Don’t pressure them and voila we will start having fun & dancing even!

And the big announcement!  This family is a bebe collection family & now I am so lucky, I get to shoot another bebe collection!

CONGRATS! I can’t wait to capture another first year!!

Even if you don’t have a big announcement, there are so many props and things to do to incorporate your family’s personality into your portraits.  I will help you think out of the box….call me to brainstorm your next session:O) 

Baby Kale

Baby Kale

City girl marries country boy

This is the father of the bride’s Bible. She had the ring bearer use this aged & well worn Bible as their ring pillow. I thought it was a perfect way to have her Dad in her service & a great reminder that he was with her watching down from heaven.

The bride and groom had a saying:

“I Do, Me Too” 

After they started dating, their relationship became long distance so they logged many hours on their cell phones talking. I wanted to incorporate their love that was established over many phone conversations into their wedding day images

Above is part of their beautiful wedding cake, below are some very cute forks they served each other cake with….again, with their saying of :  ”I Do, Me Too”

Here is “LOVE” created out of their personalized reception decorations. I had to flip the Christmas tree centerpieces on their side to make the E.  But voila…LOVE from details

cake: Char, dresses: Bridal Gown Outlet, Flowers: Petal Creations, Tuxes: Savvy Formalwear

Despite cold weather and snow, the day was nothing short of warm and spectacular

I am always looking for new ways to show off the bride’s dress–

Scoular Ballroom in Omaha, Nebraska had beautiful backdrops for the dress–I am not going to lie, hanging the dress from the chandelier made me a little nervous-I could just picture it all crashing to the floor…

Getting the dress up on all these locations was difficult too….good thing I had a tall basketball player groomsmen to hang the dress everywhere for me….I bet he was wishing he hadn’t shown up early…ha ha!

To show that this was a holiday wedding, I decided to shoot the garter on the Christmas tree, like a wedding ornament.

Cold weather did not keep us from venturing around downtown Omaha and the Old Market

Not the typical bridesmaids’ footwear, but who’s judging…it was COLD!

Old Market Fun….this was lots of fun for me because one of the groomsmen is my twin brother

and more fun…the groom, and 2 other groomsmen went to my high school and the flower girl for the day is my niece-(not in picture)

My twin brother, John Stallings and the Groom, Tom Jeffrey

Gene Leahy Mall, Omaha, NE

Downtown Omaha makes a great backdrop for a wedding day kiss!

We had to show off the holiday lights on Gene Leahy Mall

Stem Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska provided the flowers and decorations

I really loved the dramatic lighting of snow falling on the walls thru the ceremony and reception….it was absolutely beautfiul

After a day of I Do’s, traveling in a trolly, navigating snow in a wedding dress, mingling with friends and dancing…it’s time to call it a day.

Katie & Casey (who I have been blessed to photograph them from engagement pics thru wedding and thru their first year of parents of twins!-so fun)-

they even were jumping for joy in the rain in the Old Market in Omaha, NE!

Joyfulness in the Sun @ Holmes Park in Lincoln, NE

And even joy and humor when Kelly & Nancy’s Harley Limo broke down on their way to the reception and a caravan of wedding guests had to come to the rescue!

I’ll share more thru out 2012 to make us all laugh!

This couple just loved to goof around all day–from running thru a field, making a wish on a giant prairie grass puff to striking poses in our picture frame-they never stopped having fun!

This wedding party found the grossest mattress in an alley-you couldn’t pay me enough to even touch the bed, let alone lay on it like this groom!

Then we ran into a “rent-a cop” who became part of the party in the alley!

It is always a good time as a wedding photographer on a Saturday

I had a blog in mind today that was full of fun photo ideas.  But as the snow falls outside and my heart reflects on the life we lost this year it seems more appropriate to talk about the gift of life.

I watched the movie “The Heart of Christmas,” which is a wonderful & tear filled movie about a little boy diagnosed with rare Lukemia.   Many of us have experienced the loss of someone very close to us and unfortunately many times it seems too early for that person to be taken from us.

Cory Adams was taken too early in our minds too, why would God take a young father?  Why would God take a 3 year old little boy?

When I was 12 & 13 I spent a lot of time on the pediatric floor at the KU med center.  When I first woke up from surgery I found myself in intense pain in a body cast from my chest to my toes and proceeded to throw my self the biggest pity party, I can’t walk!  Life is not fair.  But when the pain wasn’t as intense my nurses wheeled me down to the “classroom” where I made so many friends, all of them ages 2-5 and all of them with cancer.  My favorite friend was Dotty, a cute little toddler with so much spunk that you couldn’t help but laugh with her.  When I wasn’t in the classroom then from my bed I could see her wiz down the hallway on her bigwheel with a squirt gun dousing all the nurses and Dr.s with water that “dared cross her path”.  She lit up every room and hallway she was in!

My first stay at the hospital was only 2 weeks and in that short time I fell in love with these kids and they changed my life forever. I left the hospital still in a body cast but with thankfulness for my blessings and an attitude of never wanting to take anything for granted.  My parents stayed with all their parents in the Ronald McDonald home and every time we came back for my check ups and post surgery and then even more check ups thru the following months and years we always asked about our special friends that touched our lives forever. On one check up we found out that my favorite friend Dotty had earned her angel wings…life is not fair!  But all this loss would be completely tragic if we didn’t celebrate their lives by cherishing each moment God gives us and by learning from their lives and letting their lives change our hearts and minds and even the course of our life.

It all may look like a mess to us, but God is weaving a grand tapestry to change lives and to draw us near to Him.  A life cut short-is not, it is a perfect life in God’s plan. Dotty changed the course of my life. Cory changed many lives in his short life and anyone we loose “to soon” has done their assignment from God-and though we don’t see it clearly -heaven does.

This song helps me with the fact that life does not seem fair:

The reason for the World by Matthew West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swKPS9q7rMU

Songs from the Heart of Christmas movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s0uOLgv9X0&feature=related

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-heart-christmas-free-song/id485352007

http://www.watchgmctv.com/videos?guid=28e57f12-fd84-47c5-8047-dbca55b4caaf

This Christmas, remember the heart of Christmas-God sent his Son to save the world and thru this Grace may we extend that love to others even while we are in pain.  Who can you serve today, who can you bless-how can you impact another’s life with love, support and encouragement today?

The photographer in me also wants to remind you to keep snapping away on your camera-these moments-even unfocused, are treasures.  There also may never be a “perfect time” to schedule your session with a professional…you may be too busy, want to loose a few more pounds, take off those braces or wait for a nice tan-but those who love you won’t care if you were 5 pounds heavier than you wanted to be, all they will see in the photo is their “mom, bestfriend, dad, brother, etc…they will only see you and how much they love you.

Here are some photos of my husband’s “brother” Cory Adams….we know you are praying for us from heaven, happy birthday today-we are celebrating you!

This blog is in memory of so many others that we have lost in our lives and a special thanks to Megan Bode “my little sister” who changed many lives in her short life.  We love all our many angels.

Cory with one of his beautiful daughters-ella

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

just a few of my Thanksgiving sessions….

From cousins, to kids coming back, to new babies -the holidays are when we all gather together & it is a perfect time to document your family.  

There is still time to schedule your extended family photo session around Christmas and the New Years!

Enjoy your family, and make sure to document all the small and big moments-and occasionally hire a professional photographer to capture everyone all at once!