I had the chance a couple of weeks ago to spend some extended time back in Peoria (my hometown). It’s always fun to be back for a little while especially when I get to spend a lot of time with my family! During this visit I got to do a family session for my cousin Joe and his family. I adore these guys!!! Seriously! Joe is one of favorite cousins. Somewhere along the way in life he transitioned from just being my cousin to being one of my best friends. We have worked together, volunteered together, were in elementary school together for a while and even took a class in college together. Sometimes I feel like he is more like a brother to me than a cousin. And I could not have been more excited when Joe married Kari, because she is AWESOME!! We connected right away and have become great friends! I love her! I suppose it’s not surprise that their kids are so amazing too!! The boys absolutely crack me up!! And their newest little addition, Elana is so stinkin adorable I can hardly stand it!! I had such a blast hanging out with and photographing them! I just wish I got to see them all more often. Aaand I can pretty much bank on the fact that I will be getting plenty of  ”well you could if you’d come back more often!” responses to that, but I’ll say it anyway.  Thanks Altorfers! Love you guys!!

Jenn from Jennifer Kathryn Photography joined me on this shoot too. I am so thankful to have had her talent and creative eye along! I included a few of my favorite shots of hers from the session as well!

Here are a few of my favorites from Jenn

These three adorable sisters are some of my favorite kids in the world! Plus they have amazing parents and a pretty cool family story. Bob and Kristen went from a couple to a family of five in just about 2 years and I don’t think they could be happier! When Bob and Kristen were told they were not able to have children, they decided to adopt a baby from China. After a lengthy process, they were finally told they could go to China and bring their little bundle of Joy, Zuzu, home with them. Just before they left on their trip to China, Kristen got some surprising and thrilling news! She was pregnant! A short time after they returned from China with little Zuzu, Ruby, their second daughter joined the family. Zuzu was such a great big sister to Ruby and Ruby returned the favor by being a super cute little sister. It wasn’t long though, before Ruby got her chance to play the big sister role as the youngest Smith girl, Daphne, entered the scene. Just a few short years after this story began, the Smiths are now a fun, caring crew of five! I love to hang out with and capture this family! The girls are awesome together. They are so sweet and cute and absolutely hilarious! And Bob and Kristen are amazing parents! I don’t think they could be happier or love those girls any more than they do! Thanks for letting me be a part of your lives, Smith Family!

Remember when I was good at blogging?? Yea, that was a good week, huh? OK, So I’ll admit I have not been good at keeping up with this blog. I swear I’ve had good intentions, but we know what they say about good intentions, “it makes an ass out of you and m…” Wait, nope! That’s not right! Well anyway, the point is, 2010 is going to be my year to be better about blogging. So, I apologize in advance for the multiple blogs in a row I am about to spit out over the next few day, but there were several sessions from this past Fall, that I just can’t resist posting.

This session was a particular favorite of mine. The Prendis are great! I love hanging out with them. I have known both Britney and Julian for a while now, but this was my first time meeting sweet little Anika. And apparently this was one of the first times Anika had ever really belly laughed (I think I finally found my stand-up comedy routine audience…6 month olds). It is so fun to witness and capture any “first” for a baby, and equally as fun to capture the reaction of the doting parents to that “first”. The series of photos of the three of them laughing are some of my all time favorites! Thanks so much for letting me come and experience a day in the life with the Prendis!

I usually enjoy taking pictures of little kids. They are so sweet and imaginative and don’t have all the awkward, self-conscious inhibitions that most adults do (myself included- trust me, if you’ve seen many photos of me you know I have no idea how to act on the other side of the camera). When a kid will just play and totally disregard the camera…those are the moments when I absolutely love what I do. That was definitely the case with Sophia who just turned two. I had so much fun just playing and being silly and laughing with Sophia. She is absolutely adorable and has the personality to match. I received an e-mail from her mom some time after our session which read, “Sophia and I were driving in the car today, and she said, “Remember Jaclyn?  I like Jaclyn!!” which reminded me that I wanted to send you a note.  Thank you so much for taking Sophia’s 2 year pictures!  We had such a nice time… it was a very welcome change from the studio sessions.  You should also know that you have a new fan.  Sophia hasn’t stopped asking about you!  It’s really cute.  I don’t think she realized you were taking her pictures – rather, she thinks you’re a  fun person to play with at the park!  Too funny!” Seriously? Melt my heart! Sophia should know she has a new fan now too!

Well…here it is, my first blog post. And who more fitting to feature than the family I have likely photographed more than anyone else (Drew can attest, as I’m sure he has begrudgingly tracked every photo session Shayna has dragged him out for…though deep down I am convinced he can’t get enought of it). Personally, I love photographing the Larsen family!  Not only are they devilishly good-looking, but they also happen to be some of my favorite people in the world. And now that they have moved temporarily to sunny Southern California with plenty of room for gloomy-midwest dwelling guests, my love for them has grown even more. I just returned from a (much too short) visit. Not surprisingly, I had a blast hanging out at the beach and the farmer’s market and just lounging around the house. As if being really, really, ridiculously good looking (said with my best Zoolander voice) isn’t enough, Drew and Shayna happen to be two of the sweetest, smartest and most creative people I know! And their kids, well…they just melt my heart! The truth is we could have been hanging out in the middle of Nebraska and I would have had just as much fun (buuut…I’m glad we weren’t). Here are a few photos from my visit…