{ Welcome New Baby Stella! }

I love working with newborns - tiny little sweet things all bundled up. Evelyn was the first newborn girl we ever photographed, and now, a little over three years later, we got to meet her baby sister, Stella. Stella did an amazing job for her first photos! Fifteen days old, and a little over six pounds, she slept through the entire session, snuggling into posers, baskets and wraps, happy to be wherever we put her. Evy was a perfect big sister - interested in everything that was happening, and helping in any way she could. We were excited to try out a few new props such as our Flokati faux furs, dainty headbands, and new cheesecloth wraps. We have so many beautiful images from this session, narrowing it down to a handful for blogging was a difficult task, so be sure to stay tuned for a future gallery! Welcome, Baby Stella!

Personal Post: Danielle’s Baby Shower

Last weekend, my family and I threw my cousin Danielle a baby shower for what will be the first great-grandchild in the family. We didn’t know the baby’s gender, so we decided on a soft pastel, handmade theme (with plenty of inspiration from Pinterest of course!).  Weeks ahead Danielle’s dad brought over fresh fish for a little family dinner, and as we finished eating, we all gathered around for baby shower crafting.  Everyone got into it: grandpa, and fathers, and husbands all making pom-pons and tag banners - their hardworking precision applied to something so sweet and feminine.

We wanted the decorations to be a surprise for Danielle, but little did we know she had a surprise for us.  For months she had been so sneaky, keeping the baby’s gender an absolute secret - it was all we could do to keep from gossiping wildly about what we thought it would be.  As we set up for the shower, Danielle pulled out a beautiful cake made by the same bakery who did her wedding three years ago. The cake was to be a gender reveal!  After patiently waiting through games, gifts and food, I had the honor of cutting the cake and announcing to all the guests that there would be a baby Hazel entering our family in May.  Many congratulations to Danielle and Reggie!  We are looking forward to your maternity photos this weekend and baby Hazel’s arrival in a few months! :)

Summer Sweetpeas Promotional Photoshoot

I love getting to do our promotional photoshoots for Sweetpeas Clothier in De Pere each season.  They have such a high turnover that there is always something new and exciting I haven't seen before!  For summer I just about died when I saw the pink and black shorts set by Dino Bebe for little model Natalie to wear... so cute!  She is also wearing a dress by Baxter & Beatrice (not pictured) and a sleeveless tee by Tea and ruffled skirt by Tooby Doo.  Aden is dressed in a polo by PGA Athletics and linen pants by Axle & Hudson Apparel.

Both our models did such a great job, especially for not having met until the day of the shoot!  We loved their enthusiasm, and they could not have been more adorable in the clothes we picked!

www.lovesweetpeas.com

Personal Post : Memorial Day Weekend Up North

Everyone has certain places they feel connected to - certain places that automatically feel like home whether they are or not.  Since I was a child that is how it has been for me with the house my Grandfather grew up in at the edge of Baileys Harbor in Door County.  It is a craftsman style farmhouse on rambling fields that once were orchards.  The land is dotted with various outbuildings all fastidiously up-kept by my Grandfather, who I find to be my kindred spirit, always making the choice to preserve rather than replace.  And if a house needs someone to maintain the structure, it also needs someone to make it a home.  That duty falls upon my Grandmother, Claudia, who fills the house with the smell of baked coffeecake, the sound of well-meaning Scrabble banter, and the feeling of fresh linens.  She is the person who sees the good in everyone, and knows exactly how to express it.

When I was a child my brother Joshua, my cousin Danielle and I would run wild up there.  We would climb the big crabapple tree, get lost wandering the fields and create houses in the "cedar palace" as we called it.  The overall feeling was an intense sensation of freedom.

As I've grown older, the place has remained close to my heart, and it was such a joy to find that Ben saw all the wonderful things I see in it, and that it could become a place we could cherish together.  Memorial Day weekend is always our first trip up there, and this year we were particularly excited to bring Pieper up for the first time.  We knew she would love exploring the trails, nights around the campfire, and playing with Echo (the cute, fuzzy thing in the photo under the chair).

We packed the weekend with the Maifest parade in Jacksonport, breakfast at the Carroll House, ice cream at Wilson's, and an evening at Skyway Drive-In...  all surrounded by various games of Scrabble, bocce ball and many rides around the field on bikes, four-wheeleers and (yes that is a) golf cart.  Ben and I took our film cameras along in hope of sharing the timelessness of how we experience our time spent "Up North".

www.wilsonsicecream.com
www.doorcountydrivein.com