Better Late Than Never-Ann Arbor Children Photographer

These are the kids of my dearest friend. She is even more dearer because she is willing to wait and wait and wait to get her pictures. That is true friendship. We took these pictures and life turned upside down for me (the whole moving…twice…thing really does one in!).  Anne has gorgeous children and they each have their own look which is so fun! Thanks for still loving me even though these took forever to get to you! Miss you, dear friend!

We made it! Ann Arbor, Michigan Newborn Photographer

Hi there! I finally made my way through the cardboard jungle to my computer…and desk. It feels so good to be editing pictures again. After I take time off I always question whether I love it THAT much, but once I get back behind my camera or editing photos on the computer I am reminded that YES, I do love it THAT much. There is something so theraputic about creating art.

I am loving my new area. It is so different than Santa Clara, but Ann Arbor is so beautiful in a totally different way. It is green and lush (and cool) out here. My creative juices are flowing. Everywhere we drive I am scouting out great locations to photograph. There are so many old buildings, rivers, forests. I am very excited! My studio is getting all set up. I just bought a new prop today and can’t wait to scour the antique stores to find some more cool props!

On a sad note, my awesome pink chair did not do so well on the trip out here. She now has a big hole on the back and arm. Not sure whether I should try to recover it myself (I may be crazy), retire it, or spend a small fortune having someone recover it for me. It was a sad moment to be told it didn’t make it. I may have shed a tear or two over it.

So, if you are from Ann Arbor or the surrounding area or know someone who is, please feel free to check out my work and contact me for a session.

Here are a few pictures of my Jackson that we took before we moved out this way. I can’t believe how big he has gotten. He starts kindergarten (all day!) in a week and a half. Yes, I am excited and yes, I am sad. He is growing so fast. I unpacked some pictures of him at 6 months and the time has flown by since then! I sure love this guy!

And the winner is…

DONELLE!!

Email me and I will get you the info you need!

Thank you to everyone for being patient while I disappeared for a while. It has been a crazy while for us! We sold our house (HIP HIP HOORAY). The only catch was that we don’t leave for Michigan for another month. So…we packed all of our earthly possessions up and moved them into TWO storage units and are now living across the street from our house at my grandma’s. Kinda crazy. To add to the craziness, my daughter hasn’t fallen asleep until around 10pm over here (we put our kids down at 7pm!) so it has made working a little tricky. She is up and down like a yo-yo (any tricks you may have are WELCOME!) Oh, and I no longer have my nanny since we are at my grandma’s. So, it is taking a little time to make the transition. Hoping to be back for the next month until we start on the big move. I am nervous, excited and trying to make the best of my last month at “home”!

Back in a Bit-St. George Photographer

Okay friends…something had to give… with moving out of my house in another week, I am in crazy mode. I promise I will pick a winner for the Banner Boutique contest, but I just can’t add another thing to my life right now. One more week and I will breathe again. Sorry!!! Keep checking back!

Don’t forget to enter!! -St. George Photographer

I am up to my eyeballs in boxes and “stuff”. We sold our house and have to be out on the 30th of this month. We move to Ann Arbor on the 1st of August…so, we are loading our stuff into a storage unit and living with my grandma for a month.

I feel like the stuff won’t end. This is my first real move since we got married. I am a little worried about it all fitting in the moving van come August. I have too much stuff even after giving away a LARGE amount of it. Okay, I may be a little of a packrat. I come by it rightly…my mom and grandma are the same way. And, I have a lot of hobbies. That equals a lot of stuff.

Anyway, enough about that. I know what you all are really wondering about is the Banner Boutique contest. Will I ever choose a winner? Yes, I will. Continue to enter until Friday and on Saturday I will have my kiddos choose a name from a hat (I know there are the random number things online, but they only choose numbers in the middle, it seems, and I want everyone to have a good chance to win. So, I will do it the old fashioned way!)

Stay tuned. The winner will be announced on Saturday (hopefully ) . And head over to Banner Boutique and buy some flowers anyway, because truth of the matter is that $25 will never suffice once you see how awesome her stuff is.

Banner Boutique Giveaway!!-Southern Utah Photographer

I have talked about this and finally have my act together and am doing it. I found the Banner Boutique over a year ago and have been in LOVE ever since. I have a crazy number of hair accessories for my business and my daughter, but once I saw Lindsay’s flowers, I will never buy another flower elsewhere. Her flowers are so high quality, unique and absolutely gorgeous. She finishes them off so well too. Seriously…check them out. Buy some. They are amazing!!

So, on that note, Lindsay, at Banner Boutique has been kind enough to giveaway a $25 gift certificate to her etsy store. Is it sad that I am sort of jealous that I can’t enter my own contest? Before we get to how to enter, though, I want to briefly introduce you to Lindsay…

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I have been happily married for 7 years and have a 5 year old daughter, 3 year old son, and 3 month old baby girl. I am a southern CA girl and miss it dearly, but am embracing my new desert home in AZ.

2. When did you start your business?
The idea was probably born when I was five…but the actual Banner Boutique started about 4 years ago doing only wholesale to upscale boutiques. We have since expanded to do online sales.

3. How did you get into making flowers?
When I had my first baby, Kaitlyn, I searched high and low for cute hair accessories-they were always hard to find and way overpriced. When I did finally find them, they were never quite “right” as far as style…so I started making my own.

4. What is the favorite product you offer?
It changes day to day–they are like my children, I love them all! However, I would have to say “The Audrey” is my current obsession.

5. Anything else we should know about you?
I adore crafty, beautiful things! Nothing makes me more happy than to see a gorgeous baby with a gorgeous hair piece to top her off…it’s like the icing on the cake. NO ONE can resist coming up to a darling baby with a flower on her head!! NO ONE!!

So, go check out her etsy store (linked above) and her blog. Then, come on back and leave a comment telling me how awesome her hair accessories are and which is your favorite. Remember…most of the headbands can be on clips too, so they are great for all ages.

Here are a few recent pictures that I did with her flowers. Thanks, Val for letting me use your adorable baby for these shots. Seriously, folks, check out the hair on this baby!!

and thanks to my great friend, Lisa, for having such a cute daughter to model off my new purple clip!

Feel free to scroll back through old posts and see more of her excellent work! My Litttle Miss is modeling a few of her hair accessories in the last sesssion I did with her in the black pettiskirt!!

Mine on Monday-Southern Utah Photographer

So, my sweet Little Miss turned 3. That happened fast. It is such a bittersweet feeling to watch your children grow. On one hand it is so fun to watch them learn and on the other it makes me want to cry. It all passes so quickly. I fear the day that I am no longer her favorite person in the world. I mourn the day that I can’t pick her up and have her little legs wrap around my body. I already miss the day when she stops covering me in kisses. For now, though, I will try to soak it all in and make every day (even those when she drives me bonkers) count.

We had a princess party with just two other friends. They were in heaven. I made huge, rainbow cupcakes and they ate mac and cheese and other assorted little treats. There was a cute little favor provided by my friend whose daughter’s birthday we were also celebrating. It was fun, girly stuff. Here is one shot in her princess attire…

and, for her birthday she asked for a camera which she got from her grandma and grandpa (isn’t it so cute that she wanted a camera like her momma??). Her brother commandeered the camera though and when I emptied the quickly filled card I found oodles of great pictures and hilarious self videos.  That little boy of mine is a crack up. Here are a few of his recent shots…

He has got a unique eye. He may be staring a business soon.

Gorgeous High School Senior-Southern Utah Senior Photographer

I love photographing high school seniors. What a fun time of life. I remember it so vividly and yet it was so long ago. Life is so carefree and easy, though you think differently at the time. Tara was a blast to photograph. She is gorgeous, talented and just plain nice. My guess is that she goes far in life! Congrats Tara!

Could he be any cuter??? Southern Utah Newborn Photographer

I mean come on…look at that head of hair. Isn’t he divine?? At four weeks old he slept as well as any newbie.  Thanks for letting me photograph him Nicole. He is gorgeous!

and making me more baby hungry by the minute.

(oh, and if you love the hats…my cousin makes them and will be doing a giveaway on the blog once I get my act together! She does AWESOME work!)

Mine on Monday-Southern Utah Photographer

Though it is Tuesday, it sure feels like Monday. We had an awesome weekend with my sister in law, her hubby and their cute little girl visiting from Georgia. They left yesterday and I am still trying to get back in the swing of things! I love having company and it is so hard to have them leave!!

I got the pleasure of photographing my niece while they were here. It was so fun to see how her personality has changed from 8 months ago when we saw them last. I can definitely see some similarities in personalities between our kids and her. She also has curly hair like my Miss P. I know where some things come from which is fun!!

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