Happy Easter | Personal

Posted on April 8, 2012

We had the best day! Sugar highs, extended family, good friends, a beautiful church service and our awesome kids. Sometimes I’m not sure why God has blessed us with so much!

Alleluia Christ is Risen!

The Lord is Risen Indeed!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Momma and Moira | St. Louis Lifestyle Photography

Posted on March 28, 2012

Before spring break I had the awesome opportunity to hang out with my sweet friend, Tricia, and her baby girl. After two boys she was thrilled to have a girl so we decided to capture some of their special moments together. Mostly that’s nursing right now, so a lot of her session I won’t share on this bog ole internet, but the others we shot are so precious too! We’ve seen a lot of 6-12 month babies lately and every one reiterates that they are my favorite age. Still a little baby but starting to bubble with personality! Oh man!

Tricia has been instrumental in my being able to become full time. She’s my new business consultant, manager, BOSS, you name it and she’s running it! I trust her immensely and if we survive this financial change it will be so much because of her! THANK YOU friend for helping to bring my dream a reality! And thank you for letting my into your beautiful home to help capture your sweet baby girl who you know I adore!

Happy Wednesday friends!

Rockwoods Reservation | Personal | St. Louis Family Photography

Posted on March 24, 2012

Slowly I will be sharing all of our staycation adventures because while Chris was out of town I kind of rocked it with the kids! We did SO many fun things, hung out with friends, enjoyed new adventures and explored new areas of our town. Chris comes home tomorrow, school starts Monday and while I’m ready for both of those, if we had a few more days of this break I wouldn’t be sad. I had one pretty rough day emotionally and a few hard mom moments but overall, and especially when we’ve been outside, I’ve loved my one-on-one time with the kids.

Speaking of outside I realized one major thing about myself this week. If you give me the choice I will ALWAYS choose to be outside and exploring/hiking with my kids. Inside spaces, any really, but mostly ones filled with lots of other people, give me anxiety and this is a new development the older I get. The Science Center, for example, where we went one morning with some great friends, was fun but there was a part of me just screaming to get the hell out of there. It kind of started my roughest day but then by the late afternoon when we were outside playing in a new park (photos to come soon) I was peaceful, happy and truly enjoying my time with my kids. Same day, very different space and very different reaction to my kids. When I’m at peace outside I’m a calmer person and overall better mom.

The downside to my wide-open-happy-spaces are the bugs. Which I hate. Like the tick that crawled down my arm tonight as I was eating dinner. UGH!

Anyway, I have tons of photos from the last five days and I can’t wait to document it all here!

These images are from our 3+ hour hike at Rockwoods Reservation with my parents. We had a BLAST! My mom has memories of going out there as a child and playing in big caverns. So for the first hour we walked on different trails trying to find them, asked strangers (who all had NO idea what she was talking about), drove around and finally just tried the “Quarry Trail” hoping it would turn out right. The bad part was that the trail was over 2 miles and I really didn’t think Gray could do that. But we set off and at the VERY end we found what my mom remembered… totally fenced off and not allowed anymore! HA!

Those are their grumpy faces! HA! The funniest part is that I took this photo after we walked OUT of that closed trail and climbed through the fence to get out! We saw the fenced off caves/caverns from where we were, hiked over there, saw the barbed wire, heard stories from my mom’s childhood and then hiked down the paved/closed trail. It might not be funny to anyone else but I couldn’t stop laughing!

This shot cracks me up because while my dad was showing Gray some neat snails stuck to the submerged rocks he tooted (Gray not my dad) and totally cracked himself up! HA! Such a boy!

At the start of the trail before we had to walk up some HUGE hills! Or before Gray fell and I had to CARRY him up the HUGE hills.

For the first mile or so Gray and I held up the rear, by quite a lot actually. He was just SLOW and it was ok. For once my phone wasn’t on me and I had not a care in the world but hanging with my little man and enjoying the beautiful day with him. He gathered “gum balls” (acorns), we counted, he did some math (he loves figuring out addition), we looked at ant hills and flowers and talked about what kind of animals live out there. When we finally caught up to my parents he ran ahead and said, “Mommy is a slow walker!” HA! I guess he thought he was hanging back to support ME!

When we did catch up the last mile or so was all about catching bugs. I mentioned that Parker was supposed to have been searching and catching bugs to bring to school next week so my dad started teaching the kids about what’s underneath rotten logs. I am NOT a bug person but I love that my kids are! Bailey is by far the bravest of all of us!

She even caught a salamander!

My only photo with the kids this week! I hate that I spend so much time with them and am so rarely on that end of the lens!

The one and only cavern we were able to explore. The kids thought it was pretty cool even though it was barely anything (and totally filled with junk!).

It was so great watching them search for bugs and try walking sticks and find new treasures (we found lots of old snail shells and one awesome heart shaped rock to add to our growing collection of heart shaped rocks) and hear my mom’s stories and just BE with them all. My kids and my parents. Couldn’t have picked a better way to spend the afternoon!

The Coleman Girls | St. Louis Family Photographers

Posted on October 28, 2010

More teacher love today!  All three of these girls hold a very special in my heart.

Emma is an amazing girl who (close your eyes, Emma) I would LOVE to arrange a marriage to my Jonathan to.  She was that girl that he’s never minded playing with or joking with, even though girls are really gross.  Emma’s just great, and sweet, and kind, and funny, and we love her!  She’s always been gorgeous, but the older she gets, the more downright STUNNING she is.

Then there is Laura, one of my Gracie’s BFFs.  Hilarious doesn’t begin to touch her humor… yeah, those beautiful blue eyes and adorable freckles draw you in, but the humor, oh the humor.

Lastly, Michelle, mom to these fabulous girls, a gifted teacher (who I hope isn’t cringing at my grammar!), and most of all a great friend.  I could gush on about her, but mostly, she will forever hold that special place as “THE” teacher in my Abby’s life that made such a huge impact.  She’ll get all humble and say she doesn’t get it, but she gave an awkward 7th grade girl some confidence that I just couldn’t give her… the assurance that the things she was feeling were okay and normal.  And she definitely gets the credit for Abby’s love of English and Literature and how well she performs in these subjects even now.  So we are forever grateful for her parts in our lives!

Thanks for coming out, girls!  Hope you love these!

keira – [St. Louis Baby & Family Photographers]

Posted on April 5, 2010

We met up with Julie, Greg and Keira on the morning of April 1st. If I had realized it was April Fools Day and knowing I was going to be with Kim ALL day at two different sessions I would have thought up something great to prank her with! But I forgot so instead we just had an awesome day hanging with an awesome family.

Now get this for family connections… Greg is Jessica’s dad. Julie and Greg are Lucas’ grandparents. Keira, at 3 months old, is Lucas’ aunt! And it was so great to get to be with both Keira for her 3 month session AND Lucas for his newborn session all in the same day! We just went from one house to the other… and then of course snapped some of the two babies together!

Julie and Greg recently adopted Keira and it was so incredible to be able to capture some of their first family moments. We were seriously honored that they trusted us with such an important time in their lives!

I love how JOYFUL Julie is! She is just radiating with love for her sweet girl. I love this image!

And WHO WOULD GUESS we’d get a 3 month old to sleep+pose like a newborn? NOT US! And definitely not something we would normally even try but she was just ZONKED so it worked! Isn’t she gorgeous?

Keira was totally holding out on us with her smiles! But at the VERY end of Lucas’ session Kim managed to get a few! I love how in this photo her eyes are smiling even though she’s not giving us the whole thing! And of course Julie said that the day before she never stopped smiling!

Thanks Greg and Julie and sweet Keira for hanging out with us all day! We loved getting to know you guys and hear your story!

Filed Under families | 8 Comments

Wrapping up 2009 – [St. Louis Photographers]

Posted on January 5, 2010

Kim created the awesome video you’re about to watch… which you should by the way…because it’s great! And she emailed me late last night to tell me she’d finished it and put it on the blog for me to post so I immediately stopped editing and watched it. And laughed and cried. And about half-way through it I realized that I wasn’t thinking about our clients… whom we love and adore and are so so so grateful they trusted US with their memories and so thankful they came along on this new Fresh Art adventure with us… but instead, I was thinking about Kim.

Because for every photo that we place on this blog and every gallery we give to clients, there is a whole lot more going on behind the scenes. And I found myself watching that video and remembering those moments.

The moments during our first sessions when we really didn’t know each other that well and tripped over our words and ideas and thoughts all just trying to get our opinion about a shot to the other person, without stepping on toes or fingers or feelings, because we were getting to know each other and working it out. Seeing how many sessions we’ve had and laughing about how much money we’ve spent in sodas and snacks, because we ALWAYS stop on the way to a session for a soda! Seeing shots we are unbelievably proud of and knowing I never would have gotten to this place without Kim. Laughing about the mishaps, the mistakes, the weather, the inside jokes, the stories. Seeing the photos from Chicago and ALL the fun memories it stirred up! The crazy expensive lunches, not leaving our room, the homeless man that nearly got in my car, getting lost, the corn… it was a fun trip! Remembering the first time we slapped a high five leaving a session b/c we KNEW we’d nailed the shots… and me being SO excited b/c KIM was so excited… b/c up until that session she’d been pretty low key and I was always the spaz! All the conversations in the car, talking late at night, emailing 50 times a day… just getting to know each other so so well.

Looking at those photos was like this visual trip through our friendship. Because our partnership started out as a business relationship and has grown into a friendship. One that I didn’t realize I cherished so much until I got to walk through it all with this video. Every session we learn more about each other. The longer we work together the less we actually talk during a shoot because we know what the other is thinking. As the days and weeks and months go by the more I love the fact that we joined forces and are working together. Do I sometimes miss Jodified? Sure. Would I trade Fresh Art for anything? Never.

So to our 2009 clients… thank you for hiring us. Trusting us. Laughing with us. Understanding us when our kids/families/NILMDTS have had to come first. And for letting us travel this road with you. Because until last night, i didn’t really see how significant of a role you’ve played in our Fresh Art adventure. But with each one of you we’ve gotten better. Smoother. More confident. So thank you! Thanks for everything you’ve given to us this first (half) year.

And Kim… thanks for putting up with me! You’re one of my best friends and I can’t imagine living my passion with anyone else!

the growing Heddell family – [St. Louis Maternity Photographers]

Posted on December 22, 2009

So our plan on Saturday was to meet up with the Heddell family for an outdoor maternity mini-session… only after attempting our first family session of the day resulting in all of us being miserable and freezing and wind whipped, we quickly turned it into an indoor at-home session! Not only was the temperature warm in the Heddell home, so was the conversation and just getting to know their sweet little family.

Christina was gorgeous and glowing

with the cutest little baby bump

and Jay was great and fun with an apparent hidden talent as a stylist (::snicker::)

but there was a little miss that maybe stole the show

maybe just a little

okay, so she completely stole the show!

this gorgeous girl is about to be a big sister! such a little peanut and a such a sweetie!

Thanks for the great *warm* afternoon, Heddell Family! We look forward to returning to meet your sweet new baby! And I’m still thinking Christmas Eve would be pretty darn awesome!

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