Grant + Hillary came to the Black Hills to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, and wanted to document their trip with a photoshoot. When I found out they would be hiking several trails along their journey, I asked if they would be up for hiking for their photos and was SO EXCITED when they agreed! We met at Sylvan Lake and hiked to the nearest overlook to watch the most beautiful blush sunset.  I love that they slow danced on top of a mountain at sunset, while thinking back on their wedding day a year ago. It seriously can not get any more romantic than that!!! I had been using the gorgeous pink sunset as a backdrop, but I didn’t want them to miss out on the beauty of it, so they took a moment to just soak it all in. Then, Grant soaked in the beauty of his bride. ;-) 
I love that among all the sweet, romantic photos, they were still quick to laugh with each other – a good sign of a good marriage, if you ask me! :-) Thanks again, Grant + Hillary for reaching out and for going on a little adventure with me! I can’t wait to see where you go for your next anniversary!!

‘Tis the season for Christmas cards to be sent out to family and friends! We used ours to make a very special announcement, but ever since we sent them, I’ve felt like we weren’t being totally honest, and have been wanting to share the whole truth. Finding the courage and the right words have been a challenge.

Long story short: we are expecting another baby girl in March, and we are also expecting our time with her to be very limited.

Longer story below..

Looking back at all these wonderful couples, I’m instantly taken back to our time together and the moments that unfolded before my eyes (and camera).

A minute-long hug. A shooting star on a wedding night, just like on the night they got engaged. A quote from The Office (that I can’t believe I didn’t recognize right away). A morning hike in the clouds. KUCHEN! A glance up to her mom in heaven. The light in the eyes of a bride who is now a mother.

A few tears, a few laughs, but most of all, SO MUCH JOY!!

I’m so thankful to have met each and every one of the people in these photos. And also, Walter the cat. :-)

All of a sudden, the kids no longer need me to play with them! Most mornings after breakfast, they play so well with each other all the way until lunch and nap time! I love hearing their silly little conversations and their belly laughs from another room. But at the same time, I’m all, ‘what do I do with all this free time?!’ This month, we got to spend some quality time with both sets of the kids’ grandparents, even surprising my dad for a belated 70th birthday party! I’m still dreaming of the homemade German Chocolate pound cake we made.

For Halloween this year, I dressed the kids up as us – Elodie the photographer, and Milo the park manager. They still don’t know about trick or treating, so we just get dressed, take some pictures, and call it good! :-)

September was a bit of a mixed bag! I enjoyed some really lovely weddings and our sixth wedding anniversary. I did not enjoy both kids getting sick at the same time, but thankfully their grandparents were here to help out and the colds cleared up in a few days.A question I get asked by many other wedding photographers and professionals is, “How many weddings do you have booked for the year?” Honestly, I can never answer them. I send out my pricing when I’m available, and I give referrals when I’m not. Every year, I am thankful to get to work with the people I do, and every year I claim it’s the ‘best year yet.’ Which is equivalent to those ‘best day ever’ signs that you see at every wedding now – each of those days and each of these years really do feel like the best ever because of who I get to work with!

This year, it really does feel great to be winding down with weddings in September. We’ve had a cold spell these last couple weeks and have already re-arranged our living room to enjoy the fireplace. There is no place I would rather be than snuggling with my husband and our kids in our cozy living room! But who knows, maybe by this time next month I’ll be going  stir-crazy and asking all my friends if we can come over to play! ;-)

Speaking of the kids, Elodie is becoming more grown up and motherly and patient every day. I overhear her playing with Milo, “My hands are full, I can’t help you right now, can you please be patient?” One morning while getting ready for church, she said “I’m going to go get Milo’s church clothes. He’s going to be so stylish!” So helpful and thoughtful! On the other hand, she’s also still a toddler when she says ‘pack-pack’ instead of backpack, ‘heart beep’ instead of heartbeat, ‘ear muffins’ instead of earmuffs, and all the goofy made-up words she says before giggling like crazy.

Milo is starting to talk non-stop, trying to say anything we say. If he doesn’t want his stinky diaper changed, he runs away saying ‘keen cheeks,’ meaning he wants me to think he’s got ‘clean cheeks’ and doesn’t need a fresh diaper. He finishes our meal-time prayers with a big ‘AMEN,’ leads me to the kitchen saying ‘nack’ for ‘snack,’ and puts his foot in my face saying ‘ock’ for me to fix his sock that is falling off. He also said, ‘mo’ meat’ the other night which made his grandma really proud, as that’s what Milo’s daddy said when he was Milo’s age.

I hope you are all enjoying little lovely moments in this changing of seasons!