Meet Nicole.  She plays one of the coolest instruments ever, the marimba.

Nicole also loves music.  She has a pretty fabulous vinyl record collection as well.  (Yes, real old school records, they’re coming back people.) She brought a selection of them with her to the shoot.

With one more change, we went to one of her favorite spots for a few more photos.

How does time go by so quickly?  I met Hannah when she was just a few months old and started babysitting for her older brother (whom you might remember from this session) and her little sisters FOURTEEN years ago.  Does this make me old?

We shot her session at Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, Missouri.

Hannah is an amazing clarinet player.  We just had to incorporate it into her session.

Time for a change and some more fun!

Hannah is also an INCREDIBLE artist.  Seriously, she always wows me with her drawings.  I was so excited when she showed up with her sketch pad.

Thanks Hannah!  I had SO much fun with you.  ♥ ♥ ♥

Heather & Eric are both librarians.  They met at a convention of sorts and it was literally love at first sight.  When Heather first met him, she was concerned that perhaps he was married, but soon realized that the pockets of his jacket were still sewn shut.  She knew that if he were a married man, this would not be the case.  They talked for hours, Heather refusing to leave until he asked to see her again.  And like a smart man, he did.

Heather had a very special inscription on her ring.  Being both librarians, so she chose to have the Dewey decimal system for Missouri, marriage and love placed on her ring.  Really?  Does it get cuter than this?

Time to see the groom!

Even though it was absurdly hot and sticky, Eric and Heather were total troopers.  We ran around the Missouri Botanical Garden like we owned it and got some fabulous shots.

Heather’s best friend is a man, so she had what she called a “man-tron” her Man of Honor.  He did his duties very well, even touching her up before her ceremony!

Their reception was at the St Louis Schlafly Bottleworks.

These cards were hand painted by Eric’s mother for each guest individually.  What a great keepsake!

Happy Wedding Eric & Heather!

First of all, I have to thank St Louis for not only having fantastic weather the week I was in town, but also being the exact week that all the trees and flowers were blooming.  No, my sinuses were not quite as thankful for the blossoms, but my camera sure was.

Second, I still can’t believe what an absolutely STUNNING Aram & Arthur were.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I love my clients.

They brought their pup along too!  Meet Orlando.  Isn’t he adorable?

Isn’t Aram beautiful?!  Arthur is a lucky guy!  I melt a little looking at her eyes in this one.

I could NOT get enough of these beautiful blooming trees.  To die for.

Time for dinner! Arthur is a sushi chef and made us the most AMAZING sushi for dinner.  Seriously. The BEST way to end an engagement session is with a custom made sushi dinner.  Again. I love my clients.

Thanks again you two for being amazing in every way.  Can’t wait for your wedding later this month!!

It’s almost scary to me (not to mention makes me feel old!) to think how long I’ve known this family.  I went to their wedding, I met the oldest (farthest on the left) just days after he was born, and then I babysat for them since he was just 5 years old.  They, in turn, have become my family, and have a truly special place in my heart.

Our version of Abbey Road.

They wanted to include me somehow into their family session.  This was my solution.  Heart these guys.

After our family session, I took the kids off for a few portraits.  You might remember I shot Aaron’s senior session last fall.

After the older two kids went off on their own, the girls and I decided to do a little more stylized photo session.  It was too much fun.  Seriously.

The next two are their album cover choices.  Which do you prefer?  This?

Or this?

As I’ve literally watched these kids grow up, it’s insane to me how quickly time passes.  Below, I snapped a photo of the youngest and I.  She was only 3 months old when I started babysitting and turned 13 this past year!   I still don’t understand how that is possible.  Where does the time go?

Thanks again to my family for always supporting me and making me feel truly special.   I can’t express how much it means to me that you’ve always made me feel like I belonged.   You are the best family anyone could ever ask for.