If a picture is worth....

....1,000 words, this one is PRICELESS.

This was last night. My Alli on the left, Stephy in the middle and Ashleigh on the right. They were pretending to dumpster dive.

This is what friendship looks like.

It's not the greatest of pictures....many things fundamentally wrong with it, but I don't post it because it's award winning....

...even though it is.

It's award winning because it shows how life should be lived. With friends. Laughing. Loving each other even through your kookiest of qwerks....and getting to be YOU without any fear of the consequences of that.

It's beautiful and it makes my heart absolutely swell.

The next Tiger....

I got to meet the next Tiger Woods the other night (Tiger the golfer not Tiger the scandal). Andrew is a senior at Urbandale....and he has big dreams! Never shot a golfer before but it was fun. He had very specific shots he wanted and it was seriously nice to have half the shoot already figured out for me! Below are my favorites....

This kid should ALWAYS wear blue. Just sayin'.

And my favorite of the day.....

Watch out ladies....this guy is the real deal! :0)

Andrew: Thank you for letting me shoot your senior pictures! I look forward to seeing you in SI and Golfer's Digest in the years to come (remember us little peeps!). NEVER.STOP.CHASING.YOUR.DREAMS. They may not end up exactly how you pictured it, but TRUST ME. God will work it out as HE has planned and that plan is beyond anything you can possibly imagine. Good luck in your senior year!

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~ Isaiah 40:29-31

Love like crazy....

Damon is three. Damon is big. Damon is adorable. Damon....is LOVED. No doubt in my mind this kid lacks nothing from his sweet momma and her parents.

Mom trying to get him to throw something in the creek. He did NOT get it. Wanted to go next to the creek (down a steep, muddy hill!). Funny to watch his face as he tried to understand what she was asking him to do.

Runnin' with momma....

I liked this one and included it here because it will NOT BE LONG and he will be putting HIS hand on HER head. Trust me on this one.

One of my all time favorite family pictures....

If I were them, I'd choose this one as my holiday card! Can you see the love?!?

Makes my heart absolutely smile....and count the days 'til I get a grandson (only a minimum of 3,650 days if you really want to know).

"Down, Set....HIKE!" He will definitely be a football center!

He had more fun with the squirt bottle than anything else! He got a real kick out of spraying everyone....even me! It felt goooooood! :0)

Hee hee.....

Another holiday card possibility. Life isn't always picture perfect so neither should our pictures be perfect. This is THEM so why not have a picture of them as they are?!?

Bubbles....a photographers best friend when shooting kiddos. Bring them EVERYWHERE!

My favorite of the day. Look at grandpa and Damon's face! LOVE IT!

So thank you, sweet Throckmorton's!!! It was so much fun to capture you as you are all together. You love like CRAZY and it's cool to watch! Looking forward to watching Damon grow with you!

"But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." ~ Joshua 24:15

Little boy bums and laughter....

Couldn't resist showing you two of my favorites from a 3 year old shoot on Sunday. Gotta love little boy bums and LAUGHTER.

More later!

And finally....a SMILE.

Meet Leandra. She tried so hard not to smile. I was so glad that she did, though! What a beautiful girl. Never met her until the night of the shoot and I was impressed with her almost immediately. She is obviously very pretty, but also a track runner (hurdles and long jump for sure, probably some other fast stuff that wears me out just thinking about) and smart. Gotta love a pretty, fast, smart girl! Below are my favs from last week. Took more last night that I will put up soon. The post below this one titled "Toes"?? Those are Ms. Leandra's toes. :0) Might have to enter that one in the State Fair next year. Love it!

My favorite of the day....

Or maybe this one.....her eyes. They pierce you but in a "it's cool" kind of way. She is pretty when she doesn't smile but even prettier when she does.

A.T.T.I.T.U.D.E.....When I said "give me your best attitude", this is what I got. LOVE IT!

She is by far the most adventureous Senior I've had to date. Wanted to be fully in the water in her new clothes! It was fun, though. I bet when she gets married someday she will totally do a "trash the dress" session in the water! How fun would that be!!

Tied for my favorite picture of the day.....


I L.O.V.E. this one. :0)

So glad to get to shoot your senior pictures Leandra! You are such a pretty girl with a lot going for you. May your future be as bright as your SMILE! Remember that you are who you are and exactly the way God made you. Letting people see the real you isn't as hard as it seems.....and they will surely be blessed when they do!

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6