congrats to ryan

My brother Ryan's band, Summon the Destroyer, is profiled in today's issue of the The Indianapolis Star. They are also featured on Indy.com, a fun entertainment site for the Indianapolis area. To read the entire article, click here. If you guys happen to enjoy death-metal music, you should definitely check them out. I can't understand a word they are saying but hey, if they made it in the newspaper they must have some talent right? :) They've got two CD release shows planned for tonight and tomorrow night if you're looking for a good show to go to. You can also check out their music on their myspace page.

jennifer & jeff

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot another wedding with the amazing Shelly Valentine. Jennifer & Jeff were married in South Bend at Notre Dame. It happened to be my first time on campus. I've had SO many people tell me how beautiful it was so I had high expectations. :) It was such a beautiful location and was perfect for photos!

Here are a few of my favorites from Jennifer & Jeff's day!

addyson - 1 year

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was for this shoot yesterday. Addyson happens to be one of the babies I photographed last year through the ACPCG. She only weighed 1 pound, 7.9 ounces when she was born. Check her out now .. a year later! I am so thrilled she's doing so well!

Along with Addy's wonderful Mom & Dad, her Grandparents and Aunt also joined us for the photos. It was so great meeting them and I can't thank them enough (and Dan as well) for making Addy laugh and smile for the photos. They are all hired for my upcoming kid shoots! ;)

So on with the photos .. these are just a few of my favorites. It was really hard to pick so I went a little crazy with posting. :) I'm sure her family won't mind!

During all the fun yesterday, Addy's Grandaddy was taking some action shots of all of us and he just sent me a few. I thought I'd share one. :) I'm sure being on the other side of the camera with all those people making faces and crazy noises had to be hilarious. :)

march of dimes walk 2008

This Sunday I participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies. Many of the families I have met and photographed through the ACPCG have had some incredible help from the March of Dimes and were walking as well. It was so nice seeing familiar faces and babies who have more than doubled their weight since I first met them. :)

About a week ago, I was honored when the March of Dimes contacted me to use some of the photos I had taken of families in the NICU's of the hospitals around Indianapolis. The photos were part of a banner that was at the finish line of the walk. How great is that!?

It was such a fun day. Just seeing how many people were there supporting this wonderful cause was really moving and emotional. I seriously cannot say this enough .. I am so grateful for the families I have met these past two years. Their strength and courage is unbelievable.

I can't wait until next year! :)

baby torance

I met Baby Torance last week at Riley along with her mom, dad and her older brother. They had contacted me to see if it were possible to take a few photos of her before she had major surgery. I was more than happy to. :) Isn't she such a beautiful baby? I think she looks just like a porcelain doll.

Her surgery was scheduled for today. I actually just read her blog and there was great news! She came out of everything alright. They had to remove part of her right lung. I'm so happy to hear everything went well! I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed that she has a quick recovery and gets to go home soon. :)

a little bean update

So I've had a few requests to post a couple recent photos of the cutest child on the planet, Reagan (my niece). I can't believe how fast she's growing and how smart she is! She answers all our questions, lets us know what kind of food she wants (the way she says cracker is hilarious!), tells everyone "be-boo" which is the equivalent to "love you," yells "Hi Dan!" every time he walks in the door, says "see ya" when she's leaving, absolutely loves to sit down and "read" books, loves to take care of her babydolls, and says please and thank you ALL the time. :)

Quite possibly the cutest thing she says is my name. She couldn't quite say Nicole when she started talking so she called me "Dee-Doe." I'm not really sure how she came up with that but it's SO adorable! I really hope it sticks. How cute will it be if she calls me 'Aunt Dee-Doe' when she's older!? (Could I be anymore of a dork about it?)

Anyway, here are three of my favorite recent pictures of her. I've got big plans for a photo shoot of her soon so keep an eye out for it! Getting her to cooperate might be a bit of a challenge. She's too interested in learning new things to sit and smile for my camera. :)

chelsea & scott

Last weekend I got to help shoot Chelsea & Scott's wedding with the wonderful Shelly Valentine. I always look forward to shooting with her. It's always a great time and her clients are so nice! Chelsea and Scott were beyond nice and their day was perfect! Congrats guys. :)

Here are a few of my favorites!

baby brennan

Can you imagine driving to the hospital every day for 6 months to spend time with your baby? That is what Brennan's family has been doing! She's been in Riley Children's Hospital since she was born. They found out she gets to go home next week and I am so excited for them!

This shoot was a little different for me because little Brennan wouldn't smile for anything or anyone. :) I tried .. nothing. Her mom & Grandma .. nothing again. Two nurses even came in and there was zero reaction! :) I kept hearing about this big dimple she has but I unfortunately didn't get to see it. Though her serious looks are TOO cute and I'd take that any day. :) Hopefully the next time I see her, she will be all smiles. :)