Angie Brooks Photography

Baby Alexander - 2 Weeks old - And Family

2012-02-11T13:24:00.001-08:00

One of the things I love most about photography is watching families grow! I met Catrina and Dave for the first time shooting their wedding with Amy Carroll, as Amy's second shooter back in 2007 (is that right Catrina?). Since that time, it was been so awesome watching them grow as a family ... meet the newest addition to the family, Alexander!

3.5 years ago, little Abby was born, I went with Amy to do HER newborn shoot!! Now, she is this little 3.5 year old with a big 'ole 3.5 year old personality! She totally cracked me up when daddy had to take her phone away because she wasn't listening, with the cutest little 3 year old voice and the drama within the voice of a 16 year old she said, "Daddy why, why did you take my phone, I neeeeeeed it."

Abby, Alex and Max. Adorable! Max is just the sweetest little thing, he met me at the door with a wave and a hug! To cute!!

I just thought this picture looked so peaceful; I figured with a house full of 3 children ... a 3 year old, 1 year old and new baby, Catrina and Dave would very much enjoy anything that brought even just a minute of peace..:-)

It was great meeting surprise number 3! He is just beautiful. Seriously, that cutie ALMOST makes me want another one ... almost...:-)

Great Pyrenees Rescue - Pups - 3.5 Weeks Old

2012-01-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

I have always had a passion for helping animals, dogs in particular. I've had pups my entire life and always thought if I ever become a millionaire, helping animals is one thing I would put my money towards. Two years ago, my family was looking to adopt a family pet. The boys all wanted a big tough dog like a Rott and I wanted something cute and cuddely ... so after some research the Pyrenees is what we came up with. Big and tough yet adorable and cuddely.

A year passed and I stalked the Facebook page of Marcie, the amazing lady with unlimited love for these pups. After seeing the many animals coming into rescue due to owner surrenders, lost dogs, hurting animals and those that were abondoned I really felt compelled to do something! Even though I hadn't won my millions yet, there was still something I could do ... That's when we began fostering these animals.

We had Sugar, a 12 week old pup, then Kona who was a 2 yr old found tied to a tree, then came Addie our love girl who was kept in a kennel her entire 1st yr of life, then came Maddie and finally our boy Thunder. Amazingly awesome homes were found for these dogs who had been forgotten.

A few weeks go by, then 2 months pass ... no word from Marcie. Hmmm I thought, this is a good thing! Rescue must be slow. Well, I think she somehow had a sick sense and was just giving us a little break before the big bang. lol Saturday I get a phone called, it's Marcie. She needed an emergency foster for 7 - 3 week old puppies! The owners had informed a lady at the shelter they were no longer feeding on the mama ... she couldn't keep them any longer. The shelter worked called Marcie right away, as soon as Marcie said she could take them, transportation began.

Saturday night, puppies arrived! I was a bit nervous because of their young age! Would they eat ok? Would be they be healthy? After 24 hours, my fears dissappeared. They are beginning to play, develop personalities and have no problems eating!

So often many people say to me, "I could never do that, don't you fall in love with them?" My answer ... OH COURSE! I fall in love with each and everyone one of them. Yes, it's hard to take in a furry pal, love them and let them become part of your family only to send them off to someone else. But in my opinion, it's MUCH harder to do nothing at all. To look into the faces of these sweet little babies, tell myself it sucks that people act the way they do and then turn my back. I may not be a millionaire (yet...:-)and I may not be able to save them all. But to the ones I was able to help ... To Sugar, Kona, Addie, Maddie, Thunder and these 7 babies, I bet they are sure glad I tried!

Cindy and Russ ... Engaged!

2011-10-17T09:40:00.001-07:00

Saturday I met Cindy and Russ out at the beautiful Fallasburg Park in Lowell for their engagment session. I absolutely loved the location and so enjoyed working with the two of them!! They were the sweetest couple and the love shared between them was very visiable!

I had asked Russ to look into Cindy's eyes and tell her how beautiful she was, he did. Then I said often times us girls just need to hear it and guys don't say it nearly enough ... Her response, "Russ tells me everyday." So sweet...:-)

I am just much looking forward to shooting their amazing wedding in April, 2012!

Cindy and Russ, I hope you enjoy your little preview.

Class of 2012 - Veronica

2011-10-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

Wow ... hard to believe! Yesterday I grabbed my youngest sister to take her out for her SENIOR PICTURES!! Time flies! We weren't 100% sure where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do, so we got in the car and drove to a near-by barn. When getting there, we were able to capture a few images, but it seems we weren't the only ones with that idea. So, we decided to jump back into the car and find a less populated location.

Roni had a bring little Tinker-Bell along for some pictures. Tink is still a very active pup so we did the best we could with the time she decided to give us.

Congratulationsi Roni!!!

Lakeside - Celebrating 50 Years!

2011-10-10T07:12:00.001-07:00

Friday evening Keith and I took a beautiful little road trip down to Lakeside, Mi. We very much enjoyed the changing colors of the leaves and the amazing, unseasonal warm temperatures!

After arriving in Lakeside, we met up with Desi and her family at their beautiful weekend home. They were enjoying a little family reunion in celebration of Desi parents 50th Wedding Anniversary!!

After grabbing a few big family pictures, we seperated the families and rocked out a few individual family pictures. Each family had teenage children and anyone with teenage children knows it is nearly impossible to get them together, dressed up and "ok" with having their picture taken so we took complete advantage of the situation...:-)

As we all know, celebrating 50 years of marriage is well, uncommon these days so I had to ask ... What's the secret? The response I got was, "Never give up, don't quit. You are going to go through hard times, everyday is not going to be easy, you have to make the decision to never give up through those hard times, you stick it out together." Which I thought was amazing advice! As we were ending the conversation, I was reminded by them as well that thier relationship is not just a two person relationship, it involves three ... the two of them and Jesus Christ ... Desi's Dad reminds me that we can't do it without Him.

Such a beautiful family!! I very much enjoyed meeting them and capturing images that will remind them of their fabulous weekend together!!

Homecoming 2011 - My kids :-)

2011-10-02T16:51:00.001-07:00

Last night was the Homecoming Dance. Most kids were preparing and talking about it all week. Of course, not my Nick. It was up and out the door Saturday afternoon to find a shirt, shoes and flowers. It was the first time Nick had ever given flowers to a girl...:-) As we were going over to pick her up, he says, "Mom, what do I say?" lol So cute! Of course, before Nick and Alyssa left, we had to grab a few pictures. It's crazy ... they both looked soooo grown up! I see them on nearly a daily basis in their jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, etc ... they look like normal teenage kids, not last night! They are like ... getting old!

Nick and Sadie, my other kiddo's, stopped by to pick up Nick and Alyssa before the dance to go out to eat. Of course I had to grab a couple of them too! It isn't to often a mom gets to see 4 of her kids (biological and not) all dressed up at the same time!!

As great as you all look ... please stop growing up!! You are making me feel old!

Steve and Alicia Married - 9/24/11

2011-09-29T10:13:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I photographed Steve and Alicia's wedding. The plan was I get there at 1:30 and take a few getting ready pictures before the ceremony at 2:30. Well, I never expected them to actually be on time!! Having photographed a few weddings now, I am well aware that typically people run a bit late ... not these guys, they were right on top of things and waiting to do a few final touches when I arrived.

Steve and Alicia had a beautiful ceremony in Wyoming, Mi. They even had their brand new, 8 week old baby be a part of it. Although he slept the whole time, he was very sweet having him involved!

After the ceremony, it was time to get a few fun pictures! We had this beautiful location all picked out! Unfortunately, the weather was not being very nice to us that day. Alicia was very much against doing a "trash the dress" session on her wedding day and playing in the rain so we had to be quick! We were able to grab a few in between downpours. Despite the icky rain, the storms did make for some pretty cool skies!!

Congratulations Steve and Alicia!! I am so glad I was able to be a part of your special day! I hope you enjoy your preview.

Fabulous Family Fun - South Haven

2011-09-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening Keith and I drove took a little trip down to South Haven where we met this beautiful family! I took Keith along to help keep kids attention, he is great at that since he is a big kid himself!

Belle was so adorable! She thought that jeans and a shirt made a great pretend bathin suit. As much as we tried distracting her with tag and sand, she felt a nice swim in Lake Michigan sounded much better. We worked with it...:-)

Brock wasn't quite as excited about swimming in that cold water so he started with a nice walk on the beach with daddy but eventually, he had to join his sissy.

Then it was cuddle time with mama to get warm ...

And back off to play in the sand.

Being from Virgina and living in Ohio, sunsets are not something the kids are able to see often. They had a beautiful one last night. Jamie, even compared our beautiful sunsets here, over Lake Michigan, to those she has seen in Hawaii! We had to sit back and just enjoy the beauty of it all for just a minute ... we all watched as the sun went down into the water.

It was an amazingly beautiful end to a beautiful day.

Kristina and John - Married - Sept. 10th, 2011

2011-09-11T12:17:00.001-07:00

John and Kristina were married at the Pinnacle Center right here in Hudsonville. As much as I love traveling, staying close to home is very nice as well. They had a beautiful day for an outside ceremony.

When meeing Kristina for our first consultation, I knew I was going to love her! A typically consulation lasts maybe 30 mins. Kristina and I kinda lost track of time and sat there talking for nearly 2 hours! She was so sweet and after spending an entire day with her, she is so real. Here is Kristina and one of her handsome little men.

Such a beautiful bride!

And of course ... like nearly every bride ... she had to get a sneak peek at who was walking up...:-)

And after a quick bow adjustment ... it was time!

Kristina and John had a beautiful ceremony with a very touching sand ceremony to include the boys. Loved it!

With a ring ...

and a kiss ....

Congratulations ... it is official! John was a little excited...:-)

Well ... we tried ... although, this little guy didn't quite understand the meaning of "stay in line" just yet...:-) He heard ok, go and he was off!

Oh yes ... here is the one the bridal party will loooove but very few others will actually understand! :-)

And now ... the stars of the show! My beautiful bride and handsome groom! Loved working with you both! In one word ... you guys are FABULOUS!

Ok ... so, John was lovin Kristina's ... well, the picture should explain it. So, this ones for you John...:-)

With a diming of the lights ... it was time to get those dancing shoes on. I have to say, I was very impressed by John's dancing abilities. Keith says you can tell he's from the city ... he's got a little soul in him...:-)

Father daughter dance ... Kristina's dad said as he was coming to the floor "This dad doesn't dance." I personally think he did a fine job!

And ... I say city or not ... this boy got his moves from his mama...:-)

It was a great day and a great celebration for two people who are so obviously in love! I wish you two the very, very best life has to offer!

Hope you enjoy your preview AND your time in Vegas! Just remember if you win big, my prices just doubled...:-)

Pam and Michael - Married - July 27, 2011

2011-08-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

After talking with Pam on the phone a few months ago, I have to admit, I was very excited about their wedding. She had such an amazing vision for her wedding day. A very laid back, intimate ceremony on Lake Michigan at sunset. Never once did she worry about rain, she just knew it was going to be a beautiful day ... she was right! God sure did put on an amazing show for us that night. The color in the sky were just beautiful!

Pam and Michael had a house right on the lake. There was a beautiful path, lined with beach grass, leading down to the ceremony site. Breath-taking!

Down closer to the beach it was a litte windy, but it just added to the beauty of the day. The waves in the lake were more like an ocean coastline. Pam and Michael each wrote vows that they shared with each other.

Sealed with a kiss ...

After the ceremony was finished, Pam and Michael asked that every sit back and enjoy the show ... the grand finally ... a beautiful sunset sky. A perfect end, to a perfect ceremony!

Best Wishes to the two of you! Keith and I very much enjoyed being a part of your most amazingly wonderful day!

Collin - Class 0f 2012

2011-08-25T12:33:00.001-07:00

This morning I meet Collin and his two sisters downtown for his senior session. I've done senior sessions before, but this was my first BOY senior session! Collin was awesome!! I could tell he wasn't thrilled about posing for the camera but he had a GREAT "I'm going to do just what you say so we can get it done quick" type attitude!

Congratulations on being a SENIOR this year Collin and I wish you all the best for your future!

Hope you enjoy your preview!

Addie - Foster Pup

2011-08-03T18:07:00.001-07:00

On July 25, a little addition was brought to us. We are not real sure what exactly Addie's background is, we can only guess. But one thing is for certain ... she needed a new home. Marcie, from the Great Pyrneese Rescue in Middleville, rescued a nameless dog from a shelter to avoid the cruel act of euthanization. This nameless dog soon showed us exactly what her name should be.

We jokingly said, we thought she possibly had ADD and was in need of some Aderol, and that's where Addie came from. She is about one year old and knew very little about behaviorisms. It seemed as though whoever had her before us gave little attention or care to this beautiful girl at all. In the few weeks we have had her, she house broke, knows the words sit, stay, come and get back. She is very easily distracted (ADD ... remember) so she doesn't always listen. But she is getting it very quickly. Addie is a very smart dog, she is a dog that just wants to please.

She is the sweetest, most loyal dog. She loves getting lovin from almost everyone, but after the lovin is done, she quickly returns to the one who takes care of her ... currently her mama ... me...:-) She very much enjoys TV time at night, she knows it is time to cuddle on the couch with mom and dad to just chill.

She is a great dog with the kids, loves to wrestle around and she is even learning to be a dog. Before being rescued, I don't think she was ever really taught doggie mannors, therefore, had no idea how to act around other dogs BUT Baloo is a great teacher. When seeing another dog out walking, she acts like she wants to eat it, but after a brief, controlled introduction, she does great. She just gets so excited upon meeting a new potential friend she doesn't know how to control herself and just wants to play.

She has lots and lots of energy and would be GREAT for an avid walker, runner or house with kids. Or simply someone who has a big enough yard for her to run around in and catch her ball ... She LOVES to play catch.

We have grown to love her very much in our house and just like our previous fosters the kids are begging to keep her? Alyssa said to me, "Mom, I have 10 pennies, can I adopt her?" It is tough explaining to them that we can't keep every dog because we want to be able to continue helping others. They do understand ... it is sometimes I think toughier for me. How can you not fall instantly in love with these eyes??

Addie is all up-to-date on her shots, she has been spayed and doing great with her mannors. She is becoming the perfect dog. We think he is a newfie/english springer spaniel mix, she's right about 60-70lbs. Adoption information can be found at http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20541752. You will have to go through two screening processes ... first Marcie, then me...:-)

Kevin and Christy Married - July 23, 2011

2011-07-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Kevin and Christy were married in the beautiful town of South Haven this past weekend. As with most wedding days, the start to the day was a bit crazy but in the end, Christy and Kevin were married. They had a lovely ceremony, a super fun reception and were surrounded by loving friends and family! I was so happy to be a part of their special day and capture memories as they happened.

Congratulations Kevin and Christy ... the two of you are going to have an amazing life together. Hope your enjoy your preview and I can't wait for you to see the rest!!

Kristina and Jon - Engaged!

2011-07-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

This morning I headed out early, trying to beat the heat, for a fabulously wonderful engagement session with Kristina and Jon. These two are seriously a fun couple to just be around. I am so looking forward to their wedding in September!!

We weren't 100% on where to go so we decided the 6th Street Bridge would be an awesome spot with lots of great surroundings to play around and have fun with.

Congratulations you two, hope you enjoy your preview!

Our Foster Baby - Kona

2011-06-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Meet Kona, she is our little foster baby ... well, I guess at 106lbs, she is not quite so little. We heard about this beautiful baby needing a home last Friday evening. After reading her rescue story, I couldn't resist helping her. Kona was found tied to a tree at the end of a dead end road with no food or water. Her rescuers went door to door trying to find anyone that knew her ... no one did. Knowing they couldn't keep her themself, the looked for help and found Marcie. Marcie is one of the most giving, self-less people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and she gladly offered to help. Marcie runs a rescue out in Middleville and has helped hundreds (??) of these babies.

After a visit to the vet, it was revealed that Kona had heartworm. I have had dogs my whole life and never really knew much about heartworm ... without going into detail I will just say ... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR DOGS CHECKED FOR HEARTWORM AND ON A PREVENTATIVE! Keith and I were very excited to pick her up Saturday morning from the vets offices after her heartworm treatment. She greeted me with kisses and hasn't stopped kissing since.

She is such a sweet dog ... it breaks my heart to think someone could just tie this beautiful animal to a tree and leave her there. Below you see her getting some lovin' from daddy. I tried showing some detail in these pictures but pictures could never show what a beautiful coat she has. If you have ever felt one of those brand new, soft teddy bears that you could just cuddle forever ... that's exactely how she feels!

Kona and Baloo together. They act as though they have been together their entire life. Although, Kona lives up to be female ... she loves Baloo, kisses his face, lays by him, but she makes it no secret she wants to be the boss; and he has no problem letting her.

She loves, loves, loves being brushed out and totally suprised us in the fact that she doesn't seem to shed much at all ... of course I am compairing her to Baloo who sheds 6lbs every day it seems.

Marcie has a couple people interested in adopting her so looks like we will only have her as part of our family for maybe 4 weeks but we are enjoying her while she is here. And she seems to be pretty happy here to I think ...

The North Country Part 2

2011-06-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Like Mother, Like Daughter. While visiting the magistic Tahquamenon Falls we noticed warning signs to stay within the fence. Well, often times I tend to selectively "overlook" these signs. Seems Alyssa has this gene as well ... here she is pushing the limits.

The next day we ventured over to the east side of the UP. Although we were hoping to see pictured rock on our way through, the weather didn't feel it necessary and choose to rain the entire day. So we enjoyed the drive and hotel once we arrived, very much looking forward to the day when we would go to The DeYoung Family Zoo, the entire reason for our vacation in the first place!

This beautiful guy pictured above is not Emo, but Emo is a white tiger. We learned that white tigers are very uncommon. White Tigers are actually just bengel tigers. When a bengal tiger comes along with the white gene, often times they are over breed causing serious and sometimes deadly birth defects. Emo was one of these tigers that resulted from overbreeding ... Emo was born with a couple defects. Thankfully for Emo, Carrie and Bud from the DeYoung Family Zoo were there to rescue him!

Since there are so many animals at the zoo, they decided to celebrate all their birthdays on one day ... Memorial Day! Here we have one very curious guy trying to figure out what kind of goodies he was getting!

One of things we really enjoyed about the zoo, besides the awesome work that they do is how close we were able to get to the animals. You are able to join Bud and Carrie as they walk around the zoo feeding the animals. They teach very interesting facts AND you get to see the awesome power of these animals as they eat! Check out this guy making SURE he is the first one to get that raw piece of meat Bud is throwing over the fence for him.

Now this may seem like a crazy picture but not near as crazy as some may think Carrie is. Carrie is known as Big Cat Carrie but she has an extreme soft spot for anything canine. Carrie can literally walk into the wolf enclosure and they run up to her and love on her just like your domesticated dog would do when it's human mama returns home after a day out. The wolves are very respectful towards her and know SHE is the boss. So this picture, well ... this is Carrie half way down inside the wolf den trying to get us onlookers a glimpse of the baby wolves! Sadly, mama wolf had dug her den out way to much and Carrie wasn't able to give us a look at the babies.

Here is Carrie with the Alpha Male of this group. Although, this pup knows who the real Alpha is when Carrie is in the enclosure.

Of course, the big cats weren't the only ones with special treatment for their shared birthday. Here this big ole bear recived his favorite treat ... watermelon!

But first he got a little loving touch by Bud when he hand fed the bear twizlers.

Now, Carrie and Bud were not the only ones that were able to play with cuddly guys! There were baby tigers, baby monkeys (I can't remember the type) and a baby silver fix that we all had fun holding and playing with! We also got to play with a Dingo and the Dingo kissed my nose! There were also farm animals, dogs and cats that we got to enjoy while visiting the zoo!

Unfortunately, at some point we had to return to real life. As much as we all wanted to stay up at the zoo ... it was time to go.

The North Country

2011-06-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend, Keith and I took the little ones to the UP for a little family vacation. Living in Michigan my whole life and I have never been to the UP to just explore ... Well, I have been over the bride when I was young but that's about it. It was an amazing vacation. Perfect really! I absolutely adore going places that I can just explore and see what I can see.

After our drive over the big bridge, we stopped to look around. Of course there is the amazement of the bridge itself. Keith, Noah and Alyssa decided to climb down a small hill and go to the sandy beach and explore. I choose to go the less traveled route ... I found baby geese!!

The next day we began our adventure to the Oswald Bear Ranch! We didn't know upon leaving the hotel what an adventure it really would be. You see, up in the north country there are not many main roads. There was one, 123 ... and it was closed. We asked a local for other directions (Since GPS had absolutely no signal up there). Turn around, take a left on County Road 500, another left on County Road 414 and that takes you right to 407. Easy enough, right? Well ... this is a view of County Road ...

A complete 30ish miles of dirt road. We debated renting a small car to save on gas money for our trip, thankfully we decided to stick with the durango ... I got to use 4 Wheel Drive! It was one of my high-lights! I was cruzing down that dirt road. Then I realized, I have no signal on my cell, houses are miles apart and we are in the middle of no where ... um ... maybe I shouldn't be going 50mph down a dirt road, even though it was way fun with the 4 wheel drive.

Well out exploring a bit on county road, the kids found these little puffer thingys. You squeeze them and smoke comes out, they were very impressed ... it was like magic..:-) Then Keith grabbed my camera saying he was sick of never having pictures of me because I am always behind the camera...There is a reason for that! I hate my picture taken but I tried to be a good sport...:-)

After getting to the ranch, which is fairly fabulous by the way, we got to play with 16 week old baby black bears! They were adorable! Funny thing is, the Great Pyrenees puppies are BIGGER at 12 weeks old than a black bear is at 16 weeks old! The year and a half old bears are about the same size as Baloo at a year and a half! I guess my dog IS a big dog.

One of the bears at the ranch just hanging out!

If you are ever up in the UP, I highly recommend checking out Oswald Bear Ranch! It is an awesome place! It is nothing like our local zoos where the bears have a little 20x20 enclosure to walk around in, at Oswalds they literally just wrap some fencing around spots in the woods and put their resuced bears there so they are in their natural environment. And you read that right, the majority of the bears at Oswalds are resused bears! Not only is the Ranch itself amazing, the people there are fabulous!
More vacation pictures to come soon ... I'm very excited to share our adventure at The DeYoung Family Zoo as well!!

Spring Time Neighborhood Fun

2011-05-17T15:00:00.001-07:00

One of our most favorite spring/summer time activities is bonfires!! Not only are the fabulously fun, um ... you get to eat smores too!! So, when we had a bit of good weather, we couldn't resist grabbing some firewood, marshmallows, crackers, chocolate and hanging out with our fabulous neighbors!

While Evan was very eager to make some smores for anyone and everyone that wanted them ...

Bri was much more interested in just hanging out with Baloo ... Baloo is sort of a neighborhood mascot around here. All the kids love him and he does not complain one bit about all the lovin!

Then of course you have Noah ... like mother like son. Noah was so involved in texting that I don't even think he had a clue what was going on around him.

It was a fabulous evening, with fabulous friends and fabulous food!

Emerson - 3 Months, Jaida - 6 Years!

2011-03-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

My two beautiful neices passing another milestone in life. When looking at these sweet, innocent faces I'd like to remind everyone about that old saying, "Looks can be decieving." lol I kid, a little ...

Ahhh ... Jaida following in her Aunt Angie's footsteps ... my little Diva. She was very much into posing and showing me what would look best for her "model photo shoot." lol

And my sweet baby Emerson. She is becoming so much more interactive and fun lately! Of course, as much as I tried I couldn't get one smile for the pictures but hey, she's cute enough no smiles were necessary.

Plus, she had this fabulously wonderful quilt made for her special by one of her mama's work friends. Perfect colors for spring!

Lillianna - 4 Weeks Old

2011-03-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to believe that Little Lilli is 4 weeks old already. For those that know me, you know I super love babies!! They are so sweet and innocent and beautiful and just plain cuddle-able. Last night I intruded on my neighbors ... my "excuse" was they needed some pictures of Lilli, but really it was just great seeing her again. She is a beautiful, beautiful little babers!!

Stretchy Time ...

Then, as much as I tried ... she was ready for sleepiness. I moved her around, put that "stupid" flower on her head (as her grandpa calls it), dressed her, undressed her but notta ... she wanted to sleep.

That is, until she decided she wanted some yums in her tum. Then daddy couldn't make that bottle fast enough ... Lilli was a little upset so when all else fails ... give her to grandma.

Fabulous Fridays!!

2011-02-25T12:04:00.001-08:00

I have to say ... totally has been a fairly fabulous Friday. First, I made a new little friend. I was sitting at my computer this morning and glanced out the window. I noticed on my fence an adorable little squirrel just looking around for a little yums. He was so cute and seemed to say with his beady little eyes "please fed me some peanut better." I couldn't say no ... here is my new adorable little friend running off with his yummy muffin and peanut-butter breakfast!

PLUS ... Keith had a tile job that needed to be moved back a couple days because the tile was on backorder ... meaning, he had the day off, well sort of. I had lots of work for him to do at home! To start with, a new tile bathroom floor!! This is just the beginning stages, no grout or finishing, but it's down and looking amazingly fabulous!

And if that's not good enough ... the fact that it is FRIDAY makes me one happy girl!!

Emerson - 2 Months Old

2011-02-23T09:39:00.001-08:00

I have been so busy cuddling this little cutie pie that I haven't broke out the camera to take any updated pictures of her. She is almost always such a good little baby so as crazy as it is, I was almost excited when I got the little cry face.

Blowing baby bubbles ...

Such a little cutie ... seriously makes me think about having another. Although, I have to admit I kinda like being able to send her home at the end of the day. Auntie Angie gets to spoil her all day and send her home to mommy and daddy, they can have the 3am feedings...:-)

Welcome Lillianna Jade

2011-02-11T15:20:00.001-08:00

Lillianna Jade was born yesterday, February 10th! She is a beautiful 6 pound, 7 ounce baby girl. I was so excited to meet her! Mama wasn't feeling great yesterday so I had to wait until today ... that was a WHOLE 24hrs before I could go and meet this little pumpkin and snap a few pictures. She's a beauty just little her mama.

Tristen, Paige and Baby Lillianna

Little Lillianna and her Great Grandma. Sorry Great Grandma, I know I told you I was just getting the baby but ... well, I lied. The two of you just looked so precious.

Let's just say there will be many, many pictures of this little princess!! Even pictures of people taking pictures ... that's when you know there are lots of camera's in the room.

Congratulations Tristen and Paige! Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles! She is beautiful and I am so excited to watch her grow with you all. I am SURE Kayleigh was have many, many things to teach her. :-)

Emerson and Baloo

2011-02-09T07:03:00.000-08:00

I just love cute little baby feet! I have no idea why, big people feet are not so cute but baby feet ... seriously! Love them!!

My beautiful little niece Emerson at 7 weeks old. Not sure if my dog is just ridiculously huge or if she is just a tiny little bundle of joy but either why, I loved this picture. Baloo was very tolerant as well, he ADORES the baby!!

Baloo ... so full of wisdom. lol

So sweet ... love, love, love babies! For you grandma Lapus! Emerson's grandma had to drag herself away from the baby last week and go back to her home in Florida. I'm sure she's missing this beautiful little angel so had to give her a little update. I tried getting one of her smiling for you but she was not cooperating with me. I did get those beautiful blue eyes though!!

Dead Dog ...

2011-01-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

So Great Pyrenees are not typically known for the willingness to cooperate. They can be somewhat stubborn and hardheaded. Not only are they stubborn and hardheaded, they are big and with Baloo's bigness comes clumsiness. He is awesome with your basic commands ... sit, stay, shake, etc. However, "dead dog" was something he just couldn't get, that is UNTIL tonight when I bribed him with a yummy in the tummy french fry!! I had to ask about 15 times and with each 15 times, he took his massive paw and slapped it on the ground as if to be playing "slap jack" while biting at the air but finally he gave it. And although this doesn't look like your typically dead dog pose, I'll take it!

He sat there waiting ever so patiently for his french fry until he couldn't take it any longer and had to slightly turn away.

Emerson - 3 Days Old

2010-12-21T15:22:00.001-08:00

I had to get my baby fix for the day so I went to visit little Emerson who is now a whopping 3 days old! Of course, the camera had to come along with me. I had a camera, a beautiful baby, a basket and some fun little decorations ... made for a fabulous little photo shoot.

Christmas presents just don't get any cuter than this!

Emerson and her big sister Kayla. I had already captured some pictures of Jaida and Emerson had to get a few with Emerson and her other sister. Poor daddy ... the only boy amongst 4 girls!

Welcome Emerson Laura

2010-12-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

So after a very long few days Emerson Laura, my new niece, finally decided to make her speedy entrance into this world.
On December 16th, Leasa's due date, she began the fabulously, wonderful labor experience. At around 11:30pm, Leasa, Michael (daddy) and I headed to the hospital. Leasa was in fact in labor - contractions about 5-6 minutes apart lasting 1:10, however nothing was progressing so we were sent home.
The very next day (Dec. 17th) Leasa went in for a Non-Stress Test. After having contractions for 16 hours and not sleeping the previous 2 nights, she was exhausted. Poor thing ...

But once again, we were sent home and told to come back the following day for another Non-Stress Test because the baby failed that one. Well, baby Emerson didn't want to wait. I received a phone call at 4:47am .... it was Leasa, the baby had begun to crown at home and the were racing to the hospital. I was getting up and getting ready to meet them when I receive a text, Emerson had been born! They arrived at the hospital at 5:06am, Leasa went to change but was only able to get one shoe off before the baby started coming ... Emerson was born at 5:11am, December 18th, 2010.

Emerson with big sister Jaida ... Jaida did not want to let her go. She is loving her baby sister.

The 3 girls as the proud daddy looks on ...

Congratulations Leasa and Michael! She is so, so, so beautiful!!

'Tis The Season ...

2010-12-10T09:30:00.001-08:00

On Dec. 3rd, we made our way to the mall to visit the REAL Santa!! Santa had teamed up with Macy's to raise a little bit of holiday cash for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Of course the Make-A-Wish foundation is a very special one in my mind. I have been a part of the congenital heart defect world for over 11 years now, since my 3rd child Zachary was born with 2 heart defects. Many children born with a congenital heart defect benefit from the awesome work that those involved at the Make-A-Wish foundation do. Zachary was not involved with Make-A-Wish, he passed away at 6 months old during open heart surgery but many of my fellow "heart families" have had so many memorable and fantastic memories because of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Here is Santa reading Twas the Night Before Christmas to all the kids.

Kayleigh was so excited to see Santa, however ... she didn't dare go without her mom right by her side. Lara hates her picture taken but suffered through it for her daughter and a great organization.

Below we have Alyssa with Santa ... she was so very excited to read to Santa what she wrote on her "wish card."

Here is Santa informing us that Alyssa wants a puppy for Christmas and is very positive Santa is going to bring her one. Um ... yeah.

It was a fabulously fun couple hours. Watching the joy within the hearts of the little children, feeling the energy within the air and just focusing on the important things in life. Thanks so much to Macy's and the Make-A-Wish foundation for all your do to make life long memories for kids who go through so much more than any child should have to.

6 Months - Baby Maxwell and Family

2010-12-07T07:37:00.001-08:00

It is amazing to me how time flies! Before Dave and Catrina imaged having these two beautiful little kiddo's, I was at there wedding shooting as a 2nd shooter for Amy Carroll. Then, 2.5 years ago, again I was with Amy has she captured newborn memories of little Abby and now we have baby Max and he is already 6 months old! It is so fun to watch the love and happiness within a family grow!!

Max's big sister, Abby. She was my little princess for the day ... she did a marvelous job ... not only was she a beautiful little princess, she had all the diva-ness that goes along with being a 2.5 year old princess...:-)

As much as we tried, Max was much more interested in the Christmas tree than having his picture taken.

As you can see from Max's face, our little adventure outside into the frozen tundra didn't last long.

So it was back inside to the warm coziness of the nursery, he was much happier there.

It was great seeing you both again ... you have a beautiful family and I hope you enjoy your preview!!

Happily Ever After - Amy and Jon

2010-11-29T08:12:00.001-08:00

I truly enjoyed myself Friday during Amy and Jon's wedding. The two of them have such an energy between them. Jon is such a silly, goof ball and had everyone laughing the entire day and Amy ... she is just so sweet and kind. The two of them complement each other so well.

The beautiful bride ...

The handsome groom ...

The I Do's ....

This was one of this biggest dancing crowds I have seen in a long time. I don't recall a time during the evening when this dance floor wasn't packed!

Amy even got grandma up there to take a spin on the dance floor.

I hope you enjoy your preview ... And again, I wish you both a very happy, healthy, long life of love together!

Sweetheart Session - Courtney and Tom

2010-11-08T06:22:00.001-08:00

On Saturday I met up with Courtney and Tom. They wanted to have a session ... just because, no special occasion, no reason - just to have it. So sweet. Despite the chilliness of the day, it was a beautiful day for it, the skies were amazing and the couple was just delightful! Love it!!

Class of 2011 - Alexis

2010-11-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

I have to say, this session was very bittersweet for me. It is so exciting when I think my daughter is a senior, when I think about her future and all it holds for her ... however, to think of my daughter as a senior ... I just can't believe it. As I was taking her pictures memories, visions, thoughts of her as a child - baby ... they all ran through my mind. She's grown up so quickly into such a beautiful, smart young lady ... who thinks having her picture taken is worse than having a tooth pulled. lol

Of course, we had to grab a few with Alexis and Baloo.

3 Kiddo's, woods and chickens!

2010-11-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon I drove up to Cedar Springs for a fabulous shoot in the woods. Not only were there 3 adorable kiddos, there were chickens. I have to say the chickens were a little shy and liked to hide but the kids had a great time trying to find them!

This little cutie pie here is just like her Aunt Shannon (my cousin). Shannon, as a child, was often referred to as a little ham ... Kayleigh is just like her. It was impossible to get a candid shot of this child, it was like she sensed the camera pointed in her direction and posed instantly.

The reasoning for this shoot was because all of Shannon's nieces and nephews were in town last weekend and Shannon wanted pictures of all the kids together, well ... out of the few hundred pictures that were taken, this is one of the few with them all together. Trying to get a 5 year old, 1 year old and 1.5 year old sitting, together when there are woods to be explored ... I think we might have had better luck trying for world peace...:-)

Some may remember this little pumpkin from previous shoots. I have been taking Nathan's picture since he was 4 months old ... I gets more adorable and a bigger personality every time I see him!

This little handsome guy is my cousin Steve's boy ... This is the first time I have even met him since they don't live in town but what a cutie, I don't think he stops smiling!

Courtney and Kiddo's!

2010-10-26T06:57:00.001-07:00

I met up with Courtney and her kiddo's last night. We had tenitively scheduled a family shoot for this week sometime, just like every year and thought we had better get it in yesterday, before these crazy winds and rain. We could not have ordered a more perfect evening for a family photo session. Perfect weather, adorable kids and a great location ... it doesn't get much better.

I couldn't believe Courtney when I seen her ... this chicky poo is looking like one hot mama!!

And seriously .. do they get any cuter??

This one here made my job easy, he picked all his photo spot locations and did a FABULOUS job with it!!

And the twins ...

From Diva to ...

Tomboy in 3.2 seconds...

What a princess we have here ... I can't get enough of those blue eyes!

Do you see how excited these boys were to see me ... they love me!

Brad, Nicole and Brody

2010-10-17T15:52:00.001-07:00

I typically keep my Sundays as my day off. I so enjoy just relaxing on the couch and really doing much of nothing on Sundays. However, we had to reschedule Brad and Nicoles family shoot and today was the day that worked. Even though I was technically working, it didn't feel much like work photographing them! I've known Brad and Nicole for awhile now but I think Brody was only waist high last time I seen them ... um ... the boy has grown!

It was great seeing you all again Nicole! Hope you enjoy your preview!!

Mindy, John and 2 beautiful girls!

2010-10-17T15:42:00.001-07:00

I started my day yesterday taking pictures of 2 adorable little boys and ended the day playing with 2 beautiful little girls! I have to say it was a great day. These girls were just such cutie pies. They did so good with the posed pictures I had to reward them! What could be better than getting to throw a bunch of leaves at daddy!!

And of course I had to grab a few pictures of this adorable family member!!

Mother Daughter Time

2010-10-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a day filled with family sessions. I had never done an actual Mother Daughter session but how fun! It was a beautiful afternoon so we just had fun walking around and stopping here and there to grab a picture or two.

I hope you enjoy your preview Laurie! It was great meeting the two of you!

Patrick, Kristen and 2 adorable boys!!

2010-10-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

This morning I met up with Patrick and Kristen along with their 2 adorable little boys. We had a beautiful sunshiney morning which made for a fabulous picture day!! I have to say, picking a few pictures to post to the blog was fairly difficult, this family is just beautiful.

This ones for you Carter! Carter was very excited to see the picture of him running really fast!

Check out the dimples on this boy!

I warned everyone ... these boys are flippin' adorable!

Hope you guys enjoy your preview!!

More Fall Goodness!

2010-10-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

I totally took advantage of this last weekend with fun, family and fall time goodness! Sunday we spent a perfect fall day with family doing fabulous fall activities. There was football games, pumpkin carving, yums for the tums and just all around fun.

Here is Alyssa trying to feed Keith the yummy goo out of her pumpkin ...

Baby Chloe being adorable ...

Gracie and Kayla in the background trying out their Halloween costumes ...

Pumpkins & horses - Fun, Fall, Fabulousness!

2010-10-09T10:31:00.001-07:00

Although I'm a not a fan of cold weather, I have to admit, I do love fall. It is nearly impossible to look around and not see all God's beautiful art work surrounding us. Last night, I make a spur of the moment decision to pack up the family and go out to enjoy it a little. We heading up to Fruit Ridge Hayrides where we took a beautiful ride through the cornfields and woods on a horse drawn wagon.

After a bit, we were dropped off in a very extensive pumpkin patch where the kids had their pick of hundreds of pumpkins. They had a difficult time picking but after soon found the perfect ones!

Before leaving, we had to make a quick stop by the petting area. I'm not 100% sure but I think I might have enjoyed this more than the kids.

Denzelle - Newborn

2010-09-27T10:18:00.001-07:00

With my youngest being 6 now, it is always a huge pleasure of mine to go to a newborn shoot! I get to see new little babies, take pictures of their cuteness, and love on them a little. Denzelle was a sleeping little man but did briefly wake up near the end of our shoot to give us a few adorable little open eyed images.

William and Sandy

2010-09-15T14:18:00.001-07:00

About a month ago, Keith started doing some painting and drywall work for William, that's when I met him. I super enjoyed talking to William the first second I met him. After Keith finished up his work there, I was actually sad I wouldn't be hearing about how he was doing anymore. So, today I was delighted to photograph William and his wife Sandy! Sandy currently resides in Florida while William stays in Michigan until his fast approaching retirement date. However, Sandy and William are fairly use to a long distant relationship ... that's how thier's started.

While talking with the two of them, I learned how they met. They were doing e-harmony before e-harmony was even thought of! Sandy lived in South Dakota and William in Michigan. They had mutual friends and began talking by phone. They talked for 8 months before he schedule a 2 week vacation to met her in person for the first time.

At the end of the 2 weeks ... he asked her to marry him. She agreed under one condition ... there would be NO divorce, maybe murder but no divorce. lol Totally made me smile.

19 years later ... they are so obviously still in love. They can't look at each other without smiling and laughing. After watching them together ... I think it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway ... if you have someone you can smile and laugh with, without even having to say a word, you have someone you might want to hang onto.

Sandy and William ... you two are awesome! I hope you enjoy your preview!

Chelsea - Senior Session

2010-08-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I have had the most amazing seniors this year. I have been so blessed ... all my girls have just been a joy to work with and Chelsea was no different. Chelsea and her mom were referred to me by a long time client Ashley Ashley told me Chelsea was beautiful and the camera loved her, Ashley was not joking! The camera seriously loved this girl!!

I had so much fun at your session and Brenda ... thanks for all the help, you were awesome!! Hope you guys enjoy your preview.

In Memory of Kiara

2010-08-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we lost a much loved member of our family. To those of you who have a great love for dogs like I do, you can understand what a great loss this is. Baloo and Kiara were suppose to have a fun-filled weekend staying with Mema while we took a little weekend camping trip. The puppers loved going to memas ... she has a huge fenced in yard for them to run around in and be crazy. Friday afternoon, only hours after we dropped them off ... I got a phone call. The kids had left the dogs outside to play, when they went to let them in, they found Baloo in the pool but couldn't find Kiara. They made a quick search of the pool for Kiara but didn't see her in the cloudly water so the neighborhood search began. After searching for over 2 hours, they decided they needed to do a better search of the pool ... my mom found her. The dogs would have never jumped in the pool on their own, especially not Kiara, she wasn't especially fond of the water. Our best guess is they were playing around and fell in. Unfortunatly, it seems Kiara must have gotten hurt during the fall ... our hearts are breaking ... Baloo and Kiara both are very much a part of our family. Kiara has always been "Mama's Baby." She's my little shadow, always protecting me ... the whole family. When Alyssa would cry, Kiara would rub on her and literally cry right along with as if to feel her pain. Kiara would have been 1 year old next month ...

Below are a few pictures that we have taken of her life with us ....

The day we brought her home ....

Christmas 2009 ....

22 weeks ...

Spring 2010 ...

A few weeks ago ... rough-housing with her brother ... Baloo is having such a difficult time as well, he is really missing his sister.

My sweet baby girl ... always so happy with those sweet trusting eyes. She is so missed and loved. The house feels so empty without her.

Lauren - Senior Session!

2010-08-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

I talked with Mary, Laurens mom a few weeks ago about doing Lauren's senior session. When we were discussing what location we should go to, Mary suggested her friends house. Mary tried to describe to me what it was like there and I admit it sounded fabulous but I didn't know just how fabulous it was going to be. I mean seriously ... a 130 yr old house, completely restored, gorgous landscaping, and even a goat!! I was so in awe of it all I commented to Mary that the lighting and background was amazing ... Mary asked but what about the pictures? LOL ... I just had to laugh and say, "Hmmm, they are ok." Hope you and Lauren think they are more than ok and you enjoy your preview!

Lauren is a Water Polo player so of course we had to get a few pictures by the pool.

Jill and Scott - Married!

2010-08-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday I was delighted to spend a few hours with Jill and Scott on their wedding day! Jill and Scott were married in Saugatuck at the fabulous Felt Mansion. The mansion itself was amazing, the grounds were beautiful and when you add a fabulous looking couple to the mix, WOW is about the only word I have.

This picture here describes Scott the entire day!

If you search the Felt Mansion, it is said to be one of the most haunted places in Michigan so my question is ... a simple glare on the camera lens or something more?? :-)

This was a very funny ... Jill and Scott did a little newly-wed game during the reception, it got tons of laughs from everyone!

The Thursday before before the wedding was the adorable little flowers girls one year birthday. And Jills brothers birthday was actually the same day as the wedding. Jill and Scott are so thoughtful, even with all the wedding planning they wanted to be sure to recognize their special days as well.

Congratulations again!!!

Lissette, Dave and Baby

2010-08-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

Today I traveled down to Kalamazoo where I got to meet the new addition to Lissette and Daves family. I took Lissette's maturity pictures back in February and was so excited to meet the little guy. Of course, during our session, we couldn't leave Stewy out ... he is kinda a camera hog but I was ok with it...:-) I kinda love dogs.

We actually re-enacted a shot I did at the maturity session ... only this time instead of a cute baby bump, we had a cute baby!

Sleep tight little one ... sorry for waking you ... hope you were able to go back to dreamland quickly after I left and took that scary camera out of your face.

Family Session - Pentwater

2010-08-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday I had a lovely drive up to the fabulous town of Pentwater. I was hoping to make a fun family day of it but schedules didn't work out. However, I did met the Retish Family who were vacationing there from all over the U.S.

Take a good look at the crew below, one of them just could be the next Tony Hawk.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of your vacation and enjoy your preview.

Nathan - 18 Months

2010-08-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I headed out to Holland to meet Nathan and his mom and dad. I have been taking pictures of Nathan since he was a little, itty, bitty baby ... It has been so fun to watch him grow!! Although Nathan was NOT very interested at all in sitting down or standing still to get those traditional "posed" shots, he had much fun running around and playing in true Nathan fashion.

Beautiful Family Ashley and Brian ... I hope you enjoy your preview!

The Polar Bear War

2010-07-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

This is how is starts ... Kiara ... waiting sliently behind some wood, the door, or the swing set ... she then gives Baloo "the look."

All of a sudden nearly 200lbs of mass leap into the air, throwing themselves at one another.

After a few minutes ... there is a slight break ... just before ...

It begins again ...

With the short attention span these playful pups have ... it isn't to long before one or the other ... in this case Baloo ... hears or sees something that catches thier attention and they very quickly have to go and check it out.

*as a side note ... that is a 6 foot fence behind Baloo*

Brandi's Senior Session

2010-07-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thank You Mother Nature! We had just enough breaks in the rain last night for me to drive out to Rockford and have a fabulous Senior Session with Brani. She was undecided where to go for her session and in the end, decided to just have it in her backyard. Surrounded by the woods, we just walked and grabbed a few shots here and there. Despite Brandi's dislike of pictures and cameras, she was quite the natural model behind the lens.

When Brandi went in for a quick color change, this sweet little kitty decided to come and check out what I was doing ... I loved this cat!

I had a great time meeting you and your dad Brandi! I hope you enjoy your preview and good luck with those college choices!

Andrew & Brianna - Married

2010-07-18T08:16:00.001-07:00

On June 19th, I had an awesome opportunity to flash back in time! I was second shooting for Amy, from Amy Carroll Photography. We had so much fun with Bri and Andrew! They had a gorgous wedding and reception, they are amazing people and I was so happy to be a part of their special day! Thanks for taking me along Amy!

Congratulations again to Bri and Andrew! I wish you a lifetime of happiness!

Michael and Leasa - May 22, 2010

2010-06-04T11:14:00.001-07:00

Michael and Leasa were married on a beautiful spring afternoon! The day started off fairly crazy. I got a phone call at 10:30am asking if I could help Leasa with her hair since the stylist was not so fabulous. Um ... I've NEVER claimed to be a stylist but I did what I could. After rushing through the getting ready process, we headed up to Michaels grandparents in Rockford where final touches and a few tears were shed before the ceremony began.

The ceremony, despite the late start, couldn't have been more beautiful! Michaels grandparents have the most amazingly beautiful garden in front of their georgous yard in Rockford.

And the minister they had did such a beautiful job. Leasa has two beautiful girls. The minister including them in a ring giving ceremony. Very touching!!

Sealed with a kiss!

Congratulations again Michael and Leasa! I hope you know what you are getting yourself into Michael...:-) I can say that, Leasa is my sister ... I know her ALL to well.

Celebrating Spring

2010-04-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago Jamie contacted me to have some family pictures done. Of course, I am always excited to grab my camera and have some fun snapping pictures, capturing the love within a family. I have to honestly admit though, when hearing Jamie had a 7 year old, 4 year old and 2 year old ... I thought to myself, this could be a challenging sessions. Oh my goodness, I was so far off. These kiddo's were perfect! I loved them...:-)
Here's 4 yr old Corbin, Jamie let him know I have sent this picture on to Thomas and Thomas LOVES it...:-)

And how about this blue-eyed beauty queen! She was so cute wanting to hold my hand while walking down the street.

And below we have Miss. B ... at least that's what she said people sometimes call her...:-) With the poses this girl was coming up with I see modeling in her future.

And little Corbin had to get a picture of just his mom, how cute!

Jamie - Hope you enjoy your preview! I truly enjoyed the shoot ... your kiddo's are so sweet!!

Olivia and Benny

2010-04-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

Well, Monday was both a happy and sad day for me! I have been taking pictures of Olivia for a year and a half now. She is the sweetest thing and I adore watching her grow. Monday I got to meet her baby brother, Benny, I was so excited. Seeing him ALMOST made me want another baby ... almost...:-) The sad part of it all is, within the next 2 weeks, they will be moving to South Carolina...:( I'm thrilled for them but I have to say quite sad as well since even though I travel, South Carolina is a bit far.

I hope you enjoy your preview Rachel, good luck with the move!!

Spring Time Adventures

2010-04-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday it was so beautiful I knew we had to get out and do something! A friend had informed me of a little secret loction with a family of eagles! Um ... EAGLES! I wanted to play with eagles so I loaded up the kiddos and the dogs and off we went in search of our flying friends. Sadly, due to the floods from Heaven the previous week, many of the trails were flooded and to muddy to continue on our search for eagles but we did have fun along the way just seeing what we could see.
Alyssa found a jolly rancher in her pocket!

My handsome boy ...

Noah and my "adopted" child Hunter ..

My beautiful baby girl again.

My other beautiful girl ... Kiara.

The big boy Baloo posing so nicely.

Our adopted child Hunter ... ok, so maybe legally he's not adopted but I am commonly referred to as his 2nd mom...:-)

Lissette, Dave & Baby Bump

2010-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00

This morning I had a beautiful, sunny drive down to Kalamazoo to meet with Lissette & Dave. Everyone knows my love for pupper dogs so when I was greeted at the door by their fabulous little (well not so little) pupper dog I just knew it was going to be a wonderful shoot!! Lissette has that wonderful pregnancy glow ... she looked beautiful. Dave has a great sense of humor and added much fun to the shot.

Isn't she just beautiful ...

Lissette and Dave are both nurses so of course, when Dave went to rest his head on the baby bump, he first had to check babies position and make sure all was well. Very cute....:-)

Congratulations Lissette and Dave ... I hope you enjoy your preview!!

December 31, 2009 - Jen and Dave!

2010-01-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

Jen and Dave had a beautiful New Years Eve Wedding! Everything was just beautiful, the flowers, the details, the evening, and check out this bride and groom!! I enjoyed spending my New Years Eve with them on their very special day and wish them all the luck and love that is possible in the upcoming year and their lives together.

Jen started her day with these fabulous shiney shoes ... PERFECT!

And before walking around town, Jen slipped into these most amazing boots!

After being announced into the reception, the bridal party started the celebration off fabulously with the most amazing dance. The totally rocked it out and got everyone in the move to get up on the dance floor!

Santa Buddies

2009-11-28T07:57:00.001-08:00

Is it strange that my furry little 10 week old puppies pose better for me than my own children? I try to get pictures of the kids and they tell me, "No more pictures mom." Good thing I have these adorable little fluff balls now!! Who um ... by the way are 10 weeks old and Baloo (yes, we changed his name, Baloo is MUCH more fitting for his personality!) is about 27 lbs and Kiara is about 19lbs!

Meet Kiara and Beast

2009-11-18T17:21:00.003-08:00

Earlier this year, my little little Shih-tzu puppies had to be put to sleep. One had cancer and the other had skin, eye and ear problems that over the years grew to be very uncomfortable for her. They were both 10, almost 11 years old. Since then, I have been researching puppies to find the perfect fit for our family. I grew up with big dogs and kinda wanted another big dog after having 2 little puppies. Well, I guess when I go big, I go real big! I found the Great Pyrenees Breed online a few months ago and fell in love! After seeing the "save the polar bears" commercial, I joked about getting a polar bear ... I guess in a sense I did! Great Pyrenees can grow anywhere from 80 to 150lbs! They are like like huge, white snowballs or polar bears. I found a Great Pyrenees Rescue right here in Michigan and it just so happened, they had puppies! The mom and the dad were handed over to the rescue a week before the mom gave birth to 10 completely adorable puppies ... 5 boys and 5 girls. I went there with the intent of getting one puppy. However, after seeing them I couldn't pick ... I wanted them all!! I did use a bit of restraint and didn't take all 10. So, meet our new additions ... the all white one is Beast (From Beauty and the Beast 1 of my Fav Disney movies) and Kiara (from Lion King my other fav Disney movie). They made themselves quite at home...:-)

This is the puppies mama. She's the sweetest thing and such a good mama. She's only 2 years old and this is her 4th litter of puppies! Neededless to say, as soon as she's all healed up she's going to be spayed. 4 litters of 10ish puppies ... this poor mama's had quite enough!

Courtney and Crew

2009-11-13T11:43:00.001-08:00

Meet Courtney and her crew ... an adorable little crew for sure!! We had lots of fun just running around and having fun. I even let the kids set up some of their own shots ... I'm thinking a few of them might have a future career in photography!

Leasa, Kayla and Jaida

2009-11-13T11:37:00.000-08:00

I have so say, I thought this session was going to be on the harder side. Not for any reason other than ... this is my sister and my 2 neices. My 2 little adorable neices are not only my neices, I have taken care of them pretty much since they were born so they are more like part time children of mine. Any of us who have kids all know, our kids are much worse for US than for anyone else. I was totally expecting a little rebellion from the little angels but nope ... they proved me wrong and were perfect!

Deacon 1 year old

2009-11-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago (yes, very behind on posts ... I was without internet for almost a month!!) Deacon and his mom and dad meet up with me at Spring Groove Park in Hudsonville. Deacon's mom wanted to have some fun pictures taken of Deacon for his 1st birtday. Let me say, he is not a hard child to take pictures of. Everytime I pointed the camera in his direction and said "boo" he laughed and gave us the most beautiful smiles. I can't wait to get together with the family again soon for some fun Christmas photos!!

Olivia - 2 years old!

2009-10-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was so excited to be doing Olivia's 2 year old pictures! Last year I photographed Olivia for her 1 year session so it was great seeing how much she grew!! Olivia is actually the beautiful little blue-eyed baby in my header! She still has those amazing blue eyes. Only now, she has little blond, beautiful curls to go with them. We had much fun running around and playing in the leaves during her session. Although, people must have wondered what I was doing when I walked through Family Fare after the session pulling leaves out of the hood on my jacket..:-)

Shhhh ... she's in her thoughtful spot.

Jackie and Ryan - Married!!

2009-10-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I headed over to Comstock Park for Jackie and Ryans wedding! The ceremony was beautiful and after, we had lots of time to drive around to get some fun pictures! After that, it was off to Hudsonville for the reception ... I have to say, it was quite the party!!

Congratulations again Jackie and Ryan!! Hope you are enjoying the warm weather in Flordia!!

Nathan - 8 Months Old

2009-10-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

after having to reschedule our Saturday session, I was able to meet with Ashley, Brian and little Nathan yesterday. We meet up in Rockford to get some fun family pictures for Nathan's 8 month birthday. Nathan was very much enjoying all of the fun surroundings and I THINK if mom and dad would have let me go for 2 seconds, he would have gladly went for a swim. He was loving the sound and looks of all that water!

Family Fabulousness

2009-09-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

I scheduled a session with Miya, one of the beautiful girls in these pictures about doing family pictures in June! I was very excited when September finally got here and I was able to meet up with this family. I meet them down in Kalamazoo and we had a great time just walking around the Arcadia District and grabbing shots as we walked.

Fabulous Senior Session

2009-09-05T20:42:00.001-07:00

This past Wednesday I had a fabulousy wonderful senior session out in Grand Haven. Olivia and her mom Jennifer were so fun to work with!! I just loved every second of this shoot!! Um seriously ... can we say we have the next Abercrombie model here!?!? She is just beautiful!!

Kari and Nick

2009-09-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

Kari and Nick had a beautiful wedding and reception at the Fredick Meijer Gardens. Neither Kari or Nick let the 65 degree weather in August nor the rain dampen their spirits about the day one bit!

Here's Kari making it all legal...

The coordinator at the Gardens was amazing that day. She kept us up to date on the pending weather and storms ... Kari was determined to get married by the waterfalls, rain or shine. It was very cloudy and misting through most of the ceremony, but they got their wish!

The groom ...

And beautiful bride

Samantha's Senior Shoot

2009-07-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

I didn't know whether to call this post Samantha's Senior Shoot or the Blue-eyed Blog ... Seriously, You will understand when you see the pictures! Anyway, today I was very excited for this shoot. I am excited for all my shoots but this one is sort of near and dear to my heart. I have known Samantha this since was born! She was almost like my first child ... it is so crazy (and exciting) that she is going to be a Senior this year. It is so strange to see her as the beautiful young lady she is now ...

Sam and her boyfriend Adam...

Um ... yea ... Can you tell they are related? Sam and her mom Chris ... Crazy and I have been friends since I was like 14 and since I am only 24 (seriously, lol) that is like 10 years. Ha

Family Fun

2009-06-23T10:13:00.001-07:00

Friday evening I drove down to Portage and meet up with a fabulous family to do a little family session. From what I was hearing, the family was long overdue for a family session! Thankfully, the rain stayed north during our session and we were able to make it through. My drive home was a different story. I was lucky enough to drive right through the storms that come through on Friday evening. I do love storms but not so much driving in them! That's a little scary!

I was warned at the beginning of this session that one of the sisters was a blinker and that the little baby Marissa didn't love to look at cameras. During the entire session, I was shaking my keys while taking pictures to get Marissas attention focused on me and the camera. At one point during this little walking pose, I set my keys down ... Marissa noticed that right away and was on a mission to get those keys!!

This here was a requested pictures from the brothers. I thought it was just to cute!

I had a great time working with you all! Hope you enjoy your preview!

Michele and Steve - Married!

2009-06-18T07:17:00.001-07:00

Michele and Steve had the most beautiful day for thier wedding day. The temperature ... perfect, the sky ... perfect, the surroundings ... perfect, and the bride ... can we say amazing! Michele looked stunning on her wedding day and Steve looking pretty amazing too!

Michele is Amy Carroll's childhood friend. They have been friends since Jr. High. Since Amy was in the wedding, she wasn't really able to shoot the wedding. But, any of us that know Amy, know what she couldn't resist snapping at least a few shots during Michele's amazing day. So here she is, rocking it in 3+ inch heels and a bridesmaid dress....:-)

MARRIED!

Congratulations Michele and Steve! Can't wait to hear the news about little ones on the way...:-)

Wedding - Cindy and Adam

2009-06-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

On May 24th, Amy Carroll and I traveled over to the Lansing area to shoot the fabulous wedding of Cindy and Adam. Everything about this day was beautiful!! The weather, the dresses, the colors, the flowers ... the love that was so obvious between Cindy and Adam. It was all just amazing!! Being the 2nd shooter for the day, I got to sit back and just capture some of the more candid moments and different angels.

Getting ready for the big moment ...

A gift from Cindy to her dad....

Walking down a beautiful walking/running path to meet her soon to be husband...

The moment has arrived ...

It's offical .... they are married!!

Congratulations you two!!!