Harry Potter, an Evil Witch, Roller Derby and an Old Quarterback

I have had some request for some pics of our Halloween costumes this year. I so enjoy coming up with ideas for what to be for Halloween and I pride myself on not just going out and buying a whole outfit from the Party Store. I always try to use as many props or clothing items that I already own. But, nontheless, it is much easier to just buy something and be done with it. So when I saw the Harry Potter scarf and golden snitch, I had to grab them for Ky. But of course they were out of the glasses, so I found some other ones for him.

He looks slightly startled I think. Hello, big eyes!

Isn't this the reason why we have kids? To dress them up funny and laugh at - err, I mean, with them?

And I can't forget my evil witch. She got in to character pretty easily when I pulled out the camera.

The only thing I had to buy for my costume was the skates. I am going to teach Brynn to skate this winter at Funway to get my money's worth out of them ;) Doesn't Chad look hot? He went as his nemesis, Brett Favre, complete with fake vicodin pills and gray hair and beard.

Some other good costumes...my sister in law, Mary and her bf Wes went as "Mary had a little lamb." Very creative. I like the missing sign with Wes' pic on it ;)

Some of my girls at our annual Halloween party where I took 3rd place this year in the costume contest. Everyone thought I was going to show up as Lady Gaga...wish I would have thought of that earlier. That was a good one.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!

Home on the Range

I have had a lot of sessions where clients will bring their dogs, but this shoot was a first for me. It's not everyday someone brings their pet horse along. Waylon was a champ for his first photo shoot and Mike and Becky weren't so bad themselves ;)

And we can't forget Guiness, Mike's dog. He was great too!

Mike and Becky have a June wedding planned, but I don't think Waylon or Guiness will be there.

I had such a good time out in Hampshire and really enjoyed seeing where Becky competes with Waylon doing Barrel Racing.

Love, love, love this shot. Mike, are you actually smiling? I think you were having fun.

I can tease Mike all I want...he is my cousin ;)

Luckily I had my new assistant on hand with me to grab some candid shots.

I am not sure she got Waylon's best side.

Becky started competing in Barrel racing when she was just 10 years old. According to Wikipedia, Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to complete a clover-leaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. Though both boys and girls compete at the youth level and men compete in some amateur venues, in collegiate and professional ranks, it is primarily a rodeo event for women. It combines the horse's athletic ability and the horsemanship skills of a rider in order to safely and successfully maneuver a horse through a clover leaf pattern around three barrels (typically three fifty-five gallon metal or plastic drums) placed in a triangle in the center of an arena.

In timed rodeo events, the purpose is to make a run as fast as possible, while the time is being clocked either by an electronic eye, (a device using a laser system to record times), or by an arena attendant or judge who manually takes the time using a keen eye and a flag to let a clocker know when to hit the timer stop; though this last method is more commonly seen in local and non-professional events.

The timer begins when horse and rider cross the start line, and ends when the barrel pattern has been successfully executed and horse and rider cross the finish line. The rider's time depends on several factors, most commonly the horse's physical and mental condition, the rider's horsemanship abilities, and the type of ground or footing (the quality, depth, content, etc. of the sand or dirt in the arena).

A sports photographer, I am not, but I had fun trying to keep up with her. She was so fast!

Mike & Becky, thanks so much for having us out to see where you spend a lot of your time. We all truly enjoyed it and Brynn is talking about taking horseback riding lessons now. Hopefully that will go better and last longer than the gymnastics phase ;)

Best of luck with the wedding planning! Thanks again!

Two babies on the way

This is a moment that has been long awaited and much anticipated by not only Tiffany and Adam, but all of their friends and family. They were a part of my daily prayers for many years as I so selfishly took my first pregnancy and healthy baby girl for granted. Meanwhile, they waited patiently for their's.

Their day finally arrived last spring when they found out they were FINALLY pregnant...and with not just one baby, but two! It is amazing that through their struggle they always managed to keep smiles on their faces and were happy for everyone else around them who found themselves pregnant and enjoying their little ones.

I could not be happier to document this happy time for Tiff and Adam.

They have such a good time together and are always smiling and laughing. They are so fun to be around.

Labor of love ;)

This is one of my favorites...Adam had the idea to give each other a "high five" - meaning, "Yes! We did it!!" He said this one is going over the mantle.

Woo hoo!

They are so cute together.

Looking forward to meeting your little ones. Thank you for letting me capture this fun time for you. Much love!!! xoxo

Morgan & Nick: Engagement

Last weekend was crazy busy for me as I spent the day downtown Chicago with Morgan and Nick, then headed to shoot a wedding in Bucktown (sneak peek coming soon!).

I loved spending time with these two as they took me to some of their favorite hot spots in the city. You can tell how much fun they have together and they made my job super easy. It sure didn't feel like work at all!

We even had time to stop for margaritas (a/k/a "liquid courage" ;) at the best Mexican restaurant, "Uncle Julio's."

It was awesome to explore and find little spots off the beaten path. You would never guess that the skyline was just to their right.

Morgs, you will be a beautiful bride, no doubt!

And we couldn't leave out Banks, their Italian Mastiff. What a sweety this guy is!

Banks said, "No more photos, please."

Loved this green garage door. Way to scout out the locations guys!

Bringing back the jumping shots!

Thank you guys for a great day! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek ;)