melted

Potty training is different for every kid, every house, every family. I know for some people its not a big deal. In our house its been a bit of a dramatic, fit pitching, tear inducing, monster of a deal. Pee pee in the potty, Monkey Pants mastered that months ago. Poopy is another story. This summer I bought her a little craft kit and it has been sitting by the potty with the understanding that as soon as she pooped in there we would bust that baby open and craft away.

Yesterday was that big day. We danced around, clapped, cheered, went out for ice-cream and excitedly opened her little craft kit together. She painted and glued and giggled and asked me to paint with her.



Last night we were chatting nose to nose in her bed, one last snuggle of the day. Suddenly she got this huge smile on her face and said...

"Mommy, thanks for my heart box."

I started to explain to her that she really earned it and I was so proud, but before I could finish she interuppted...

"I know, I know mommy, but thank you so much for painting it with me."

And then I melted.

the Munson fam

I met with my friends Scott and Sarah and their little girl Charlie, that you've probably seen on this blog more than once, for a shoot recently. They are still adorable...



But this time Sarah's parents and whole family came along too. The weather was perfect and the trees were at their peak color.



Gotta love a family that can kick off the heels and climb a tree. Mom's idea, and they happily obliged.



Have you ever seen three prettier sisters?



Its a good thing that we put James in some of the family photos...



because these two got engaged this past weekend. Congrats Emily and James!



What a fun shoot. Thanks guys!

Art in Stereo...the coolest Christmas cards

A few weeks ago my friend/fellow photographer Bailey Mohr did a family shoot for us. A few of my favs...







And you know this one is getting blown up big. Sometimes you just need someone else to get a good shot of your kid and did she ever...



Part of the reason that I wanted a family shoot done this fall was because after seeing my friend Russ's Christmas card options I really wanted to get some this year. Check them out...





What are you waiting for? Go here for the deets and get your order in!

hello Friday

Its Friday again. My day to plug through work and do a few things around the house. Fridays are never quite long enough it seems, but much needed. I'm feeling a little more than ragged around the edges today. It has been a long few months of working really hard and struggling to keep up. One day at a time, one step in front of the other. But, things are looking up around here...

A. I am 17 weeks along and finally feeling much better. Holy moly that was a long 17 weeks. The nausea is gone for the most part and I have a little bit more energy.

B. I am on the down slope of my huge mountain of editing. Hang with me dear clients, I am working as fast as I can!

C. And this is the big one... On Monday I am treating myself to something I have been wanting to do for years. A cleaning service is coming to shape up our dirty house! I've been opting for sleeping and editing during nap time and night time around here instead of scrubbing and sweeping so it is much needed. I can not wait.

And of course this weekend is Halloween which means candy. I like candy. Especially of the chocolate and peanut butter persuasion so Monkey Pants better hide the Reeses. We are headed out of town for the first part of our weekend for some time with family. A weenie roast is on the schedule and that always means a good time. Plus I get to have some qt with this little puddin pop and that makes me happy...



That's my nephew Charlie. He came over a few weeks ago for a little fall shoot. I just love him.



Its hard to believe that this time next year I will have one about the same size. I must say, one of the perks of having a spring baby is that they are perfectly round as a pumpkin just in time for fall. Happy Halloween!

fall mini shoot day

This fall with having three weddings to shoot in two months I knew I was going to be really busy and not able to do very many full individual shoots. So, when people contacted me about fall shoots I encouraged them to sign up for my fall mini shoot day. The 8 slots were filled pretty quickly and I didn't even have to advertise it. Pretty smart eh? Especially since this fall ended up being full of preggo nausea and exhaustion.

The weather was beautiful, the trees were beautiful and each family was fun to work with. A few of my favorite shots...

















Thanks to everyone who came out. And to Beth for helping all day!

Katie + Chris

Katie and Chris were married on a warm fall day in Trenton, Illinois. This wedding was so fun to shoot. Lots of fun people and great details.



We started the day with the girls getting ready of course. Katie was such a beautiful bride



These two had been waiting for this day for about two years. It was obvious they were both pretty excited it was finally here.



Such a cute couple





Kudos to my second shooter Jen for getting this awesome shot at the reception!



Click here to see more of Katie and Chris's wedding. Congrats you two!

Art Underground - Amy Woods

Just popping in to tell you what you should do this Saturday night. Art Underground is an awesome organization that some peeps I know started. They support local artists by holding gallery openings for them. AU provides the place, the food, encouragement, and then just lets the artists do their thing... no strings attached. Amazing. And they were just voted the "best nomadic art show" by the River Front Times. You can read more about that here.



This Saturday is the AU quarterly show. I'm particularly excited about this show because my friend Amy Woods will be showing her work. Amy is an incredible watercolor artist who has painted her way all around the country before landing here in St. Louis. I'm glad she landed here because I like seeing her smiling face around.



And of course I love seeing her work. A few of my favs...





Here is what Art Underground has to say about Amy...

"Amy is a self taught artist currently living in St. Louis, Missouri, but not after a winding path stretching from Youngstown, OH to Virginia Beach, far down to San Antonio, and then west for a long hiatus in Los Angeles before finding herself back in the mid-west where it all began. Her style is unapologetically traditional, but with a nuanced hint at abstraction that is continually fresh and clearly influenced by her diverse travels. Her work has adorned the covers of novels, the set of Gilmore Girls, and everywhere in between."

That's right people... Gilmore Girls. What else do you need to know? I may or may not have been a huge GG fan, so I kind of got giddy when I learned that piece of Amy's story. Oh be quiet, ya'll know you loved Lorelai.

I've heard the other artist showing, John L White and Jeremiah Clark are pretty awesome as well so mark it on your calendar. See you there!