It’s hard to believe that a year has past since I last saw Mr. Avi. This handsome little man has grown so much and I’m absolutely in love with his head of curls and bright blue eyes! We were lucky enough to get a beautiful March spring day in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and I had a blast playing and photographing with this little guy and his amazing parents. I also got news that Avi is going to be a big brother! Such exciting stuff! I look forward to getting to photograph again this soon to be family of 4!

And just a fun comparison to see how much Avi has grown over the last year! Craziness! I didn’t think he could get any cuter…but he managed.

I had such a good time photographing little Mr. Casey. He was such a calm baby and had the most pinchable baby chub I’ve seen in a while! Love those baby cheeks! Haha. And you NEED to see just how handsome he looked in a denim vest and also his football knit cap! Check out a few of my favorite photos from spending the afternoon with the Yanko family.

Miss A is seriously the sweetest little peanut around! Those adorable eyes and that beautiful smile of hers just won me over! And what better way to celebrate a first birthday with this sweat pea than with some pearls, pigtails, tutu’s and a super yummy smash cake! Happy first birthday, Miss A!

I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph the Taylor family since they welcomed their eldest daughter, Grier, 2 years ago. And this sweet little girl has definitely grabbed a good chunk of my heart over the past 2 years.  And now, this past December, the family welcomed the newest addition, baby Kate. And she is just as adorable as her big sister. I think my heart might just burst from all the adorableness I see whenever I head over to their home.  Here’s a peek as some of that cuteness…see what I mean?!

Now that the December holidays have concluded, it’s time to do a little catch up with some of the holiday portrait sessions on the blog! I know it’s the new year and some of you may have already put your Christmas trees away (scrooges! Haha), but I held off on sharing these because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for anyone’s holiday cards that they sent out to friends and family!

So here are a few of my favorites from these sessions.  I’m so incredibly thankful to have such wonderful clients!  I hope all of you enjoyed your holidays and that you have much love, wealth, & happiness in 2013!

On days like today, when the unfortunate death of innocent children & unknowing adults is made known in the national media, it reminds me why I am so grateful for what I do for a living. We will NEVER know all the details of what tomorrow holds, or when it may be the last day we have with a loved one.  So to be able to capture those moments that mean the world to my clients, it also means the world to me.  I just have to think these families and friends affected by this tragedy today, will surely be eternally appreciative of those last few photos they have of their loved ones from which to remember them by.  Along with the many before that.  So if I can make hearts happy with my photos, than I feel like I’ve done my job.

So with all that being said, I’ve unfortunately let the everyday grind distract me from sharing with you LOTS of loving moments that I’ve captured over the last few months. So here’s some fall catch-up for you! I hope that it brings a smile to your face despite all that has gone on today.  (And please make sure to hug your loved ones today and let them know how much they mean to you!)

The Wilson Family:

The McGlinchey’s:

The Weinzimmers:

I don’t know how many times I’ve had a parent apologize to me for their kid not wanting to sit still and cooperate for photos.  But you know what? It’s going to happen! (Every.Single.Time!) What kid wants to sit still and pose for portraits when they could be out playing?! I know I wouldn’t! Haha. But in all honesty, as much as parents apologize to me, I don’t mind one bit! I actually love it! I prefer to have less of the posed photo shoot with fancy backdrops and stiff smiles. My style of family photography tends to be more of a lifestyle approach. I like for kiddos to be in their natural environment and being who they are. Playing with their new dinosaur or favorite blankie.  Or capturing their moods (even if it be a frown or tears) because to me that is so much better than the canned smile. I want to capture the natural essence of who.they.are. 

So with all that being said, at Brandon’s 2-year shoot…all he wanted to do was run circles around the house, or play with his new toy. Haha. And yes, he got tired of his sweater and did NOT want to put another one on. But that is what make him his 2-year-old adorable self! And I enjoyed every minute of our session!  Hopefully, these moments will be the ones Courtney and Drew will be glad I captured and ache to remember as Brandon continues to get get older and embark on the world.

Happy Sunday!

And this was right at the tail-end of the shoot. While Brandon was DONE, I think the rest of us had a good giggle with this photo.

Today you get a double dose of cuteness with both the Zaidman young gents and the Zipprich kiddos! I’ve been photographing the Zaidman family for a while now and Melissa was kind enough to pass the word on about her favorite photographer (Thank you!!) to her neighbor a few doors down.  So we planned a double shoot one fall afternoon in my old neck of the woods (the ‘Boro!) and below are some of my favorite shots from the afternoon.

When Erin first messaged me about doing family portraits, she told me that it wouldn’t just be her immediate family, but also her hubby’s siblings and parents, plus their kids.  She was like, “are you sure you are up to doing a session with 8 adults and 7 young kids?”  I will fully admit, that can sound a bit daunting, but I was totally willing to give it a shot! And as with any portrait session with kiddos under the age of 5 (even if it’s only 1 kid, and not 7), there were moments of tears, running away, and not wanting to pose (see the photo with grandma and the boys), but we made it work and I think we got some great shots out of it.  What do you think?

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet the Kearns family, back in September for a family portrait session.  Kristen won a family portrait session with me via my donation to the Shannon Fed0r Scholarship Fund for Holy Name. How lucky was she?!  She has a beautiful family of boys!  Check out some of my favorites from our session below.

Time continues to just fly right on by me.  I can’t believe this little man below is actually 4-years-old already! I also can’t believe that he’s also a big brother now.  Just the other week, Tristan and his family, welcomed baby Clara into their family. Congrats!!! Check out a few of the cherished moments that Tristan, Mom, & Dad got to spend together at their last portrait session as a family of 3. I can’t wait to see the newly formed brother/sister bond come our session this December! Stay tuned!

When one of my bestest friends from college contacted me to say that she wanted to have some professional family portraits done, I was BEYOND excited! With her living 3 hours away, I don’t get to see her nearly enough as I would like!  I also knew this trip would include a visit to the IKEA that happens to be like 5 minutes away from her. One of my favorite stores and getting to see one of my favorite people…how could I pass it up?!  We ended up heading over to Greenfield Village over by the Henry Ford Museum (SUPER cute park with all kinds of historic stuff!) for the photos and it’s was a blast! I wish we would have had more time to just explore afterwards!  But anyways, here’s some of my favs of her beautiful family.  Enjoy!