Playing Games & Bribing
When you have a two year old who is very determined and strong willed, you will do almost anything to get a little cooperation out of them. That usually means modesty goes out the window…I’ve been known to sing (no I can’t carry a tune), shake my booty (yeah, no coordination there either), make crazy animal sounds, play games and even break out the bribes!
To get Landon to cooperate, I quickly realized I was going to have to pull out the big guns. We played a little peek-a-boo to get him comfortable. Then we played a little game involving poking Landon in his belly button…which he found to be quite hilarious and entertaining. Lastly, when nothing else would work, I broke out his favorite candy…M&Ms. Boy, did those stop him in his tracks. “Please” became his word of choice.
Once outside, the only thing that made Landon pause was “breaking” and throwing leaves. He had an absolute blast crushing the leaves into teeny tiny pieces and spreading them all over the ground.
It was definitely a constant game playing, bribe giving session!
All About Food
Connor and I talked about a lot! We talked about animals, and Jayhawks, and Lightening McQueen, but it wasn’t until we started talking about food that the smiles started really coming out.
At three years old, he has yet to top thirty pounds. You would never guess that he has a love for food, but when the topic of food came up, his excitement level shot up!
It quickly became a game of word association. I would say pizza and he would say hot dog. I would say chicken nuggets and he would say french fries. It didn’t matter what the word was, it just mattered that it was food!
Daddy’s Boy
Landon is in love with his Daddy! Having Daddy hold him and cuddle with him is definitely high on Landon’s list of favorite things.
Which also makes Daddy very helpful in the smile department. All Daddy had to do was talk to Landon and Landon broke out in a big grin. I even heard a few giggles!
The hurdle came when Landon decided that he wanted Daddy and he’d take off crawling, head down looking straight at the ground, as fast as possible right towards Daddy. If Daddy picked him up, Landon was happy as could be, until Daddy went to put him down, then there was a bit of a melt down. Landon definitely works the pitiful sob!
No worries, we worked through it and all was right in Landon’s world!
Love Times Three
Get these three siblings together and be prepared for a flurry of activity, non stop talking and a bit of craziness! The good thing is that the craziness comes from the honesty, true love of each other and a love for being together.
Even having them stand next to each other means chaos, but not because they’re pushing or shoving each other, but because they are literally smothering each other in hugs and kisses. At times, I really didn’t think they could get any closer.
Being Comfortable
When I know that the next kiddo walking through the door is someone I’ve been photographing for many years, who I have a good relationship with, who I can’t wait to see how much they have changed in the last year, and who I know I’m going to have fun with, I get very excited for their arrival!
That is definitely one of the highlights of being a children’s photographer…building those relationships and having them grow and change over the years.
The first time I photographed Carter, he was just two years old. Now, as he’s about to turn six, he and I have definitely become awesome buddies! We can joke. We can talk about sports. He knows my puppies and always wants to greet them. And, even though he’s all boy, he’s quick to admit to me that he is having fun!
Smothering With Love
If it was up to big sister and big brother, they would be holding, helping, touching, kissing…basically smothering little sister Allison with their love, every minute of every day! They are definitely in love with their little peanut sister!
A Celebration
A huge thank you goes out to everyone who supported us by walking with, and donating to, our Step Up for Down Syndrome team! The support really means a lot to me!
The walk as a whole raised over $450,000…which is just awesome!! All that money stays here in the Kansas City area and will benefit the Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City! It is an awesome local organization whose mission is to provide support and resources for individuals with Down syndrome and their families. DSG also seeks to provide the entire community with information and education to broaden awareness and foster positive attitudes regarding people with Down syndrome.
The morning started out a bit chilly, but when you’re talking about late October at 8 o’clock in the morning…we were actually pretty lucky. As the sun rose, the warmth level also rose. Although a somewhat chilly breeze did kick up, there was not a drop of rain, sleet or snow at Arrowhead stadium.
Bellies were filled full with everything from Brats and Hamburgers, to Krispy Kreme, Smallcakes, Smoothies, Kettle Corm and Ice Cream! Bouncers and slides were conquered. Jugglers and clowns entertained.
Over 8,000 walkers lined up for a one mile stroll around Arrowhead Stadium. Considering the sheer number of walkers, everyone kept a pretty good pace, laughing and smiling the entire time.
With the walk being the same day as my birthday, I was blessed with some extra goodies and treats! A huge thanks to Dad and Mom for a delicious birthday cake! Starbucks goodies from Becky, Grace and Tracy…me thinks they know the way to my heart! And an awesome new tray (just for Rice Krispy treats) from the Winchel family…yeah they know me too well! Thank you all for making my birthday and the walk a day to remember!!
It was definitely a celebration of life, love, family, friends and even turning another year older!
Thanks to my Dad, I actually made it into a bunch of photos! 
Too Quiet
As baby number four, I think Lucy is used to craziness, commotion, loud noises and not being the center of attention. She was a little unsure with the studio setting. It was quiet, she had Mommy and my undivided attention, and, although Mommy and I were acting crazy, we don’t compare to her siblings!
Lucy definitely flashed me her big, blue eyes, but to get smirks and smiles out of her, we really had to work for it! Getting to see all of Lucy’s sides, from her quiet and somber, to her loud and talkative, to her sad and whimpering, to her excited and happy, was worth every minute!
Caught On Quickly
When it comes to senior sessions, there is always a little bit of a learning curve between my senior and me at the beginning of a session. I’m not always great explaining which way to turn or how to move your head. I know what I want to say, it just doesn’t always make sense to the person on the other side of the camera.
Jessica, however, caught on very quickly. We stumbled through the first few, but then she picked up my finger points, head bobs and gibberish!
She almost got to the point of being telepathic. I would take a breath, getting ready to say, “Sit up straight” and before I could udder a word, she’d sit up straight. Or, I would sort of tilt my head and she’d tilt hers. Being on the same wave length like that makes for a very fun and entertaining session.
Downpour!
This session has an interesting story!
It started out as a beautiful day…blue skies, big white fluffy clouds, a slight breeze. It was in the middle of October and we had been rain free for at least a couple of weeks. There was a warning for severe storms in the area, but when you looked outside it was just perfect. Where were these storms going to come from?
As their session crept closer, I started to hear thunder. I looked at the radar and there was rain north of us, but it looked to be clear for us for awhile. The skies were blue and the sun was shining.
They arrived, stating that they had driven through some rain, so we quickly got down to business. We finished one family pose and I felt a rain drop. I looked up and it looked a bit grey, but the sun was still shining. Before we could even think about what to do, the skies opened up and dumped on us!
We hunkered down under a tree, trying to stay dry. If we had made a run for the house, we knew we would be drenched. We hoped it was just going to be a quick shower and be done. We weren’t so lucky. It just started raining harder and harder. At this point, we were all dripping wet, so running for the house wasn’t really going to change anything.
We headed for the house and took shelter on the porch. Just in time! The next thing we know, hail is falling from the sky.
I was optimistic that we could find a way to get a few more images out of this session. We took towels and dried everyone off…including big, furry Kuma! I threw the sweaters in the dryer and we waited for the rain to stop.
It did, and out we went. Wet grass, intermittent clouds and sun and even a few lingering sprinkles, but we worked through it, and in the end, it all paid off!
