Sneak Peek: Sawyer

Ashley found me through a "What to Expect When You are Expecting" blog.  How cool is that?  I didn't even know that I had been given glowing reviews on that blog.  How exciting!

She contacted me from the hospital just after giving birth to her second baby.  She apologized for being so behind schedule!  I was thinking that she was pretty on top of things!  You are only behind when you contact me for newborn pictures when your baby is 4-6 weeks old.  And even then, we can still make newborn pictures work.  They are just a little trickier.

I got to meet Sawyer when he was only 6 days old.  I am pretty sure that is my youngest to date.  He was a sweet little thing and even though big brother had some pretty noisy toys (as all big brothers should have) he did remarkably well.  It took us awhile to get Sawyer to get into a deep sleep, but once he was out....it was go time.  

 I got so many great pictures of this little guy.  Including using some props that I had been saving for awhile.  Somehow lately I have been doing a lot of little girls and I was excited to get my hands on a little boy again.  He was so good that he didn't even pee or poop on my or any of my blankets.  That is a miracle!

Don't you love this random flannel quilt I made?  Thanks Pinterest.  Also reversible with girl colors on the back!

Love this little bucket.  Especially because he baby #2.

I love being able to interact with the whole family when I am working with a newborn and I was won over by big brother, Dawson.  He wanted to show me all of his toys and was eager to chat with me.  I loved every minute!  I even saw some toys that my 5 year old would go crazy for (might even make it to the Christmas list).

Don't you love the one of him counting his brother's toes?

Thanks for inviting me into your lives Rieple family.  And for trusting me with your little men!  I enjoyed every minute.

For more pictures of this family and others, visit my website or my Facebook page.

Sneak Peek: The McKelvey Family

I love this little family!  I have been lucky enough to take pictures of this family every six months for the last two years.  It has been such a joy to watch little Aidan grow up.  He is all boy and loves to run around (which can make for difficult pictures sometimes).  He is getting so chatty and smart and it was fun to hear him jabbering throughout our session.

18 months to 2 years old is the hardest time to get pictures (in my opinion).  The kids are on the go and don't want to stop and smile.  They are also hard to reason with and don't quite understand the concept of bribery.  Even though it is a hard age, if you follow them around long enough and have a few tricks up your sleeves you can still get some great shots....so don't shy away from having pictures done at this age.  You might not get as many "posed shots", but it is fun to have record of how busy they were and all of the cute and funny expressions they make.

Note: This is why I take so many pictures during a young family session.  Someone is always making a funny face, blinking or in this case making the "word up" sign.  Taking 3-4 shots ensures that I indeed get the "money shot".

Becky has also been one of my biggest cheerleaders and advocates.  She is always recommending me to her family and friends and she has really helped me grow my business.  So THANK YOU Becky!  I really appreciate all you have done for LiLo!  I can't wait to continue to watch Aidan grown and perhaps maybe someday meet even more little McKelveys.

For more pictures of this amazing family visit my website or my Facebook page.

Sneak Peek: Baby Bell

Oh how I love babies.  I love that my job allows me to snuggle precious little babies.  This little gal was only 10 days old.  She was as sweet as can be and even smiled on command.

We have gotten to know this extended family through some of our neighbors.  They are very close family friends.  2 years ago Chris hooked up with these families to do the Wild West Relay: a 200 mile relay race from Ft. Collins to Steamboat Springs.  The last two years Chris (and I) have bonded with the Bell family.  So when it came time for the Bells to give Jeff and Melissa a baby gift for the upcoming birth of their baby, they reached out to me.  They got the new family a newborn photo session gift certificate.  What a wonderful gift!

So as soon as baby Lydia made her entrance, Jeff contacted me to come over to take pictures of their new precious gift.

She was AMAZING!  She was content to sleep right through the whole session.  She even smiled when I said "how about a little smile?".  So compliant.  I hope she continues to be mellow and sweet.

Jeff and Melissa were also perfect.  They were so laid back and loving with their little girl.  And Melissa even had some hand crocheted head bands and hats that she had made.  I love personal touches during a photo session, especially with newborns!  We had so much fun snuggling with Lydia and getting some great pictures.  They are also lucky enough to both be off of work until after the new year.  That is a gift in and of itself.  What a wonderful way to bring your baby into the world!

Thanks for having me Bell family.  Enjoy your little sweetie!  And thanks to the extended Bells for thinking of such a wonderful gift!

For more pictures of this little gal and other families, visit my website or my Facebook page.

Sneak Peek: Carlson Family

I did pictures of this family 2 years ago.  It is so fun to have repeat customers and see how much the little kiddos grow in 2 years.

Sara lost her dad in May of this year and wondered if I could come out to Franktown to her childhood home to do pictures before they sell it.  Way to tug at the heart strings!  Of course I drove out to Franktown.  It was a beautiful drive and when I pulled up there was a huge herd of deer on their property.  Of course we had to watch for deer droppings as we walked around doing pictures, but that's what you get with 10 acres in Franktown.

You can tell that kids love this place.  They had a great time running around and playing at Mimi's house!  I can see why Sara is sad that she is selling it.  I will be so sad the day my parents sell our childhood home.

The other cool "prop" we used was the old red truck.  Sara's dad bought the truck near the end of his life and was only able to drive it once before he passed away.  Shawn was a little nervous that the truck wouldn't start (it hadn't been driven since June).  He said it didn't even turn over until Cameron hopped in.  Then it started right up.  It just need a grandson in the front seat.

Just at the end of our time together, I asked if Mimi wanted a few pictures in the truck.  She teared up a bit (which made me tear up a little bit) and said "I would really like that".  So she hopped in the cab of her man's truck and I snapped a few pictures.  I gotta be honest.  This picture is one of my favorite of all time.  Perhaps I am still feeling a bit misty about the whole thing, but I love the way she looks in this truck and the feeling of the story behind the truck.  Isn't that a lot of what makes a good picture?  The story?

Here are a few others of her with the old red truck.

While we were taking pictures she was taunting us saying that she was about to go in and make home made biscuits dripping with butter.  I am not going to lie.  I was really tempted to cancel my next photo shoot and stick around for that.  There is nothing like a southern woman's home made biscuits.

Sara and Shawn, it was so fun to take a glimpse into your life and capture some beautiful memories for your family.

For more pictures of this family and others, visit my website or my Facebook page.

Attitude of Gratitude (and a Sneak Peek)

I have been looking forward to writing this blog post for awhile now.

I am grateful for the Concilio Family.  They are awesome.  I have known them now for about 6 years but I have come to appreciate and love them even more in the last 6 months.  A few months ago, I was looking for a running partner.  Someone to help keep me accountable and get my crack out of the sack in the mornings to get some exercise done.  I mentioned it to Erica and she was excited about it.  So about 6 months ago we started meeting at 6 am and walking/running (okay mostly walking, but we walk pretty fast).  It is so nice to have someone to share struggles, triumphs and swap stories.  We encourage each other, let one another vent and give helpful advise to each other.  Everyone needs a walking partner.  Some weeks we walk 3 times together, some weeks we only meet once (or not at all) but more often than not, if you are in our neck of the woods around 6 am, you will see us plugging along.   I may not like getting out of bed at 5:45 in the morning, but I do look forward to our time together.

A few weeks ago while we were walking Erica challenged my thinking.  I was lamenting about how "busy" I was.  She explained how she had been challenged not to use the word "busy".  Whenever someone would ask how she was doing and she used the word "busy" it wasn't kind to the person she was talking to.  It was almost as if she was saying she was too busy for them.  GUILTY.  So often in the last few months when someone would ask me how I was doing, I would say "busy".  She was right.  We are all busy.  But it is almost a state of mind.  The last few weeks (even though I have never been more busy) I have tried not to tell people how busy I am.  I am so blessed to have so many things and to have such a full life.  It has changed my whole view.  By forcing myself not to tell everyone how "busy" my life it, it feels a little less overwhelming.  And hopefully, the people I am talking to feel important and that I am not too busy for them.  It has been a challenge and I have had to re-prioritize my thinking and my schedule.  It has forced me to say yes to people a little more and make them feel like a priority and not a burden!  So thanks Erica!

Not only is Erica amazing, but her kids are darling.

Her husband is also pretty cool and does a lot for our church, which we really appreciate!

 Erica is also pretty inspiring because she chose to turn down a "safe" corporate job so that she can stay home with her kids and grow her home business of Arbonne.  What a leap of faith!  This also means that I have a personal Arbonne consultant.  And the best part....I got some Arbonne products that I was out of in return for family pictures.  I love a good barter.  If you are interested in a barter for your family pictures, just ask!  And if you need some wonderful facial (and other) products, then contact Erica.  She will hook you up with a party (and probably some free products for hosting).

Thanks for your love, friendship and service Concilios!  For more pictures of this family, visit my website or my Facebook page.

Sneak Peek: The Evans Family

I met this family last week for a fun family shoot.  I had never met them before and they got my name from someone I don't even know.  How cool is that!  I am so thankful that my business is growing and becoming even more successful.

This family was one of the easiest I have worked with this year.  The girls were super sweet and very cooperative (thanks to some good parenting/bribery ahead of time).  We were "done" with all of the must have shots after about 40 minutes, so we just played around after that and I got some really good ones at the end when everyone was relaxed and having fun.

My only downfall with this session is that I kept calling their oldest daughter by the wrong name.  Her name is Kaylee and I kept calling her Kylie.  Oops (I probably just added insult to injury by spelling it wrong too).  She kept quiet at the beginning and then finally started correcting me (which is good because otherwise I would have called her the wrong name the entire session).  Hopefully she will forgive me when she sees her beautiful face in the pictures!  Their other daughter's name was much easier to remember: Ireland.  How awesome is that name?  Love it!

Jen, it was so nice to meet you and your wonderful family.  Maybe next time I will forget Ireland's name instead just so she doesn't feel left out!

For more pictures of this family, and others visit my website or my LiLo Photography Facebook page.

Sneak Peek: Snyder Boys

So thankful for this family (perhaps this can be Attitude of Gratitude: Day 13 because I am way behind)!  Not only are they the glue of Tanner's baseball team, they are good friends and kindred spirits.  They would do anything for you and Amy has always been one of the biggest cheerleaders for my business.  I really appreciate that.  She almost exclusively calls me LiLo (one of the few) and I LOVE it.  She is always spreading my name around and referring me to her friends (and even the random lady at Children's Place while shopping for clothes for pictures).  Thanks Amy.  You make a great cheerleader!

I love these boys.  I have a soft spot for cute little red heads.  These boys have the color of hair that ladies KILL for (and spend thousands of dollars to try to get).  It is a beautiful rusty color.

Once again, childhood strikes again and the night before the pictures Jackson got a rug burn on the bridge of his nose.  LiLo to the rescue.  I had to retouch every single picture, but it is worth it for this family!

I had a great time tagging along with these boys and catching their cute little faces.  Next time I will get Bill and Amy behind the lens, but this year it was fun to focus on the boys.

Love you guys and we are so thankful for you!

For more pictures of this family and others visit my website or my Facebook Page.