Monday, December 28, 2009

Shots from the Weekend.
















Well I'll be darn. Mother Nature must listen to people's Christmas wishes because she sure listened to mine. Except she took my Christmas wish of wanting a white Christmas and raised it to the next level! I should say this Christmas was one of the best yet! Bryan and I watched my brother graduate from MU with honors, Bryan experienced his first Indian wedding, we got to see some of my high school friends after six years (whom I miss dearly!), we saw many of our good friends in St. Louis, started our wedding registry (boy is that a fun experience!), spent time wedding planning with my parents, hung out with my brother, spent Christmas with Bryan's family, saw extended family and some surprise visitors, and had a white Christmas! As we were driving home, we both felt happy to be going back to Kansas City but sad to be saying good bye to our home, St. Louis. We couldn't believe our eyes as we drove into Kansas City. There was over a foot of snow awaiting us! Bryan and I are hoping the snow sticks around this week so we can go sledding this weekend!

I hope you all enjoy some shots from our visit home. Stay warm, enjoy the snow and keep celebrating this oh so wonderful holiday season to the fullest! Can you tell I don't want Christmas to end?!

Happy Monday!














Thursday, December 24, 2009

Wishing All a Merry Christmas!

If you are like me, you are hoping and wishing for a White Christmas right about now. However, I am in St. Louis and as I look outside, it is still raining. I guess Mother Nature didn't get the memo that on Christmas Eve, we need snow, not rain. So I am hoping, wishing and praying, Mother Nature decides to change the weather up a little to give us gorgeous White Christmas this evening and tomorrow!

As Christmas is approaching, I can't help but think how our visit home has been quite spectacular from watching my little brother graduate from MU, seeing friends from high school, seeing our good friends from college, visiting with family, registering and wedding planning and of course relaxing and eating some yummy, home-cooked meals! I forgot my cord for one of my cameras, so I won't be able to put up "Shots from the Weekend," but definitely check back Monday. Being home for nine days has truly been the best!

Bryan and I wish all of our family, friends, clients and co-workers a very Merry Christmas! May your homes be blessed with love, delicious food, happiness and gratitude for all that God has given you this Christmas and may you continue to celebrate all of throughout the coming year!

Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Family: The Hansons.

Three words come to mind when you meet the Hanson family: bubbly, fun and ever so sweet. Right when I walked through the door, I felt welcomed by all three of them. Jen is super mom. She does everything with such ease and a positive attitude. Chris is full of smiles and a great personality. Together, they have the best bubbly personality, and that is a characteristic I truly love in people. It is no surprise that their sweet baby girl, Claire, is FULL of personality. I cannot begin to describe the fun Bryan and I had with her. She was full of smiles. Seriously, this baby was one VERY happy baby. I should mention she didn't cry or whine once. She just kept giggling, smiling and clapping her hands for over one hour, which is incredibly impressive for an almost one-year old.

I have to say my favorite part of our session was during her football pictures. Chris is a huge Nebraska fan, so he definitely wanted some pictures of his baby girl sporting her Nebraska apparel. You know how parents teach their little ones to do "so big"...well, "so big" turned into "touchdown" which I have to say is by far the CUTEST thing I have ever seen! The more we kept clapping and cheering her on to do "touchdown," the more excited and funny she would get. Claire, you are definitely one of my favorite babies I have photographed! Thank you for such a fun session.

Chris and Jen, I hope you love the photographs below, and have a blast with Claire as she turns the big one. She is quite the doll and ever so precious. She's definitely going to grow up to be one happy gal!














Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Newborn: Baby Kaitlyn.

There is nothing more precious than a newborn baby. Their tiny fingers and toes. The way they look when they sleep or when their awake and their eyes just wander around. The way they place their hands to make them look like little angels while they sleep. Most mothers say their husband and their world changes when they are blessed with a newborn baby. You learn to become selfless because you are now responsible for another person's life. You get the joy of watching them smile, roll over, crawl, walk, say their first word, go to their first day of school, have their first crush, go on their first date, graduate and go off to college and one day marry and have little munchkins of their own.

You might remember my first maternity shoot with Melissa about a month ago. Well, her baby girl was born two weeks ago, and she is seriously the most beautiful newborn I have ever seen. She was asleep for the first part of our session and awake for the other half, so it was fun getting all kinds of different shots with Baby Kaitlyn. My favorites are when she was asleep because she looks like a precious, peaceful angel. I know John and Melissa are going to be wonderful parents.

John and Melissa, I can already tell Baby Kaitlyn is going to be beautiful. Enjoy my favorite shots and your little blessing!













Monday, December 14, 2009

Six Years.
















Do you remember our first date? I was so nervous. So nervous to the point I was sweating before you came over. I remember telling Jessica how nervous I was, and she reassured me. You'll be fine. Just be yourself. You came to Chi Omega, and we watched Old School, a classic, in our TV room. I remembered laughing a lot. How could we not? After the movie was over, you talked. You talked and talked. I remembered thinking how you didn't seem near as nervous as I did. (I laugh when people tell me how quiet you can be because it makes me think of our first date.) I loved listening to you tell me stories about your hometown, family and friends. You left that evening, and I could not help but think how amazing you were. I could not be THAT lucky I told myself that night.

That was six years ago. After two graduations, two moves to a new city, two promises, two years of a long-distance relationship, one proposal, one new business and hundreds of memories later, we are a stronger and happier couple. B, you are my best friend,. However, you knew this already. What you did not know is that each day that I wake up and go to sleep, I ask God how I got so lucky to be blessed with a man like you. Anyone can find someone to spend their life with. Yet, can they find someone who makes them laugh so much it hurts or know exactly what to say to wipe away her tears? Or, someone who does not make fun of her awesome dance movies, but gets up to dance next to her without a care in the world? Can they find someone who holds her hand when she sees a homeless or disabled person because they know exactly how her heart feels? This is why I think I am lucky to have someone who in so many ways is my opposite but the boy-version of who I am.

Today marks six years. I just want you to know that these six years have been phenomenal. I love you, B.

To mark six years, six months until our wedding and our engageversary (December 19th), Bryan and I spent all weekend celebrating! (Yes, we celebrate things like this!) We started with the tradition of not giving one another Christmas gifts about three years ago. Instead, we used that money to buy toys for children who are less fortunate and that is our way of saying Merry Christmas to one another. I encourage everyone to do this; it truly is an indescribable feeling. Saturday, we spent the day at a FUN photo shoot, headed to Parkville, MO to this cute little wine place called Wines by Jennifer (LOVED it), met a fun, older couple that gave us some of their wisdom for a happy and long marriage, ate dinner at our favorite pizza place (Waldo's) and ended the evening ice-skating at Crown Center. It was pretty much one amazing weekend!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and happy Monday!