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I managed to get my kids to cooperate long enough to take a few pictures of them in the new studio today…bribes of sno cones, a few tears and meltdowns, and some hugs and giggles were all it took to get these three images.  It is SO hard to photograph your own kids…especially when they have been dragged to the studio day after day trying to get things done but nothing for them to really do.  They have been such troopers and seem to be excited about mom having a studio!  I think they can tell I’m excited and it rubs off on them.

At any rate, I was so glad that the first subjects in my new space were my most special.  I got into photography because of them.  All I ever really wanted was better snap shots…but it turned into an amazing business I could never have dreamed up on my own.  My kids are always my inspiration…my favorite images I’ve ever taken are of them.  They are such a blessing and even on bad days they know how to make me smile.  Carter has an amazing giggle that would make anyone smile.  Emma has an amazing and helpful heart, always willing to do her share of the work.  And Maddie knows just when I need a hug or kiss.

Next week I’ll share some images of the studio as it has progressed…just waiting on signage and hanging images on the walls.  But…i can begin taking appointments there now and it feels SO good!

Evangeline is my last senior rep this year…and we got a bit of a late start but she’s special to me and I’m so excited to work with her.  (Wow! That’s what we call a run-on sentence, but this is my blog so I’ll break the rules if I want!) Miss E was a little nervous about stepping in front of the camera which is actually completely normal!  Almost everyone is nervous as we get started because no one knows what  to expect…and none of my clients thus far have been trained models.  My job is to make you LOOK like you could model.  I have spent a LOT of time in the last year or so working on posing and studying what makes a good pose and how to flatter anyone’s body size and shape.  So, mostly you just have to trust me when you come in for your sitting…and understand that sometimes awkward looks elegant!

Evangeline has a natural beauty…and is musically gifted.  You should hear her play guitar and sing…all I’ve got to say is Taylor Swift has nothing on Evangeline.  I don’t know how she’s going to get there or when, but I fully believe we will see Miss E standing on a stage, sold out to a full arena someday!!  And I will be selling these images to whichever magazine wants them when that day comes…haha, just kidding, Van!  (I’ll only sell to the one with the deepest pockets!)

Just as we were getting ready to call it a day, a GORGEOUS rainbow peaked out from the clouds so I made Van stand on the highway to get this shot!  (Remember the part I said about trusting me?)

Miss Shaelyn has been so special to our family over the last several years…and then she was an awesome senior rep for me last year.  It’s so hard to believe this little girl I first met when I was teaching her swimming lessons 10 years ago is ready to head off to college.  I had to miss her actual graduation because it was the same day as my brother’s graduation from KU…and the whole family was in town and wanting family pictures.  They were so awesome and flexible with me after I realized the two graduations would fall on the same day…we ended up with a cool, overcast morning with rain threatening but it held off for us to get some gorgeous images in my in-laws backyard.  I love shooting back there under a canopy of trees with beautiful flowers around every corner…doesn’t sound like southwest Kansas does it?

These images are from last Friday…I’m just now having a chance to go through them and do the blog sneak peek!  It was a busy weekend to say the least!  Danielle and Travis have been so patient to wait and see their sneak peek…but I hope it’s worth it!  Gotta love a baby bump!

Many of you know I volunteer for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a charity that offers bereavement photography for families who will not have the chance to take their babies home from the hospital.  A couple of weeks ago, I did a maternity session for this family with plans to come up for their scheduled c-section on May 27.  However, I got a call Monday morning from Kara saying she was in labor and they were going to do the surgery that morning with the hopes of having some time with their precious baby girl.  I got around and left as quickly as I could…I had to force myself not to speed as I drove the 2.5 hours to meet them.  They waited as long as they could to do the surgery but I arrived about 10 minutes after Karinne made her entrance.  Thank goodness the family has a wonderful friend who used her camera skills for this precious moment.  I used some of her photos for this slideshow.  Miss Karinne waited only a few minutes before “dancing on to Jesus,” as her mother wrote.

I ended up spending the rest of the day with the family documenting their love and devotion to this precious child.  Many times I am asked how I can possibly do these sessions, but if you could have been there on Monday, you would know there is no way I couldn’t do them.  I have been blessed beyond measure by simply spending time with this amazing family. God certainly knew what he was doing when he chose them for Karinne.

The family has allowed me to share this slideshow with you…please keep them in your prayers as their hearts are healing.  You are invited to read their story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/babylarshus.  You will be blessed!

To the Larshus family, You are an amazing, creative, and beautiful family with faith that can move mountains.  You have shown me so much more about life and love than you can even imagine.  I am honored to have been part of Karinne’s life and pray you will be blessed by these images.  You are in my prayers and my heart…

I had the most fun on Saturday with Kaylee and Jay, spending the beautiful morning outside and shooting all around the area.  With their August wedding fast approaching, the engagement session gave us a chance to “get to know” each other before the big day.  Loved their smiles and genuine expressions…it’s always fun to shoot such a fun and gorgeous couple!  Especially when they are up for all of my crazy ideas…the wedding day will be full of fun, fabulous images!  Enjoy this sneak peek!!

Little Miss A came in to see me this morning for her three-month pictures. Isn’t she a doll baby? Her parents are raising her properly too…as a Jayhawk! Three month sessions are fun but can be trying…babies this age can not sit up, usually aren’t pushing up fully yet, and you can’t really do all the foldy, bendy poses you can with newborns. But there is something about the smile of a three-month old baby that is just absolutely contagious. And it usually doesn’t take much to get that smile, either! Miss A gave us lots of faces and some of those contagious smiles…it is so amazing to see their personalities begin to develop at this age. Taking her pictures this morning took me right back to those days with my own kids! Enjoy the sneak peek!!