A Christmas tradition...

Do you all have Christmas traditions?  We have a few, and this one was added a few years ago!

My parents are here visiting from sunny Arizona.  After going out to dinner last night, we decided to take them on a little fieldtrip to see some Christmas lights.

There are two houses here in Westfield that put on quite the light show!  They're the crazy houses with the lights set to music.  Great to look at, but I'm quite certain that if I lived next door, I probably wouldn't feel so warm & fuzzy about it.  ;)

After going to visit this house over the years, we've found the perfect viewing spot.  If you're right in front of it, you're too close & unable to see all of the lights.  BUT, if you're caddy-corner (yes, that's a midwest phrase) & across the street, you can see everything!  While my video skills could use some work, I'm essentially blaming this one on my phone -- it wouldn't allow me to zoom while I was recording!!  And, please disregard the running commentary in the background.  My kids & my dad were discussing who was going to beat who within our family fantasy football league.  Ha!

It's kind of neat because both houses have a different feel to them.  The one in the video has catchier music & is easier to sit and watch a lot of the show.  The other one has more religious music (which is really great), but the traffic gets pretty backed up, therefore not allowing you to sit & watch it as long.  However, as an added bonus, several houses along that street are participating, so as you're having to wind around, you at least have entertainment now!

Enjoy this little snippet.  I recorded the entire song, but between Facebook, my phone & this website, it will only allow me to show 54 seconds of it.

Please tell me some of your Christmas traditions!

The Ambler Family

I'm such a lucky girl.  Really.  My friends just flat-out ROCK!  

I met Rachel last year through my friend Val.  Rachel lives in my neighborhood, but we had never run into one another.  We ended up at a Girls Night Out together & bonded over queso & margaritas!  :)  Rachel is just awesomely awesome.  Her smile is contagious, and well, she's freaking HILARIOUS!!  She's always there for you, ready to lend a hand, ready to bring over a bottle of Moscato... just a great friend.  I'm so thankful for our friendship!

Rachel's family is pretty awesome, too!  Miss Grace is in 2nd grade, and is such a doll!  She was cracking me up on the day of this shoot.  I arrived at their house, and while Rachel was still getting ready, Grace & I had many in-depth conversations regarding Disney, clothes and her Guinea Pig, "Bugsy" (who I got to hold & is totally adorable, by the way!).  As I've said before... this is what I love about my job!  And then there's Tom.  While we didn't have as many conversations as Grace & I did... it was really fun getting to know him better!  All in all, the Ambler's are just awesome.

I got to meet the rest of the family members... Penny & Sheldon (cats), and Lucy (dog).  Lucy is such a lover!!  While trying to get a family picture with Lucy, she would sit any way BUT facing the camera!  And between shots, she came to give me a kiss... right on the lips!  This didn't phase me, however.  I love dogs!  

We ended up getting some great shots!  Rachel & Tom's house was beautifully decorated for Christmas, so we bounced between two trees.  

While trying to utilize the chalkboard prop, Tom grabbed it, held it in front of Grace's face & I believe Rachel said something like, "Seriously, Tom?" -- and I snapped the picture.  Honestly, and as someone said as a comment on Facebook, this has Christmas Card written ALL OVER IT!  Hilarious!

It's always fun to photograph friends, and I'm very blessed to have a group of women (and men!) who trust in me to capture their memories.  :)

Enjoy!

The Kantz Family

I've been doing pictures for a little over a year now, and because of this, I'm experiencing repeat clients.  The Kantz family was one of the first families I photographed last year, and it just makes my heart smile to see them again this year!

Kaylin was so little last year -- I saw her this year, and she's such a big girl now!  And wow, what a doll!!

The morning of the shoot, I received a text from Carly, stating that she had gotten engaged to Tyler, and they wanted some engagement pictures as well.  I was so excited!!  Congrats to them both!

And I have to say, Tyler is so sweet with both of his girls.  Both of his girls adore him, and that is definitely reciprocated on his behalf as well.

Oh, and did I mention that Casper, the horse, was there too?  I love horses.  :)

It was a great shoot, great day and full of great people!

Enjoy!

The Pappas Family

It's funny how paths cross in life.  I didn't put 2 and 2 together until I actually met the Pappas family at our shoot.  You see, their daughter attended the same elementary school as my boys and they live in my previous neighborhood.  However, while fully embracing my "blondness", I failed to realize any of this!  I was so glad to connect with them.  What a great family!

The day we did these pictures, the weather was great all day, until about 10 minutes before our shoot -- the clouds rolled in, and holy wind, Batman!  Could've done without the gale-force winds... but we pushed through it.  :)

It was nice to meet Amy's mom, Joyce, who I mistakenly called JoAnne during the shoot.  Whenever you meet me, the first thing I will tell you is that I'm horrible with names... and clearly, this proves that fact!  I never forget a face, but names, wow... they completely elude me.  ;)

I believe this barn is becoming quite popular with photo shoots.  While we were there, we found some old books sitting out - my guess is from someone else's shoot.  Jillian took a liking to them, so I captured her doing one of the things she loves most... reading.

Enjoy!

The Wild & Wonderful Watson's

I'm just going to say it.  I have THE best friends!  They have all been so supportive in this venture & have trusted me to capture their family memories for them.  :)

I've known Val for a few years now.  We bonded through PTO adventures, we live in the same neighborhood, and well, we just "get" each other.  She is just about one of the funniest people I know.  She's one of those dry sense of humor people that'll tell you a giant story with the most serious look on her face.  Actually, I'm jealous of this ability because I can't keep a straight face to save my life!  I digress...

Val & Ryan have 4 kids, and they are all equally awesome.  They all have such different personalities, and it's so fun to watch them!  This family has fun, is fun, and fun follows them wherever they go.  I secretly hope that I get adopted into the Watson family because they have so much fun!  :)

Enjoy!

The Parker Family

The Parker Brothers... no, not the board game people, the little guys otherwise known as Cade & Broc.  OMG... what CUTIE-PIES!!

I've known Cade & Broc's mom, Stacy, for quite a while now.  She was one of the First Grade teachers when my oldest was in First Grade.  While she's no longer at that school, we've stayed in touch over the years -- and, she's super-sweet.  :)

I've seen her boys grow up via Facebook, and now I had the opportunity to see them in person.  And, they are SO. MUCH. FUN.!!

I have to say, for being boys, they were very willing to smile for me.  While Cade was more shy with his,

Broc let them flow freely!!

We had fun finding our way through the trails at the park.  The boys showed their awesome throwing skills at the creek.  Man, they've got good arms!  I mean, seriously.  I see baseball careers for both of them!  They're awesome!  We spent some time by the creek to do some fun pictures.

I was just happy to see that brothers all act the same.  They love each other one minute, and the next, they break out in a wrestling match.  I see this on a daily basis at my house.  :)

It was a fun day with the Parker's!  They are such cuties!  Oh, and their mommy is pretty darn cool, too.  :)

Enjoy!

Chelsea McKay - Senior Pictures

This was the most meaningful photo shoot for me to date.  Why?  There is a lot of history here.  Chelsea's mom, Stephanie, and I were best friends in high school.  We stayed in touch through the beginning of college, then sort of lost touch.  We reconnected at our 10-year HS reunion, then sort of drifted apart again.  Not by choice... but life just sort of happened.  We both had kids.  We were busy...

As I was on the phone with a friend planning our 15-year reunion, I was told that Stephanie had cancer.  I literally couldn't speak.  I hung up from that conversation & immediately contacted Steph.  I felt like the biggest heel on the planet.  I stumbled to find the words, and she was as calm as could be.  From that point on, it was as if no time had passed between us.  She was a FIGHTER.  She was not about to let this cancer win.  As she told me, "I'm too ornery and I still have too many things to do."  And, she was right!  She fought her cancer for a year & a half.

Near the end, I would go to be with & help take care of Stephanie twice a week.  We had some pretty in-depth conversations, and most of them centered around Chelsea.  Stephanie was such a phenomenal mother.  She gave her everything for Chelsea.  It was during these visits with Steph that I came to really know Chelsea... and what an amazing girl she is.

Being around Chelsea during this shoot was like being with her mother 20+ years ago.  She is a spitting image of her mom, and is so much like her!!

 I just have to say that if Stephanie were here now, she would be SO incredibly proud of her baby girl.  Proud in the ways of her sports abilities (her mother was very gifted in this area as well), her academic achievements, her future plans and just the young woman she has become.

I felt so honored to do these pictures of her.  I couldn't be more proud of Chelsea, and I am so blessed to know her.

Enjoy.

The Anthrop Family

I LOVE this family!

I feel like I've known Ally for forever... when actually, we met via a mutual friend on Facebook.  I have enjoyed her family for the past year, and we finally got to meet each other in person!  And I have to say, she's such a sweetheart!

Ally & Michael are incredibly sweet together.

Their boys...Robert, Jonah, Eli & Jordan are SO MUCH FUN!  I have to give them kudos...I've never had kids more willing to sit & pose for me before!

I'm going to recruit Eli & Jordan to be my assistants.  They had such great ideas!

We did this shoot at Happy Hollow Park in West Lafayette.  What a GREAT location!  So many places to take pictures, but there was a tree that I simply love.  And the tree, paired with this family was just... perfect!

Because this family is so fun, we ended the photo shoot with a Silly String fight!  Each family member was armed with a different color of Silly String.  I was able to catch some great shots amidst the storm of Silly String -- I even got shot!

I'm so thankful for this friendship, and for getting the opportunity to meet such a fantastic family!

Enjoy!