Madeline

Being  Madeline’s photographer gives me a great excuse to spend some time every few months with her and her mom, Kristi, neither of whom I get to see nearly often enough!  Kristi and I were usually  joined at the hip in college;  We were “StephandKristi” to most people who knew us well!  Now she lives in Woodbury and I’m in Lonsdale, and it just seems too far away!

This day, she came early, brought us lunch from this fabulous place by her house called Angelina’s Kitchen (if you go there, you MUST order the banana pudding for dessert!) and in between eating and chatting forever, I photographed Maddie!  We had such a nice day.  Being home during the weekdays in a small town can sometimes feel isolating.  Even though I generally have more on my plate than I care to think about, I crave the company of friends–and this was long overdue!

Kristi had these adorable hats with her that she purchased on Etsy.  The hats have a button on the side and you can change out the flowers.   I actually just purchased my own set this morning, so if I’m photographing your baby girl soon, you have something to look forward to!

Here’s the link if you’d like to have one of your own!

Bouquet Beanies by crochetmama

They are SO cute!

Now while I’m on the subject of cute;  check out this cute subject!!

I think Maddie is going to be a yoga instructor.  She really likes this plank position…I got several shots of her doing this, and this one is my favorite!

This little thaw we’re having this week has me dreaming of summer.  Since I’m not scheduling sessions this week or next, I thought I’d post a few photos from a session this past year. (Right now it feels like a LONG, LONG time ago!)  I really loved these kids, and at the time that I finished editing them, I was just too busy to post them to my blog!  It always bugged me a little that I never got back to doing that–I guess now I can sleep better at night!

These were taken on super hot day by Lake Harriet.  Looking at them again makes me want to get into some shorts and flip flops!

Happy Birthday Fletcher!

Becker

Like most people out there, I’m without a doubt my own worst critic.  This day, however, I had to give myself a little pat on the back!  It took some serious coaxing to get  Becker to even stand on the backdrop, much less look at the camera. The funny thing is, in hindsight I don’t even remember what I said or did to make him come around.  Whatever it was, it worked!

Happy Birthday, Elyssa!

Life is moving way too fast for this time of year, and we’ve been dealing with some heath issues with our dog to boot.  (He’s actually in surgery today, so I’m praying  he will come home a happy healthy dog again!….Fingers crossed!)

With any luck, this weekend I’m going to try to get caught up on a mother load of blog posts I’ve been meaning to make over the past two weeks!

Holden

I went to meet Holden and his parents last weekend.  He was a few weeks older than I generally like to photograph newborns, but he was such a little peanut that it really didn’t seem to matter!  His mom likes him in hats (she thinks he looks like Benjamin Button without one;  and I’m pretty sure she’s talking about the old man version! )  but I think with or without them, he is beautiful!

Sophie and Brock

I stayed up a little past my bedtime tonight so I could surprise my sister tomorrow morning with some of the most recent photographs I took of my niece and nephew.  (SURPRISE, Nicci!!)  They were here last weekend for their landmark photo session.  (Sophie just turned three, and Brock is already 18 months!)  I had to post more than a few:  Nicci had been shopping around for their outfits for awhile, and I love what she picked out!   They both looked A-dor-a-ble!

For the record: Sophie DOES NOT like her boots.  (We found that out during her holiday card shoot.)  We helped her forget about them just long enough to get some good shots this time!

(Brock was a little fidgety until we let him be in charge of the music.)

The elusive sibling portraits… Oh well; I guess we did alright!  (The lollipops might have helped a bit!)

This is one good way to tell the session is over:

I came across this last year about this time;  I thought anyone in a creative field could totally relate.  I found it so inspiring I had to dig it up again!

Romance on the Icy Tundra…

If it seems like I’ve been on hiatus, I haven’t. I’ve just been really, really bad at blogging!  I was really in a groove there for awhile, but now I’m shifting my focus to the business end of things.  (i.e., updating my brochures/pricing, and my horribly out dated website!)  I’ve already completed my price list, so now comes the creative part — my site!   It’s always really difficult for me to choose what images will end up there.  Of course I have my favorites;  the challenge lies in making sure that I’m showing the diversity in my work, and picking the images accordingly.   Anyway, I’m sure it will take longer than I expect.  It always does.

For now here are some photographs from the world’s fastest outdoor engagement shoot.  It was FREEZING cold this day…record breaking temps.  I was just really bent on doing it outdoors since studio engagement portraits can be somewhat tricky and awkward.  Jaime and Josh were here from South Dakota, so it’s not like it would have been easy for them to reschedule on a warmer day.  By the time we got back inside, my fingers were numb, and I was having a hard time talking.  I don’t even think we could have been outside for more than 20 minutes!  I might have liked a little more time, but afterward we went inside and took a few studio shots, anyway!

(Have I mentioned at all that I would really love a warm weather destination vacation anytime now?)

As long as I’m on the subject of engagements, I might as well mention that I am going to be very busy with weddings this summer.  I’m doing some freelance work for a couple other companies this year, and they will book me when they can unless I’ve given them close out dates.  My point is, if you are seriously considering booking me for your wedding, you should let me know ASAP so we can get a contract signed and your date on my calendar!

Balance

Just after I had commented to a friend that I hadn’t gotten my “annual cold” yet, it came from out of nowhere;  complete with laryngitis.  It’s not really bad enough to keep me in bed, but it’s definitely enough to take away much of my energy and ambition.  I’ve really had to plow through these last couple of days, which have not been easy with my husband working late and Aidan wanting my constant attention…  Such is the life of a mom!

Judging by the time Jeff has been walking through the door at the end of the day, I won’t be scheduling many appointments during the week for awhile!  (At least until Aidan goes to full time Kindergarten.)   I no longer have the luxury of daddy daycare!

As much as I hate to admit it, I may have overextended myself a tad over the past few months.    I wasn’t always proud of the quantity and quality of time I was spending with my family, and there were times I wasn’t able to offer the kind of follow through with clients I usually pride myself on.  Fortunately for me, I managed to eke through it, but I don’t want to put myself in that situation again.  SO: I’ve decided I’m  just going to have to schedule weekend time slots, and once they’re filled, they’re filled.   I need to find a way to balance my time now that I’m a working stay at home mom again.  (Just so you know; If you want your portraits taken in the spring or summer, it’s not too early to call now!)

Audrey

Remember my last maternity posting of the nice couple with the adorable Vizsla?  Well, they had their baby, Audrey, over the holidays.   They drove up from Rochester, and since the roads weren’t fabulous and I didn’t have another appointment scheduled until later, we just spent a relaxed and enjoyable morning chatting while I shot these: