Our families have known each other for ions….Maggie & I dreamed of our children playing together as we did when we were little…always making up “plays” and begging our moms to watch them…at any chance of extending our “play dates”  We even had a yearly Christmas drama….written by Maggie of course!  I’m talking like a 30 page script here…no sissy skits or anything!   They’re little girl is truly a miracle….and Chris & Maggie just adore her.  They have an amazing adoption story….which will be a book someday ~ right Maggie!   …and by the way, I don’t believe it’s any accident that this little girl looks like her mommy and daddy…I think that it’s God’s little extra way of showing them that she was truly meant for them!  Anyways.. oh my goodness, she did so well for us!  Look at all the things she let us do!  thanks *georgia*

I absolutely LOVE pics that look like real life magazine ads…and just simple text.  These are my favorite and you just can’t plan them…they just happen.  Below is the new little girl who belongs to our dear friends Chris & Maggie that I posted earlier ….*georgia* will have a full post later this week, but I just HAD to share this….

So…like I said a lot of my friends are pregnant!!! Here are andy & marcy…you can find us at their house at least two nights out of the week for dinner…and we love them dearly. Our children play and we drink homemade sangria or arbor mist (whichever is accessible that week) and talk… They are moving to Seattle in the summer, and that makes us so excited for them and sad for us all at the same time..and seriously thinking about moving to seattle with them! Hey ~ the cloudy weather does make for great pictures…ok not serious, just like to pretend I could live in a big city. Here are a few of my faves….**slideshow**

Betsy ~ one of my dearest friends…along with most of my friends, was pregnant and had her little boy a few weeks ago now. Here are a few of my favorites! …and yes, I know, her daughter should totally be a GAP model ~ everyone agrees! oh yes, and…betsy…**loves** squirrels…so I had my friend Heather (who is a knitting genius) knit him an acorn hat…and little acorn mittens….perfect for him!

I have soooo many ideas circulating with newborns!!! I need your help finding babies 10 days old or younger. I am looking for dark skinned babies too! (with lots of hair hopefully!) Please let me know if you know ANYONE who has a new baby and is patient! I am looking to shoot these anytime in the next two weeks, during the day at my studio or in their home if they have enough light. I can’t wait to try out some new things!

forgot to add **there is no session fee! …and prints will be available at my normal portrait pricing!

Tattooed Brides….I want a woman with a ton of tattoos and / or sleeves…..and I will find her a wedding dress! Please let me know if you know anybody! Thanks!

….and I leave you with a few new marketing pieces that have developed from the new logo and tagline~ it’s been kind of fun! The first one is the front of the card….and then all the different variations are below. Fun Fun! I am loving it!

Well, I have had a lot of inquiries for my next workshop…and other inquiries to find out if I’m covering anything new, can we come again? Because I have so many of you at different levels, I want to gear my workshops for exactly what you’re wanting to learn, instead of cramming it all in. Sooo…here’s what I have come up with! You can reserve your spot by paying on my blog I will send you a confirmation email with more details!  I will have an additional website link with all of this info and  a calendar for the pro sessions, it should be up by the end of the week!

Basic ~ May 8th 2-8pm $175 *dinner inlcuded

For those of you who just got our camera, don’t even know what ISO means..yep that’s you, or the hobbiest who wants to step it up a notch!

Advanced ~ May 9th 10am-6pm $175

This is for the portfolio building photographer ready to start a business and needing to refine your camera and PS knowledge **professional editing software is a requirement**   lunch included.

Pro ~ “shoot & shadow” ~ $250 *up to 4 hours

This is for the photographer who has complete knowledge of all previous and wants to shadow & shoot a complete session on location with me and then return to my studio for a complete edit of the entire session. These will be scheduled within 30 days of registration, and will take place at the discretion of the registars and the client. Each session will be limited to two attendees max. bellies, newborns, kids, brides, engaged couples are all available!  Please call me to sign up for this class.

And one pick from earlier this fall….

This is Katie & Gordon, Gordon is the brother of one of our best friends (Andy & Marcy). Marcy & I just drove to Lansing to photograph their two newest cuties on Sunday afternoon. Katie also owns a bridal shop in Lansing “The Wedding Bell”. There have been some complications early this morning resulting from her c-section and Katie is back in the hospital. Please pray that the doctors can fix what’s going on and bring her back to full health for her family. Here are a few from Sunday….I think they deserved an early preview. The one where they’re wrapped…was not as easy as it looks…even at 5 days old we were trying not to wake them as we tweaked the fabric. Enjoy!

…about 2.5yrs ago now, this couple booked me for their first and my first ..belly session, and then went into labor the morning of our session!! Here they are…with baby #2 – and we did get her belly session in this time! Here are a few favorites from their baby session.

…added another member!! Welcome Abraham Maxwell! Here are a few from their session. Can you believe Ruben (older brother) with his bear, diaper and bottle…adorable! **oh yea…the last one…seriously??! …Ruben…you are adorable!

well, the one night, I decide to stay up until 4:30am editing….oh yea..I did….

…the moment my head hit the pillow…my phone rang…I didn’t recognize the number, so I ignored it….then a voicemail rang through…so I thought I’d better check it. I am on call for a birth in October…6 weeks away, but no, he decided to come this morning at 5:45am 4 lbs 15 ounces….he was doing great, he was very pink and crying! Joel & Shannon were my very first clients….and this is my second birth with them. Thanks for inviting me along again! Here are the highlights!

**the first one is Joel waiting while they prep Shannon for the c-section…and the rest I think you can figure out!

ps…I still haven’t slept yet, just keep pumpin’ the coffee!