Friends & Neighbors

Thought I'd catch some fun in the leaves! These are my girls with their 2 BFF neighbors. The are more like sisters, though, with the amount of arguing they do! They always kiss and make up quickly, no hurt feelings linger for any time at all.

Mmmm.....

I needed to mess around with some indoor lighting and backdrops, so of course I grabbed one of my most available models! Usually she doesn't sit still for photo shoots but this time she sat still long after I turned off the camera :) - why do you think she did that!?!? Let's just say she was BUZZING around the house after this whoppin hot chocolate!

I'm addicted...

...to these girls. Just look at them, look at their eyes! Look at the way their whole entire face lights up when they smile. These girls just captured my heart for the whole time we were together and thereafter as I worked on the images and watched them smile back at me. They were so happy together! You can tell they were best buds and weren't just faking it for the camera, they are loves!

Urban Family Session

This was my first family session in an urban setting and it was awesome! This was the perfect family for this setting. The girls A and D were dolled up just perfectly, the sassy duds fit right in with the surroundings and their personalities. I took little Isaiah's pics both before he was born and again soon after; although he was quite reluctant to look at the camera this time at least he saved his tears until the very end.

B and Z your kids are stunning, I can see where all of them got their amazing eyes.

My big brother's kids...

This are my sweet precious niece and nephews, my big brothers (and SIL of course!) three wonderful children. Their personalities are so apparent in these images: E is the oldest and it shows. She exudes responsibility, maturity, yet innocence at the same time. S, the oldest boy, is a worrier as you can see in his eyes. He seems to be an old soul; he knows how the world is supposed to go but being a 7 year old boy he can only do so much, and knows it deep down inside. He's waiting for his "chance" to make a difference. And he will. B is the youngest, my youngest daughter's buddy. They remind me of each other, they are here on this earth to have fun and to move those around them with their unabashed joy. You can't be around B and NOT smile, it's just not possible.

So meet (just a few of) my niece and nephews.... luv ya guys :)

Family Session

A few images from a recent family session at my very favorite location EVER! Not only is this a great spot for pictures but kids and families never get bored with exploring the area. This is the "H" family with two absolutely gorgeous kids! Both sweeties have deep brown eyes that make you just want to fall into them. E's disposition is one of the sweetest I've seen in a long time, I think she's got wings that we just can't see. M has a fantastic mischievous smile, though he didn't show a mischievous side once, at least that I noticed :). Both the kids absolutely adore their parents, they had some pretty cute stories to tell about Dad when he was courtin' mom. It's a good thing Mom was able to see beyond his fashion blunders when they were dating! What a beautiful family they all make together. Enjoy!

Waukee High School Senior

I don't know if I'm just old or what but these seniors are awesome and sweet! Do you suppose it's because I'm 20 years older than they are, and that they think of me as "Ma'am"?!?! Oh dear. Nevertheless another senior who seems to have it all, good looks, great personality, and a good head on his shoulders. I was thrilled that his mom wanted to have our session downtown, C rocked it! Thanks C & C, I had a blast!

My favorite image of the session:



Look at that smile!









C has a great serious face, too :)


Loved this part of our session, smelly gear and all :)

Chrysalis

He changed already! I was up last night until 1AM and Hocky was still in his "J" formation, but when I got up this morning just 6 hours later he was this:




See that black thing? That's it's skin! The finger is Claire's so it shows you the size of the shedded skin, and the close up of where his eyes used to be below that. Did you know caterpillars, at least this one, sheds it skin when it forms a coccoon? Watch this cool video, here, that I found this morning; I was fascinated and utterly grossed out at the same time.

I guess we have to wait about 10 days for Hocky to become a butterfly... stay tuned!

He's changing!

"Hocky" has begun The Change... check out how he's hanging in that J formation and the attachment at his tail. COOL!!

"Hocky"

Meet "Hocky"! I picked him up during a photo shoot this weekend and was so excited to bring him home to my girls! With some advice from my SIL on how to care for Monarch caterpillars we've created a loving home for Hocky, complete with some personalized rocks and a name tag, courtesy of Rachel. He's getting so big and fat, wish I would have taken pictures the night I brought him home. Come back to follow Hocky's life as a caterpillar/butterfly in the Steim home :)

lunch companion

Claire and I ate lunch on the back porch today and noticed some friends joining us, this one being the largest - AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Of course I had to keep my cool in front of my 4 year old, so instead I got my camera and started shooting. Don't be too impressed with the close up - I put the lens to it's full zoom, held my arm out at arm's length, spotted the spider through my then tiny viewfinder and pressed the shutter. Can you believe the hair on that thing?!?!