After shooting Jen’s sister’s wedding I was delighted to hear that Jen and Justin had just welcomed a little one. It was so fun to get to see them again, to meet their new puppy and sweet little Griffin. Take a look at these sweet pic’s!

The Bjork family is truly an amazing family. Yvette and Anders have been together since they were 19. Yvette is Filipino and from Chicago, and Anders is from Sweden. They were married at Danada House, where we did this shoot, in 2000. They’ve lived in Manhattan for the past 4 years though. Their two girls are named Stella, 2 years old, and Siri 8 months old. They are both adorable! Anders talks to them in Swedish so they will be fully bilingual. How cool! They call themselves very modern, contemporary, city folk. Yvette and Anders are truly amazing parents. I had a blast shooting them because they were always entertaining their kids so I could capture some really cute moments!

As a photographer, you get the privilege and complete honor to photograph the most life changing events. It’s not ever something I take lightly, because in truth, I am always honored and humbled to be there; to bear witness to the things in life that change us, grow us and break us so badly that they restore us, a humans. I am constantly in awe of things lately, so much so that I often find myself opening my right hand, and lifting it. Saying to my father in Heaven, “this is yours,” This same hand is one that held my brother in law Ray’s hand, just over a month ago, before he died, and I can still feel his hand in mine, each time. The journey with Reagan is one that from the minute I heard about her story, I wanted to be there, I wanted to cover her precious time with us like a fly on the wall and bear witness to how much she was loved. I adored this precious and tiny girl from the minute I saw her, she was a sweet one, and a fighter you could tell. I loved her, and I am not even her mother, but man, she was a beautiful one. It is amazing when the people you are photographing trust you, and allow you to explore along with them the great depths of the emotions. We didn’t know how much time we’d have with her, but God gave us 24 hours to savor such a Joy as Reagan… and it was precious. When you photograph something like this, you participate, it becomes personal, it becomes something you have to do for your soul. Giving, is a gift, a blessing. There was a moment, when it felt like the whole room was crying, and a moment when from behind the camera you could hear my gasps for air as I sobbed. At that moment, I just knew that Ray, my  sweet and precious brother in law, Ray, was going to be looking out for Reagan when she arrived in Heaven. I just know it.

I have been so excited for Dan and Marcelin and Jackson who will welcome Reagan Joy this Wednesday. Marcelin has requested that I be there with them for the birth and I am so privileged to be able to be there. She is such a loved baby! We are so excited by her coming!

It’s totally amazing and surreal when your friends have babies. Tori & Shane was the couple I rooted for to get together in the early days of their interest in each other. I teased Tori every time I went by Shane’s deli in Wheaton. Yes! This is totally a Shane’s deli plug, you have to try the Pollo Pesto and one of their yummy chocolate chip cookies! Back to the baby, look at this sweet little thing of theirs, totally a product of love.

Katie and Mike, have the sweetest girls, Jessica and Mia. I loved hanging out with them, in fact I had a hard time taking their pic’s cause all I wanted to do was hang out with them and talk and laugh. I love the second pic that is toned like an old pic, it reminds me of something I would see in my parents photo album.

My Gorgeous Friend Kimberly and her husband are expecting their third, and so I had to spend the day with her and her little ones Lucy and J.T. before the baby came. Let me say that J.T. is the sweetest boy, and he and I bonded this last December when he fell off a couch during a photo-shoot with his cousins, that I was photographing. While J.T. didn’t blink and eye once his dad picked him up, it was me that cried, cause his fall had totally scared me. I think J.T. knows of the particular affection I have for him because the whole day he kept lifting up his arms for me to hold him. It was the best!