A Precious Family

The last time I photographed this family was 2.5 years ago.  As any family the boys have grown, but these boys have grown more then just in stature.  The last time we did a session they were new to America, new to a family, and  new to unconditional love.  They are now so full of joy, life, and love.  They are super sweet, extremely polite and just fun to be around.  They also will revile for some of the most handsome boys I get to photograph. This family is just precious!  I love watching adoption unfold.  I love watching a family become a family and knowing the hard work that went into getting to this point.  I love even more being able to capture them in photographs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Family to Be Proud Of

I finally made it back up to Iowa to photograph one of my favorite families. They happen to be my brother’s family but they are still one of my favorites!  I had not had the chance to do a family session with them in over two years.  My nieces and nephews have changed SO much in that time.  They also added to their family in December bringing home two more beautiful kids from Africa.  I am very proud of the family Chad and Heidi have.  They could have chosen to live the “American Dream” but they felt a higher calling for their family.  They knew they wanted to impact 3 little lives from Africa that would have had a very different life there.  Even though I know they feel like they are being pulled apart in a thousand directions, they know their family is their ministry and they are honoring God in raising these magnificent seven children.  Yet again my big brother is teaching me so much.  I am blessed to be apart of it.

A Blessed Sweet Baby Girl

If you have followed my work you may have seen this family a few times, and are aware I am pretty crazy about them.  They are one of the most astonishing families I have had the privilege of knowing.  There is never  a time I walk away from this family and don’t feel blessed deep in my spirit.  This time I photographed the birth of their eleventh child (yes you read that correctly), little Miss Isabella came into the family in an unfamiliar way to her mommy and daddy.  They are use to tons of paper work,  home inspections and lots and lots of waiting.  Their other ten children came into their family by adoption, which in their own right caused much labor pains.  Isabella came by birth, she decided to come quickly and without much warning throwing her very planned out mommy for a loop.  She was welcomed with excitement and a lot of love by her other siblings.   She continues to give her parents a whole new experience (I have a feeling that might be her moto).  She will soon realize how awe-inspiring her family really is and how blessed this sweet baby girl is to be born into it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All grown up

I first met Lindsie when she was apart of a youth group that I helped at in college.  I have fond memories of Lindsie as a teenager but she is all grown up now. It’s amazing for me to see the woman she has become.  I had the privilege of photographing her family.  She is now not only the mother of three cuties but an amazing wife as well.  Along with her family I met and photograph her in laws who adore being grandparents to these three adorable kiddos.  It was a beautiful day,  a wonderful session and a great family to photograph.

Another Milestone

John and Kim were married on a beautiful fall day and I was there to capture that major milestone in their life.  I was ecstatic to find out they reached another milestone when they brought their two boys home from Ethiopia and that they sought me out to archive the first family photographs.   These two boys steal your heart the moment you meet them.  John and Kim are so natural at parenting them.  Our session wasn’t without it’s breakdowns but overall it was a great morning on a gorgeous spring day.

A different kind of dream

A typical couple in their late 20’s is going after the American Dream.  You know the white picket fence, the nice house, the 2. 5 kids and dog, this is not true of Travis and Kristy.  They are after a different kind of dream.  The have a heart to adopt.  They sacrifice daily in order to not only provide for their three children but for the ones they hope to adopt one day.  They are some of the most amazing people I have ever meet.  They are humble in spirit and talk about their dream and life as simply as something they feel called to do.  I was so happy to be able to photograph this wonderful family.

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Adoption

Adoption is something I believe very strongly in.  I think it’s an amazing thing.  It’s a wonder how a child who needs a family finds a loving family to take them in.  An adoption is taking place in our family.  My brother and sister in law are anxiously awaiting the news about their little one or little ones in Rwanda.  I had the opportunity to raise money toward their adoption a few weeks ago.  I did 8 sessions in 2 days.  All the session fees went toward their adoption which will likely pay for the plane trip home.  I wanted to thank each of the families that participated.  We had amazing weather and a each session went so well. Check back in the next two weeks for sneak peaks from the awesome sessions we had. 

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