NICK & KELLY MCCORMICK

So long...Farewell....

2011-01-14T22:46:00.000-06:00

Well, it's with both happiness and sadness that I have to tell you I will not be posting on this blog anymore.

Sadness because there are so many memories associated with this site...family get-togethers, Colby's first two years....gosh, it's been around for four years I think?

But, there's happiness as well. Why? Because I have a fancy new site that's both blog and photography website combined!

I'm a busy person, and two sites to maintain is too much. Brides would call and say that they loved my images on my website, and I would cringe and remind myself that some Saturday I need to sit down and update all the images and add more recent images. Then, I decided, "heck"...I'm going to get a new site that I can load to the galleries and to the posts at the same time! It's all about efficiency, right?

So, without further blabbing....please visit my new blogsite at http://www.kellymccormickphotography.com/!!

Thanks for checking in!!!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-05T20:03:00.000-06:00

Colby got a new Spencer train.

Notice that I didn't have my act together this year and have Colby her own stocking....but mine worked just fine in a pinch.

New barrettes for our wild-haired girl.

A book about Christmas. Which, by the way, Colby reads the Christmas story on her own...and it's hysterical to hear her read it...I've got to get it on video.

And some new crayons!

Dad putting together her new hoop....or her basketball 'poop' as she originally called it.

Volleyball - Scholleyball...in our house it's all about the 'poops'!

Granmmie had tons of new clothes for Colby.

Ross got a new cowboy hat, but was NOT happy about wearing it.

But Claire was fine wearing it!

Colby loves to clean things with me; so, Grammy got her a new cleaning set.

Nick, you're very attractive to me right now....hehehe!

My dad made Ross a machine shed for his farm toys.

But Claire's new barbie car can use it in a pinch as well.

Heath was fine with the cowboy hat.

And Colby did too!

Claire got a camera for Christmas and it was quite the hit. Everyone wanted to play with it!

Colby hanging out in the shed.

A tired Colby hanging out with all her new friends she got for Christmas!!

I know this is late, but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Everyone!!!

My drug of choice...

2010-12-29T22:33:00.000-06:00

I read this tonight....while eating hersheys kisses...hmmmmm.

"One study out of France, presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, showed that when rats (who metabolize sugar much like we do) were given the choice between water sweetened with saccharin and intravenous cocaine, 94% chose the saccharin water. When the water was sweetened with sucrose (sugar), the same preference was observed—the rats overwhelmingly chose the sugar water. When the rats were offered larger doses of cocaine, it did not alter their preference for the saccharin or sugar water. Even rats addicted to cocaine, switched to sweetened water when given the choice. In other words, intense sweetness was more rewarding to the brain than cocaine."

I knew I hated rats.

Matt and Mandy - Married

2010-12-16T17:46:00.000-06:00

I could make this the first of a ten-parter post all about Mandy and Matt's wedding. That's how many favorite images I had from their wedding. The day after, I emailed Mandy and told her we were in big trouble...I had 300 'favorites' just from the first two hours of the day when Mandy and her bridesmaids were getting ready! What was I going to do?!!!

Maybe it was beauty of a downtown Chicago wedding...maybe there was an emotional element because I've known Mandy since she was in grade school...or maybe it's just because Matt and Mandy are two beautiful individuals who, despite the hustle and rush of being in a large city on a holiday weekend, managed to keep their wedding all about the simple things: their friends, their family, and their love for each other....no matter what the reason, it was really hard for me to choose which ones captured the spirit of their day the best.

Matt and Mandy...thank you...as much as I love the rural beauty of central Illinois, it was thrilling, exciting, and a rush to change scenery and head to Chicago. I'm so honored that you I got to be there to document one of the most important days of your life.

A few of my favorites are below....check back in the next few days to see a slideshow of all of my favorites from the day.

We started the day at Matt and Mandy's condo....I was thrilled that the condo had a huge bank of ten-feet-high windows with beautiful, filtered light coming in....she joked that she had made arrangements for that lighting just for me.

Jamie did Mandy's hair and make-up....Jamie grew up in my home area as well. I have hair envy of Jamie's hair. Seriously, it's beautiful dark red, cascading curly hair.

I loved Mandy's list of how her make-up was to be done.

You're stunning, Mandy....and I love that thing you can do with your eyebrow!!!

But, I love the laughing Mandy even better.

And, while I was getting the image above....

..my excellent second shooter for the day, Christine, got this image. I love it SOOO much!!

Christine also got this shot.....and it has repeatedly brought a tear to my eye....as I love how Mandy's mom is off in the background watching her oldest daughter on the day of her wedding....and you can see the smile on her face. Yep, tearing up again just typing this.

Mandy and her mother after mandy was done getting dressed. I think her mom approved.

Matt and Mandy chose to see each other before the ceremony. Here's their 'First Look.'

yep...I still love a laughing Mandy!!

Oh my gosh! We're getting married today!!!

I love the look on Matt's face in this image....I can never decide if he's getting ready to say something serious to Mandy or something to make her laugh. It could go eithe way!!

Handsome Matt....who's either an underwear model...or an accountant. He's told me both.

While I love Matt's serious-pose images, this is how I'll always remember him. This guy has the moves on and off the dance floor!!

The wedding party.

Mandy is the oldest of three girls. I was coming around the corner of a hallway nearing the room where the bridal party was waiting before the ceremony, and I got there just in time to see Mandy's dad walk up and say, "I'm here to give all three of my girls a hug." This was the moment before Mandy got her hug. The lighting is horrible, most of the image is the door to the room, but it still brings a tear to my eye when I see it and remember the story.

Pazzos...beautiful during the ceremony....

...and the reception.

...and I would probably be in trouble if I didn't post one or two pictures of Mandy and her Manito crew!..

.

...who were so happy for her that they showed up and gave her a little shimmy-shake to celebrate!!

Mandy and Matt, congratulations, Merry Christmas, and again, thank you.

Kelly

Thanks-Christmas 2010!!!

2010-12-08T19:50:00.005-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated the 5th annual Rankin family Thanks-Christmas! This year it was at Kori's house in Indiana!

Here are a few images from the weekend!!

Kori celebrating the fact that Thanks-Christmas won't be at her house for another four years!

I was showing a bit of Comet pride that day after speaking to Mrs. Long's speech class prior to taking off for Indiana.

Colby in her Thanks-Christmas pajamas from Aunt Karen. She was pouting for some reason.

Kori thought it would be fun for everyone to decorate the Christmas tree. Frankly, I think she just didn't get it done and wanted us to do her dirty work. The kids enjoyed it though!

Jacob imitating one of his cousins evidently.

Cousin Emma helping Colby with an ornament.

Aunt Kendall capturing the action.

Grandpa Cooper had the star honors.

The next day we all donned our matching t-shirts and got ready for some major present-opening.

Ella - always enjoying some one-on-one attention.

Currently, Frosty the Snowman is a really big deal in our house; so, Colby was very excited to get one from Aunt Kori and family.

But as much as she loves Frosty, he hasn't taken the place of Bert and Ernie.

Grandpa Rankin made her a barn for her tractors.

Look at all the space in here to house my Thomas the Train collection too!!

And of course, it's fun to climb on too!

Let me help you out here, Grandma Rankin

Kori showing a treasured gift. Our Grandma Rankin made each of us grandkids a homemade stocking just like that. Kori had lost hers and Dad and Raylene found it a few months back in a box at their house. Kori was glad to have it back!

After a long day, there was one last standoff over toys, but despite the standoff, we all had a great time!!!

Thanks for checking in!!!!

Kelly

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T07:53:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving and God's Blessings to everyone!!!

Colby - finally

2010-11-23T07:29:00.004-06:00

As most of you know, I have a difficult time getting decent pictures of Colby. Usually it's just me and her by ourselves, and her preference is to be standing right next to me (at all times) instead of having her picture taken. She's a real turkey about it!

So, when I met Kori and Ben and my dad and stepmom at Starved Rock park over Halloween weekend, I was determined to use the opportunity to get some decent images of Colby! And, of course, true to the ornery child she is, she proved my claims wrong. Instead of saying things like "I don't want to!" and running to my side, she stood there and smiled at the camera, laughed naturally at everyone watching her, and even serenaded us by singing "Frosty the No-man".

Here are a few of my favorites. Because who knows when I'll have that kind of help again, you'll probably see these images up at our house for the next ten years!!!

I love this one.....if I could get an image like this for every single mother out there, I would die a happy person. This is everything I want my images to be...pure, natural joy.

Singing to us....

Despite my earlier post, Kori did get the hang of the camera and did a great job getting a few family pictures for us as well!

My all-time favorite of that day....

Thanks for checking in!!!

Kelly

Attention Brides!

2010-11-22T05:32:00.004-06:00

All Brides, if you see me show up at your wedding with my sister Kori as the second shooter, RUN!

A few weeks ago, my family met up with my sister Kori's family and my dad and stepmom for their annual family pictures.

I asked Kori if she would take a few of Nick, Colby and I as well.

This is what Kori got.....

....and this is what I got.

And, after five minutes she said that the camera was 'too heavy' and that 'she needed a break.' I love you, Kori, but seriously, camera work is not in your future...perhaps holding an off-camera flash, but definitely not camera work. :)

All joking aside, we did get some great family pictures once Kori got used to the camera. Those coming soon!!

Kelly

It's THAT Time of Year!!!

2010-11-15T22:02:00.003-06:00

Yes, everyone, it's THAT time of year! Because my family celebrates our Christmas at Thankgiving (aka Thanks-Christmas to those of you newbies to the blog), I start getting into the holiday spirit, let's say, around October 1st. :) Maybe it's all the family portrait sessions that I know will end up on Christmas cards...maybe it's the down comforter on my bed...or maybe it's all the cinnamon and pine candles that begin appearing on the Yankee Candle shelves at stores. In any case, I mentally begin my holiday season.

Some people's choice of music is R&B, Country, or Pop...mine is Christmas. I'm still waiting to be asked to be a guest judge on some Christmas music awards that I just know will exist at some point. Every year, I try to add a bit to my Christmas classics. If you weren't a blog reader last year, you can click here to get the full list of classics from years past. And, here are my picks so far this year.

Merry Chrismas, Baby by Nicole C. Mullen
Lamb of God by Nicole C. Mullen......oh my gosh, I'm in LOVE with this song and listen to it nonstop!!!.....and it's not what you'd expect at all as far as beat, but I LOVE the message and visuals.
Redeemer by Nicole C. Mullen....yes, not a Christmas song, but I have it on my Christmas playlist, and really, shouldn't all Christmas music be Christian music and vice versa????!!! Anyway, this song gets to me....in like a bring-a-tear-to-my-eye way. Excellent message in reminding us that God is in control.
I Need a Silent Night by Amy Grant....yes, no list would be complete without Amy on the list! Fun, upbeat tune that reminds us, again, of what Christmas should be about.

And, because blog posts aren't fun without a bit of eye candy, just wanted to let everyone know that my sister Kim has uploaded a selection of her custom Christmas cards to my site! Take a peak and see if there are any you like....you might just be the featured family in one or two of them as well!!

You can access the cards by going to http://kellymccormickphotography.com > Clients > Password "Christmas".

And, as a means of contributing to my annual Christmas music post, Kim says do not buy the new Sheryl Crowe Christmas CD...in her words, it echoes her last name. :)

Happy Holidays!!

Kelly

Chad and Katy - Engaged

2010-11-06T15:37:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready to head out the door for the last family session of the year, but before I leave, I desperately wanted to get these amazing images posted of Chad and Katy!! When I first went through their images, I had 223 marked as 'favorites'....I think it's taken me the last 2 weeks to get it down to a more managable (sic?) number. I actually said to my sister yesterday on the phone, can you please drive here and decide which of these images should be in the final set?! They're adorable, photogenic, and willing to go anywhere I asked of them!!!

Chad and Katy, I'm so excited for your wedding and all you have planned! (Katy's plans for image displays at their reception is going to be like no other reception I've been to! Can't wait!!) Thank you for introducing me to areas of Shelby County I'd not visited before!...and for giving me the chance to be a part of your big day!

Blessings on you all! Kelly

The Smith Family

2010-11-03T17:30:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I met up with the Smith family for both family portrats and a quick senior session as well!

Here are a few of my faves from the session!!

This one was for mom....

....and this one was for me! LOVE it!

Cassidy laughing....when her dad stepped into a hole, if I remember correctly! I love laughter in pictures.

Probably my all-time favorite of the girls that day.

Daddy's girls.

But Mom wasn't going to miss her chance to get a picture with the girls!

And, finally, the man of the hour....Cody's a senior this year, and like most senior boys, he was SO looking forward to his senior pictures. (sense my sarcasm here?)

But Cody, you did just fine, I think. LOVE the grin in this image!

A solemn moment. Probably reflecting the greatness of his future. Or, what he's going to do when he gets done with these pictures!!! :)

And, what would a senior session be without an image of a boy and his beloved truck!!

Thanks, Smith Family! You're awesome!!

Kelly

The McCormick Family!

2010-11-03T07:51:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I met up with the in-laws for our 2nd annual fall family photography session! Here are a few of my favorite images!

The husbands are not usually excited about family pictures to begin with...especially since we started at 7:30 am! But, the light is awesome at that time of day!!

....and we were done shortly after 8:00!!! It doesn't get any better than that!

Since having a child, I have decided that really having kids of your own is to get grandkids someday! This was the most important picture of the day!....for Christmas cards! To heck with the rest of the fam...it's all about the grandkids! Just teasing you, Ar!!!

Grammy, what you laughing at?

Claire is the niece that makes me feel old with each passing year....she was just a newborn when Nick and I got married. Grow down, Claire!

Rosco Peco.

Hate my open mouth....love the rest of the image.

Colby was her usual unwilling participant for the family portion of our pictures.

This image gives me hope that she'll get better as she gets older!!

Thanks for checking in!

Jeff and Christina - Engaged

2010-10-30T10:32:00.008-05:00

Christina gave me a call after seeing the engagement images from a previous engagement session on Facebook! I'm excited about their wedding for several reasons: 1) They're beautiful and adorable, 2) very photogenic, 3) getting married in my home area, and 4) they want their wedding to be unlike anyone else's! The wedding itself is at an old mansion in Peoria....when I first heard that, my heart started beating rapidly...old staircases, beautiful woodwork, soft lighting with wood floors....a photographer's dream!!! Top all of those sweet things off with how beautiful and photogenic they are, and it's easy to see why it's a wedding to look forward to!!

Christina and Jeff....such a pleasure getting to know you and your beautiful relationship! Looking forward to May! Kelly

Nolan and Jamie - Engaged

2010-10-28T09:02:00.007-05:00

Excuse my lack of comments over the next few days, everyone! I'm working feverishly to get as many sessions from the last few weeks edited and posted for all to enjoy....

And first up we have the beautiful Jamie and Nolan...they are sweet, down-to-earth, and excited that God has brought the two of them together to walk the path of life. And, can I mention again that they're beautiful...both inside and out.

HEHEHE!

2010-10-27T08:12:00.004-05:00

This image from a shoot last Saturday keeps putting a smile on my face.

Oh the love of siblings!

The Deters Family

2010-10-25T17:03:00.005-05:00

The colors in these first pictures of big sister Emma are simply my faves!!! But, while the pale yellows and olive greens are my faves, nothing beats her cutey-patootey smile!!!

Now to the twins...there mom was SOOOO mean that day! Mean to me! She put them in matching outfits...shoes and all! And, then she said that by the end of the shoot I'd know which one was which. And, so now I'm feeling inept, because I walked away and was like, "nope." So, this is Gavin...or Marshall...or maybe Gavin!

Hi, Daddy.

So, after I was feeling really horrible, relatives told me that they still had a hard time telling the boys apart too; so, it made me feel better!

Cutey#1 and Cutey #2.

Or....Smiley #1 and Smiley #2.

Deters Family, thank you so much for allowing me to document your beautiful family!!!

Blessings to you all,

Kelly

Dan and Leanne - Engaged

2010-10-22T17:30:00.001-05:00

Leanne and I first bonded over vacuuming...we both love 'freshly mowed carpet'....you know, the lines that are in the carpet right after you've vacuumed. Then we bonded over cheap Chinese food. She lives in the quad cities right now, and I lived there for four years of my life. I told her that my friends and I used to get cheap Chinese food at the HyVee grocery store and watch Thursday night TV. She gets the same Chinese with her friends, and they watch Grey's Anatomy.

Leanne's beautiful, smart, and has a great smile. Right when you're on the brink of being intimidated by her, you find out that her idea of make-up is chapstick....and then you fully realize that she's a girl you can sit around with in loungey pants eating cheap Chinese food and watching fun TV. So, it's no wonder that Dan's decided to do just that with Leanne for the rest of his life. He getting the best of all worlds: beauty, brains, laughter, and a girl who's down-to-earth enough to consider chapstick her favorite beauty product. :)

Dan and Leanne, you're beautiful...both of you! But, as smart as you both are, you were VERY wrong about one thing: You take EXCELLENT pictures! The camera loves you both!!!

Congratulations and can't wait until next June!

Kelly

Can I even tell you how much I love this picture?!!!! One of my all-time favorite engagement pictures!

We took Dan and Leanne's engagement pictures at her family's pond. Her dad has an old pontoon that doesn't work that he loves dearly and his kids make fun of. This picture is for her dad. Leanne said she's sure it'll be up in his office...not because of her, but because of the boat. :)

Hey, hey, good-lookin'!

"We don't take very good pictures." Yep, that's what they told me. They're humble or they lie.

Leeanne's got the prettiest eyes.

And killer fashion.

Is anyone weired out by the fact that I've literally sat, stared, and smiled at this image? That's how much I love this picture. :)

Owen

2010-10-22T16:05:00.000-05:00

"O" is for "Owen"....and for "Ornery". :)

I'm loving this ornery look! :)

....and this one.

"I'm laughing at my own orneriness, Mom!"

hehehehe.

But, you know what, I have my sweet moments too.

Overall, I'm just plain adorable....orneriness and sweetness.

The Beldon Family

2010-10-21T15:51:00.007-05:00

There's a few extra of Johnathan this year....because he's graduating from 8th grade! Congrats!!

The Smithers Family

2010-10-21T07:51:00.000-05:00

The Thomas Family

2010-10-21T06:29:00.003-05:00

Good news: There will be LOTS of posts over the next few days.

Bad news: To do this there won't be a lot of comments...I'm sorry for those of you who email me wanting comments!

True news 1: The color of little Maleah's eyes in the last picture weren't altered one single bit...they're that darn blue!

True news 2: Thank you SO much Thomas family for making the drive over! I love seeing your beautiful famly grow!

Kelly

You Know You're Old When....

2010-10-18T18:42:00.007-05:00

My husband will often tell me that "I wasn't raised to be cool." This remark is usually made after I've told him some story from my childhood. He cannot comprehend that some people were actually raised the way I was. Not that my childhood was bad or weird...it was just different from his.

Evidently, he didn't do summer stock theater with his grandmother. He can't sing every word to the songs from "Fiddler on the Roof", and he definitely didn't play "Little House on the Prairie" in the back pasture. And, let's face it: I'd think it was weird if he had.

However, as weird as my childhood may have been, at some point in life you grow up and say, to heck with it...it is what it is....I'm going to embrace it instead of hide it. So, let me tell you about what I like to call "The Music Trifecta" of my chidlhood:

1) Marie Osmond - I barely remember the Donnie and Marie variety show, but I'll never forget their record we had highlighting muscial numbers from that same variety show! I can sing you ALL the words to "I'm a Little Bit Country....I'm a Little Bit Rock and Roll." Karen and I played 'singers' a lot growing up, and this record was a favorite to sing to.

2) Barbara Mandrell - there was anticipation and excitement every weekend in our house when "The Mandrell Sisters Variety Show" was airing. I can remember rushing through our baths so that we were ready to sit in front of the T.V. For those of you who would like a little blast from the past, go to www.youtube.com and search for the Mandrell sisters. You can see snippets of the show. Poor Arlene Mandrell....she was so un-talented....she was always hidden behind her drum set instead of up front with her more-talented sisters.

3) Last in the trifecta was Amy Grant. Ohhhh....the Christian pop sensation! We were never into the "Baby, Baby" years...more the "El Shaddai" and "Thy Word" years. The older Rankin girls listened to a lot of Amy Grant music growing up...and of the three, she's probably the one that I listen to the most today. Her Christmas CD's are the BEST and she's released several CD's in the past ten years of old favorite hymns that I love to listen to. So, my sisters Kori, Kim, and I have become groupies of sorts. She's never in Kim's neck of the woods (northern Minnesota); but, when she's near Kori and I, we make it a point to go to her concerts! Last weekend, Amy (because we're on first name basis now) was in Effingham and it also happened to be Kori's birthday weekend! So, we had a fancy, dancy dinner (that ultimately upset both our stomachs!) and then spent a couple of hours with Amy while she sang some favorites from our childhood!

In the end, you know you're old when you admit and embrace your oddities.

"Hello, my name is Kelly McCormick, and I'm a die-hard Amy Grant fan."

I made friends with the venue photographer; so, he snapped our picture for us. We had excellent seats...second row...thanks to my mother-in-law!

I'm going to call this video, "The Indoctrination Begins".....enjoy!

The Webb Family

2010-10-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for anyone who has or is serving in our armed forces. In my life I have been fortunate to travel the world...from developed, thriving countries to 3rd world, still building infrastructure, people knocking on your window asking for money type of countries. And let me tell you, we live in the greatest country on earth. I love to travel...and I love to get home to the good ol' U.S.

So, if you ever want me to move the heavens to get a family shoot scheduled, all you have to do is say, "my brother/husband/wife/sisiter-in-law/pick your family member will be home from 'Iraq/Afghanistan/pick your country/pick your U.S. military base' this week, and we were wanting to get a shoot scheduled, if we can. And, yes, we can and will. Because I'm the type of girl who on Saturday mornings while cleaning and doing laundry still has to stop and watch the TV when the scene from "A Few Good Men" comes on and Demi Moore says her line, "Because they stand on walls...and they say, 'No one's going to hurt you tonight...not on my watch.'" I'm that emotional about it and that thankful as well.

Webb Family, thank you so much for the opportunity to get to know all of you!!!

I've posted a few of my favorites below!!

ps - after proofreading this, I worried that it sounded like the Webb family called at the last minute, etc. and it was quite the opposite! Rachel was AWESOME to work with in scheduling their session, but I wanted to make the point that I'm THAT thankful to those serving in our military that I WOULD jump through hoops to help them out!!! :)

Tyler and Danae: Engaged

2010-10-13T21:10:00.004-05:00

So, the conversation went something like this:

Danae (in an email): Kelly, can you bring a backdrop to our wedding so we can take pictures in front of it? (btw, their wedding is on December 31st)

Me (in my mind): ummmmm....you're not going to like those pictures...I'm not going to want to take those pictures...it's your wedding day....you're not going to be fun and free-spirited and laughing in front of a backdrop....backdrops are so Olan Mills...not YOUR wedding day.

Me (in an email): Danae, is there anything AT ALL that I can do to talk you into going outside for 10 minutes on the day of your wedding? I know you think you'll get cold, but I got married in December and took pictures outside, and trust me, you have so much energy that you day, you won't feel a thing! If I beg and plead, can I please talk you into ten minutes outside?

Danae (at their engagement shoot): Kelly, about your email, we'll stay outside all day if we have to for the pictures. We're up for anything.

Me (in my mind): You're my kind of people!

Recently, I met up with Danae and Tyler...who have been together FOREVER...like since high school!....and had the greatest time shooting their engagement pictures at Allerton Park. The weather was beautiful, the fall colors were beautiful, and the husband and wife-to-be were beautiful!

Danae and Tyler, can't wait to ring in the new year with the both of you celebrating your new life together as husband and wife.

A few of my favorites are below....

Beautiful lighting.....

....beautiful laughter.

We got the formal in-the-newspaper-the image-grandma-will-order picture!

As promised, they were up for anything...like, see this overgrown forested area over here? Do you mind laying down in it in your nice newly dry-cleaned clothes? And, they were SO willing! And, I love the results! Danae and Tyler brought several outfits and we debated on what she called "khaki pants and a white t-shirt." I originally said 'no'....it'd be a little too family-ish. However, Danae failed to mention that their version of khakis and white t's belonged on a Banana Republic advertisement. By the way, Tyler, you're pretty darn handsome in this photo!

And, one of my favorites from the day. For those of you who don't know it, I am in love with the Rotunda at Allerton Park; so, you may be seeing it here and there in several shoots over my next few postings!!

Danae and Tyler, congratulations, and many blessings during this exciting time in your lives!

Kelly

Braden and DeAnna - Engaged

2010-10-11T21:40:00.005-05:00

Whew! This one has been a long time coming! I'm sorry that the blog hasn't been updated much lately...and I know there's LOTS of sessions almost ready to be posted for everone to see. This year I've shot nonstop over the last few weeks and now am taking some time to edit, edit, edit.

So, first out session to be posted in the posting marathon is DeAnna and Braden's engagement pictures!!!

When DeAnna emailed me about shooting her wedding, I was shocked to say the least! How in the world could she be old enough to get married?!!! You see, the last time I had seen DeAnna was when she was four years old and I was in high school. Her cousin Mindy was a friend of mine and Mindy was taking "Parenting" class that semester. At some point in the semester you had to bring a young child in (can't remember why!), and Mindy brought DeAnna in. Mindy, correct me if I'm wrong in this memory...could very well be! Anyway, DeAnna sat on Mindy's lap during our lunch hour in the cafeteria. That was the last time I saw her! And, now she's getting married!!! So, over Labor Day weekend, we met up for a few engagement pictures!!

A few of my favorites from their session are below!

This is just one of my favorites...I love the blues, the greens, and the old wood bridge at my aunt's house in the country!

When Nick and I got engaged, our photogs snapped this picture of him giving me a noogy (sic?) during our engagement pix. That's the image that still hangs in our living room in classic b/w. Why? Because that's our personalities. I envision this picture as the same for Braden and DeAnna!

Hey, Hey, Good Lookin'! True Story: When I was in 8th grade I worked at our local root beer stand. Braden's parents were friends of friends of my parents; so, I knew his family distantly. One particular day over the summer his mom came to the root beer stand for lunch and I couldn't remember her first name. So, I called her Mrs. Thomas the whole time. Her friend accused me of trying to get a bigger tip by being so courteous. Alas, nope! It was just my horrible memory!!! :)

Happy DeAnna! DeAnna has a way with the camera and passion for photography as well. She second shot for me at Krista and Brett's wedding this past August!

My favorite image of the ENTIRE shoot!

Braden really wanted an image with his restored Farmall tractor.

This one's for DeAnna.

And, this one was taken specifically for Braden!

Congrats, Braden and DeAnna!!! I can't wait to dance and have a great time at your wedding!!

Kelly

W.R. Yakey Grain Co - Celebrating 50 Years!

2010-10-03T14:41:00.009-05:00

UPDATE: So, I got a text last night from a friend who is one of the family members below that there was a family petition being started for commentary on the pictures. I am sometimes torn on commentary...do people want it, does it show my dorkiness too much, have I stepped over a line, etc. I told her I would update the posting with commentary. And, since it was requested, I don't think that the proverbially 'line' exists...right?

John and Shary Yakey and family.

Jen, all the way to the left with the baby, just had her new little guy SIX weeks before this picture was taken...and she was back in her regular jeans. I have a whole blog posting on my feelings about that. However, she is a dear friend; so, I keep my true feelings to myself! Her husband Kurt is to her right. Most of you probably don't recognize Kurt...with his clothes on. If he took them off and donned an orange speedo and stood on Rt. 32, you'd probably recognize him, right?! For those of you not from the area, Kurt turned 30 two weeks ago, and his loving brother-in-laws made a life-size cut-out of him in the speedo and left it next to the highway all day wishing him a Happy 30th!

Courtney was the coordinator of the event!! Her cousin's husband, Justin, I think was telling me to 'peace out' with all the families and the potential for chaos!!

Dave and Vickie Yakey and family! I first met them when I was Eric and Nicole's wedding photographer (couple in the middle)....AND, I'm so excited that they're welcoming their first baby this winter! Congrats to the whole family!! Also, Dave couldn't believe that I was using this old she with the oil drums for the picture. He offered to load them up in my car and send them home with me for later use!

Helen is the only daughter among the Yakey siblings....seven brothers and one sister...right? I actually spent several days trying to add the words "and daughter" onto the grain elevator as a joke for Helen...but I wasn't successful in getting the font and fading accurate at all. But, I feel for Helen. When I was growing up, all our grain trucks said "Rankin Brothers" on it...and I was all like, "But Dad, we're five daughters."....cause you know, it doesn't occur to a 5yo that it's about her dad and HIS brother. :)

Sherm and Janet Yakey and family. Son Andrew was SOOOOOO excited about having his picture taken....like every teenage boy, it was exactly what he wanted to be doing on a Saturday morning. (Do you hear my sarcasm here?). But in the end he was a trouper and willing to throw an arm around the fam for the perfect picture op!

The entire Yakey family....all four generations.

I ended up with a LOT of pictures of Grandpa John and Brody. I think they're a pretty close team, these two.

This is my favorite picture of the entire day. Courtney jumped into the truck to ride with Grandpa and I snapped it really quick. Is the lighting perfect? No. Is it composed perfectly? No. But 30 years from now, Courtney will smile when glancing at this picture. And, that's what makes it my favorite of the day.

Cohen was pretty much like "Get away from me, crazy lady with the camera" most of the day. Here I caught him checking beans with dad.

Bill, Kay, Brittany, and Zach's family picture above win my favorite individual family picture of the day. The light was perfect, their smiles were great, and I love the personal touch of the hug Kay is giving Brittany. :)

The one smile I got from Cohen that day!!...but it only takes one!!

OK, I got ahead of myself! Frosty and Ginger's picture on the RR is a tie with Bill and Kay's family picture for favorite of the day! Frosty and Ginger waited patiently til the end of the day and asked if they could please get a quick picture of the two of them...and it was so worth the wait. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this image!

While we defnintely wanted to do the entire Yakey family in front of the elevator itself, I suggested using the vintage truck in a grassy area and taking a more casual picture of the entire family. Grandpa Yakey was hesitant. He told me afterwards, "50 years of business and we're taking pictures in the weeds?" Yes, Grandpa Yakey, I like the overgrown, natural look. And I love this light, and the trees, and the old rustic shed back behind there too!

Grandma and Grandpa Yakey. One quick last note, I noticed throughout the day that Grandma Yakey had a hard time looking at the camera....her eyes were ALWAYS following the great-grandkids as they ran and played!...that's what meant the most to her...her family all in one spot and watching the next generation enjoying each other.

Yakey Family, CONGRATULATIONS on 50 years!

Matt and Mandy

2010-09-27T20:39:00.004-05:00

Is there anything more fun than shooting a wedding?

Yes! When you get to shoot the wedding of someone you've known your entire life! The fun part about weddings is that you are privileged to see every single emotion that the couple and their families are experiencing that day. When it's someone you know, it brings an emotional element to the table for me as well.

So, when my sister Kim's friend Mandy (did you follow that??) emailed me and asked if I would capture her wedding day, I was both honored and humbled. She's a girl after my own heart...as her wedding's the day after Thanksgiving. I LOVE winter holiday weddings...the lights, the calendars, the music, the festive spirit. I'm as excited as my sister is for Mandy and Matt's wedding! :)

Anyway, over Labor Day weekend, I got to finally meet Mandy's husband-to-be. We met up for their engagement session, and Matt didn't disappoint! He's handsome, witty, and oh, did I say witty? He had me laughing with his jokes and smiling at his sweetness towards Mandy.

Matt and Mandy, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm honored and excited to be a part of your big day!

Kelly

I honestly think that every husband and wife should look back at their engagement as a time of excitement, and romance. Yes, we get the 'formal-picture-for-the-newspaper' at the engagement session...but most of the images I want are sweet moments like this.

Matt is an accountant...right now. He did tell Mandy and I that in a former life he was a model. This picture was taken the moment he told Mandy that he had been an underwear model to be exact. Evidently, it was a surprise to her!

Hello pretty lighting.

Mandy told me she wasn't photogenic at all. Mandy, you're SO wrong.

Handsome...and ornery....devil.

Matt using some of his underwear modeling moves. :)

And then doing what he does, making Mandy laugh and enjoy herself.

Matt and Mandy....you're beautiful.

Kelly

Brett and Krista

2010-09-23T21:59:00.013-05:00

Brett and Krista,

Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your big day. Everything was beautiful...the ceremony, the details...and of course, you as a couple.

Below are a few of my absolute favorites from your day!

Click here to see a slideshow for the rest of the images from Brett and Krista's wedding.

Krista was insisten that she wanted the traditional bride and groom picture in front of the church altar, which is absolutely fine; however, once I arrived at the church, I understood why it was so important. Both of Krista's grandparents and her parents had been married in the church. And, she gave honor to these examples of marriage and faith by displaying their wedding dresses and pictures in the church vestibule.

My assistant for the day, Deanna, got this...and it brought a tear to my eye. Krista will treasure this someday.

A beautiful bride....

....with the most amazing eyes....which Brett told me was his favorite feature of Krista's.

Grandma was proud.

Joy and laughter on both sides of the family.

...and by the bride and groom.

But not everyone got the joke. :)

This talented gentleman sang at the weddings of both Krista's grandparents and her parents. I cry at every wedding...and his rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" got me.

Hello, Handsome!

Krista, beautful as always.

Thanks for checking in!

My Beautiful Nieces...and my sister and BIL!!!!

2010-09-22T20:15:00.006-05:00

Every year my older sister, Karen, and I have a horrible habit of trying to get their family pictures done in 5 minutes before a family dinner or something....and it never works out very well. So, this year, we made a concerted effort to schedule a REAL family portrait session.

I love, love, love their girls...they were the first grandkids and great-grandkids in our family, and I'm not sure there were three girls ever so loved!

Colby's First Tractor Pull

2010-09-15T21:15:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, I took Colby to her first tractor pull....

It was also a special night because she publically debuted her hair in barrettes. Coincidence? I think not.

She happily sported her "Nasty Stuff" t-shirt....btw, that's the name of her daddy's tractor.

A face of excitement....maybe for the tractor pull...maybe for the Kubota Mule she was standing on...maybe for the pen her mom let her play with for the evening. Who knows.

This is Woody....a friend of the family's. Colby loves Woody. Since she was a baby, Woody would be at the shop and would hold Colby while her grammy took care of customers. Woody wants to borrow Colby to pick up chicks at the fair. Hold her? Yes. Borrow her to pick up cotton candy s&%ts? I think not.

Colby was enthralled with the smoke.

There's her daddy.

Colby with Grampy checking out how far Daddy made it.

Thanks for checking in!

With "Friends" Like These...

2010-09-08T19:42:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again.

All summer I've been thinking about getting the running shoes out and starting up again. In another life, I used to run a lot. I even ran half of the Chicago marathon once with a good friend. But, after losing a toenail (literally), I swore I would never do that again, and besides, it's like another friend pointed out to me, "You don't see people smiling when they cross the finish line of a marathon...their faces are faces of pain."

So, the other day, when I got a Facebook invite to the Strasburg 5k on October
16th from a 'friend', I thought to myself, "Arghhh...what a horrible reminder of what I've NOT accomplished this year." So, I'm thinking that this 'friend' isn't really a very good friend. She's perhaps more like my 'friends' that send me birthday cards every year. They think they're being such great friends, but really all they're doing is reminding me that I didn't send them a birthday card. And, then it makes me feel really bad...on my birthday of all days. If they were REAL friends, they wouldn't acknowledge my birthday, right?!! So, right now I'm sitting here at my computer and trying to figure out what I've done to wrong this
5k 'friend' that she would want to get revenge on me by reminding me what a fitness loser I've been this year and how I haven't met my goals at all. I had great intentions...I downloaded all my favorite running songs onto my i-pod....I asked and received a new treadmill for Christmas. Sadly, though, my 18 month daughter has gotten more exercise from it than I have...she likes to step up and down, up and down, up and down on it while I'm folding laundry or typing on the computer. Hmmmm....now, not only has this 'friend' made me acknowledge my lack of exercise, but now I'm feeling like a horrible mom as well!

So, because this 'friend' has guilted me into this via a Facebook invite (she's really subtle in her revenge for my unknown wrongdoings), I got out the running shoes this week, charged up the ipod, and hit the road Monday night. I ran a mile....Don Telgmann passed me on the tractor twice...so, he can attest that I was out running. On Tuesday and Wednesday I couldn't walk from the pain. So, I had the thought that perhaps I needed to start a little slower and run in intervals. So, I tore out the below out of one of my fitness magazines (because, like most non-exercisers, I have all the gear, magazines, junk, etc....just not the ambition evidently). I'm going to attempt to follow it....just in time to run that Strasburg 5K. Maybe I'll blog about it occasionally...if it's going well, of course.

In any case, if anyone's looking for a running partner, let me know...another 'friend' was my running partner from last year, and she was so desperate to get out of training with me for this year's 5k that she got pregnant.

With 'friends' like these, who needs enemies?!!! ;)

Matt and Sarah

2010-09-03T20:18:00.002-05:00

The neatest thing about photographing weddings is that, although there so many common threads...like the prayer, the music, the ceremony's words...at each wedding, there are SO many details and traditions specific to the bride and groom and their families that make each wedding so different!

I have SO much to say about Matt and Sarah's wedding. I have about 30 images picked out to post and show everybody!!!...however, I know Matt and Sarah are anxious to see their images; so, I took a few seconds tonight to upload just a few of my favorites...and the slideshow of my 191 favorites!...yep, 191...I'm so subtle, aren't I?

I promise over the weekend I'll post a much longer post with comments and explanations on some of the beautiful traditions I was so privileged to witness and be a part of on their wedding day!

Click here to see Matt and Sarah's wedding slideshow.

Attempt at Formal Pictures - Take 3

2010-09-01T16:19:00.013-05:00

Little Curly-Haired Girl, please look at me......

Thank you!

Thank you again!

Now really - why did it have to be that hard?

What It's Like....

2010-08-27T07:25:00.000-05:00

Most of you probably know that my mother passed away around six months ago. As time has passed and because my mom was young, I've had several friends ask what it's like to lose your mother.

In a phrase: It's odd.

You think that you can still call her and tell her a story. When something happens, you think to yourself, "I can't wait to tell Mom that...she'll think that's hysterical." More often than not, these things are about your children. No one besides your mom is more excited to hear stories or tidbits about the weirdo or amazing things your kids have done. I think that that has been the hardest part about losing Mom...even though she'd gone through everything with her own five kids and with her first five grandkids, whenever Colby would do something new, Mom would act like she was the first child ever to walk, sit up, eat cereal, etc. And I never realized that until after she was gone. All of us a sudden, a cheering section I previously hadn't acknowledged existed was gone.

The other thing is that the oddest, weirdest situations, comments, or items can bring a tear to your eye. I had two of them this week.

First, my friend Sara posted this post on her blog. I laughed hysterically. In Mom's bedroom at the farmhouse she had this old chest of drawers that had sheet sets still in the packages that were at least 20 years old. She was saving them for 'good'. I used to tease her and ask when the Queen of England was coming for a visit. One of the pillowsheet sets had fancy eyelet stuff sewed on the the edges...I wanted to use those pillowcases SO bad, and she wouldn't let me. She was saving them for 'good'. When I went to college and had to buy sheets for my bed, I bought the white pillowcases with the eyelet decorations at the end. :)

Second, I canned tomato juice this week. Mom used to do that when we were growing up and she used this "Squeeze-It" thing that attaches to your countertop to make juicing the tomatoes faster. I bought one off of e-bay a few years back, but it didn't have the wood plunger with it. So, a couple of Christmases ago, Mom found and bought me the wood plunger as a gift. I hadn't used it yet until I got into my box of canning supplies this week. It made me smile.

I keep an 11x14 of this picture in our living room...mom and us girls at my cousin's wedding last year. And, while I do love to sit in my chair and glance over at it on occasion....

....I find it's weird things like wood plungers for juicing tomatoes that really tug at my heart strings and make me miss Mom.

The Richardson Family

2010-08-11T20:19:00.003-05:00

A few years back I was involved in a group called the Illinois Ag Leadership Group...a group of 30 individuals in the state of Illinois that spends two years together studying both the domestic and international ag markets. At the end of the first year, we spend time in D.C. studying ag policy, and the end of the second year we take a 2-week trip abroad to study ag in a foreign country. This program is fantastic for exposing you to the many diverse facets of agriculture policy, markets, and infrastructure on an international basis. But, even more than that is how you get to spend two years with some of the most intelligent and fascinating people in Illinois agriculture. That's how I met Keri.

Keri was one of the few other girls in the program when I went through it. And, we literally toured the U.S, Canada, Hong Kong, China, and India together. I've spent more hours on a plane with Keri than my own husband!

Small world that it is, Keri and her husband are originally from Sullivan. They were moving back home, and her father...who is our mailman...told her about someone on his route that was a photographer (I get a LOT of photography mail). Keri looked me up, and low and behold, we discovered that we now live 20 minutes from each other.

A few weeks ago, I got to catch up with Keri and her family in Sullivan for their new family pictures! Keri, it's so good to see you again...and to see your beautiful family...and I hope we can start seeing more of each other!

Below are a few of my favorites. Click here to see a few more!

One of the main reasons for the shoot was to take Lane's 5yo pictures! The last time I saw Keri she was pregnant with Lane! Geesh...time flies. Anyway, I love this picture...it sums up the whole session...Lane running and playing games while I snapped away on occasion.

Lane and lil' sister Devin (sic?)....Why did this image make my favorites? Because...I laughed out loud when I saw it. I think it's foretelling of how they'll be as teenagers! The looks on their faces still crack me up as I sit here typing!

Sweet lil' girl on her own. She was studying the flowers all on her own...unprompted.

This is my all-time favorite image of Lane. Love this one in every way, shape, and form.

You can set it up, pose everyone, do anything possible to get everyone's attention and a great smile......

...but sometimes the best family portrait is when everyone collapses on a bench at the end of a session!

Love you guys and so glad you're close!

Kelly

Our Newest Residents

2010-08-06T07:20:00.001-05:00

These guys are currently VERY important people in our house...

Josh and Jenna: A Wedding

2010-08-04T07:07:00.011-05:00

I am blessed to get work with the most beautiful people...both inside and out...and the wedding of Josh and Jenna Layton was no exception.

Josh and Jenna have dated for years, but over the last couple of years, they've lived hundreds of miles apart, as Josh has lived on the East coast while serving our country in the military. Now, anyone that knows me well knows that I have a soft spot for anyone who chooses to dedicate a time of their life to serving our country...and so, with the beautiful wedding over the 4th of July weekend...well, let's just say I teared up a few times over the course of the day!

Usually, I pick out my favorite 80-100 images of the day to highlight in the slide show, but there were too many that I loved....so, there's 223 of them to go through...Yep! 223 "favorites!"

Josh and Jenna, thank you so much for allowing me to document your day, your story, and your love for each other. I am so happy for you both, and wish you nothing but God's blessings as you begin your life together.

Kelly

ps - the images of Josh and Jenna alone were taken at the park where Josh and Jenna were also engaged. I love personal touches like this...

Minnesota 2010 - WARNING! LONG POST!

2010-07-30T07:08:00.002-05:00

This is a LONGGGG post, but there's so much to tell!

Two weeks ago, Colby took her first flight up to Minnesota to visit Aunt Kim, Aunt Kendall, and cousin Jacob! She did great on the flight. We had books to read and flash cards to sort through, but I think she was glad to finally get to MN where she could stretch her legs.

She loved playing with Jacob, and every morning that would be her first word..."Jacob?"...it was time to hit the ground running and play with all of his toys and her favorite book, "Dinosaur Roar!"...which we just bought yesterday.

Kim and I had grand plans of doing Jacob's 3yo pix and Colby's 18 mos pix. Jacob was a much better sport than Colby.

Below are MANY of my favorite pictures from our trip! Thanks for checking in!

Hair lotion and a diaper....I'm all set to go this morning!

We went to the water park near Kim's house. It was Colby's first time. She LOVED it! Here she is trying to follow Jacob up the big-kids-slide.

Jacob going down!

Splash!...not that Colby minded. She loved it...would hop back up to go again immediately.

I can do it myself, Aunt Kim!!!

See! I'm a pro at going down the slide on my own!

Weeeeeeee!

She loved it!....so much so that she wasn't patient with waiting her turn. There was one little girl who was scared of going down the slide on her own; so, Colby helped her out by pushing her. I had to apologize profusely for my 18 mos-old bully.

Jacob surveying the situation.

I went down the adult slides....and paid for it....I had a sore neck for a week afterwards!...but it was still fun!

Aunt Kendall chillin' out.

Jacob was everywhere!

One of the days in MN we went to the neighboring town of Gully for the 100th anniversary of their town celebration and parade. There's 100 people in Gully, and the parade was still going on 90 minutes later! These people are proud!!! We left to get something to eat at the Oof-Da-Taco stand!

What's a Oof-Da-Taco? Think of an elephant ear that isn't sweet with all the taco meat and fillings on top!

What does Oof-Da mean? It's a Norwegian term that roughly translates to "Oh C&^p"....or "D^%m"...you get it.

I actually found and bought my sister Kim a mug that says "what part of Oof-Da do you not understand?!!!"

Aunt Kendall riding between two tired kiddos on the way home from the water park.

Tired Kiddo #1.

Tired Kiddo #2.

I can't seem to escape the Gnomes.

This is the old tractor behind Kim's treeline that we attemped to do pix with. This is the only picture that has my child somewhat smiling in it...and, of course, there's a grass coming up in front of her face. Geesh.

The rest of the pix are of her trying to run away. here's Jacob trying to corral (sic) her.

I WON'T stand by that tractor...I WON'T do it!!!

Look at me...on the big kid swing all by myself. She did pretty good too...she only fell off once towards the end of probably 15 minutes or so.

After going down the slide on her own at the water park, she wasn't about to accept help on the swingset slide.

Not sure what Jacob got into here!

Climbing up the stairs again to the slide!

And, we tried AGAIN to get pictures with the tractor....with the same results!

Rotten to the core!!!!

Playing a song for Kim and I. I think we ended that performance pretty shortly.

Baby Caden

2010-07-29T09:26:00.001-05:00

This little guy...and I do mean little, at just a bit over 5 pounds when they images were taken...was a perfect little gentleman. He slept peacefully through the entire shoot...peeking his eyes open just once or twice so that we could capture them quickly before nestling in for a bit more sleep.

And, I had the pleasure of seeing him baptized this weekend.

Caden, welcome to the world, and to the family of God.

Blessings, Mitch and Melissa. You have a beautiful family!

CLick here to see a few more of my faves!

Kelly

The quilt we used in the pictures was a wedding gift to his parents.

Caden's mom requested this picture...with their wedding rings on his tiny feet.

I love the colors and textures of the pillows in the background.

Blessings again...and congratulations!!!

Introducing TORI!

2010-07-23T20:22:00.004-05:00

This is a very special post because little Tori is a member of my own family! A few weeks ago, my cousin Devin and his wife Christy gave birth to a darling little girl, Tori!

I drove up two weeks ago to take the little girl's newborn pictures, and I think from the many funny faces she made at me that she wasn't happy with me being an hour later than I'd hoped and right when she wanted to eat too!

Devin and Christy, congratulations! She's beautiful! Enjoy these few short months of newborn baby-ness...it doesn't take long for them fly by!

Below are the ones that made me smile...click here to see a few more.

Kelly

"Hehehe...I'm going to play a joke on cousin Kelly since she was late."

"This is going to be so darn funny! I crack myself up!"

"haha! Take that, Kelly! I'm going to do this in a LOT of my pictures!"

Btw, the beautiful quilt behind Tori is a quilt made for her by her grandmother, Christy's mom, who owns a quilt shop. Christy wanted to make sure she got it in one picture....but I thought the fun vibrant colors would be perfect as the backdrop for little Miss Tori. Have you ever seen a quilt like this???

"Hmmmm....what will I do next."

"Hold on a second...I'm thinking...."

"Well, maybe I'll sleep for a bit and give mom those 'sleeping baby' pictures I know she wants so much....because I'm a good girl that way."

Congrats, Christy and Devin!!!

The Sisterhood of Weis

2010-07-22T20:30:00.007-05:00

I first met Vanessa a few years ago. My husband's family buys their vehicles from her at the Ford dealership in Effingham. Honestly, I'm surprised she still talks to me. I test drove vehicles for over a year until finally buying one. Then I drove it for two months and traded it in again...I couldn't get used to an SVU after driving a car for so long! As Nick and I consider getting a bigger vehicle sometime in the near future, I'm sure if Vanessa had ulcers, they'd start flaring up soon! Evidently, I'm THAT horrible! :) But she's that good...that she puts up with me! She's like an expert barrister at Starbucks. She knows I take my cars white, red, or black with a tan interior, good gas mileage, and an MP3 player outlet. I like to think she has everyone's car choices memorized...however, it could just be mine since she searched for over a year for me. (so sorry, Vanessa)

Anyways, we've talked often about updating her family pictures, and so, we've been trying to get together for, like, over a year to do a portrait session. And, finally, we decided to heck with basketball schedules, working late, and all that summer brings, we were going to get together and take little Miss Drew's two-year pictures. I was a little bummed that her three older sisters couldn't make it to the session, but I was going to take what time I could get of these cuties' time. To my great delight, I got an email from their mom the day before saying the older girls' schedule had cleared up, and they were going to be along too...just for one picture or two, because you know, it was Drew's birthday pix. And, I was all like, whatever...we're going to do this up right; so, you come dressed too for a family picture as well!

Below are a few of my favorites of the beautiful Weis Women. Click here to see a few more!

Older sister Molly (#2) rocks her stylish glasses. I love them.

Older sister Madison (#1) has the best laugh. I had 20 different laughing pictures, and I had to decide which one was my favorite...you know how I love a good laughing picture!

Older sister Abby (#3) is a phenom basketball player...and has the bluest of eyes ever.

And, here's the lady of the hour: Drew...the baby and the boss!

There's nothing like a sisterhood....

Taking a break between shots.

The entire beautiful family!

Baby Caden

2010-07-20T15:43:00.006-05:00

The quilt we used in the pictures was a wedding gift to his parents.

Caden's mom requested this picture...with their wedding rings on his tiny feet.

I love the colors and textures of the pillows in the background.

Blessings again...and congratulations!!!

Madge & Jimmie: Engaged

2010-07-20T15:37:00.004-05:00

Each wedding is different...and I have a huge appreciation for each detail that the bride and groom have planned for their big day. But, occasionally, a couple comes along, and despite the beauty of the details, I'm mostly excited just for their relationship. Madge & Jimmie are that way for me! Madge was referred to me by Rhiannon...they both work at Lake Land together. I met Madge and Jimmie at a coffee shop and right off we had a chuckle about some of the funny images that are currently trendy in wedding photography! Her big question was "Are you going to make me do one of those jumping photos?" And I was all like, "Not unless you want to...it's your wedding!" I still chuckle every time I think of it.

Madge and Jimmie have ornery senses of humor and a love of laughing. But, what I love about them most is that they're excited not just for their wedding, but for their marriage.

Madge and Jimmie, I CANNOT wait! And, yes, I'm trying to plan all sorts of ornery schemes to get Madge jumping on her wedding day!...It'll be PERFECT!

My favorites from the day are below. Click here to see a few more.

Madge and Jimmie met and got engaged at Lake Land Community College...where they both work...so, it was only fitting to take advantage of the beautiful landscaping at the college for their engagement pictures.

These two are smilers...and they have excellent memories. I mentioned at their initial meeting that overcast days are great for photography. When I met up with them the Saturday morning for their shoot, they said they got up and said to each other, "Kelly will be so glad it's overcast today!"

I love this photo....it's PERFECT! Why do I keep 'saying' the word PERFECT? Because evidently I say it a LOT when taking pictures. No one's ever told me that before...until Madge and Jimmie. For the rest of the morning I kept catching myself saying it again and again! Geesh.

Madge and Jimmie, I CANNOT wait! And, I love it that you guys can't either!

Blessings!

Kelly

Shane & Rhiannon: Engaged

2010-07-09T19:28:00.002-05:00

I heard through the grapevine that our good friend/relative Rhiannon had gotten engaged! She's one of those people...you know...the kind you have a love-hate relationship with...because she's so darn cute and you always run into her when you have no make-up on with yoga pants and flip-flops! And yep, that's when I saw her after it was announced that she was engaged...in Walmart with no make-up, flip-flops, and yoga pants! And although I really wanted to duck behind the make-up aisle and pray that she didn't see me, I busted out with a huge CONGRATS on her engagement, because, not only is Rhiannon adorable, but she also has a great personality with a killer sense of humor to boot! She's my favorite person to stand next to in one of Lisa's aerobics classes...as Lisa's torturing us, we endure the pain with our cynical senses of humor!

We talked about the wedding day, their big plans, and then she asked me if I would shoot their engagement pictures...and I was all like, OF COURSE...and I'll even wear make-up that day too!

So, I met up with the ever-beautiful Rhiannon and the equally charming and handsome Shane a couple of weeks ago at the Ballard Nature Center for a quick engagement shoot in the heat and humidity. And, as you can see below, both are beautiful, fun-loving, and humorous...seriously, people, you know people are having a good time when they're laughing this much in the heat!!

Shane and Rhiannon, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your engagement. I am SOOO excited about your wedding...and I'm planning on packing an extra towel...just in case! :)

Below are a few of my favorites. Click here to see a few more.

Kelly

The adorable couple.

Although Rhiannon's eyes are beautiful, it's her smile that's killer. It lights up her face.

What I love most about these two is that they're so happy just being in each other's company. And they make each other laugh.

Handsome devil Shane.

This picture made me tear up a bit. Every girl deserves a picture like this...with the man she loves looking at her with such love. Shane's look says it all: I love you and I will take care of you for the rest of my life.

Shane and Rhiannon, CONGRATULATIONS!

The Zoo

2010-07-07T20:54:00.005-05:00

What do you do on a 100+ degree Saturday? Why - take your kids to the zoo! At least that's what me and crazy Carolyn did two weeks ago! We loaded Colby and Henry into the car and made the two-hour trek to the St. Louis zoo! It was so hot that we drank how many bottles of water...and I'm not sure we ever had to use the bathroom!

Colby and Henry loved it. We mapped out the animals that we wanted to see...at 18 months old, they didn't need to see everything....just the 'majors'. Below are a few pictures courtesy of Carolyn, because photog that I am, I forgot my camera in the car!

Outside the penguin house. Colby loved the penguins. The zoo strategically places gift shops outside a lot of the major exhibits. Colby would reach out to the stuffed animals yelling "this one! this one"...which translates to "I want one"...but a penguin was the only stuffed animal she scored that day.

Yep...still waiting in line to get into the penguin house. The air conditioned exhibit was well worth the wait in that heat though!

Colby and I inside the monkey house!

She loved the monkeys.

So much that she tried to climb in. Darn the glass!

The hippos were a hit. There was one that was quite the performer always swimming past the glass for the kids to see.

Waiting for more of the hippo.

At the children's zoo, there was one of those water fountains that springs up from the ground. Colby was a bit timid at first, but she soon got the hang of running through the water. Henry on the other hand was running toward the water before his feet hit the ground!

We had a good time!...but Carolyn and I agreed on the way home that for the rest of our lives, we're only going to the zoo in April and October! We'll brave the cold and rain....to heck with that heat!!! :)

The Evans Family

2010-07-02T21:49:00.005-05:00

Remember the Carruthers family??? I had so many people commenting on their family pictures...how much fun they were having...the genuine smiles....that you can imagine how excited I was when daughter Terri called me to update her own family pictures! You see, there was a special occasion...ok, actually two of them. First, it was her wedding anniversary...and she wanted updated family portraits as part of her anniversary gift. And second, there's a new addition in her family! Her first grandchild...a beautiful boy, Harper!

Terri, thank you so much for calling me, working with my schedule, and for all of your genuine smiles! The joy of your family and your new grandson shines in your images!

Below are a few of my favorites. Click here to see a few more!

Terri, once again, thank you so much! It's been such a pleasure getting to know your family!!!

Blessings to you all!

Kelly

Matt and Sarah: Engaged

2010-06-28T15:54:00.003-05:00

I met Sarah a month or so ago to talk about her wedding to Matt! They both live in Chicago, but she grew up in Anna, IL, and that's where the wedding is taking place. She happened to be in central Illinois; so, we met up for an ice tea to talk about the wedding and growing up in a small town...things we both love!

A couple of weeks later, I got to meet Matt when we met at Allerton Park for their engagement shoot. Sarah is a bit reserved...Matt a bit gregarious! They are each other's match in life!

Matt and Sarah, I'm so excited for your wedding! Matt, I'm hoping and praying nightly that you incorporate some of your family traditions into the ceremony...please, please, please!!!

Below are a few of my favorites...click here to see a few more.

As much as I love the landscaped gardens of the park, some of my favorite areas are off the beaten path...especially when the sun is beaming in just perfectly!

Sarah kept telling Matt to be serious about the shoot. But, Sarah, the not-so-serious images are the BEST ones!

Sarah - with her killer eyes....

...and killer smile.

Sarah's dad told Matt that he'd pay him $200 for every ornery smile in a picture. So....

.... I have a whole collection of these!!!

Luckily, I have a few of these as well. Handsome guy that he is!

I knew I was funny! I knew it!

Sarah and Matt, thank you...and I can't wait...and please, please, please do the bowing ceremony at your wedding (said in a desperately pleading voice!!!)!

Kickapoo Creek Winery Wedding: Tom & Jene'

2010-06-24T20:51:00.005-05:00

Where do I even begin! I know! I know! I haven't posted in a month...I've gotten several emails this week berating me for it. But can you blame me? No, you can't...once you see the beautiful wedding I've been working on, you can't blame me one bit, because you'll get lost in the images just like I did each night sitting at my computer!!

When my sister Kim was growing up, she was friends with Clint McGraw...almost of the Tim McGraw fame in our hometown for his music abilities. I knew Clint, but I had never met his sister. Last fall I got an email from his sister Jene'....she was getting married and could we meet sometime to look through wedding albums, etc. We met at Panera and had so much fun talking about our hometown...we even made a trip to a custom invitation store, Fabulous Affairs in Bloomington, owned by another one of our hometown crowd.

I'll admit: I always get slightly nervous about meeting a group at an engagement session...what if we don't mesh and get along like the bride and I did? But, then I met Tom, her fiance'...who is handsome, sweet, ornery, and likes a good glass of wine. I was smitten....because seriously, who can pass up a good-lookin' guy who serves up a great glass of wine? Well, Jene' definitely couldn't! And over Memorial Day weekend, Tom and Jene' joined hands at the Kickapoo Creek Winery and vowed that for the rest of their lives they would be together...good glass of wine and all.

Tom and Jene', thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your wedding. It was beautiful...the details, your families, and you as a couple. Congratulations and Blessings!

Here is a slideshow with my favorites from the day!

Zach - 1yo

2010-05-19T20:16:00.002-05:00

This little man is growing up SO fast. I can hardly believe that when he was born, he weighed less than five pounds! One year later...and after doing his newborn, 3 mos, 6 mos, and 9 mos pictures...I'm convinced that he is ALL smiles. He hasn't had a single session that's disappointed us in the smiles category! I think he gets that from his mom!

My favorites are below, and you can see a few more by clicking here.

Take care and God bless!

Colby

2010-05-14T14:03:00.005-05:00

Sorry...this isn't the most exciting post! I tried to make it an actual story...but I'll be honest...I actually bought a new lens and was playing with it!!!

Hi. Did you know there is NOTHING more fun in the world than taking out EVERYTHING from my diaper bag?...or maybe my baskets on the changing table?...or the books off of my shelves.

Geesh. There are so many goodies in here. I could do this three or four times a day.

OK...maybe there is ONE thing that's more fun than emptying my diaper bag or baskets....watching ELMO on TV!!!

Is it over? Where did Elmo go?!!!

OK...it's on again! To celebrate, I will continue sucking on my fingers....another thing that I LOVE to do.

Ikea, Mother's Day, and the ROCKET

2010-05-12T20:22:00.004-05:00

This past weekend me and three friends made the sojourn to Chicago-land to hit the great store of Ikea. All four of us had a list of essentials....and we came home with the essentials and a BIT more. :)

In the course of discussing who would drive our group to Ikea, my new friend, Sara, mentioned that we could take her mini-van, which she told me REPEATEDLY in the email was 'awesomeness.' I teasingly informed her that if you had to reiterate constantly that something was 'awesomeness' that maybe it wasn't. She told me that I was SO wrong, and that it really WAS 'awesomeness.' OK, Sara!

To make her feel better, I told her about my old days at Deere and how when you were told you had to go on some trip the first thing you did was race to the fleet car sign-up sheet. Our fleet was made up of six brand new Grand Prix and one poor, lonely mini-van. Because I was one of four new hires, it was soon deemed that senior members of the staff could bump us from the Grand Prix's; so, I literally spent a whole summer of my life riding around with three other guys across the Midwest attending really exciting classes like '4WD hydraulics.' We nicknamed our beast "The ROCKET" and made the best of it.

Sara decided she liked that name and has now named her own loser-cruiser "The ROCKET" Yesterday I got the mail and found a Mother's Day card from Sara....below is the front of the card...with a note on the inside saying she "just couldn't resist when she saw this card!"

If you'd like to see a few more pix of our big IKEA trip, go to Sara's blog by clicking here.

Colby and the Circus!

2010-04-29T08:02:00.002-05:00

The circus came to Windsor! So, Carolyn and I took Colby and Henry and had a great time. Here are a few pix from our big outing!

We started the evening off with a pony ride. Colby kept saying, "Whoa"....

There were camels....

...and a balancing Elvis....

...and pretty girls up in the air....

...and Henry to entertain us!

We even ran into "Care" and "Woss"....as Colby calls them.

Overall, Colby was enthralled with the whole thing. She sat on my lap and watched all the action. Or, perhaps she was plotting her escape..."Yes, finally I have figured out how to ditch this crazy mother of mine!!!"

I took an old camera with me to the circus and discovered it had an old memory card still in in from this last fall. So, kind of like finding money in a coat you haven't worn in six months, I found a few gems of Colby from this fall and winter...including her fall visit to the field with Poppa McCormick! I can't believe how much her hair has grown since harvest!!!

Krista & Brett | Engaged

2010-04-19T20:30:00.002-05:00

One day I got an email from Krista. Her mother's friend's daughter (follow that?!) is getting married next summer, and I'm shooting their wedding. Krista and her fiance', Brett, had pretty much decided on a photographer for their own wedding, but her mother's friend had said she should check out my site...and she did...and she and Brett happened to be coming to Champaign that weekend for a game; so, we met in Tuscola. Fortuitously, I had picked my favorite Tuscola hot spot, Flessor's Candy Kitchen, for the meeting. Partly because I like the old-fashioned atmosphere...but mostly because I try and score a green river soda whenever I have an excuse. We met and talked. Brett and Krista were both raised on farms, and we chatted about red vs green equipment, remodeling old farmhouses, and good ol' country baking. A few days later, Krista emailed me and said they wanted me to capture their wedding. I think I owe the decision to Brett, who told Krista, "I think we should go with the farm girl!" Thank you, Brett!

Brett and Krista, it's been fun getting to know you, and I cannot WAIT for your wedding! You're both gorgeous, inside and out, and I especially can't wait to see what kind of goodies you have planned for the big day, Krista!! Krista is multi-talented...accountant by day, professional baker/cook at night. Click here to check out her own blog and score some great recipes!

Below are a few of my favorites from their engagement session. Click here to see a few more.

See what I mean about gorgeous! Krista is stunning and has ice blue eyes!

And, then there's the handsome devil Brett.

Correction: they BOTH have the bluest of blue eyes.

Krista and Brett are going to have the BEST wedding images. Of course, first they're so photogenic, but second, they've also scheduled a lot of time for pictures. Not only are we doing all of their pictures together before the ceremony...but they also want to have a 'day-after' session, where they bravely get back into their dress and tux again for a more relaxed, casual photo session. Their engagement images were taken at Allerton Park in Monticello, IL. It was a photographer's dream. I'm going to try and talk them into making the 2+ hour drive back there for the day-after session. Just kidding, Brett and Krista.

And, of course, at the end of the day, my absolute favorites are the images of the couple relaxed, laughing, and enjoying their time together.

Thanks for checking in! Blessings! KM

(PS - Thanks, Jan, for sending such a great couple my way!)

New Colby videos

2010-04-12T19:08:00.002-05:00

Colby vs the Kitty:

Our Southern Baptist:

Jene' and Tom: Engaged

2010-04-11T21:10:00.003-05:00

I was so excited for this shoot...but not as excited as I am for the wedding! My younger sister, Kim, went to school with Jene's brother, and somehow Jene' got hooked up with my site and sent me an email about their wedding! I met Jene', and we talked about what she had planned for her wedding, and my favorite part about our meeting was when she was talking about her dress. You see, Jene's family is from Louisiana originally, and although she had no plans to go 'southern' for her wedding, once she tried on dresses, she told me she ended up with the best 'southern bell' wedding dress you could find in Illinois! AND, their wedding is in a vineyard! Can I even tell you how excited I am to take pictures there!!! A photog's dream!!!

We met a couple of weekends ago for their engagement shoot, and for the first time I got to meet Tom (handsome devil that he is!), and he's just as fun, spunky, and spontaneous as Jene'!

So, below are a few of my favorites from their engagement shoot. Click here to see a few more!

They're so darn cute!! I love Jene's dimples, dark complexion, and dimples...not to mention that hair style...my dream!!!

And, like I said, Tom's a handsome devil himself!!!

"Nothing tradional!!!" That's what they want for their wedding; so, I obliged with some non-tradional images!

I love me some laughing pictures!!!

....and some smoldering southern sultry ones too!

Jene' and Tom, I am SO excited for your wedding! I have so many images planned in my mind of the two of you at the vineyard!!!

Thanks for checking in!!! KM

Introducing Liam

2010-04-10T21:07:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago, Nick and I were out and a friend's sister mentioned to me that when their new baby was born she wanted me to take his newborn pictures. I always am always excited to do newborn pictures...especially when it's the firstborn! There's something so exciting about that first week or two after your firstborn's birth...you're so excited, but also so exhausted; so, to be invited into someone's house for a couple of hours to wait for those little looks and moments that a new baby doesn't really give you any prior notice on is considered an honor in my book. I told Rachel, the new mom, don't worry about your house, showering...anything at all...I remember what it was like all too well! Well, I showed up that day, and Rachel was laid-back, put together, and enjoying being a new mother with no stress at all! She's a natural and made me a little embarrassed about my sweats-wearing, no make-up, hide-when-someone-pulls-into-your-drive new mother days.

Rachel, thank you so much for the honor of capturing the little looks of your new addition. He's beautiful....CONGRATULATIONS AND BLESSINGS!! Kelly

A few of my favorites are below...click here to see a few more.

Liam is an inquisitive little fellow. He was NOT going to settle down and nap for us. He wasn't going to miss a thing!

Yep! I'm still awake, Kelly! And, I REALLY like how you have me near this big window with all the bright light to look at!!

Settling in for some close time with mom.

You know when someone says something creative and you think, "Man, I wish I would have said that!" That's how I felt about Liam's nursery. It was beautiful, and I loved, loved, loved this stencil on the wall with his name! I wish I would have thought of something like that!!!

Once again, thanks for checking in! KM

The Reed Family

2010-03-29T17:37:00.004-05:00

My older sister had some wise words of wisdom for me once: when finding someone to take care of your children, make sure they raise their kids like you would raise yours. Nick and I have been very blessed in those who have taken care of Colby for us while we work. First, there was Miss Norann, who watched her when I first went back to work, but I knew she was returning to finish her nursing degree; so, it was literally the last week she was able to watch Colby and we had no idea who to turn to watch Colby. And then, one night I remembered that our friend Carolyn, who had been pregnant the same time I was pregnant with Colby, had mentioned in passing that one day she hoped to stay home with their kids and take care of a few others. I called Carolyn, and within a week, Colby had her new home-away-from-home....complete with a playmate...a little boy to rough-house with at that!

This past February, Henry turned 1! And, Carolyn asked if I would not only take his 1-year pictures but also take their family pictures as well! She is so good to Colby...I couldn't have been more honored!

Carolyn, thank you for taking such good care of our little girl....Nick and I couldn't ask for anything more!

Below are a few of my absolute favorites....click here to see a few more.

The happy Reed family.

Colby's Brother-from-Another-Mother: Henry!

Taking a walk with Mom.

Even happier now that Mom's close by.

Playtime with Carolyn is always fun. You know there's someone special taking care of your children when they reach out for that person when you drop them off in the morning!

Despite how fun Carolyn is, Henry loves his daddy quite a bit as well!!

Thanks for checking in...and also, thank you for everyone's emails, prayers and thoughts over the last few weeks. Blessings to you all!! KM

SisterSara - The Sixth Sister

2010-03-03T07:02:00.003-06:00

My good friend Eric once made a profound statement to me..."There are two kinds of people in the world: those that get 'The Far Side' and those that don't." I laughed about that for weeks, but my older sister pointed out to me once that there are more people out there that DON'T get The Far Side than do. The same could be said for my own sense of humor. I love dry, witty, almost-British-comedy senses of humor; so, when I meet someone that 'gets' my sense of humor, I get pretty excited...like Sally Field on the stage at the Academy Awards saying, "You like me....You REALLY like me!!!" level of excitement.

About a year ago, my good friend Allison started copying me on email conversations with her friend Sara. Sara has a blog, and I laugh hysterically at her witty posts over her kids playing with sitzbaths, getting stuck in jeans, and her crazy family antics (Sara, we Indian wrestle at our family dinners!!!). Sara is so real about her family in such a self-depracating way, I just KNOW she would fit in SO well with my family!!!

A couple of months ago, in another email conversation, Sara said she'd always wanted family pictures done in the snow. So, we watched the weather, and after a few unsuccessful scheduling attempts, we got it done!!! And, while I love the images (you know how I love laughing-family-pictures!), what I love the most is that after a year of emailing back and forth, I FINALLY got to meet Sara!!!

Thank you, Sara, for enduring the cold...and for making me smile during the day with your sense of humor!!

Below are a few of my favorites. Click here for a few more!

Oldest daughter Abby is BEAUTIFUL...I love her smile...and her cheeks!!

Ummm....this image makes me think there may be some fun teenage years in store for Sara!!

But could a mom and dad say 'no' to this face....angel, I say, angel!!!

Little sister Katie wanted NOTHING to do with the camera....but I SOOO wanted a picture of those eyes!!!

Sara, we got it!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE laughing family pictures. And, yes, mom, I know they're not all looking at the camera, but that's the point!!!

Husbands are not always willing participants in family pictures...usually, it's more of a hostage situation. I think Jason told her, after an hour in the freezing cold, 'never again, Sara!'......I'm hoping he meant pictures in the snow and not family pictures in general!

Jason, do you forgive Sara and I now???

Thanks for checking in! Blessings! Kelly

Colby - More new videos

2010-02-25T08:41:00.004-06:00

Colby - new video

2010-02-25T07:28:00.000-06:00

I'm uploading several new videos of Colby...but thought I would go ahead and post this one specially for Carolyn! Yesterday we had a conversation about Colby's penchant for chewing on books and basically anything made from paper products. Last night she got into the wet wipes and this is the result. Ewwww!

I wish I may I wish I might

2010-02-17T07:16:00.001-06:00

Last night I was going through images from a family portrait session in the snow and came across this image of the youngest...not entirely on board with the whole 'let's get family pictures in the snow" concept. I had to chuckle. I will call this image "Oh please, oh please, oh please let that lady be gone when I open my eyes!"

Sarah, I knew you'd want a bit of a sneak peek...the one that made me laugh out loud!!! KM

2010-02-16T07:29:00.000-06:00

For the first time, this past week Colby got sick. She woke up last Sunday morning coughing and hacking. It got worse day by day with a runny nose and congested chest. After two trips to Walgreens, a purchase of a Vick's humidifier, and countless medicines deemed 'safe' for kids, I finally took her to the doctors on Thursday, where we also found out she had an ear infection. Poor girl. She's still got a bit of the runny nose, but her mood is back to happy-to-lucky for the most part. Here are a few pics from the week.

I'm just going to lay here with my boppy pillow and watch VeggieTales while I don't feel well.

Had to include this picture so that I could show the cute PJ's Aunt Kori got Colby! It's two pieces with the button-up shirt and little collar on it. So darn cute.

Once again, with my boppy pillow, a blanket, and my Veggie Tales.

She was starting to feel a little bit better at this point. I had my camera and her both on my lap and was trying to take pictures of her, but she's discovered that the pictures play on the back of the camera now; so, she's always trying to get a hold of the camera to see the pictures.

Grasping for the camera while I'm trying to take a picure...hence the out-of-focus pic.

Me grabbing her grabby little arm right when I hit the shutter button.

Her look of frustration that I won't let her have the camera.

And the tears now begin.

During happier times: Colby found this pair of underpants in a box of hand-me-downs, and I kept putting it on her head, which she thought was pretty funny.

Thanks for checking in!

Colby's First Primary

2010-02-03T20:35:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we took Colby for her first voting experience: the Illinois primaries. This picture is of her giving a death stare to someone she didn't think was going to vote as they should. Can you just feel the political disdain? :)

2010-01-25T07:53:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday, Colby turned '1'. To celebrate the fact that her parents hadn't maimed or drastically damaged her mentally in the last year, we had a party for her. Here are a few pictures from her big day!

For her big day, she didn't ask for much. I think if she could talk, for her birthday she would have asked to be able to play with all things with buttons that she's normally not allowed to play with, like her mother's cell phone.

For the first time, I let her lick the beaters when making her birthday cake. It took her a second or two to understand the beauty of the 'licking the batter' system...but she was a pro once she got up and going.

For dessert after lunch, I even let her lick the icing off the beater.

Aunt Kori brought her the birthday crown to wear. The "Birthday Girl" shirt came from Grandma and Grandpa Rankin. She accessorized the outfit with her favorite Tylenol bottle.

Woohoo! It's my birthday!!!

Colby got these new wheels from Grandma and Grandpa McCormick. Amelia was giving her a push in her new ride.

OK...enough with pushing you! It's my turn for a ride!!

Today we eat cake!!!

At the end of the day, the person willing to read her a book is still her favorite person.

Thank you to everyone for making the trip and being with us on Colby's big day! We're very blessed to have such a loving family and we were so happy you could all be her to celebrate with us!

Love, Nick, Kelly, and Colby!

Colby: New Videos

2010-01-12T20:24:00.003-06:00

Here's a few videos of Colby over the last couple of months. Sorry a couple of them are so old, but once I sat down and started watching them, a couple made me laugh; so, I thought I would share!

The first one is of Colby way back in October. At that point, she would take one or two steps from the couch into my arms, but she would get so nervous...almost like her first experience of stage fright!

Not the most fun video...but you gotta love the hat!

Colby laughing hysterically one morning before church at Allison! At this point, she was getting more confident in her walking.

This is from tonight. She gets going as fast as she absolutely can and then looks for something to crash into. On a side note, the goat she's carrying around is from her first shopping trip to "Over the Moon"...our kids specialty store in Effingham. I took her there on January 1st and she couldn't take it all in. She turned her head from one side to the other saying, "ooooohhhhhhh.....ooooooooooh" at all other colors and toys. Of all the things in the store, my child picked a goat. If we ask her, "where's bill goat?" she'll run and find him. If we ask her, 'where's mommy...where's daddy?", she looks at us dumbly. Shows you where we rank.

Nerd-Fest 2010

2010-01-07T11:58:00.005-06:00

So, I've had a couple of lecturing conversations with relatives over the last 24 hours from family members who are demanding updated pix of Colby. I'm sorry! But, it's like I told my sister Kim, the last two weeks have been a bit of 'nerd-fest' for me! First, I had, had, had to read Sarah Palin's autobiography (excellent, btw, for my friends who are 'to the right of the right'). Then, my mom bought me two follow-up novels for Christmas to Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice...so, my nose was buried in those until I finished them. However, that made me only want to watch the movie(s); so, spent two nights watching the Keira Knightley version (so that no one's wondering - I watched it twice...it didn't take me two nights to watch it once). Then, I called blockbuster to see if they had the A&E/Colin Firth/6-hour version to rent. They didn't have it to rent....BUT, they had it on sale for $10! So, I hightailed it to Effingham Monday night to buy it and spent Tuesday night and Wednesday night watching the 6-hour version of the movie (so that no one's wondering - I watched it once spread over two nights).

I don't think I have my nerd-fest done yet (I have the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age DVR'd); however, I will take 15 minutes over my lunch hour today to throw some pix of Colby out on the blog to let everyone know that she's alive, doing well, and that I promise I only resume my nerd-fest after she's gone to bed at night!!!

To those who have requested videos of Colby walking...I'll post them soon!

Kelly

Mmmmm....spaghetti.

One of my favorite toys: the Tylenol bottle. Geesh...what does that say about my child?

Colby got two new booster seats for Christmas...she's trying out one of them here. Btw, Colby's first haircut is scheduled for next week.

Reading her very first Pottery Barn catalog...

Oh, oh...there's a little bit left from supper on the seat of my high chair...I better get it before mom gets over here with that washcloth to wipe it up. Once again, geesh, what does that say about my child?

Thanks-Christmas 2009 - Part II

2009-12-17T07:41:00.004-06:00

A couple of things about Thanks-Christmas...yes, Karen was in the kitchen non-stop like Kim said in her comment...we were just teasing her anytime she left the kitchen for a few seconds.

Second, I'll post more about the t-shirts tomorrow....but, first, I had a few more pix to share regarding the FIRST ever Thanks-Christmas talent show!

Here are a few pix from the show and my comments about it!! :)

Ella started the night off by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance for us. Good job, Ella!!

Emma played us a couple of songs. And, Anna told us jokes....although for some reason I don't have a picture of Anna. I think I was laughing too hard to remember to take pictures! I'm sorry, Anna!!

I think Amelia's talent was eating that night. :)

Then came the mother-daughters performance of the Jo Dee Messina song "I'm Alright"! It's a favorite to sing in the car!

Colby was mesmerized. I'm pretty sure if she was a bit older, she'd have been waving a lighter back and forth during their performance.

The grand finale!

The sisters team of Kori, Kim, and Kendall lip synched the Chipmunk's Christmas song....do you see Alvin, Simon, and Theodore???

Theodore couldn't keep it together.

Karen did her "Edith Ann" performance....I almost pee'd my pants...it was the one where she explains to her mom that she did NOT give the dog her peanut butter sandwich. Karen can do the nasally voice and everything just like Lily Tomlin.

There were a few other planned performances, but once the guys saw the fierce competition, they flaked out. Myself, I performed a little rap song that I wrote about my brothers-in-law. And, no, I won't post the versus on this blog....but, if you buy me a glass of wine sometime (or a couple!), I might be convinced to perform it for you!!! :)

Thanks-Christmas 2009

2009-12-15T20:53:00.006-06:00

A few weeks ago, my family gathered at my sister Karen's house for the fifth annual Rankin family Thanks-Christmas...a 2-day affair where we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas all at once. There is good food, good fun, and much rolling of the eyes at each other!

I didn't take many pictures, but a few of my favorites are below!

Check back in tomorrow to see a few images of the FIRST annual Rankin family Thanks-Christmas talent show! hahahaha....said in an evil manner. :)

Colby was in heaven. There were so many people to read to her!

...and play with her! Cousins Ella, Emma, and Anna kept her busy the whole time we were there!

Pretty cousin Amelia with Aunt Karen!

Karen was worried that the Thanks-Christmas fo 2009 would be known as the year we didn't have corn pudding for dinner (what the heck!...it's my FAVORITE!), but I think 2009 will go down as the year Karen avoided the kitchen by playing with all of her nieces and nephew!

My dad - in his usual pose.

Jacob was quite excited about this toy...I think it was a Handy Manny toolbox...in any case, it was the favorite toy among all the nieces and nephew. The tools bounce up and down to music in the toolchest.

Colby excited about her new VeggieTales CD!

But, not as excited as when she got her first baby doll from Aunt Karen.

And, then she opened up some books and we lost her for the rest of the evening. My little nerd. :)

My sister Kendall....with her boyfriend Caleb...who is also one of my husband's best friends. I never thought I'd see the day where "The Bivvie" was at one of my family dinners.

Anna trying on her new "Little House on the Prairie" hat.

Sidenote: Cydil, if you're reading, can you imagine the fun we would have had playing Little House on the Prairie in your back pasture if we'd had these hats!!!

I'm not sure what Scott was doing or saying, but I love the look on mom's face!

These are the types of pix you get when my husband gets a hold of my camera. 100's of pictures like this. I will protect this sister's identity. :)

Colby finding a more fun way to play with the gifts.

When we first got to Karen's, Colby hadn't slept but for 30 minutes all day and was a horrible wreck. She wasn't thrilled about being passed around; however, Karen sat her on her lap and said, "Colby, you need to know that you and I are going to be friends over the next two days and have lots of fun. Get used to the idea." And Colby did. We're not into coddling in my family.

Thanks for checking in!

Colby - 9 months+

2009-12-09T21:41:00.004-06:00

Well, time has flown. We're less then 6 weeks away from Colby's first birthday, and I haven't even distributed her 9-month pictures to family yet. So, I finally sat down tonight and edited them and posted them to the proofing site. Whereas, when doing someone else's child's nine-month pictures, we go somewhere like a park or to a big open field, my poor child got her 9-month pix in our front yard in 10 minutes on a Sunday afternoon while her Dad was impatient with me because he wanted to take the dogs to the pond or go hunting or something (can't remember!). I really wanted to use the beautiful rocking chair her aunts got her for her baptismal gift, and I also really wanted to get a picture of her latest smile...for some reason, for the last month she's been scrunching her face all up when she smiles. I love it!

I've included that smile below. If you'd like to see the rest of Colby's 9-month pix, please go to www.kellymccormickphotography.com, Clients secion, and use the password "Colby".

PS - Yes, I know I haven't posted much lately...I have TONS to post, but after Colby goes to bed at night, I've been trying to get everyone's family pix edited, ordered, and sent to them prior to Christmas....blogging was kind of put on the back burner...but I'll try to be better. I'm really almost done with fall orders!! :)

The Menke Family | WEDDING, FAMILY, & CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER | EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS

2009-11-18T20:54:00.008-06:00

A couple of months ago I got the most flattering email from someone that enjoyed my photography. She was wondering if she could bring her family up to our neck of the woods for an updated family picture...from St. Louis! I felt SO big-time! Maybe it was because she complimented my images...maybe it was because over the course of emailing I felt she 'got' me...in any case, I started thinking about the fact that I wanted to get to St. Louis sometime in the fall to photograph one of my best friends' kids, and so I decided to make a weekend of it and come to her instead!

We talked back and forth over email about clothes, locations, etc, and when I arrived Saturday morning I was greeted by a group of four beautiful, doe-eyed kids. We started out at the park where the lighting was great and the fall foliage was even better, and then we headed to a downtown old brick building so that the older kids could have a bit of a more modern scene for a few fo their images! No matter where we were, I had a fabulous time...and I hope I get the chance to see them again!

Angie, thank you so much for sharing your family with me! You have beautiful, well-mannered, and VERY photogenic kids! I enjoyed getting to meet your whole family and can't wait to see you again in the future!

As always, a few of my favorites are below...and you can click here for a few more!

Kelly

First, I just want to say how great the older sibs Jake and Hailey are with the twins. They herded...they chased...the cracked jokes to get them to smile. I would watch and it reminded me a lot of me and my younger sisters growing up. As soon as they get their driver's licenses, I'm going to start asking them to make the long drive up to babysit Colby! :)

It was hard to get Owen to stand still for just one second...there was SO MUCH to discover and explore at the park!

I love this picture of Abby! The unprompted little kid facial expressions are my favorites!

However, I love this one of her too....beautiful, slight smile...it's so simple and yet so sweet.

I think Angie is not going to be very happy with me over this image. Angie, you're going to have to watch Jake when he gets older! He is so darn handsome!!!!

And then there's beautiful Hailey. She has the most stunning eyes, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her funky purple glasses!!! I want her funky style!

Thanks for checking in!

Kelly

Life Just Isn't Fair....the "B" family | WEDDING, FAMILY, & CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER | EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS

2009-11-11T21:25:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, I met up with a new family in Altamont at the Ballard Nature Center for a beautiful fall photo shoot. I hadn't met them before...they had been referred to me by another client (Thank you, Andrea!!).

Everything was perfect...the weather...the colors on the trees...and the family itself. I cannot even tell you how much the camera loved this beautiful family!!! So much so that it took me a week longer then I'd hoped to get this session edited because I was honestly dealing with over 200 images that I loved.

This past weekend I was heading to Chicago for a workshop, and I honestly had the person sitting next to me on the train help me pick which ones to edit! "Which one do you like better....this one or that one?" I'd ask the young Asian student. "That one," she'd respond. "Her eyes are open slightly wider making them even bluer." "Good call," I'd reply.

So, between me and the college student, we finally pared it down. Life just isn't fair when you're beautiful AND so darn photogenic!

A few of my favorites are below...and a few more can be seen here!

J, J, A, and C, it was such a pleasure getting to meet all of you. Honestly, I can't even remember such an easy session! C & A were PROS!!! I hope you love the images HALF as much as I enjoyed meeting you!!!

Blessings! Kelly

I

C's eyes are unbelievable. They are crystal blue. The camera LOVES her eyes, and I love, love, love her beautiful red hair.

Big brother "A" got the whole posing thing. Each frame had a slightly different tilt of the head and look in the eyes. I started telling him he was ready for GQ. Sweetly, his dad explained to him what being "GQ" meant.

Ahhh...the ornery look. The look I love.

You can tell "C" and "A" really adore each other. All of these looks at each other were totally unprompted. I have a feeling, though, that in another five or ten years, it's not going to be the same story!

And, then you see the parents and you realize where the kids get their good looks!!! :)

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year | WEDDING, FAMILY, & CHILDREN'S PHOTOGRAPHER | EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS

2009-11-09T20:41:00.005-06:00

Yes, the holidays are coming up fast....especially for my family. We celebrate my immediate family's Christmas at Thanksgiving...we call it "Thanks-Christmas"...with five kids in the family, holidays started to really get hectic as one by one we got married, moved out of state, etc. So, we decided to have our Christmas at Thanksgiving, which means I've been Christmas shopping now for over a month.

That also means that things like Christmas cards have been on my mind. But, I'm lucky in that department. Each year, I call my sister Kim, explain to her what I want my Christmas card to look like, say, etc., and she designs it and prints it for me. She's been doing this for several years, and now she does wedding invitations, custom birthday invites, and more.

So, this year, as we started talking about what I wanted my Christmas card to look like this year, she told me that she had designed a bunch of them ahead of time. I told her she should upload them to my site so that people like me (i.e. too busy/lazy to go to Walmart and look through their options and also too picky/snobby to have a card like everyone elses!) could order them from her.

So, if you'd like to take a gander at some of Kim's designs, go to my site and use the password "Christmas"....or email her at kimberlyrankin@hotmail.com if you have a custom idea that you would like her to design. She'll work with you on your design, print them, and ship them to you....heck...she'll even print the addresses on the envelopes for you too! As an added bonus, she keeps track of who in what areas have ordered what card so that the two families don't end up with similar cards.

Also, I know there are a few people out there who still need to get their family portrait orders in! I'll be following up with you this week so that we can get those on the walls of your home prior to Thanksgiving! :) AND, I've been working my poor computer mouse to the bone the last two weeks editing pictures. To those that had family pictures taken in the last few weeks, your emails are coming to you in the next several days with your proofing galleries. Which also means, the blog has a lot to be posted!

And, because a post isn't as much fun without a few pictures, here are a few of my two favorite people. I'm up in Chicago at a workshop right now, but I'm excited to see these two tonight when I get home!