· our · frame of mind

Doors are opening!!

2012-03-07T11:20:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I was contacted by one of Caldwell's finest about doing some head shots for her application to The Voice!!

I could go on and on about how great Kelsey is but the truth is: you all already know it!!

She has been a part of my life for 14 years and I am thankful for that every day!! She is smart, happy, positive, funny, genuine, honest, upbeat and WONDERFUL!!! She is just plain flat the best!!!! My children are old enough to not need a babysitter and still they beg us to go out on a date and hire Kelsey to come babysit them! :)

Here's a couple of images from our session.... while you look at them take a second to send up a little prayer for her!!

I can't wait to see what the future holds!!!

Awesome Family Session Today!!!

2012-02-26T18:36:00.001-06:00

I love meeting new people!!

I especially love meeting new people when they are fun people!! :)

A few weeks ago Tonya asked me about shooting this session since she'd be out of town and I am so glad I did!! What an awesome (and photographic) family!! Maci tagged along to help me carry props (the real truth is; she didn't want to stay home and work in the yard!) and ended up with a new best friend!! She was a big help though, drawing and playing while we worked on the images of Mom and Dad.

Tirzah and Bob, Thanks so much for sharing your day with us!! We had an absolute blast!!!

(and Maci)

2012-02-09T20:18:00.001-06:00

Soooo.... I decided tonight that our blog has been neglected... very, very neglected! :)

I'm going to try to be better at this... it just seems like such a toss up when I can jump on Facebook any second of any day and basically "blog" anything I want you to know about.

In trying to be better with the blog I'm going to start by share something I used to look towards for inspiration. Nike has had some awesome ad's throughout the years and one of their ads was my "go to" solution to everything through my drama filled teen years. (Yes, Mom, I'm admitting I had a little drama!) If I couldn't find a solution to my problem I would read and read this ad until something made me feel better. Maybe it was because it was about love, maybe it was because it was real, maybe it was just because I sat down and had a little time alone. Whatever the case, it worked. I was probably about 17 when I found this ad, I tore every part out of a magazine and still have it in a scrapbook. It meant the world to me and still does!!

Struggling with something you love? Read the Acts.... I guarantee you'll feel better!!!

Thanks, Nike, for keeping it real!!

FALLING IN LOVE IN SIX ACTS
A passion play
(Or what happens when you fall down that long well of passion
over a person, a place, a sport, a game, a belief, and your heart goes boom and your mind leaves town.)

ACT I LUST (I think I love you. Who are you anyway?)
Here it is, the big “Wow,” the big “Gee,” the big “Yes-Yes-Yes” you’ve been waiting for. This is where you find something or someone and believe they are better, greater, cuter, wiser, more wonderful than anything you have ever known. Lust isn’t a sin, it’s a necessity, for with lust as our guide we imagine our bodies moving the way our bodies were meant to move: we can do marathons with our feet, lift pounds with our arms, have stars in our eyes and do a nifty tango. And you think: I have no need of food, I have no need of sleep, I have no needs other than occasionally chewing a breath mint. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, probably because you haven’t happened to me yet. Now I can pass into the next Act, so poetically called:

ACT II EUPHORIA (Or: Oh Yippee, you’re mine.)
You feel funny inside. You feel funny outside. You feel you could do anything and no one would dare laugh at you. This love, you will treasure. You will not put it in the basement next to your rowing machine, treadmill, and thermal body sweat wrap. And you will not take this love for granted, because that is the biggest sin of all. And you say: I feel so good, I feel so strong, I feel actually attractive and I could learn to live with that feeling. Oh let us sing and dance and eat brown mushy foods low in fat! Oh joy! Oh rapture! —– Oh but what if I’m no good at this? Oh I am no good at this. I am a dingy speck on the wall of humanity and look how badly painted that wall is! I am becoming very, very afraid. That must be because I’m passing into the Third Act, called:

ACT III FEAR (Also known as: Uh-oh.)
This is where the doubt begins, where the mind comes back from shopping, yells at the heart, binds and gags it to a nice lounge chair and allows guilt, failure, and remembrances of things past to sit in for a nice game of bridge. This is where you fear what you need most. If it’s a person you love, you fear appearing foolish in front of them. If it’s a sport, you fear being foolish in front of many, many people at the same time. And you begin to think: oh no. What if I’m wrong? What if this stinks? What if my heart has blinders on, it’s had blinders on before, in fact it had dark heavy patches taped all over it. How can anyone love me if I don’t love myself? I mean, I love myself, there are just parts between the top of my head and the bottom of my feet that could use some improvement. I’m not demeaning myself, I have relatives who do that.

ACT IV DISGUST (And the strange desire to eat everything in sight,
hide in your room, and watch old Gidget movies with friends from high school.)
Now comes that unavoidable time when you say to anyone who will listen: what the heck am I doing, anyway? If it’s a person you love, first you hate only their foulest inadequacies, then you start hating their good points as well. If it’s running you love, you start to hate hills, sidewalks, and bad weather, and soon anything that slightly resembles a bump, concrete, or a small breeze. I can’t believe I ever said I felt this way, I must have been dreaming! Wait, THIS IS NO DREAM, THIS IS A FILM NOIR MOVIE, and one of those really dark ones, too. I mean, this is love? This is what they tell you about when you’re 11 and naive? Or 32 and more naive?

ACT V THE TRUTH (Love is hard work. And, sometimes, hard work can really hurt.)
Love is a game. If they didn’t tell you before, we will tell you now. Love is a game and if you play you either win, lose, or get ejected before the game is over. There are no ties. Maybe you’ll lose and learn some great meaningful answer from it all (like if it looks too good to be true, it is). It’s easy to love something when you don’t have to work at it. It’s harder when it asks something of you, you just might be afraid to give. GIVE IT ANYWAY. The heart is the most resilient muscle. It is also the stupidest. So if this love you’ve found is good to you, hold it, keep it, shout about it. If it isn’t, then maybe you should just become very good friends.

ACT VI THE FINALE (Also known as the big whopperdoodle, or,
the most important part of this whole darn thing.)
So this is love, as demanding and nourishing and difficult as it can be, and as strong and wise as it makes you become. There is something to be gained from commitment. There are rewards for staying when you would rather leave. And there is something to be said for running up that hill when you would rather slide down it. And so you let love come perch upon your shoulder. And you do not turn it away. You do the tango.
Just do it.

Welcome to the world Kane Matthew!!!

2011-08-18T20:47:00.013-05:00

I am so incredibly excited to be starting a new adventure into Birth Photography! I hope that eventually Birth Stories will be my specialty and I'll be welcoming new babies into the world consistently!! It was an honor to be included on such a special day and capture some everlasting memories for the family. The vision of Mom watching this video for the first time will forever make my heart happy!!

To many of you it is no surprise that I Love babies!! I believe the entire process from conception to birth is so amazing it's almost unbelievable. Honestly, without stating all the details, every single minute process, the perfect timing, the body's ability to create life... how does it all work so perfectly time and time again? Not long after I really started getting deep into photography I saw my first birth video. I sat in front of the computer and bawled my eyes out while watching complete strangers bring a beautiful new life into this world!! I HAD to see more!! I watched every video I could possibly find... and I bawled through every single one of them!! I HAD to find a way to be a part of this. I HAD to find a way to capture this amazing process that only someone as great as our God could create!

One of the best things (I think) about Birth Photography is the ability to forever remember one of the most important days of your life!! I was medicated with all of my births and, while I am SO VERY thankful for modern medicine, it left my memories of the day groggy to say the least. How awesome would it be if you had a video from the day your child was born? To be able to show your child how much they are loved and let them see for themselves the joy their life brought you!! And, as in this case, for mom to be able to see everything that occurred while she was in recovery is priceless!

The goal is to include the birth but sometimes (as in this case) that's not possible. This doesn't make the slide show any less perfect, as you can see!! Before anyone screams and runs the other direction let me just say: there is nothing inappropriate included when the birth is captured!!! The things that are not in this slide show that would be, had it not been a C-section, are mom bearing down during contractions, dad comforting her, baby just seconds after he/she enters the world and the immediate emotions of Mom and Dad when they see their child for the first time! I would not publish things like that... my belief is that if it's not something I would let my kids watch, it won't be published by me!

Hope you all love it as much as I (we) do!!!

Oh, and one more thing.... I would have loved to put some AWESOME song that we all love on this video but it's agains copyright law and I'm not that kinda person! :P

Grand Ol' Flag Special

2011-06-11T22:03:00.001-05:00

Since Flag Day is just around the corner and Fourth of July is not too far away, I've decided to offer a Grand Ol' Flag Special! I will come to Caldwell for evening sessions on three different days between June 14th and July 2nd. The first three to schedule a Caldwell session will decide which days I'll be there. All other evening sessions held in Anthony. Call for availability.

details: session fee of $20 due at time of session, up to 20 minute session, 5-10 images in on online gallery to choose from, plus your choice of one set of wallets OR one 5x7 with paid session. Caldwell will have three dates available for this special - those dates determined by first three clients booked, all other evening sessions held in Anthony.
The above images were taken around 8pm to capture the best sunset. Please plan accordingly.
Clothing choices should be very plain clothing. Navy blue and dark jeans would work fabulous! Would avoid white, if possible.

it's been sooooo looonnngggg....

2011-06-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since we've posted. It seems like the last month or two of the school year is always JAM PACKED with so much to do - and I only have one child... can't even imagine how Sandy handles it all.

The month of May, at our house, was packed with trips here and there. The first weekend of May, I flew to Syracuse, New York to bowl with a group of fabulous ladies! We visited Niagra Falls and New York City, rode the Staten Island Ferry and the Subway, ate at Hard Rock Cafe in Niagra Falls and in Times Square, stayed in the "W" hotel which is right across from Ground Zero, stood in line for what seemed like forever at Carlos' Bakery (a.k.a Cake Boss) in Hoboken, New Jersey, then back through Pennsylvania to return to Syracuse for our flight home. Then shortly after I returned, George took a little trip with his brother to Mississippi, traveling through Arkansas and Tennessee. He had a great time! Then within the same month we were all three traveling together to Arkansas and canoed in Missouri. WOW! It was tons of fun, but I'm glad to be home this month.

June is full of heat, wheat dust, long days and short nights in our household. Since George works at the Coop, he man's the elevator at Spring (six miles south of Anthony) and almost every evening Zack and I take him supper. This is pretty much the only way we see him during the month of June and sometimes July.

And July is approaching quickly... which means fourth of July! I think next to Christmas, this might be Zack's favorite holiday. With that in mind, I toted my camera to our evening dinner date with George and captured some great images. I hope you enjoy them!

Lathers/Nicholson Engagement Session

2011-03-27T16:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to document the engagement of an AMAZING couple!!! I had an absolute blast getting to know Kalli and Steve and I think their mutual love really shows in these images!! Although it was chilly, we braved the temps and headed outside and I'm sooooo glad we did!!

Kalli and Steve, Thank you so much for sharing your day with me!! Can't wait to see you again!!

Laughter is the best medicine!!

2011-03-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

I have fallen very far behind on blogging and I appologize!! Keeping up with life alone is sometimes a struggle for me. :)

Last weekend I had another session with the Mitchell girls (and John) and their wonderful children. I don't know what their parents did while raising them but I need to figure it out because these girls and John are all A-mazing!! I grew up knowing OF the girls but not really knowing them (yes, they were THAT big of a deal that people knew OF them) and let me tell you... I feel robbed!!! Life around them is so carefree and fun that I wish I had known them my entire life!! There is a bold sense of family, the welcoming feeling of warmth and love, and absolute undending laughter and fun surrounding them! They know when to be serious, and they know when to break up that seriousness with something rediculously funny. You honestly cannot be around one of them for ten minutes without bursting into laughter at least once.... and I personally believe laughter really is the best medicine for the soul!!

John and girls... Thank you so much for sharing your day with me, I truly look forward to many more!!! You are all awesome!!!!

Spring Break Special

2011-03-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

A Beautiful Baby!!

2010-12-13T22:19:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure of photographing this darling a few weeks ago!!

She is BEAUTIFUL!!! She was not totally thrilled about me and my camera, but we ended up with some great images!!

Welcome to parenthood my friends!! There is no better blessing!! You are both outstanding people and I have no doubt you are already outstanding parents!!!

Molly, I am soooo happy for you!! I cannot wait to spend the rest of our years hearing your parenting stories!!

OH, and John, with eyes so blue, you better start preparing now for the teenage years because she is a BEAUTY!!!

CONGRATS TO YOU BOTH!!!!

The Rask, Resk, Rusk.... Nevermind.... Jana and Paul's session!!!

2010-12-13T21:21:00.000-06:00

This Awesome Mama talked to me months ago about doing pictures of the boys. Things worked out to our advantage and over Thanksgiving break I was able to have a session with the family instead of just the boys!!

These little boys are bubbling over with personality and I LOVED every minute of our session!! There is just such a feeling of love, happiness, and fun surrounding them!!

Jana and Paul, you have a WONDERFUL family!!! Thank you so much for sharing your day with me!!! OH, and I labeled this to make you smile... PROMISE, I know how to spell your last name now!!! ;-)

Sandy

Two great (last-chance) Christmas deals this week!!!

2010-11-22T09:17:00.000-06:00

You don't want to miss out on these two great (last-chance) Christmas deals this week!!!
Tonya's is this Wednesday and Sandy's is this Saturday. Don't wait - call, text or email to schedule your appointment!!

Christmas Special

2010-11-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

Family Informals

November 8th through the 12th from 9am to 2pm in Caldwell. In studio or outdoors, your choice.

November 8th through the 12th from 4pm to 6pm in Anthony. Outdoors only.*

You choose from the following places: an alley, a field, a dirt road, or the lake.

November 13th – Saturday – Caldwell in AM and Anthony in PM

Special price for facebook fans: $40

Regular price $50

15 minutes

up to 4 family members ($5 each extra subject)

Online Gallery of edited images with password

30 modern Christmas cards with your favorite image

The details • Session(s) must be booked November 8th through the 12th with a $50 non-refundable deposit ($40 for FB fans) due at the time of booking to guarantee your spot. The deposit will be used towards your session.

* If the weather is not cooperating on the day/week of your session we will reschedule.

Hopefully Mother Nature will love us all that week!

Add on pkgs

Pkg A $125

11x14 standout (or mounted)

2-8x10 unmounted, 2-5x7, 8wallets

Your choice from aa.

Pkg B $60

8x10 unmounted, 2-5x7, 8wallets

Your choice from aa.

Pkg C $25

8x10 unmounted, 2-5x7, 8wallets

aa – You choose one of the following:

• 20 add’l cards

• mounted 11x14

• 2 mounted 8x10s

• 3 5x7s

• 3 sets of wallets

Other add-on specials: Accordion albums – 3/$75 (reg. 3/$99)

NOTE: Cards included with session and in packages are 4x6 sized one-sided cards printed on photo paper. To upgrade to flat cards that are designed with images on both sides add $15 for 4x5.5 and $27.50 for 5x7 size.

Success!

2010-11-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

The Halloween Food Drive was a success! Thank you all so much for helping us collect canned food for the local food bank... and letting us capture this year's Halloween costumes for the little ones.

Give us a couple weeks and we'll drop your free print in the mail and have a gallery for you to view for purchased prints of your choice.

Thanks again! You all are the best!!

Halloween Food Drive

2010-10-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

Sunday, October 31st from 3pm to 5pm at 126 East Central, Caldwell KS

Canned goods will be exchanged for a 4x6 portrait of your little ‘monster’.

Prizes for best costumes, food and fun!

Tonya and Sandy, along with their volunteers, appreciate the blessings they have and believe it is never too early to encourage our children to develop the habit of sharing with others less fortunate. Canned goods will be exchanged for a 4x6 portrait of your little ‘monster’. So dress up the kids and drop by the studio on your way out to trick-or-treat!!

This special requires that you bring your canned food at the time of session. A $5 minimum donation is suggested. We can't chase you down for your cans, so if you don't arrive with your food, you will be charged $10 and we will buy the canned food. Please do not bring expired cans of food.

The most creative costume winner will receive $50 print credit. (We will decide the top 5, post them to the blog and those visiting the blog will vote for the winner).

Here are some of last year's little monsters...

Some new FAVORITES!!

2010-10-04T22:35:00.000-05:00

After every session I go home, transfer the images, and proudly exclaim, "These are some of my favorites of all time!!" I wanted to share this session because it just makes me smile!!! The mixture of personalities in these children is just amazing!!! I walked away with some photos that make your heart warm, some that make your heart smile, and some that make you giggle like a child!!! To me, that's the best thing about photography... an image that forever locks in time the precious giggle of a child!!!

I am a parent and I know that when you schedule a session you probably worry about your childs behavior just as I do. Don't get me wrong, I understand that you are paying for results and at times that does mean "getting after" your child to make them behave. That is comletely acceptable!! I WANT to be able to provide you with what you are expecting. BUT... it is a fine line and I also want to be able to provide you with images that are going to make your heart smile (or giggle) for a lifetime!! I want to capture the rehearsed, formal, sitting-still smiles; but I also want to catch the personality, fun, and lasting memories!! This session was picture perfect (LOL, pun intended) in that aspect!! I had the opportunity to capture both formal and fun and I couldn't be happier with the results!!!

My BIG Blog

2010-09-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

So this is the big one!!! I've wanted to write this for a week and just now sat down to do it. I guess in acutuality I've wanted to be able to write this story my entire life!!

All of my siblings are very important to me so Mandy, I hope you don't feel left out... I'll blog about you one of these days! Joe, I know you'll never read this because of your hate for the internet but just incase Dad prints it, don't feel left out either... you'll make it into my not-so-famous blog too!!

It was never a secret that as a small child I was closest to Carrie. We are very close in age and are both somewhat girly. When we played house as little girls Carrie and I got stuck in the tree house cooking supper and tending to the babies! Mandy and Joe did the hunting and running around on bikes and whatever else tomboys did while playing. We played with Barbie dolls while Mandy and Joe played He-man, hunted, or played outside. Carrie and I shared a room and that often meant crawling into bed with one another at some time in the night.

Of course, as we all grew older, our relationships changed and I consider myself just as close to each of my siblings now. There's something about a sibling that just isn't the same as anything in this world. You love them so much and you want everything good for them, just like a best friend, but that life long history isn't usually there with a friend. The good times, the bad times, the in between times; you have went through every single bit of it together.

I was so honored in 2003 to stand up with her while she married Ben. She and Ben were so truly in love I don't think there could have been a person in the Church that didn't feel blessed to be included! They are so loving, and fun, and such great people. They both have strong beliefs and are so trustworthy and honest. They both have that rare ability to mix into every kind of crowd!! They can mingle and have drinks with the CEO of the Company or they can cut a rug at the state line with farmers and rednecks. Everyone LOVES their company no matter what crowd or what environment. Some of the best laughs I've ever had have been with Carrie, or Ben, or both!!

After several years of marriage they decided to add to their family!! Our families and community were so excited for them! God had different plans (although we didn't realize it then, he had BETTER plans)!! No luck left them at the Dr.'s office eventually trying fertility treatments. No luck with fertility treatments sent them seeking adoption.

There is just something that rips your heart out when you so readily have an ability that someone you love so much will do anything for. I felt TONS of guilt over the years because I had so many children with little effort but my sister had given it everything she had and was still empty handed. I don't think we realize sometimes that as 5 year olds we sort of plan out our whole lives and we believe that most parts of that plan will come true. All sisters talk about what they are going to be when they grow up- a housewife or a doctor or something glamourous. All sisters talk about their wedding day- that one and only great day when you are going to be the princess!! All sisters talk about their babies- they name them and plan out the birth order!! We were no exception!! I remember laying in bed at night discussing and giggling about these very things with my sisters!!

When the adoption process started I don't think any of us (except maybe Carrie and Ben) realized what a long, stressful process it is! The excitement of matches... the disappointment of those matches falling apart. It just almost seemed like losing children rather than adopting them for a while. I cannot tell you how many times we all sat on Sherlene's patio (Ben's mom and my great friend) bawling, feeling like our whole world had just caved. Like every wish and every prayer had just been thrown back in our faces.

Finally the match came and her name was to be Isabella!! Unvelievably, a week before Izzy was to be born, Carrie and Ben had a positive pregnancy test!! Izzy was already their daughter in their hearts and I don't believe there was ever a thought in their minds to stop the adoption. And thank God for that!! She is the most BEAUTIFUL, SWEET, brown eyed baby girl!!! She smiles and talks and she waves her hands in the air curling her tiny fingers in circles!! WOW... it really happened, our prayers and wishes had finally been answered!! Maybe not: there were problems (as is typical in adoption) and for a few days there was a possibility that the adoption may not happen. I'm sure you can imagine the heartache we all felt but also knowing Carrie was carrying a baby and the stress might be too much weighed heavy on everyone. I will NEVER forget seeing that on Ben's face in the hospital. It was just more than any couple should ever have to go through. To see a man who loves his wife so much worry about his baby, his wife, and his other baby that few people know about.... it still hurts my heart!! I am a praying person! I pray several times a day. I believe in carrying on long conversations with the Heavenly Father!! Let me tell you... those days are the only days in my life I have ran into my house sobbing, dropped to my knees and prayed to my God!! I begged and pleaded, I would do ANYTHING!!! I know I wasn't the only one and that is obvious because our prayers were answered! Carrie and Ben were able to come home and finalize the adoption!! And in answer to prayers, again last week Carrie gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby boy named Grady Douglas who looks just like his Daddy and Uncle Doug!! He is soft and cuddly and perfect in every way! I have to tell you- I'm pretty sure Uncle Doug knew the plan all along and I'm certain he had a hand in the wonderful turnout!!!

They are both beautiful and wonderful and a true gift from God! They are truly amazing and I know they will continue to amaze us as they grow because they have awesome parents who love them with every bit of love there is to share!

Congratulations Carrie and Ben, I know no couple who deserved this as much as the two of you!!

I love all four of you more than you'll ever know!!!

Oh, and for those of you who don't personally know us.... Izzy was 7 months old when Grady was born..... please pray for my sister and Ben!! :)

Happily Ever After

2010-09-27T13:13:00.000-05:00

Sherry and Arlen, I am so happy for both of you!!! You are so perfect for each other and it's so wonderful to see you so truly happy!!!

Thank you so much for asking us to join you at your wonderful wedding!! It was an absolute blast!!!

We should have the gallery open in the next week or two but I wanted to give you a little preview of some of my favorite images from your awesome wedding!!

Goose & Ellie Mae

2010-09-22T09:52:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I had a practice Happy Tails session. I had no idea what to expect, as I've only done a pet once or twice setting in with their families. So this was a learning experience. I learned that we need to have extra treats (namely string cheese) on hand. I learned that dogs do better when they are wore out. And I learned that just like children, they don't always perform as you hope they would. (Nevertheless, I love photographing them anyway!! Children and dogs.)

Meet Goose and Ellie Mae. Goose (brown/white) absolutely SHINED!! He was made to model! Not shy about anything and wanted to be included in every picture. Ellie Mae... well, she is a beautiful dog who was rescued from a shelter by her fabulous humans and painfully shy in public. Although I captured a few of Miss Ellie Mae, I heard stories that her family has some great images of her decked out in heels and such. So she's not totally camera shy.

Again, I had a great time and can't wait for this coming Sunday to try my hand at a few more pet portraits. There are still spots available so give us a call, text, email or facebook us and get your Happy Tails session set up today!

Gucci

2010-09-12T20:54:00.000-05:00

Meet Gucci: One of the biggest, sweetest, (maybe a little spoiled) dogs I've ever met!!! Barb was sweet enough to bring Gucci into the studio for a "trial run" for our upcoming Pet Special and I had a great time!!! Gucci LOVES sugar cookies so Barb even took the time to make her some warm, freshly frosted, sugar cookes so she'd have a reward for all her hard work modeling for me! Thanks so much for sharing your baby with me Barb!!!

Call or email soon to save your spot for the pet special, appointments are filling up quickly!!

Pampered Pet Portraits and Happy Tails Sessions!

2010-09-07T12:31:00.000-05:00

They are coming!! We are now taking appointments for our first ever Pampered Pet Portrait Days special!! Bring in your four-legged friends and we'll treat them like a star.

The date will be Sunday, September 26th from 9am until 3pm... with sessions set up every thirty minutes on the hour and half-hour. This means that there is only room for 12 sessions. Please don't wait! You don't want to miss this special opportunity. Happy Tails Sessions will be $10 for about 20 minutes of studio time, an online gallery with approximately five images (depending on the subject's personality we may get more), plus special package offers set up just for this special!

We will provide you with tips and suggestions on how to make your appointment run smoothly. You are encouraged to be in the portrait with your pet as well! Continue to watch the blog, facebook and website for further information and specials.

Where does the time go?

2010-09-07T11:24:00.000-05:00

Really, where does the time go? Seems like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital, then he started school, now he's playing tackle football and absolutely loves to fish now more than ever!! It's crazy!

This year - as most years - we celebrated Zack's birthday multiple times with parties, ~~cakes~~ brownies, chicken quesadillas and of course fishing, fish fry and sleep overs. And even though the fishing wasn't so great for birthday weekend, we still had fun catching perch and the occasional turtle.

What a busy week!!!

A Family full of Love!!

2010-09-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

This weekend I was blessed with the opportunity to spend the afternoon with an amazing family... let me just say.... WOW!!! Everyone has such great personalities that, mixed together, create the perfect atmosphere for family pictures!! Here is just a little teaser of this FABULOUS family, I cannot WAIT to share the rest with them!!!

LOVE

2010-09-05T13:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had two WONDERFUL sessions, both involving AMAZING families with so much love to share. I would like to be uploading a pictures from both sessions but I HAVE to get my house cleaned before I do any more editing. (That's my own little way of keeping myself motivated... clean the house then reward myself with what I'd rather be doing!) I decided that this was the perfect picture for you to preview just how much LOVE I was able to be blessed with and capture yesterday!! Stay tuned..... more to come soon!! ;-)

Vacation 2010

2010-09-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in a while!!! I've been a little overwhelmed with trying to play catch-up after vacation. BUT it was sooooooo worth it!!! We stayed just off of lake Tenkiller at Marval Resort just outside Gore, OK. The river our cabins sat on is a NICE, CLEAR, COLD river that's perfect for us Kansans who normally bask in luke warm waters!! At first, it's hard to even put your toes in the frigid water but before long you become accustomed to the temperature!! Since the water is so cold the fish swim a little slower and the kids spent half a day catching minnows!! Paytn even picked up a foot long carp at one point!! Marval is a family resort so every weekend of the summer they plan different events. We were so excited to find out it was "Chocolate Palooza" on the weekend we attended! There was pudding painting, a chocolate covered slip and slide, and tons of other craft projects!! The kids enjoyed making sand art and each of them decorated their very own Marval T-shirt as a souvenir (Special thanks to Granny Peggy and Grandpa Bud). While there we also went to the lake one day and rented a pontoon boat!! It was a little windy so we had a few struggles trying to find a place to drop anchor and swim, but we succeeded and we all had a great time!!

I hope you enjoy the pictures and if you're looking for a peaceful, fun, affordable, family oriented, outdoor adventure you should check out Marval Resort!!

Sandy

Pet Days & Halloween

2010-08-27T09:07:00.000-05:00

We are working behind the scenes on an awesome PET DAYS SPECIAL coming near the end of September. Check back for more information on that soon! In the meantime, write this next one on the calendar too.

We are getting things in order for our annual HALLOWEEN CHARITY portrait special (which will be held Sat, Oct 30). We are needing at least 20 blood-giving-volunteers to get the blood drive going. If you're interested, shoot us an email. We'd love to have you! Along with the annual blood drive there's also a food drive that we do each year... but ... this year we're taking suggestions for ideas to replace the food drive. So definitely let us know what you think might be a good idea. Just facebook us or use the "contact" page on the website.

And don't forget the holidays will be here soon! I know, we just started school, Halloween decorations are out and we're already talking about Christmas. But you must get your name on the list for October sessions... these sessions will be the perfect time for Christmas card images.

Thanks to each and everyone of our wonderfully, fabulous clients! We'll talk to you soon.

What?! A family session???!!! Are you serious? (LOL)

2010-08-20T11:32:00.000-05:00

Family sessions scare me, plain and simple. I'm always paranoid that I won't capture what the family really wants from the session. I want that perfect blend between my style and theirs. Well, this family was prepared! The jotted down the images they wanted and I had a cheat sheet through the whole session. They were great to work with and I wish the heat and sun would have cooperated better as I would have loved to have had them all outdoors for a couple shots... but it is the middle of August and who really wants to be out in that??

Thanks so much Kim & Brock, Kallea and Jax! Hope you enjoyed our time together as well.

Hello again Aoife!

2010-08-16T12:04:00.000-05:00

I was thrilled to have Aoife and Kelly back in the studio. It's been way too long. I can't believe how much Aoife's grown since the last time I'd seen her. Sure, I follow her blog, but it's different when you get to see her run and jump, laugh and dance! It's priceless for sure. We had a great time and I can't wait to share her gallery.

Return Customers

2010-08-12T12:07:00.000-05:00

My photog friend Chris is always saying, "There's no compliment like return customers!". I have to TOTALLY agree!!! This great family was in a few months ago for maternity and family shots and I was so excited to have them back in the studio for newborn and NEW family pictures!!! Seriously, between the great smile of their oldest son, huge, beautiful eyes of their daughter, and now perfect little baby boy, there was so much to photograph!!

Thanks so much for sharing your family with me!!

Sandy

Senior Season is Here!!

2010-08-10T19:49:00.000-05:00

I had my first Senior Session of the season today and although I'm sure DB could have thought of several ways he'd rather spend his afternoon I thought it was fun!! We drove all over, he turned the radio up, I turned it down, we waited for clouds to block out the BLASTING SUN, and yes, he did laugh a little! :)

I had to include one image that was just for fun... His attempt to recreate Michael Jordan's shot... I'd have to say he got it!!

Thanks for sharing your afternoon with me and have fun tonight!

Sandy

Another Birthday

2010-08-09T17:28:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you can imagine that with 7 children there is ALWAYS a Birthday to celebrate in our home! I thought I'd share our most recent celebration! This is Paytn, she turned 10 on Friday!! We had so much going on with the County Fair that we actually celebrated Saturday! Tradition at our house allows the Birthday Girl or Boy to pick the meal for the evening. Every year Paytn picks the same thing... a good ole fashion mudbug boil!! That's right, mudbugs, crawfish, crawdads, whatever you want to call them, I call them gross!!!! She just loves them. She has made herself sick on several occassions eating WAY more than she should have! Jason can cook up an awesome boil, I must admit!! Crawfish, shrimp, sausage, new potatoes, corn on the cob, onions, garlic, the kitchen sink.... I think that's about it! :) It was fabulous!!! I think Paytn left the table stuffed but it wasn't long after her cake that her and Alex sat back down to the table with a second plate full!

Happy Birthday to my, not-so-little-anymore, little girl!!!

His & Hers · eight days

2010-08-05T14:34:00.000-05:00

I was so thrilled to have Wendi & Chad back in the studio - along with Gatlin and his new brother and sister. I photographed Gatlin when he was very close to this same age. They are a complete joy to work with and as expected, I had a great time with them again.

No matter how much pre-planning goes into a session, once the little ones are in the studio who knows what will happen. I had planned and schemed some new ideas, had things laid out that I wanted to use and try, but when it came down to it, Beau and Karli had other ideas. (Which was perfectly fine with me... I'm very laid back and easy going when it comes to a session. I let the babes lead the way.) You're kind of at their mercy when they are only eight or nine days old. So even though I didn't get to try out all my ideas, we did sneak in a few. I can't wait to share with all of you!

Sumner County Fair

2010-08-02T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Sumner County Fair will be here this week! I honestly can't believe it. Where in the world has the summer gone? Sandy and I will be sharing a booth at the fair this week, showing off some of our great new products. I will also have old display pieces with me for those that would like to pick them up. Skim through the list below to see if you have any available. These old images will no longer be available after the end of August... so please grab them at these ridiculously LOW prices.

In just a couple of weeks, Zack will be back to school. :(

I'm not sure how everyone else spends their summer, but around here it's pretty ho-hum... until end of July early August. Then it's, "Oh my gosh, school is almost here... let's see how much we can pack in before it starts." LOL! So here's how our last weekend of July started off... We headed over to Medicine Lodge this past weekend and had a great time at their youth fishing tournament. We've never been before but let me tell you - it was fantastic! The entry fee was $5 per kid and with this each child received a tshirt, a box of worms, and a few plastic lures as well as a tape measure. The kids fished for about 2.5-3hrs. After fishing, everyone headed back to have a great (free) lunch of hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and drinks. Now, as if that isn't awesome enough... they gave out prizes to EVERY kid, rather they caught a fish or not. Zack brought home over $30 in his prize!! He won a metal minnow bucket, two pkgs of bait and a minnow net. George and I were blown away with the entire day! It is definitely on our list of things to do yearly.

And there is tons of stuff to do in the first two weeks of August, starting with football camp. I just can't believe that Zack is already starting tackle football. It really doesn't seem possible. :(
Then after football camp is the Caldwell fair followed by a demolition derby in Harper possibly??? followed by a mini-vacation with the Harper fair and two sessions as soon as we get back. Wow!

So tell me... what all do you guys have planned for the end of the summer break?

more from our Drown the Gown session...

2010-07-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

Sandy and I had an absolute blast on our Drown the Gown session last weekend despite the crazy heat! And we're pretty sure the girls had a great time too. BUT... as you can see, we have a bit of a dilemma. We think we need a different name for the session. We love Drown the Gown, but the sessions won't always include water - sometimes it might be snow or dirt or an alley or whatever else we might have up our sleeve. We would rather not use Trash the Dress because that might give off the wrong impression as well. (We'll never make any one intentionally ruin their dress if they don't want too.) Sooooo.... we need your help. Throw out some clever names for our dress sessions - and remember, we do prom dresses too, not just bridals. You can post suggestions here or on one of our FB pages. You guys are the best!!

Drown The Gown!!!!

2010-07-25T17:11:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Tonya and I had the amazing opportunity to shoot an awesome bunch of gals in their beautiful wedding gowns! I know alot of you are impatiently waiting to see what we did so here it is.... well, here is a small preview of what we did! We had a total blast and can't wait for our next Drown the Gown Session!

High School girls... your prom dress will result in images this cool too!!! Call us!!

Rachel, Jessica, Shelby, Courtney, and Laura, THANK YOU so much for the fun filled day!

Sandy

Conner is about to graduate...

2010-07-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

my baby plan that is. I'm always sad to see my baby planners grow and go, but I'm thrilled that I was a part of that first year of their life (and with a little luck, will continue to be a part of their life, year to year). So happy early first birthday Conner and I'll see you in a bit.

And in case you couldn't tell... he absolute LOVED his cake! He was bit unhappy when we finally decided he'd had enough sugar for the day.

Looking Back

2010-07-19T20:35:00.000-05:00

Hi all!! Hope you all had a great Monday!!!

I was just working on the computer and came across this photo from a recent session with Holly and her adorable new baby boy so I wanted to share!!

This is the pea pod... I started to feel like I had searched the globe for it!! From the first time I layed eyes on one I just HAD to have it!! I called everywhere with no luck. On a last minute trip to Oklahoma City a few months ago my oldest asked to look at the storage baskets and I quickly agreed to go to that department! I literally ran to the shelf, ripped it into my arms, and danced around the store when I spotted it!!! I really snatched it off the shelf as if there were 100 people racing me for it! A woman witnessing all of this wasn't sure if she should laugh, cry, or run away! As I began to explain myself to this stranger Maci started to wander off (I think she was secretly looking for a place to hide)!

What can I say, when you really really want something you get a little excited when you find it! Overboard or not, I'd say when you look at this adorable little guy you can't help but think it was all worth it! I mean; seriously... adorable prop and TOTALLY adorable baby.... how much better can it get?

Thank you so much Holly for sharing him with me!! I had a great time!

Sandy

display pieces for sale

2010-07-16T12:51:00.000-05:00

Below is a list of display pieces that I have used and stored from 2006 to the present. I need to get rid of them and can't stand the thought of just throwing them away. I know there are more, but I haven't gone through anything other than what is on this list. If anyone is interested in purchasing their images, just drop a check in the mail and I'll either mail them to you or we can make arrangements to meet in Caldwell or Anthony. (I will be there this Saturday for a while, if anyone wants to meet then.)

· first session ·

2010-07-15T12:59:00.000-05:00

This was my first session in the new Caldwell studio and it was so good to see Miss Chloe and Alicia again... and I finally got to meet E.K. I had a great time with these awesome people! (And super-understanding people as well... first a belt on my car broke so I was stranded for a bit, making me late to the session, then we had a bit of a backdrop malfunction, but thankfully everything turned out great.) I hope they enjoyed our time together as much as I did. Super fun!!

welcome

2010-07-12T13:58:00.003-05:00

Sandy and I are soooo excited to join our creative forces! We have been super busy behind the scenes getting everything ready to go for all of you. We hope you are enjoying the new website. If you haven't checked it out, what are you waiting on? We really love it. It has pages for all our products (which we are steadily working on), semi-private galleries, portfolios for each of us and then of course the rates, details and contact pages. Like I said, check it out and let us know what YOU think.

As most of you know, we had a little contest for the new blog name. The winner was Kelly from Oregon! Yay!!! Congrats Kelly! Your frames will be on their way to you soon. (And can't wait to see you next month.)

And because this is a photo blog... I can't post without a photo. Here are some examples of one of our new items - Artist Mounts! (I called them "standouts" previously... but don't you think Artist Mounts sounds so much more sophisticated??!) We love them and know you will too. They are super light weight, come pre-drilled with four wholes in the back and you just hang them on your wall. No need for frames at all! Super modern.