(A lot of...) Puppy Love!

It was an exciting day when we had the opportunity to photograph the young lives of 10 (yes, 10!!!!) English Teddy Bear Goldendoodle puppies at the age of 10 weeks! Colleen Fogle, owner of Hug a Bear Goldendoodles, wanted to capture this puppy stage before these 10 pups left her home to live with their new owners. We had a lot of fun (and a lot of clean-ups....10 puppies in one studio-you do the math!)chasing them, cuddling them, and playing with them. Let's just say that Colleen was lucky to leave with all 10 since I was very tempted to sneak one home with me!

Elizabeth Verdick - Children's Author extraordinaire!!!

It was a thrill for us to meet Elizabeth Verdick and her adorable Bichon Frise, Sunny, to create these stunning headshots for her. Elizabeth is a local award-winning children's book writer of many children's book such as "Teeth are Not for Biting" and "Words are Not for Hurting" - a part of the Best Behaviors series. "Naptime" , part of the Toddler Tools series is an excellent choice for those of us who have little ones struggling with those times -
"Naps are just a little break—but when it’s naptime, many toddlers have trouble settling into sleep. This calming, encouraging book helps young children quiet down so they can get the rest they need. Eyes are closed, lights are dimmed…and (yawn, s-t-r-e-t-c-h) before little ones know it, it’s time to wake up. Cozy illustrations enhance the text."

We had a blast in the studio with Elizabeth and Sunny! (I think Sunny thought the headshots were for him!) We get to meet the best people!

Be sure to check out Elizabeth's books next time you are at the bookstore or check them out online at: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Verdick/e/B001JS1HGS
As soon as Elizabeth's website is up and running, we will post it here! Enjoy!

Do you have Olympic fever?!?!?!

The 2010 Winter Olympics are well underway and we are all watching with great anticipation! How great is it that every night we can tune in to the coverage and watch world class athletes compete (in the beautiful country of Canada, I might add!)?

Of course, it wouldn't be the Olympics without a little friendly competition! We capped off the start of Olympic fever on the night of the Opening Ceremonies with our families getting together for an Olympic party...Canada versus USA style! As you can see from these snapshots, it was family vs family with everyone getting into the spirit! (the Miroslavich family arrived carrying a mini ghetto blaster blaring various renditions of the Star Spangled Banner!)

At the present time, the USA leads Canada in the medal count 12-5 but it is early yet!!
You have to admit, whomever you are cheering for, it is an exciting time!!!

Thanks & Giving 2009

Since the fall, we have had many inquiries from our clients and our blog followers about the recipient of our Thanks & Giving giveaway. You may recall that we have several heartfelt nominations and it was a very difficult decision, however, we chose the Kemper family. It has been such an honor to meet them and get to know them since then. We had the pleasure of photographing their family in late December and we would love to share with you their beautiful family images. Amanda Kemper has written something to share with you all: "Matt was diagnosed with gastric cancer in October 2009. This came as a major shock to us, as he's always been a really healthy guy! His symptoms came on very quickly, and as he's not the typical candidate for stomach cancer, it took several tests to diagnose. After the initial shock and a week spent in the hospital, Matt decided to give cancer a run for it's money! He's had 5 rounds of chemo so far, and his CT scans have shown better than expected progress on the disease! We have two wonderful kids, Ella (9) and Addison (2), and they are a constant source of joy for both Matt and I. Matt has always been a kind and devoted father to his girls, and even when he is feeling lousy, he always makes time for both of them. When we found out we had been nominated for and won this unexpected gift, we couldn't have been happier. The time spent in the studio with Melissa and Robin was a truly special time for our family! Words cannot express our appreciation for this opportunity! We look forward to many years of enjoying our new family portraits in our home. We are blessed beyond measure!" If you would like to follow Matt and Amanda's journey, you may do some on their Caring Bridge website: www.caringbridge.org keyword: mattkemper

Straight from his Television debut....meet Baby Grayson!!

You may already be familiar with Baby Grayson from his TV debut on Twin Cities Live last week!! Grayson and his parents rocked the newborn session...it was hard for us to believe that they are first time parents! So calm and relaxed with a 6 day old baby! We really loved their session and the images are very sweet! Congratulations to a wonderful new little family!!! We are looking forward to watching Grayson grow!

February 4th - National Popcorn Day

Did you know that today is National Popcorn Day?!? What a great excuse to pop yourself some popcorn and enjoy while watching the snow fall this afternoon? (any excuse to have popcorn is good enough for us!) Enjoy!!!