happy thanksgiving.

Even before 5 in the morning there is no doubt what I'm thankful for...



Apparently she couldn't wait to start her first Thanksgiving.



I'm also thankful that my other little turkey is still asleep.

Happy Thanksgiving!

russell: family

Sunday I got to meet the Russells...Gavin, Collin, Landon, Mollie, Christie & Mark (also known as mom and dad) and Maggie.



The kids go from senior in high school to preschooler...I've always loved big families. It seems like it would be such fun chaos.



And I do think it must be awesome to be the baby in a large family - all those older siblings loving you and looking out for you. I'm sure it comes with a generous helping of being picked on but still...







Thanks to the Russell's for a fun afternoon!

barnhardt: family

Last week I spent a beautiful Fall afternoon with the Barnhardt family. Suzanne, Todd, Jake and Charlie met me at Tanglewood Park to take advantage of a perfect evening after being rained out on Sunday. The love in this family was obvious from the moment we started and it was a joy to spend time with them.






Jake is in middle school...



...and Charlie is in second grade.



They were as excited about spending an hour taking photos as 2 boys can be but we might have had a little fun along the way...in spite of spiders and yellow jackets.








Thanks to the Suzanne, Todd, Jake and Charlie for a fun afternoon, and thanks to Angie for the referral!

happy halloween.

In spite of the rain we had a great time dressing up and trick-or-treating. Daddy made the robot because as Xander would say "My Daddy rocks!".

october 2009

I love October - the cool weather, the changing leaves and perhaps most of all the pumpkins.









Happy Halloween everyone. We had a great time trick-or-treating last night. Photos of the kids in costume coming soon!

event: teagan's first birthday

Had a great time celebrating Teagan's first birthday with the Sparks family. He's got such a little personality. After hearing his big brother say "whoa" over one of the fun presents he got, Teagan then followed up every new gift with his own little "whooaaa". 1 is such a fun age!



Happy first birthday Teagan!

rob & steph: wedding

It was the perfect day. The drizzle outside and the cool temperatures could have been a blizzard and it would have still been the perfect day. It was the day they said I do. It was the day they promised their lives to each other. It was the day they took the first big step towards forever. It was a day filled with smiles and love and celebration.

Congratulations Rob and Steph!

Typically I start the wedding day with the bride and her girls. I visit the groom and the guys to take their group shots but spend the majority of the prep time with the bride. As I was not the official photographer for my brother's wedding I got to hang out with him and guys as they got ready. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was a completely different environment. There is a lot more goofing around and watching television going on with the guys than I've ever seen in the bride's prep. Actually, I have NEVER seen any wrestling or television watching in the bride's prep.



They got down to the business of getting ready about 45 minutes before they were planning to leave. Oh to be a boy...



Xander was allowed to watch Uncle Rob get ready as long as he stayed out of the way. He took me seriously and watched from inside the closet.



A new challenge...photographing a ceremony from your seat.



The reception was was at The Sheraton Station Square. The room overlooked the city and was beautiful!






You'll notice the Steelers paraphernalia on the wedding party. They were lucky enough to visit Heinz Field for photos between the ceremony and reception.



I already posted this series in the sneak peek but they are some of my favorites. I loved their first dance and am actually glad a little rain kept everyone from blowing bubbles at the church.









The reception was a blast but I put away my camera and joined my brother and new sister-in-law to celebrate! Congratulations Rob and Steph and I look forward to a lifetime of celebrations with you!