a story in the woods.

This past May I went to Germany and Austria with some of my family to shoot a wedding for my german cousin. It was such an amazing trip and my husband fell in love with the european lifestyle. We would love to go back and hopefully we do soon. In the meantime, while we were there I found these super cute dresses known as "dirndls" for the girls. I used to have one when I was little and was really wanting my girls to have one. Such a cute little buy. :) 

Well, I have also been trying to get a session done with the girls wearing them. It just never happened until a few days ago when we did it last second. The weather here has been super foggy lately and there is a unique wooded spot on the way to our house... I thought it would be perfect. So, I changed the girls, grabbed my old little basket from when I was a child and some play food for their pretend picnic. They loved every bit of it. I'm so happy my girls like taking photos. It makes my life so much easier. :) The only thing missing were some capes. That would have been awesome but I don't have any and so such is life. Still loving the photos though. :) 

Everyday should be a party.

This past weekend my kids went to a birthday party for some friends. Their little girl was turning 3 and we were there to help her celebrate. These little, cute, squishy, adorable kids of ours are growing up and most of us think.. way too fast.

Little miss L is in love with the disney princesses just like my girls. There can never be too many frills, tutus, glitter and pink... never! Of course my girls were in heaven and wanted to help her open up all the presents. Everything she received were gifts that my girls are also gaga over. It was cute. The boys on the other hand were just ready to go outside and run around. Boys will always be boys and that's not always a bad thing. They had a great time together and no one wanted to leave when the time came. I'll let the photos show you the amount of fun they had! Happy Birthday again little miss L.

Once a Fighter.. always a Fighter!

If I have learned anything about younger children who battle cancer, it's that they battle this horrible disease in such a way that makes others look at them in awe. These kids get up day in and day out to go to hospitals, to get chemo, to have surgeries, throw up, cry, lose their hair and more times than not, they have a smile on their face. It's amazing. They truly are heroic and a complete inspiration to so many people. Heck, they should be an inspiration to absolutely everyone. 

Brooklyn is no different. She reminds me of so many of our sweet friends that battled cancer that were girls. She is bubbly, giggles at lots of things, curious, quick to make new friends, not afraid, and absolutely adorable of course. She actually reminds me alot of Montana. He was always willing to talk to anyone even though kids would ask why he had no hair. Nothing fazed him and he truly thought that all kids were doing what he was doing on a day to day basis. He didn't understand that he was different and I saw a lot of that in Brooklyn. I'm so thankful that she comes across that way because she isn't any different than other girls her age. She is just so special and everyone she meets will soon realize that. 

When Montana was first diagnosed we heard of a local boy named Ethan who had just beat cancer and was all done. To know that he went through three years of treatments and we were just getting started was a scary thing yet through him we saw light on the other side. He was a few years older than Montana and it gave me complete HOPE that Montana would also conquer this beast. I hope that when Brooklyn's mom looks at Montana, she will see the same thing for her adorable little girl... nothing but HOPE!! I am so thankful that I got the chance to meet Brooklyn, photograph her sweet little face, and speak with her mom. These are the kind of moments that I cherish because deep down, I truly believe everyone comes into our life for a reason. 

Keep doing what you are doing Brooklyn! Keep being that fighter, keep being that inspiration and no matter what... you will always be a HERO! Blessings to you all!

Emma. Childhood Cancer Photographer

While Montana battled cancer for 2.5 years, we waited in many waiting rooms, hospitals, doctor offices and much time was spent talking with other parents. Some hospitals were filled with children and parents going through the same thing you were, while other hospitals had parents and children who had no idea what you were experiencing. Montana received lots of stares and I received the questions. It really didn't bother me. I knew people wanted to know. They wanted to know why this adorable little boy was wearing a mask, why he had no hair, why he was eating bags of BBQ chips at 7 in the morning and I would always politely give my answer... he had cancer. Along that road, we have come to know so many wonderful parents and children who have battled and are still battling this horrible disease. They have been our life line in a world of words and abbreviations filled with ANC, steroids, DEX, punctures, "the white meds" or "the sleepy stuff". They understood when we cried and were fed up with seeing our child fight every single day for their life. They were there to talk and share similar stories. They are our best friends. We can still keep up and still reminisce. Some of these kids have lost their battle and earned their angle wings, others are cancer free and some are continuing this long and courageous fight. Meet Emma. She is so sweet and adorable. I'm honestly not really sure when we came to know them. I remember doing an Images of HOPE session for her about a year ago and then we met up at St. Jude when Montana was going in for his one year check up. Well, while we were in Missouri two weeks ago, I met up with them again. Her hair is grown back and she is looking GREAT!! They are coming up on their NO MO CHEMO day!! It's such a grand celebration that deserves so much hype and attention! She battled and she is winning! We love you Emma. Keep it up!