maternity
birth story
the baby
the family
the kids
The Saykes Family | St. Louis Family Photography
Posted on April 30, 2012
Does anyone remember back (March 2011) to when we did like a ZILLION sessions in one day to raise money for the Mohr family? I think we did 27 actually but it sure felt like more! Well people were SO generous that we ended up gifting a few other sessions after that big day. The Saykes are our last family from that time! I won’t share their story here but little Will has some challenges so far in life…he is doing GREAT though! After so long it was great to finally meet them!
Isn’t Will adorable? His parents are pretty cute too! 
Catching up this week…. hopefully! So far so good for a Monday! Welcome to a new week!
The Capps Wedding
Posted on April 29, 2012
When I got a call from one of my sister’s best friends that she was engaged and looking for a wedding photographer I was so excited! Even though we DO NOT photograph weddings! HA! There is the occasional time that we make an exception and I’m SO glad we did! Tracy was a gorgeous bride, Brad was awesome, their family/friends were so much fun and well, the weather sucked! It rained the entire time! Tracy was so amazing though and just ran with it… finally after two tries she decided on the third to just go ahead and get married in the rain! It was seriously a night they will never forget!
Tracy’s niece was SO cute!
That’s my crazy sister with the sweater on her head! She was determined to not be a wimp and stick out the rain!
Thanks so much to the Valhkamp and Capps families for including us in on this beautifully wet day! HA! We all had a blast!
A special THANKS to my friend Emily from Emily Southerland Photography for shooting this wedding with me! Kim was unavailable so Emily stepped in and rocked it out! We have TONS of other images but for time’s sake I had to limit the sneak peek! It IS a just a peek right? HA! Also, as always, my assistant Missy was so awesome. It’s getting to the point I’m not sure what to do without her!
SO much to blog you guys! I still have a family sneak peek to get up from last weekend, Shoot for Seamus kiddos and then Kim and I had TWO one-year old baby girls in the studio on Saturday! Oh and four sessions this week (if the weather cooperates!) means I might never catch up! I hope you guys have a great start to your week!
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2 Comments so far-
April 29, 2012 at 10:36 pm -
It was a honor to work with Jodie, Emily and Missy! The day was perfect – rain and all! I can’t wait to see the rest!
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Katie | St. Louis Maternity Photography
Posted on April 26, 2012
Ok, I lied. I just finished these images of my friend Katie (totally out of order of other sessions but when you’re friends with the photographer you get to come first!) and I have to share them. I have fifteen minutes until I have to pick up Bails so let’s see how fast I can blog!
Katie and I talked a lot about her maternity session because she lives in San Diego and we had one shot to get what we wanted! I SO wish I could do her birth and newborn session but I’ll take her maternity! I was super nervous going into this because she is more creative than I am and has a great eye for design/art/photography… it’s a lot to live up to! So what do you do when you’re nervous about a session? Invite them to start at your own house! HA! We started with some soft photos in my bedroom (the light was terrible because it got really cloudy so excuse the grain!) and then when Grandma took the kids for me (thanks mom!!) we hit the Metro Link to head into the city! I underestimated how long the train would take so we literally took just a few shots before we had to head back but I still love these. I love the time I got with my old friend too! Katie was my best friend in high school and since then has lived in Africa and now California! She is the most traveled person I know! Somehow she was in town and was able to be at Gray’s birth which was so amazing! Anyway, I adore Katie and am so honored to have been able to do this for her!
I had music on during the session more to help me relax than Katie but my kids kept coming in and dancing! HA! Gray got right up on the bed! Oh so professional!
Baby girl’s name is Amina. Isn’t that gorgeous? Luckily us Allen’s had a few A’s laying around!
No more kids, quick outfit change and we headed out!
I needed this session. Creative freedom and laughter with an old friend. Honest sharing of life stories and realizing that the girls we were at 14 isn’t so far from where we are now.
Katie, I literally can’t find words to tell you how good it was to spend the day with you. It was just what I needed. Thank you friend.
today | personal
Posted on April 26, 2012
Yesterday I made one of those impossible to do lists that never get done. But at 12:30am I crossed the last damn thing off. It was awesome.
I wish I could say I woke up today with nothing to do but I went ahead and made another massive list. There’s no way this one will get done though. And that’s ok.
I’ve been running. A little. My goal is at least a mile four times a week. Or every day I’m not shooting or have the kids. I’ve made it twice this week and that’s good because the other two days I was shooting. The weather is so beautiful I should have just run forever but I hit 1.37 miles, was at my door and stopped. I need new running music to keep me motivated. I also need new running shoes. I also need to do MORE than just a few miles every week. I need to learn more about what to eat (my frozen pizza lunch was NOT so good for my waistline!) and I’m sure I need to add weights in. But who has the time? Or energy? At least I sweat today right?
Now I need to shower.
Oh and I’m four days off Mnt. Dew. I think it’s mental for me more than anything so every morning I’m still going to QT and instead of getting my soda, I’m getting an iced tea. When it’s gone I’m switching to water. And more water. So far I’m not missing it because I still get my fountain cup!
We’ve hit a financial low. My trip to KC hit at the same time our insurance kicked in through Chris and his paycheck got severely cut. It also came during a month I had a lot of bartered sessions or auction wins or charity events and little money coming in. It’s been a while since I’ve been this nervous about money and while I hate that feeling, I’m finding myself working harder to remember that God knows what we need. Just yesterday a deposit check came in and helped up over a little hump. God is good and money sucks.
Speaking of relying on God, I read THIS post today and it was awesome. It made me smile. And kind of reminded me of myself. I’m starting to be thankful to God for all the small things and praying He has all the big stuff worked out for us. It’s also got me listening to THIS song (on iTunes not this exact version) and THIS one literally on repeat right now. And loud. I listen to them (and sing) really loud. Trying not to be scared about where the money is coming from. Trying to forget how stressful it is to live this way. Praying I made the right decision to put so much pressure on us financially by quitting my other job. Singing, working and looking out the window thanking God that I’m sitting in my own home, that we own, doing what I love. The best things are the scariest sometimes right?
I have a few sessions to blog about, but for today, how about just a peek?
I’m meeting two of my best friends and their kids at C’s game today. It’s gorgeous outside, we’re picnicking with friends while watching Chris coach and letting the kids run wild for a couple of hours. It’s going to be awesome. There are so many times this year that I’m so thankful I’m a coaches wife. This is one of the first years I can say that without wincing. My kids are growing up watching some amazing athletes almost daily. They see that athletics are a part of our life. They see what it means to be tough. They’re outside all the time. I love that. And I love that I get to share it with friends.
Thursday is my best night of TV and it’s like opening a pack of Starburst. You want to eat just one and save the rest for tomorrow and the next day (thank you DVR) but at midnight you’re laying in bed feeling bad you ate them all in one night! Does that make sense? I love TV and tonight is my favorite night!
Ok, I’m down to an hour left without kiddos so I need to scoot. I have a picnic to pack, the kitchen needs a bit of help and while I should shower I might wait until after the game since I’m just going to get dusty sitting out there anyway. Sorry to anyone sitting right next to me! Sorry to ramble… working from home now has given me so much more quiet/thinking/contemplative time. It’s good but it means my brain just needs to dump occasionally. And if I save this all up for Chris when he finally gets home after a 14 hour day his eyes glaze over and I lose him. So you guys get it today! HA!
Fresh Class Announcements | St. Louis Camera 101 Class
Posted on April 25, 2012
My May 12th class sold out super fast! Thanks everyone!
The NEXT class is June 23rd and it’s already half full! Email me soon if you want to get added to the list!
AND I have something fun to announce! On May 20th from 1-5pm I’m going to be hosting a camera class for beginners but focused for “people of a certain age” OR for anyone without small children at home, singles, grandparents, etc. My Fresh Class is geared towards parents. I talk a lot about capturing your kids at home. While anyone can come to a class and walk away with better camera knowledge they might also get a little bored hearing me talk about shooting young children so much! So on May 20th my good friend, Donna, who took our class a year ago and has since become an amazing photographer herself (hobby not professional), is hosting the class at her Webster Groves home. We’re going to talk more about capturing your LIFE and what that looks like to you! I’m going to keep the class size smaller so we can really dig into what each person will be shooting on a daily basis and how we can make it awesome. We’ll still go over basic camera knowledge, how to shoot manually, etc. I have one person coming already so that leaves four open slots! This would be a great Mother’s Day gift to the “more mature” women in your life! HA! I’m not sure how to say THIS CLASS IS FOR OLDER PEOPLE without offending someone! HA! But really, it just IS for people over 40 and I’m SO excited about it! MAY 20th!
And last but not least I still have slots open for the Momma Mini Sessions on May 26th! A few morning and afternoon slots are open so let me know if you’re interested! Again, this makes an awesome Mother’s Day gift and I will even wrap up a gift card for you to give!
I have SO much to share this week! We had our annual charity even at St. Louis Children’s Hospital on Monday… Shoot for Seamus! Eight awesome families! Yesterday I had a killer maternity session with my best friend from high school… so awesome! There is a sweet family from last weekend I need to still sneak peek too! Oh and some family shots I want to share! Plus I have three more sessions this week! CRAZY! Happy Wednesday you guys!
bad dreams | personal
Posted on April 22, 2012
Gray is going through some kind of I-don’t-want-to-sleep-in-my-own-bed-and-am-going-to-pull-out-all-the-stops-until-you-cave stage. Let me tell you, it’s awesome. Tonight he even had real crocodile tears when he came down telling us he was having bad dreams. Now the kid hadn’t gone to bed yet so bad dreams were impossible but his tears were so big and he’s so damn cute we gave in. Chris tucked him into our bed and we didn’t hear another word from him. An hour or so later I went in to get something and found he had turned the light on all by himself.
Oh and at dinner tonight Parker totally cracked us up! Chris was teasing her and said, “Birthday’s aren’t super important when you’re just turning three…” and she said, “DADDY! I’m not turning three! I’m turning six and then eleven and then eight and then one hundred and then I’ll be dead!” HA! Gotta love her math!
Here’s to a great start to your week!
The Allen Family (no relation!) | St. Louis Family Photography
Posted on April 22, 2012
My BFF Angie met another Allen family and they’ve become good friends this year. At first I was kind of jealous. Because if you know me you know I can be totally immature sometimes. This other ALLEN family just sounded so perfect! SO I truly wanted to dislike them. But the first time I met Becky I knew I was done for. I actually really liked her! She is sweet and giving and caring and gorgeous. Her kids are just as great and so is her husband. Their daughter, Grace, plays soccer with Bailey (and Angie’s daughter, Kate) so we’ve gotten to know them a little better this spring and I’m just so so glad. There are so few families that you click with, I think. Or ones whose kids you really truly like to be around! Or whose parenting style and discipline is on par with your own. Now, I don’t know them that well but from what Angie’s told me, all those things line up. So while I was trying to hate them before, now I’m just so glad that not only does Angie’s family have another set of really great friends, but I’m just as blessed to know them as well.
I can’t tell you the last time I had a session, edited it and blogged it on the same day, but I couldn’t help myself! This was such an easy and fun session. For an awesome family. And so I’m staying up late tonight to get this posted for them! Because I hope they love these images as much as I do!
See? How can you not totally love this family?
They’re moving soon and Becky mentioned that she wanted some new large canvases for their new walls to celebrate this new chapter in their lives… I hope this new chapter is fun, colorful and full of love+laughter because then these images represent it perfectly!
Thanks (other) Allen family for allowing me to capture you guys today! I had a blast!
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Yay!!! Such beautiful family pics!
love that first shot…so stylin’!
(And psssst… there’s one more “gifted” family still waiting for a date… pretty please for a date.
)