It has been a full day...

...and I wanted to share one of it's highlights!

Her name is Caeleigh...

Her favorite colors are purple and pink...

She LOVES to sing...while being photographed! :-) Very, very sweet.

She loves her family...

and she can twirl with the best of them!

Nickie and Dan...and Buddy!

I recently had the enjoyable job of shooting some engagement pictures for Nickie and Dan, whose wedding I get to photograph on June 13. Dan's lab Buddy came along just for fun!

In order to get Buddy to look at me, I was holding his favorite toy, a big red rubber ball type thing. :-) This was yet another one of the many times that I am thankful one can only see who was in FRONT of the lens, and not crazy ME, in this case waving a red ball thing and yelling "buddy.......buuuuuuuddy......BUDDY!" while balancing my camera BEHIND the lens!




My favorite image from the session:

Thanks for the great session, Nickie and Dan!

Natalie and Trevor...engaged!

Here are some favorites from my session with this super fun couple.






Natalie and Trevor...thanks for being troopers in the cold and windy weather! I am looking forward to your July 17 wedding!

Thankful today.

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left its crimson stain
HE washed it white as snow!

We sang this during communion this morning and I dared not end the day without posting up this picture of our front yard, taken today, APRIL 5!

I never thought I would be...

...driving home from a wedding in a blizzard on April 4! But that is exactly what I did tonight! Crazy Iowa weather! I am praying that all the guests made it home safely.

Emily and Benj got married today and I wanted to share some of my favorite images with you!

I love this moment...right after the ceremony.



We were only able to shoot outside for a couple minutes because of the wind and cold. We did get a couple nice images like this one below.

I thought the cake was beautiful. It was made by Michelle from Piece of Cake.

The couple danced to "The Way You Look Tonight" by Frank Sinatra...

Emily and Benj-I wish you many blessings and all the joy in the world! Thanks so much for asking me to document your special day!

Meet Gentry...

...precious new addition to this very happy family!

Only 6 days old at the taking of these pictures...he is so fresh and new!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Gentry getting a little loving from Mom...

...and getting ready to be Dad's hunting partner!

He looks so tiny in this beautiful cradle hand made by Grandpa Dan. But he won't look tiny for very long...and that is why I am so thankful to have been invited to capture a few fleeting and precious moments in the life of this family! A heartfelt thanks to you, Kamie and Matt!

Eric and Karissa got engaged...

...at a charming old abandoned church near Rock Rapids. Friends of the couple own the land this church sits on, and they kindly agreed to come out and turn the heat on for us as we took some engagement pictures on a chilly but bright and beautiful day a few weeks ago.

We had some gorgeous light and some really neat old wooden seating, and a couple in love. What more could I ask for? :-)

There was a little aqua/green painted room off to the side of the sanctuary area...

Karissa plugged in the organ and started playing!


Eric and Karissa: I am looking forward to your May 2 wedding...all the best to you in these final weeks of preparations!