Sneak Peak at Mr. W

This little guy was so much fun. I couldn't believe how he hammed it up for the camera at just 12 weeks old! It was such a welcome relief after shooting my monster and a semi-cooperative 18-month-old in the last few weeks. Unfortunately it is taking me forever to get through these photos because of my work schedule (and for that I am very sorry Gina). But, I wanted to get at least a few up here tonight since you have waited so long to see them. Going through these tonight put a smile on my face -- how can you not laugh when looking at this silly toothless grin?

Sneak Peak at Mr. B

I have been taking little B's pictures since he was born and this was by far the most challenging. I love the attitude kids have at 18 months, but trying to get them to sit still long enough for a good picture is dang near impossible. I think I got a couple decent ones though (even if I did get my workout chasing him around).

Are they still terrible at 3?

Because this one is about to drive me insane!! Lately Nick has had an attitude on him that just won't quit. I know I said I wanted him to start talking, but I'm beginning to change my mind. His two favorite words are now "Fine" and "Geez." I guess it could be worse, but come on kid.

And getting a decent picture of him is dang near impossible. I took him out this last weekend (one of the last nice weekends) and he would not cooperate at all --- not even when I offered to take him to McDonald's for an apple pie. So, I have just two pictures that are even close to useable for his third birthday. Thank goodness Zander still cooperates!

This is about how the day went. If he wasn't pouting, he was screaming. Great for the outtake folder, but probably not going to end up on my wall.

Sneak Peak at Miss J

My cousin's baby is turning 1 in a few weeks so we took advantage of the last few nice days left this year to get her 1-year pictures in. I was hoping to have the session edited by tonight, but unfortunately, things got a little busy around here. So Katie, sorry, but all I have to show you now is a few of my favorites so far. Hopefully it will tide you over until Tuesday.

6 months already

I can't believe my baby boy is already 6 months old. He is such a fun little baby --- and so different than his older brother!

Thankfully, we've had some nice, sunny days lately so I've had the chance to get out and take some decent shots of the boys. I am still working on Nick's 3 year pictures, but at least Zander's are done (he moves, but not nearly as fast as his brother).

In addition to the beautiful tallgrass prairie I found we also headed out to Hartman Reserve this weekend. We got a little off the path (I know, a huge no-no), but found some great, colorful leaves. I was very surprised any of these pictures turned out given how dark the forest area was. Then, we went on a bit of an adventure and almost getting lost. It was a LONG walk, but still lots of fun. Needless to say, both boys (and us parents) were pretty pooped when we got home.

Sneak peak at another Miss M

Today was a photographic first for me. Up until this point I had stuck to taking pictures of my family and friends. It was all pretty low key and low pressure, but today I went out and shot my first complete stranger. Miss M is a wonderful little 3-year-old that really enjoyed playing outside. I had a great time shooting a little girl, but it was definitely different than shooting for a family member. We went out to Hartman Reserve which has some beautiful locations, but can be tough for an amateur because of lighting and color reflections.

So, Stacy and Jason, here are just a few from this afternoon. It was wonderful to meet you both and hopefully you can find something you like when you see them all!

So...it's been a little while

Obviously, I have been really bad about updating this thing! In my defense, life has been crazy around here --- Mike has been traveling a bunch, work has been crazy and the boys are keeping me so busy.

Nick is almost 3 now and has such an attitude on him. He's smart as can be, and sometimes, that's not a good thing. Zander is just days away from crawling. He's been army crawling for weeks (closer to months now) and is up on all fours rocking. Mike swears he crawled a little tonight, but since I didn't see it I say it didn't happen. :)

Anyway, I had a work assignment at the tallgrass prairie on the University of Northern Iowa campus this afternoon and absolutely fell in love with the place. It's what I have been looking for since I started taking pictures. I can't wait to go back next spring and summer to see what it looks like then. I've been wanting to get some 6 month photos of Zander (since he is now approaching 7 months), but just haven't been very motivated. So, this afternoon, I went out and bought the boys some new clothes and shoes and made Mike pick up McDonalds on the way home from work so we could head out there. It was nearly 6 by the time we got there and daylight was fading fast. I got about 25 minutes of decent photo light in and then we just walked around and let Nick see the creek that runs behind the prairie. I am hoping we have at least a few more nice weekends so we can go back out with good light and try this again. But, even if we don't, I have at least a few decent shots. They are by no means by best, but they will definitely do (hey, they beat Wal-Mart).

So, without further ado ... here they are:

Mike showed Nick the cotton/dandelion bulbs and he kept trying to blow them into the air. Unfortunately for him, he had a problem with blowing and instead ended up sucking in just as much as he blew! Maybe that's something to work on for next year.

And just because I can --- Nick cannot fall asleep without dragging half his room into bed with him. This is just proof (and blackmail) for later!