OK ok, so this post is quite a bit late.  I’m typing this at 11:53pm on Jan 31st, so at least it still counts as January, right?!  This post was seriously tough to make.  How do I choose favorites from pretty much all my sessions over the year that were not couples?  It wasn’t easy and there are so many more wonderful photos I want to share, but I have to limit it somewhere.  Thank you SO much to all of my AMAZING clients of 2011.  I had such a stellar year, it was beyond anything I could have ever imagined and I couldn’t have had that year without you all.  <3

I know I have been very behind in blogging my children sessions.  It’s not that I haven’t had any, it’s more the opposite.  I’ve had so many I don’t have time to even think about blogging!  So after many requests, here is a quick recap of the last couple of months.  A favorite or two from each session.  I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I’ve enjoyed taking them!

We have been having some very unusually warm weather here in Iowa this past week.  Normally it’s a blistering cold and just the other day it tipped at 70 degrees.  We decided to quickly take advantage in the backyard today.  I love that my kids are getting to an age that they cooperate (for a small amount of time, that is before they’re bored).  But they do, never-the-less.  Wedding season starts again for me next weekend and I can’t wait!  I am already booked pretty much through April for portrait sessions as well, so if you’re looking to do some spring portraits, it’s important to book now!  Lucky for me, weeknights will be an option again as it’s starting to get darker later.

I’ve been saying all year how busy I am, but it’s really hard to get a grasp of it until you see just how many sessions I had this year.  I went through and counted them and in total I had 149 sessions.  That includes weddings.  It’s been a whirlwind of a year and now you know why I haven’t had time to blog every session.  I basically just blogged engagements and weddings and saved the others for these best of posts.  I have pulled at least one photo from each session.  This best of post includes all children, infants and families.  There are many more greats, but I had to be picky.  This is a super long post, but I hope it’s worth it for you!   Happy New Year everyone!  I will be getting to engagements and weddings right after the new year.

Sometimes I just need to take a little time out to brag about my children.  They are wonderful and make me so proud.  It’s very hard to believe how much they are growing up.  Lilia is now 2 and acts 4 and Austin is 4 and looks older and older all the time.  They’re not really babies anymore, at all.  All the different stages they go through are fun (for the most part).  It makes me sad that they’re not babies, but now I can do so much more with them.  They understand more and can participate in more exciting activities.  They LOVE being outside and camping.  Up until this point I have NO photos of them together.  None, maybe one of them hugging or something but none where they are both smiling and looking at me.  It’s darn near impossible to do.  If one cooperates the other throws a fit.  Now that Austin is 4 and usually cooperates Lilia is the one who rebels.  So I went out with a different plan last night.  I would bring a big bag of candy and dangle it in their faces to get them to do what I want (what’s a little bribe here and there when it’s for a good cause right?! ).  It worked!  For the first time ever I have photos of them both that I love that I would be proud to have on my walls.  I am in love with all of these photos, and some may get a little repetitive but it’s because I can’t decide which I like better.