Cancellation - April Faithbooking Crop

The April Faithbooking Crop has been cancelled. I apologize for the inconvenience and will let you know when things are up and running again.

Bump Ahead | Minnesota Maternity Session

I had the fun pleasure of recently photographing a friend who was game for pretty much ANYTHING. (My *favorite* kind of model.) Although we spent most of the session indoors, she wholeheartedly obliged when I asked her to do this:

I'd had it in mind for a very long time :) Here are a few more shots from our session:

I'll post a few more of big brother a bit later. Thanks again for the fun day, Kristen!

work in progress

For those of you waiting on session sneak peeks, they'll be up soon!

Party of Five | Minnesota Children's Portrait Session

I had the pleasure of playing with photographing this group of siblings/cousins on Thursday. And they were a joy to work with.

Pure joy. They welcomed me into their little world by sharing their toys and making artwork.

Precious I tell you. Here's a peek at our day:

Have I told you how much I love my job? Thank you so much Anika for inviting me to your home!!!

still here...

I've just had a sick boy this week, Meeley even missed three days of school! The good news is, taxes are done (at least my end of things) and Meeley is on the mend. He even helped me with some test shots this afternoon:

Just looking for some new locations for my sessions this weekend. Speaking of which, I still have a sneek peak to post from a session I shot on Thursday - it should be up later this weekend!!!

Time for bed. Got a belly session early tomorrow...

let them eat cupcakes

I finally had the honor of meeting Polly (the card artist) in person today! My mother-in-law organized a lunch date at Fabulous Fern's in St. Paul. As if the wonderful conversation and food weren't enough...

We swung by A Piece of Cake for a decadent treat.

TO

DIE

FOR

Red Velvet. Coconut. Banana. Carrot Cake. Spice. Chocolate Peanut Butter. Oreo. Just to name a few of the cupcake flavors. Looking for something special? You won't be disappointed :)

a moms' night out bonus

It was really more like a bonus night out for mom. After a full day of cropping and a pit stop at Caribou, I met my friend (and fellow blogger) Jan at Faith Covenant Church to hear author Karen Hossink speak on the pains of motherhood. Little did I know, there would be prizes involved.

A whole slew of them! After giving away several treats, our hostess for the evening pulled out a Ficus & Fig handbag. I'd first discovered the adorable shop last year and leaned over to tell Jan about it. (Something along the lines of: "That place is SO COOL.") To which she responded: "You're going to win it."

And about as quickly as she'd said it, I DID!!!!!!!!

How cool is that?!!

Karen's talk was extremely encouraging as she spoke to the heart of frustration and irritability that plagues most of us at one time or another. (Patience has never been one of my strong suits.) She spoke of God using motherhood as a means to stretch and grow us, reminding us that we are never alone in the journey. If you are struggling right now for joy and peace in motherhood, be sure to check out her books and her blog. If you are looking for encouragement and would like to connect with other moms of young children, be sure to check out MOPS. (Click HERE to find a group in your area.)

After the talk last night, we had the opportunity to visit over treats and coffee at the church. Jan brought up the need for a MOPS-like group for moms of tweens/teens and I wholeheartedly agreed. Wouldn't it be cool to come together with other moms to discuss things such as:

• What works or doesn't work for you in regards to discipline?
• Healthy boundaries and limits (the delicate balance between letting go and keeping them safe)
• What kind of support and encouragement do you offer your tween/teen as they are given more responsibility for their own education?
• How do we best plan for our child's future?
• The pressures associated with the quest for popularity.

I promised Jan to be the first to join her group ;) All kidding aside, I think I'll be doing a little research into resources for moms of tweens/teens. If you have something to offer, I'd love to hear from you!

i really, really, really, really want to see this

got a heavy case of tunnel vision

In addition to finishing up taxes and getting ready for the retreat weekend, I have a few photography sessions to tend to. It promises to be a crazy week.

Don't forget to change your clocks this weekend!

hint**hint**hint**

A hint for the March Faithbooking Crop:

Our next Faithbooking Crop will be on Saturday, March 13th from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at Hosanna! Lutheran Church in Lakeville. The crops are FREE and include snacks, beverages, prizes, and more! Feel free to work the crop around your schedule, just let me know if you plan to attend and I'll be sure to have a spot ready for you.

yersuchapurtykitty

My kitty nephew.

M+J | Minnesota Engagement Photographer

Neither dog poo, nor drippy ceilings, nor a hole in the ice would halt this session. Okay, the poo issue was mine... I stepped in it here:

It was the start of our session and thankfully I didn't have the couple SIT in it. (Now that probably would have been a session-stopper.)

Then there was this cool location... with a huge number of water issues.

They simply rolled with it. Laughing. Playing. Kissing. Biting.

Okay, so the bite didn't really happen :) Here are a few more shots from our day:

You'll see these two again as I'll be shooting their wedding later this year. Can't wait!!