and the winner is...

Ok, the votes are in! We have our winners.
THIRD PLACE with 193 votes



SECOND PLACE with 203 votes




And FIRST PLACE with 247 votes!



I want to thank everyone who entered and voted! It's always fun to see who wins.
Congratulations to the winners. You will be receiving your certificates in the mail!

It's almost time!

Who Will Win!

Thank you to everyone who's been voting this week! And I want to thank all the entries for working so hard to get votes. Your work did not go unnoticed! Trust me when I say I've been talling votes night and day.
Tune in on Monday to see who the winners are!
Thanks again!

One last Chance!

Today is the last day to vote for your favorite image for the Kid's Contest!
I will stop counting votes at 5p.m. tonight! It is a close race everyone, so vote right up till the last minute!
I will announce the winners on Monday!
Good Luck!

Better Day

Have you ever had one of those days that starts off not so good and then declines from there? That was my day yesterday. I rarely have really terrible days, but yesterday was it for sure. In the morning, I was eating my Very healthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast and on my third bite I started choking. I was sitting there thinking that it would pass, but after a second I realized this was really happening. My husband who is a trained EMT was in another room, busy (if you know what I mean) and I decided I better get up and get him to help me. I was ok until I tried to yell his name and couldn't! I panicked...just a little. By the time he got out to where I was, I was hunched over gasping for a breath. I was really scared. He grabbed be around the waist and asked me if I was breathing, and as I shook my head no, I got a slight intake of air. Once that happened, I panicked more and just started crying. After a very long few seconds of coughing and trying to breathe, I finally caught my breath and felt what was in my throat go down.

So for the next 30 minutes or so, we just sat on the couch shaking. And of course I was still crying. That was SO scary.
When I finally got to work, I just really didn't want to be there and pretty much made my day a bad one. The only thing that saved it was my session in the evening. That's what I love about kids. Even when you're having the worst day ever, they can put a smile on your face.

So the moral to this story is don't choke on your breakfast :)
Actually, try to turn your day around if your having a bad day. Take a minute to be thankful for all you have because you never know what could happen. And also, make sure your spouse knows the heimlick!
Good night all

More Images

Here are some more images that Andrew's sister Abigail took!

The Real Deal

Yes it is true I am officially married!!! Emily and I had an absolutely beautiful wedding in Grand Cayman at the Grand Old House. We did not just have a normal wedding, we took a full blown vacation with a hand full of our friends and family. We took a 7 night Royal Caribbean Cruise on the Marnier of the Seas. There were 39 total on the trip including 4 photographers not counting myself or Emily. Between Michael and Tina Timmons, as well as Angela Talentino we have tons of awesome images from our wedding. The fourth photographer John Marion did not take very many images at all however had a very important role in our wedding. He actual became an ordained minister so he could perform our ceremony. After all he was the one responsible for Emily and I being together!!! It was a very special week for both of us. I am also excited about having new step children Alex 11 and Gabriella 6.

We have Images!

This is just a teaser, but I wanted to make sure I'm keeping you informed :)
We just got some images from Andrew and Emily's wedding and I can't wait for you to see them!
Andrew still needs to figure out what to write about the wedding, so that might take some time. Here's one image that is fabulous!

More to come! Thank you to Angela Talentino from Essenza Studio in Cincinnati

Kid's Contest Voting

Well tomorrow is the day that voting begins for the Kid's Contest! Last year was the first year that we did the contest voting online and it was great! We got over 2000 emails, voting for their favorite kid! That's a lot of emails! I opened and counted everyone. Every morning and evening I tallied votes, and everyday someone new was in the lead. It was neck and neck until the very last hour!
I'm excited to see what happens this year. I know some of the entries are VERY determined to win. I'm sure they already have their mass email sent out to all their friends and co-workers. It's going to be an exciting week!

Although we didn't meet our goal amount for The Children's Miracle Network, we did raise $500. I want to thank everyone who did enter! I had a great time working with everyone! So many cute kids. I will have to vote for someone new every time. I just can't pick :)

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend! I know I did!

May the voting madness begin!

Photographer of the Year!

Andrew doesn't like to talk about all his award winnings, so I will. This year I got to hand out the awards at the banquet. It was fun because Andrew got SO many of them. This is the big one though. Take a look at the video!



Sorry about all the movement. My video skills still need some work:)

I know you're waiting!

We are waiting to tell you about the wedding until we have images! There were 3 photographers at Andrew and Emily's wedding and they only took 3000 images!
So I am waiting to get a few for the blog!

Let's just say that Andrew had an amazing week! As if getting married wasn't enough,
he also got Photographer of the YEAR at PPM! That's the biggest honor you can get!
I will have video and tons of images soon! Hang in there!

An Amazing Family

I am truly blessed! Everyday I am surrounded by amazing people and great families. The great thing about being a photographer is that people come to see you because of LOVE. We photograph the love between newly married couples, the love between siblings, the love of a family, even the love someone has for their pet. I can't even explain how much it brightens my day to be surrounded by this love all the time!

This was one of those families that just love hanging out together. They make each other laugh, give each other hugs and have fun together. We had a great time photographing the twins, and their big sister.

Thanks for bringing that LOVE into my day!

Happy Birthday!

We have had a lot of First Year Birthday sessions the past few weeks!
I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to you all!
I think the best part about my job, is seeing these little ones grow up. They come in as little tiny babies and then before you know it they are talking and running around the studio! It's awesome! I love their hugs and smiles. It's just the best to see them change and their personalities develop.

Let the Countdown Begin!

April 12th is Andrew and Emily's BIG DAY! If you haven't heard already, they are going on a cruise and getting married on Grand Cayman Island. I will be sure to post images as soon as they get back! I will get Andrew to write the wedding blog with all the stories from the wedding. They will have a great time I'm sure!

This is a Test

Ok, You all know that we are holding our Kids Contest right now and I just wanted to find a better way of voting. Last year we posted the images in one of our galleries and then we had you email me with your vote. That worked fine, but it took a lot of time to talley all of the votes. So, I am trying to find an easier way.
So this is a test run. I know this isn't the real thing, but if you could vote here and let me know what your favorite season is, I can see how this works!
Thanks,
Happy Sunny Sunday!

Road Trip!

Andrew and I just spent the past 3 days in Decatur, Illinois. We went to speak at the APPI convention and had a great time! We love to go speak at these conventions because we meet so many great people and we get to see amazing images!
Yesterday when we got to the airport to go home, we found out our flight had been canceled and nothing else was leaving. So we decided that we were going to drive home. We hitched a ride with Dennis Craft and Barry Rankin. Now, we all went to this convention to speak so we all had laptops, prints, and lots of luggage! So the Explorer was a little packed. We almost stopped at a truck weigh station just to see how much the truck weighed. It was an adventure to say the least. But, overall the crammed car ride home was enjoyable and we had plenty to talk about on the 6 hour ride home.

Here's a picture of us after we got to Craft Studio. A little tired...



It's good to be home!

Home Show Cont.

Well it's the 3rd day of the home show and we expect today to be the busiest day of the weekend! Thank you to everyone who has stopped by our booth! Today I'm bringing my camera so if you stop by, don't be surprised if your picture ends up here tomorrow!
Monday, Andrew and I leave for Illinois where we are speaking at a photography convention. We will be back Thursday and playing catch up on everything that we missed during the week.

And...the count down begins. Andrew and Emily get married in less than a month now! It's coming up quick!

See ya at the Home Show!

Home Show!

Come and see us at the Home Show at the MSU Pavilion this weekend! It starts tomorrow (Thursday) and goes through Sunday! We were there last year and it is a great show!
So come over and say Hi!
We'd love to see you there!

Dance!

The girls from the St. Johns High School Dance team were just here! We look forward to when they come because they bring so much energy to the studio! 17 high school girls in one room, you can image the excitement! Here's Andrew working his magic.
We'll show the final product later!

I went to Ikea this week and bought some chairs for the Children's Studio! They are so cute. Small, yet sturdy.
I'm getting ready for the kids contest that starts next week, and as you can see I still need one more coat of paint on the orange wall. But after that we'll be all set! Can't wait to see all the great colorful outfits!

Have a great weekend!


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Hannah Banana!

I love this girl! This is Hannah and she is so much fun!
We played dress up yesterday so that I could show some of the new colors for the Kids Contest! We danced and sang during the session and had a great time!
Here's a couple images of her showing her charm!

Thanks Steph and Wally for letting her come over!

Kids Contest!

The Kids Contest is on it's way! We are starting March 13th and going thru April 13th! This year we are doing things a little different. Instead of $150 retainer, we are only collecting the $50 session fee. And there's no minimum purchase!
So, sign up today! Your session fee will go in full to the Children's Miracle Network! Our goal this year is $2000!

Look for your flyer in the mail with all the information! Or if you are not on our mailing list, send me an email and I will send you one!

Also in the month of March, we will be at the Home Show in E. Lansing! We will be showing some of our newest products there. So come and say hi, we would love to see you!

PPWM

I got the opportunity to speak in Grand Rapids on Monday for the group PPWM!
There were a lot of new faces there and some famliar ones. I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out and attending.

Also, be careful today out on the roads. It's not a nice day to take a drive!

The Secret

I just watched The Secret and I wanted to share something I took from that.
We need to be so grateful for the things that we DO have instead of dwelling on the things we don't.
Take 10 minutes out of your day sometime soon and start writing about the things you are grateful for! It's amazing to see all the blessings that we are surrounded with!

Have a great Sunday!
Oh, Click here to watch The Secret. It cost a little, but I found it very insightful.

Thanks Shannon!

The Party was Great! I just want to thank everyone for coming last night, and a special thanks to Shannon for bringing all those wonderful clothes!
We are hoping to do this again sometime soon!



Even the kids had a great time! Thanks Ashleigh for babysitting!

Matilda Jane!!!

We are having our Matilda Jane Clothing Party tomorrow night! We still have room for a few more. So, if you already planned on coming and you want to bring a friend or family member...please do!! And if you want to make a last minute RSVP we are waiting for your call!!
It's going to be a great time!

Big Big News!
Matilda Jane just got the opportunity to be a part of the Oscars baskets. Their clothes will be in the gift bags for celebs such as Reese Witherspoon!!
Go to their Blog and tell them Congrats!! Matilda Jane Blog

See you tomorrow at 6pm!!

The girls have it!

These are some of my favorite clients! I have a lot of favorites really, but this is a great family! These 4 girls belong to 3 different families but are all cousins.




Can you see it in the eyes? They all have those big bright eyes.
They have had two 1 year birthdays recently and they have just been a blast to photograph.
Thank you Paula, Kerri and Sara for always bringing in lots of positive energy to our sessions! I always look forward to see you!

Happy Birthday!

This little girl came to the studio last week and has a birthday today! I just wanted to wish her a Happy 1 yr Birthday!!!

Introduce Yourself

I was looking at our site map and noticed that we have people from all over the world looking at our blog! It makes us so excited each time we get a new dot on the map :)
I was just wondering if y'all could leave a little message about where you're from and what the weather is like or something. I would love to meet some of you!
Sometimes it's easier to write something if I know who my readers are!
So leave me a note..pretty please!

It's been a busy week. We have quite a few things in the works for this winter. First of all, we are having a PARTY! It's just for the ladies....and it has a lot to do with clothes! We are having Shannon from Matilda Jane come to our studio February 22nd at 6pm for a trunk show. Matilda Jane is a children's clothing company (just girls) that is SO CUTE! Check out her website..I promise you will love it. Anyway, we are going to have a lot of fun! Door prizes, food, and great company! We will even have babysitters here if you need to bring the kids! The invites are in the mail, but if for some reason you don't get one, just email me and I will send you one!

We are also having the Kid's Contest again this year. We will be raising money for the Childrens Miracle Network. There will be more information on that coming soon!

Have a great Friday everyone!