer

Love photographing this family each year!
This is my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and nieces.
Love them...so blessed to call them family!


And for reals...how cute are my nieces!!!
Oh my, I adore them!


Kayla just started kindergarten...and they better watch out!  She is FULL of personality. :)
 


And Leah is the kindest, most soft hearted little 2nd grader I know!
 


And this image displays the differences in Leah and Kayla's personalities perfectly!
Leah is into athletics and Kayla is the epitome of girly girl!


They are just too much fun!


And their shoes...I mean, ADORABLE!


I feel like each of the girls were JUST born!  Time flies and they are growing up soooo quickly!
Love this family and our relationship with them.
They are such a support to my family...I don't know what we'd do without them!


Thanks again, guys for another great session! :)

Fun family of 4 - Quad Cities Family Photographer

I have had the pleasure of photographing this fun family 3 times now!
They are always so fun to have in front of my lens. :)

Brendan does so great for pictures.  It's not always easy to find a 4th grade boy who is so cooperative!


McKenna is hysterical...and busy!  She has grown up and changed so much since the first time I photographed her!


And Claire is so sweet and reserved.  These 2 twins look so much alike, but have such different personalities!  Those dimples...oh my!

Such sweet kids!

But let's get real...THIS was more like it! :)
This is one of my favorite captures to date...LOVE how real this moment is.  I laugh every time I see this shot!


Thank you Missy, Brendan, McKenna and Claire for yet another fun photo session. :)
It's always a pleasure to see you each year !

Friday, August 2, 2013

Super Hero Fun - Quad Cities Children's Photographer

Oh my...can everyone just dress their kids up in costume for photo sessions?!

After doing this with my family for pictures, I really wanted to be behind the camera for a session like this.  Luckily, my super awesome chiropractor has 3 boys too and is a super fun mommy!  She was totally game...and so were her boys!

It helped so much that they are 3 of some of the most gorgeous little boys I've ever laid eyes on!

It was SO FUN!  I mean, kids are a blast to photograph anytime...put them in costumes that they love and tell them to run around like super heroes...you just can't have much more fun in a photo session than that!

Evan makes the most perfect Superman!  He actually looks like Superman...for reals.  And he's a SUPER kid...so sweet!




And yes, he was faster than a speeding bullet!
:)


And Alex...ya, he's actually THAT cute!

The hair, the eyes, the whole package...this is the most adorable Spiderman I have EVER seen!
He was the one that loved the camera the most.  And I must say, my camera loved him quite a bit too!




Good thing we have him to protect Davenport, IA!


The baby...Nicholas.
Yup...you'd think that all of the cuteness in this family's genes would have been used up with the 2 older boys...oh no, this one I could steal.

POW...



A photographer's dream...yes he is.


The "big" boys...they've got a big job to do to show their little brother just what it means to be a super hero.


I'd say they're up for the challenge...


What a blast we had!
Thanks boys for running around with me and showing me all your amazing super powers!  I can sleep well at night just knowing you're here to protect our city! ;)

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Brothers and Sisters - Quad Cities Childrens Photographer

Some photo sessions really tug at my heart more than others. This lovely group of kids...well, they are an example of one of those sessions.

If you know me at all, you know my passion for adoption.  I can't even get into it here how deep this passion runs for me.  When I see such beautiful adoption stories...it makes my heart full.  And I love hearing of the stories because no single one is the same as another.  There is so much that goes into it, so many stories that lead to it, so much heartache and joy and stress and worry and LOVE.  That's where each story is the same...there is so much love involved.  It changes you, it makes your family dynamic something you never expected it would be.  It changes your heart, it makes you love in ways you never knew you could.

Adoption is heartache and love and joy all wrapped into one heart...one group of amazing kids.


And the families who are part of each of these children's stories are AMAZING.


My heart was so full while photographing these children...all who love each other so much.  All who are now connected forever when otherwise they likely would have never met.  They are all family now and it is truly something beautiful to witness.


The girls...they gotta stick together with all the crazy boys that surround them! ;)


And here are the crazy boys!
Crazy adorable!!!


These sisters I just met minutes before capturing this shot, but something tells me this might epitomize their personalities perfectly!  Love this shot...love when my subjects let their REAL personalities show.  And with kiddos, it's usually not hard to pull those real personalities out. :)


And I KNOW these 3...and I know this is REAL!  Ha. :)


Kids will be kids...and that makes for good, fun images.
Love this one!


These kids were a blast to photograph and a pleasure to meet.
The love they have for one another is evident and the bond they all have is special and unique and something to be cherished.


And you can tell they do cherish it.


And what I love is that this life, this love that they have is going to be such a huge part of shaping who they become as adults.  They are our future.  Several of them have been through more than many adults will ever go through in their lifetime.  They are strong, amazing children who have incredibly loving parents.

I can bet that the parents of these children often hear how much of a blessing they are to their children...and they ARE.  However, as an adoptive parent myself, I guarantee that they would respond with, "No...these children are a blessing to US!"

What a pleasure it was to spend an hour with all of you!  Thank you so much for allowing me to capture the beauty of what you all have created with your loving hearts.