{Puppy Love}

The boys have named her Penny.
They want to keep her.
Over my dead body.
Though she is cute...



I could almost fall in love with her. She is very sweet. My brother-in-law, James, found her by his front porch this morning. We think she was abandoned, dumped. How can someone do that?
We also think she's not very old, 4-5 weeks maybe.
She's probably missing her mama.


Mallory is helping us with her. Mallory is the queen of dogs. She is the most knowledgable dog lover I know. She will help us to know what to do.

In the mean time, Tye, my own little dog lover, is in heaven.

Baby C.

Somehow I get to photograph a lot of baby boys. I don't know why, but I hardly ever get girls. My because I have 2 boys of my own, and fate knows I hold a special place in my heart for them. Or maybe fate knows I can handle it when they pee everywhere...
Meet this baby boy, C.


I love photographing the way hair swirls on a baby's head.

He has a big brother & big sister who really like him!

And of course I had to get a couple of shots of them, too!

And lastly a smile-y photo!

Melinda + Ian

Truth be told, I still get very nervous when I meet new people. I wish it wasn't that way. All my confidence in my abilities flies out the window when I show up to a photoshoot location to shoot people I've never met before. I felt that same way when I met Melinda & Ian. The anxious feeling passed very quickly though.

I had so much fun with these two. It was like I gained instant friends. They are getting married in September and I will be photographing it for them. I think it will be a blast. We did an engagement shoot for now and I am thrilled with how the photos turned out.

I can't decide which of the first 2 I like the best, but they both have a Summer Haze treatment on them.

May Tidbits

First, can I just brag a bit? Tye got third place in his school track meet in the triple jump. He made it over 15 feet! He got a ribbon and was so proud of himself.

Next, we had a great time at Matt & Deb's for a grill out the Sunday before Memorial Day. The kids stayed with grandma and we were able to just be adults. It was relaxing! Here is the party leader, Matt, with his glowing party lights he strung. Matt is a grilling king!

Matt's wife, Deb, got to hold her new niece, who you recognize from my post "Baby L." She getting so big already!

We played Lawn Darts and John was my partner. We actually won!

We played a game where we had to eat Bamboozled Jelly Beans from Jelly Belly. There is a bad flavor (like earwax, pencil shavings, etc.) for every good flavor (popcorn, licorice, peach, etc.). I never seemed to get a good flavor. Here's Kevin who also got a bad one...

...which made Sam laugh!

Denise is explaining why she will not be eating this bean.

We also had lots of good food to eat. Everyone brought something to grill and it all was delicious. Matt, the grill king, watched as Theresa made her awesome Hawaiian Kabobs!

Other things for May:

*Bodie has taken to saying "Oh snap!" & "oh chit ( a replacement for the bad word)" which is kind of hilarious. He has also mastered the art of "that's what she said" even though he still doesn't know what it means. He just knows when to say it.

*He also lost his 2 front teeth this month.

*I had 6 photoshoots in May!

7 Kids & Paper Mustaches

Just trying omething new... and very fun!!!

I brought out the mustaches about halfway through the session and the kids loved it! They were so excited to wear them and make funny faces. So, be warned that I may use this idea again in the future.
Here's the group photo without the 'staches.

And the next ones are my faves from the session, which we shot at the Village of Yesteryear here in town.

One more mustache just for fun!

Graduate

My brother, Eric, graduated last week from the University of Dubuque. I took the kids down with my sister and our friend, Nicki, for the weekend. Eric looked so handsome in his cap and gown. His mom was so proud of him, and cried tears of joy. Fortunately, her friend, Mary, was there for her.

My boys also got to spend some time with their grandpa. They haven't seen him in a year and a half, so it was a big treat. Here's Bo showing him how to play DS.

Mary brought her two boys with her from Omaha. They became fast friends with my 2 boys. They were also so well behaved all weekend, which was nothing short of a miracle.

Here are both my brothers, no doubt trying to determine who is a better athlete through deep discussion.

My dad had 3 out of his 4 kids there. Kelcie, the youngest, is still in Australia and couldn't come back for the graduation. Dad & Lisa brought a "Flat Kelcie" with to the ceremoy though, so she would feel left out.

I took this one just before we left. Eric tossed the Bo-monster over his shoulder, like good uncles do.

It was really nice to see everyone and finally meet Monsignor and Mary, who Dad & Lisa speak of so highly. I really wish we could all see each other more often, but I'll take it when I can!