It was a perfect spring day to capture Alicia and Edward's growing baby bump at Fabyan Forest Preserve. This was their third season and it worked out perfectly to capture their maternity session. The couple has chosen to wait until the baby is born to find out the gender. Before I new this I tried to guess (to myself) if it was a boy or girl. She had pretty florals leaning towards a girl, but blue flowers. The dress could lean either way. A perfect selection for an unknown gender and this beautiful Mama to be! Surprisingly this was not baby's first photo session. Last year when we did the ..read more

Bright, vibrant colors. That was Natalie's vision for her wedding day (which also happen to be her family pup's birthday). The couple choose Elements at the Waterfront for their wedding, which is located in the heart of downtown Naperville. A place almost as busy at downtown Chicago itself. People were everywhere and everywhere we went they honked or shouted words of congratulations. Having gotten to know Natalie and Pat a little better over the last year, Natalie and I have chatted on and off about our slight obsession with Disney and Run Disney in particular. I'm inspired by her dedicat ..read more

Savannah, Rob and Noelle are just the sweetest. Noelle's curiosity for nature was mesmerizing to watch. We were lucky enough to see a family of ducks swimming during their spring family photo session at Fabyan Forest Preserve. Noelle was overjoyed. She was also excited to look at the flowers, although a little hesitant to smell them at first. However, I learned one of her favorite things in nature is sticks. Hand that cutie pie a stick and she's as happy as a clam. She did such a wonderful job considering what a long day she had and it was wonderful to walk along chatting with Savannah gett ..read more

As we walked around Fabyan Forest Preserve for Erik and Laura's spring engagement session we just talked and talked and talked. It was fun to learn that they just bought a house AND are renovating it AND are planning a wedding. Ambitious these two! Plus, it's only minutes from my house. Small world! However, my favorite story was the one about their proposal. Erik had planned to propose to Laura downtown in Lincoln Park at the popular Honeycomb. Those of us living in the suburbs, we all know Chicago traffic can turn a forty-five minute drive into a 2 hour drive. And when nature calls, som ..read more

Laughter. That is what I will remember most from Emma and Kyle's wedding at Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling this spring. Emma and Kyle have to be two of the happiest people I have ever met. Not only are they madly in love, but it is so clear how much they enjoy each others company. A few things that stood out: Their custom scented perfume and cologne. Super cool and unique. A special scent for their wedding day. Something they will always cherish and remember. How happy all of their friend and family members were too. It shouldn't be surprising though because it's a true reflection ..read more

Over the past couple of years I have photographing more and more in home lifestyle newborn sessions. Or rather baby sessions. Sometimes they are not newborns, but three months old. Which is actually my favorite age to photograph these sessions. This was the second time at the Cross Family home in Hampshire. Just about two years ago I was meeting cutie pie Logan for the first time. Now he is a big brother to the adorable Miss Makayla. She is so precious. She slept the entire session, which is honestly shocking for my sessions. No matter what we try, my newborns are always wide awake lol. St ..read more

Steve and Brooke selected Fabyan Forest Preserve for their spring engagement session. The flowers trees were showing off despite the overcast skies. And you wouldn't even know by the end of the session we couldn't feel our fingers because the temperature had dropped down to forty degrees. Brooke and Steve had a HUGE smile plastered on their face the entire time. Never have I had a bride laugh so much as Brooke. Such bliss!!! She truly embodies a Swiftie. The couple met one year ago this day for their first date. They matched on Bumble and went out for a spontaneous drink that same night. T ..read more

Fabyan Forest Preserve is pretty in every season, but I think my favorite is spring. Early spring has the wild blue flowers everywhere and later spring has random patches of tall pink flowers in addition to the red buds. The Cross Family loves Fabyan so we go there often for their photo sessions. But honestly, all of my clients love it there. It's definitely a favorite. This time we were at Fabyan Forest Preserve for their spring maternity photos celebrating the milestone of their second maternity session. Big brother Logan was more excited about trying to chase the geese or swim in the F ..read more

As a dog mom myself, I completely understand how important your furbaby is and the role they play in your family. They should absolutely be included in your family photos if you want them there. Here are a four tips for including your furbaby in your photo session Arrive early to let your dog walk off some of their excitement and sniff the location. Bring a friend or family member to take the dog home or for a walk when we are finished with their portion of the shoot. I recommend spending the first fifteen minutes of your session with your furbaby. Then give them to your doggie helper. Bring ..read more

Welcome to my series, My Joyful Things! This is the place to come if you want go beyond my about page and get to know me further. Today's topic is Yeti's and Diet Pepsi. Until I got my first Yeti, I never really understood the hype. Then my sister-in-laws and I went to Disney to celebrate my 40th birthday and we got engraved yeti's for the pool. I was hooked! Not only was I hooked. I wanted more. It's all I drink out of these days. There are so many pretty colors I can't help but collect them. Currently I have seven (not pictured is my white one). I have my eye on a few more, like a red so I ..read more