Logan's summer project

You know how most boys might build a clubhouse over the summer?

Well Logan decided to build an entire paintball field. Below where our house sits is a beautiful meadow that is usally full of wildflowers and grasses. Last year I even put in a few ornamental grasses and had plans to build a split rail fence to use for family sessions. Wouldn't you know it, that's where he decided to put this paintball field. He started w/a few pallets that his brother brought home and then between him and his cousins.....well, this is what our meadow currently looks like...



If you look closely you can even spot a car bumber in there...


what's a paintball field w/out a "sniper tree"?




He worked so hard dragging stuff home and nailing it together...


they look at everything that's discarded as a potential "shield"



Here's a "turned over jeep"..


So now all the boys his age are wanting to come over for paintball parties. For now I guess I'll give up on holding sessions in the meadow, unless you've got a senior boy that loves paintball...then I've got the perfect backdrop:)

Paige & Princess & Keli

Had so much fun w/Paige and her pony "Princess". I must say that I was a little worried about a session involving a 4 year old AND a pony. I mean, lots of times it's a challenge to just get a 4 year old to cooperate at all much less bringing a pony along. But check out these pics...






I met up w/Keli in downtown Peoria for her senior session. Seniors are so much fun to work with...especially when they've got such great style:)

photography from a different point of view.

No, i wasn't on a really tall hill taking these...cause in IL we pretty much don't have those.

I was in a four seater plane w/the window open and 2 cameras strapped over my neck leaning out the window.

Herman Brother's pond management hired me to take these pics. This is a huge farm in Cuba, IL that's being completely reworked. From what I understand, the plan is to somehow connect a few of the lakes and make a great big lake. I think these are the "before" pics and at a later date we'll do some "after". These people are pretty serious about hunting and fishing.

I've been in little planes plenty of times but never with the window open and $8,000 worth of equipment hanging around my neck....that was "interesting".

I will say that I was thankful for dramamine & good strong camera straps, as it was a little bumpy up there! The pics turned out awesome in spite of the bumps thanks to a super fast shutter speed.

Monday is not the only day of the week!

Every Monday I'm hit w/an overwhelming list of things that need to be done both professionally and personally. Usually it's a bunch of uploading, sorting, & editing from the weekend sessions. The weekends are also when a lot of orders get put in because that's when clients find time to get that done so there are lots of orders to process, package and mail out. Besides the normal Monday work that comes w/having 5 kids & their friends in and out all weekend...like mountains of laundry and no food in the house.

So on Monday morning I hit the ground running and tend to get a little overwhelmed and sometimes I forget that it's okay if I don't get the whole list done...there's always Tuesday, and even Wednesday if things get too crazy.

The problem is that I'm just not good at procrastinating...which would normally be considered a good thing but I think I might have a tendency to take it to the extreme and that probably drives my husband and kids a little crazy:) Also, the times when I am forced to put a few things off because of kids schedules or other commitments, those things usually come back to haunt me, big time. For instance I've got 2 big jobs that need some major organizing to be completed and I knew I was going to need a few days of uninterrupted computer time so I've been trying to put it off till the kids get into school full time. So this past Tuesday night I spent a bunch of time getting ready for the next day...the most wonderful day of the year (for parents) putting names on their stuff and packing up their bookbags w/all their new supplies, lacing up the new tennis shoes and BAM...phone call...teacher's strike...ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!! So here we are the following Monday w/the normal huge list and those 2 big jobs still not done and still no school....and THAT'S why putting things off doesn't work for me!

So anyway, it's Monday & I don't think "blogging" was even on my list but I'm feeling kind of guilty about not finding the time to catch up so I'll try to post a few pics from the last few sessions....besides, if I don't get it all done there is still TUESDAY!

This first pic is of our neighbors.


Stacy...


Rachel...


The Wagenbachs...


Michelle...


My newest little great niece, Emma...


And last but not least the Muellers...this was the 3rd largest group pic that I've done...I think they numbered around 80 people.


And here is where I would post the pic of my cute kids on their first day of school...except that hasn't happened yet...needless to say, they are loving it!

Lots of pics

This past week I've had lots of sessions which means lots of pics:)

Hannah came out for her senior session. This is my first senior that has brought a violin...beautiful!



Then my sister's family came over for some pics for their prayer card. They are missionaries in Haiti so every year I update their pics and design a card for them. This year we decided to make it look like they were in Haiti so my banana trees came in handy...finally.



Jessica rode w/me out to Lake Thunderbird for Janessa's senior pics....



On the way home we saw this field full of sunflowers & since Jess was w/me I stopped and took a few there.




I had 3 Noah Herman houses to do on Wednesday...I already wrote about that wonderful day.

Jessica & Bryant came out for their engagement session and brought "Daisy". Love this dog's droopy face:)




On Saturday Kinga and I were off to shoot Cassie & Jon's wedding. We decided that since they're getting married at Grace in Peoria we could just run down the road to my sister's house and use their lake & dock for some fun shots. We didn't realize that part of the dock had some supports that were broken. Thankfully they held while we got the shots, but in my mind I kept picturing 1/2 the wedding party dripping wet for the ceremony...actually because it was a million degrees out...they were pretty close to that anyway. You can't tell it in these pics though. They were a fun group and as long as I kept them hydrated & gave them baby wipes they were up for anything:)




It was a beautiful wedding but I don't think I've ever been so HOT in my life! Kinga and I were sweating rivers, but the pics turned out so amazing so that's all that matters right?

A day in the life of a mom w/teenagers

Yesterday I was loading up my gear, getting ready to leave for 3 Noah Herman House sessions and noticed that my GPS was not in my car, asked Jess "I might have left it in Caleb's car", the car that's not out in the drive. So I go to text and call Caleb...no reponse (b/c when you're 18 you don't get up before 11:30 unless you have to be at work) & I also realize that someone has unplugged my phone charger to plug in their mp3 player...cause that's more important. Running out of time, don't want to be late so run back in the house, mapquest the 3 houses, grab the papers from the printer and run for the car. Jump in, start it and notice that I'm out of gas (cause teenagers like to drive...ALOT). Thinking maybe I can still pick up the GPS out of Caleb's car when I get to the gas station (if he's working today, which I still don't know b/c he hasn't answered my text) and now realizing that no matter what, I'm going to be late for my first session...& I hate being late.

Get to the gas station...no caleb, no caleb's car, no GPS. As I'm getting gas, I finally get a text from Caleb, he's home....& his car is at my sister's...cause that's a good place to keep it......where mom would never think to look.

Mapquest gets me to my first house about 8 minutes late...I hate being late. Done w/that one and in the car heading to the second one I realize that mapquest has decided to take me the LONG way around to Princeville and tell me that I've arrived at my destination when I was at least 6 miles from it....I'm lost, and my phone battery is reading 20% but the important thing to remember here is that somebody has a fully charged mp3 player today. Call the home owner to apologize that I'm running late...20 minutes late...I hate being late.

Get done w/that house and am supposed to be heading to Brimfield....mapquest says take a left on 150...only when I come to a main road that looks like it possibly could be 150 there are no road signs....so I take a left and end up in Dunlap....I am obviously directionally challenged and SOOOO NEED MY GPS! So I use the last of my phone battery to call the 3rd home owner and ask for directions...and apologize for being late....18 minutes late....and I hate being late!

When I finally get home that night, and start to place orders, answer emails and get ready to listen to our church sermon online I realize that my computer speakers are gone, so off I go to find them (upstairs in Logan's room)....& just then my older boy's friends start trooping in w/huge amplifiers for band practice....even if I had my speakers I couldn't have heard anything anyway w/the floor shaking and all.

After it finally quiets down and the house smells of pizza...they load up their stuff to go spend the night somewhere else...which is probably not smart because 2 out of 3 have to work in the morning...but it's quiet here so even though I don't like it, I did enjoy the peace.

Today I'm heading to Lake Thunderbird for a senior session....I have my phone charging...and I HAVE MY GPS....hopefully things will be better.

The only thing I have to say about yesterday is "aren't they cute at this age?"

a few pics from july 4th

This first one is proof that Diane is SOOO not the favorite aunt:)





We spent july 4th weekend camping at Norris Lake. The problem w/these kind of weekends is there is NO time to relax...we play HARD and come home TIRED!

On Sunday afernoon I snuck in a family session for my niece. They are in the process of adopting a little boy so she had to update her family pics. These are some awfully cute kids:)