a ray of sunshine

This is Eleanor. Her name means "sun ray" or "shining light". She was certainly a little ray of sunshine when I met her! What a cutie...she was workin' it for the camera, too! We've known Eleanor's parents, Shawn & Angie, for a while and were so excited to come take some 6-month photos with them. She's their first child, and what an adorable family they make. There is so much laughter in their home!

Check out some of my favorite shots from our afternoon together...

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god is moving

This was my view of the sunrise over Lake Michigan on April 19. Gorgeous, right?

Makes me think... There's a sunrise every morning. We never wonder, "Do you think the sun will come up tomorrow morning? I'm not sure, but I really hope it does!" No, it just happens like clockwork. God orchestrates that, you know. How amazing is that? God is SO faithful. His perfect creation is beautiful and his mercies are new each morning.

Then I got to thinking... What are the mercies I have experienced lately? How has God been moving in my life and in the lives around me? Well, here are a few of the recent highlights that I'm grateful for:

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my wanna-be-niece at 2-months

Meet Kaylee Ann. Clearly, she's adorable. She's my wanna-be-niece—the daughter of two of our best friends, Amanda and Charlie. What a precious little face! And little fingers! Love her. A couple days before we took these photos, she had started holding her head up by herself. She's so strong! ...and a bit like a bobble-head at this stage, which totally adds to her cuteness. Here are a few of my favorite shots from when she was just turning 2-months-old...

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sneak peek: matt & deana's wedding

Matt & Deana's wedding on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous! It was certainly a joyous occasion, with plenty of love, laughter and dancing. Chad and I will be working on getting all of the images ready for you to enjoy as soon as we can. In the meantime, if you'd like to sign their virtual guestbook, you will be notified via email as soon as the images are ready! 

Sign their guestbook to view the wedding images »

See Matt & Deana's engagement photos »

rebekah's birthday

Back in January, little Rebekah turned one and she had all her biggest fans celebrating with her at her house. Her parents, Lauren & Andy, are dear friends of ours. It was so much fun to be a part of the festivities! Balloons, Packers, cake and sledding...what more could you want out of a Wisconsin birthday party? 

We snuck Rebekah away during some of the party prep and snagged some super-cute portraits of her. Once family and friends arrived, it was party time! Although she wasn't the biggest fan of frosting & cake, she did love the presents she received and all of the friendly attention, laughter and love. 

Check out some of my favorite photos from the day:

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4 more days...

What a very special time for this very special couple...
Deana and Matt are getting married in FOUR DAYS!

Chad and I know Deana very well from our time together at Carthage College. Even though we don't see each other very often, she has been an amazing friend over the years. (For example, since we've known her, I don't think she's ever failed to send either of us some form of birthday card on our birthdays.) We definitely value her friendship!

Deana has found her perfect match, no doubt—we couldn't be more excited for her and Matt to get married on Saturday! Here are a few photos from their engagement session...

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our leap

It's February 29th: Leap Day!
This got me realizing something... Yes, Chad is particularly good at leaping. But more than that, this IS a leap year for me and Chad—a year in which we are taking leaps. Leaps in our business, in our lives, and in our ministries. I want to fill you in on one of those recent leaps.

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"be mine"

On this Valentine's Day, be reminded that love isn't cheesy. It isn't in roses, singing cards or boxes of chocolates. It isn't just for couples. It isn't just for one day a year. Love—real love—is for every person and is offered freely by our creator. Thought I'd pull a few reminders from the greatest valentine ever written (the Bible).

God loves us more than we'll ever fathom...
"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."  -1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)

God wants us to love him back...
“Jesus replied, ‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”  -Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV)

No matter what, God delights in us...
"The LORD your God is with you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with singing.”  -Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT & NIV)

How sweet is that?!

recognizing his voice

Anybody remember what it was like to answer telephones before we had "caller ID" or saved contacts in our cell phones? When your phone would ring, you'd answer with anticipation. If one of your closest family members or best friends was on the other end, you'd recognize them by their voice before they even said their name. In the same way, you can easily zero in on one very familiar voice in a room full of people.

Lately, God has been reminding me of this concept. He wants more face time with us than just the 30 seconds before we eat dinner each day. He wants to know us personally, so much so, that when he speaks to us, we would recognize his voice like that of a best friend or a family member.

Sometimes it's easy for us to read the Bible and think that God spoke to people "back then" but that he doesn't work that way anymore. Miracles happened "back in Bible days" but not today, right? I was in that same boat of skeptics until I started hearing God's voice for myself and witnessed real miracles firsthand.

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smile search 2011

Chu Orthodontics in Racine, WI is in the business of making beautiful smiles. Dr. Gary W. Chu and the whole "Chu Crew" hosted a special event called, "Smile Search 2011". It's purpose was to promote the importance and intrinsic value of showing a great smile. They asked their patients and friends to submit photos to their contest website that presented their best smiles. The entries were then voted on by the public. The top eleven entrants were featured in the 2012 Chu Crew Calendar.

I was honored to shoot the personal photo sessions for each of the winners as well as design the calendar that featured them. Here are some of the behind-the-scenes details and photos, as well as the final 2012 calendar portraits.

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