Metzger Family

This family photo session was one of my favorites! I had photographed Lilly this summer when she turned two and one of her mom's sisters contacted me to do a whole family session at Thanksgiving. It quickly turned into one of my favorite sessions for several reasons. First....they live in an amazing house...and I got a quick tour before we began. I think I could have stayed there all day and shot photos in various locations both inside and outside of their gorgeous home!

Second....there are three sisters in this family...and coming from a family of three girls I instantly felt comfortable with these three....

Their grandma lives with their parents....she is 93 years old but so spunky! She truly loves her granddaughters. She completely reminded me of my own 93 year old Grandma...especially the way she held each girl's hand as we took photos!

And then there were the husband/boyfriends of the girls....I'm sure that a family photo session was not at the top of their list of things to do on a Sunday afternoon. But they were so willing to do whatever we came up with and you could see how much a part of this family they are.....

THANKS again Metzger family for asking me into your home to take photos of your family!!

Cohen {2 weeks old}

Meah - one of my favorite photography subjects - is a big sister....and I got to go take photos of her new baby brother, Cohen! I spent the morning before Thanksgiving with them taking photos of Cohen and being entertained by Meah. I took photos of Meah when she was this age....so it was so fun to be able to capture photos of Cohen to add to their photo collection!

Angie {senior}

Angie is Cheryl's younger sister. I was so surprised when Cheryl's mom called me and asked me to take Angie's senior photos. I knew this would be a fun photo session because Angie has such an amazing personality and I have gotten to know she and her mom so well. Angie didn't disappoint me - she had me laughing the whole time!! The day we scheduled was not the best - in fact it started misting right before they arrived....but we made the best of it. We started with some outdoor photos and then moved on to the library. I have never shot photos there before, but I loved the backdrop it provided! A week later we met at Jodi's studio which she so graciously let me borrow for a little bit so we could do some more formal studio shots. Studio shots with backdrops and lighting is definitely not my thing, but I was grateful for the opportunity to experiment.

Rylee and Kinley...

Rylee and Kinley are my cousin Kara's daughters....and just about the cutest little girls ever! Kara wanted some photos for Christmas card, so I suggested a mini photo shoot during Thanksgiving at Grandma L's. The weather wasn't too cooperative...but thank goodness for Grandma's covered front porch. It was the perfect spot for a quick photo shoot with Rylee and Kinley!

A little internet love....

I have 9 photo sessions (YES...NINE!) to edit and share, but instead I am procrastinating. I love browsing the internet and blogs and finding creative and inspiring ideas....especially for my house. I thought I'd share a few of my recent favorites....

LOVE this camera bag that looks like a purse. I think I'll be saving my money for this!!


I am in LOVE with this perpetual calendar. I think I may have to work on this the next time I go to NYC. You can learn more about it here.

YUMMY! Caramel apple cider (recipe here)

What a fun idea! A chalkboard for your refrigerator as a place to write down leftovers so everyone knows what's hiding in the frig!

I absolutely need a big blank wall so I can do this at my house! I already have a lot of cameras...and love this method of displaying them.

AND...a few fun Christmas ideas....

I think these ornament wreaths are so pretty - especially the brown and blue!

www.eddieross.com

www.canadianliving.com

Or a topiary made from ornaments (LOVE the fun colors on this one)...

I would love a bunch of lanterns like this on my patio or on my front step...

Thankful....

As a kid, Thanksgiving used to be one of my least favorite holidays. There were no gifts and all you did was eat. It is now one of my favorite holidays....and this year seemed extra good.

• Thanksgiving dinner yesterday at Grandma L's - which meant lots of yummy food and time to visit with my family
• We only had to travel 45 min. this year, so we got home in time to do some Christmas decorating. LOVE listening to Christmas music and decorating our house.
• Jacob and I had a "date" and went to see New Moon. LOVED it...and Jacob is officially hooked
• This morning I got to sleep in while it was cold and yucky outside.
• I had 2 photo shoots today!
• Thanksgiving dinner with Chris' family today - more yummy food and more visiting with family
• I got to see CHERYL and LONDON and NATE this afternoon. We met for a quick photo session in the cold and then went to eat Chinese (more food!!). So excited to see them again.
• We all came back to our house to hang out and play a game - loved spending family time with the Ametewee's.
• More Christmas decorating.....love having all four of us decorate the tree. I love the memories behind every single ornament.
• Excited that I still have 2 more days of holiday weekend!!

Jenna's turn...

Jenna tagged along when I went with Jodi to take silhouette photos. She heard "cheerleaders" and was ready to go ! Afterwards, I snapped a few of her just for fun.

showing off her extension...

my favorite....this is so her right now and I love how I was able to capture what she is like at age 8....

Learning from the pro....

I am so fortunate to have a couple photographer friends who don't mind when I pick their brains and want to learn from them. Jodi is one of those photographer friends. I have been a huge fan of her silhouette photos for a long time and have been experiencing major sihouette envy. Seriously, no one can take a silhouette photo like Jodi. A few weeks ago she was doing a silhouette shoot for a senior and a couple of her friends and invited me to tag along. My photos can't even touch hers...but I had so much fun taking them. I can't wait until warmer weather so I can try some again.