Starved Rock

I absolutely love fall. I don't know what exactly it is but I think it's the combination of cool weather and sunny skies, hot chocolate, a warm comfy hoodie, jeans, pumpkins, apple pie, football, and Halloween all rolled up into one. And who can't forget the gorgeous colors you get from nature God gave us too. I think that living in the midwest during the fall season so pretty. You can't get the beautiful landscape of colors and textures that only the change of seasons brings anywhere else.
So, with all that in mind we decided to go on a photo safari with the family and take pictures of whatever came our way. Last weekend, we were fortunate enough to have some free time to drive up to Starved Rock national park in Utica, Illinois. And boy were there colors!

Khris and Kristine toured us

My husband, Mike, carried my daughter, Mikayla, on his shoulders for the great majority of the hike. God bless him! And I never heard him complain. Mikayla also had a great time taking pictures of everything that came her way.

just one of the snakes we ran into

we hiked over to one of the waterfalls in the area

my other daughter, Maddie, also had a camera and did a great job taking her shots

so it was a walking stick that made her walk instead of being carried

We had lots of fun with michele, andy, khris, and kristine who were all on the photo safari with us. It's a lot of walking but so worth it in pictures. We had a great time and would love to do it again but another destination. Till next time!!!

Alexis Hope

Little Alexis Hope Pili is now 6+ weeks old and boy is she adorable!! I had the pleasure of capturing her first month old portraits and had a wonderful time getting to know her and visiting with her parents. Heidi and Gus looked great and were very happy. Alexis was such a great baby to work with that I can see why they probably get some good rest.

these are the cutest little shoes I've seen

she wanted to give us a smile but was a little shy

holding on tight to mommy

surrounded by a soft blanket always does the trick

Heidi still looks radiant

mother daughter time

the first of many sweet kisses from mommy

she's definitely daddy's little girl too

precious toes

and the first of many times daddy will hold her hands

it's so easy to just stare at them when they are this peaceful

Gus and Heidi are just over the moon about their baby girl. She's very lucky to have them and I know they feel just as blessed to have her in their lives now.

Thank you so much for letting me take pictures of these special times for you.

Beautiful little Cameryn

Cameryn just turned one! Happy Birthday to the sweetest baby! We went to her first birthday party this weekend. She had a lovely party in the park with sweets and kids and lots of presents. She was such a good baby and never complained and only enjoyed herself. You can tell she is well loved because she's such a happy little girl

she wore her special birthday hat with pride and a terrific smile

look at her beautiful blue eyes

she wanted to play a little bean bag toss

grandma made her climb a tree for this cute pose

she loved her smash cake

this adorable hat and poncho was knitted for her

and when she was done opening the gifts...she tried a little bit of the wrapper to test and see if it tasted just as good as it looked!


Thanks Michelle, Jason, and Peggy for inviting us to celebrate this important milestone. We had a great time and loved just watching Cameryn. We love her smile and look forward to watching her grow up.

Lauren

I had to add this shot. It's one of my favorites =D

Lauren turns One !!

Happy First Birthday Lauren! Wow! I can't believe my niece is already one years old. A year really goes by fast especially for little ones. Ryan and Kate asked me to take her one-year old pictures and I was thrilled to.

She woke up from her nap and got into her pretty white dress. Not fussy but just wanted mom and dad nearby at all times.She did give me a few hopeful smiles from the start.

Little Einsteins birthday cake!

I really think she was in awe of cake. Look at her face!

We went to the park and picked some flowers.

And she posed a little

What a pretty face!

She did get happy

But in the end just needed to be held by mom and dad

...and a few kisses also helped.

Thanks Kate, Ryan, and Lauren for letting me be a part of your special day!

Oh and I almost forgot. Her favorite puppy wants to wish her a happy birthday too!!