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i heart faces challenge this week, I wanna dance! One of my favorite times during a wedding reception is to photograph the dancers! Here is one of my all time favorites, check out this guys face next to the bride! priceless! Click HERE to see other I wanna dance photos!
I wish that I could have chose every one of the entries posted for “Birthday’s and give away’s. It was so fun to read through all the entries on you bragging about your kids. I loved hearing how each child truly enriches your life. It was so tough that I had to throw names in a cup and draw them. Winners are ( drum roll please…)
nfabian06@hotmail.com
katienelson93@gmail.com
jenanderran@charter.net
Winners, please contact me directly and we can set up your free 30 minute photo session.
Because this was so successful, I will be offering some other free-bees in the future. (If you are interested in giving away a free-bee, please contact me!)
Have a great weekend. Be sure to give your little honey’s a giant kiss and hug.
I love babies. I just do. I literally go ga-ga over them. They are so beautiful and wonderful to hold, smell, watch, love on, and to photograph. Even when they are crying, they are adorable. I had the wonderful privilege of photographing this beautiful little baby girl as a part of the February promos. She was extremely easy going and even gave her mommy a few smiles throughout the session. I am scheduled to do another session with this wonderful family in the spring and I can not wait to see the progress this little one has made. (She was already standing with her mommy’s help at 3 months!) I love it!
And this is where we ended. I thought this was an extremely sweet moment that mother and daughter were sharing. Many hopes for more of these times to come.
[…] I have done for this adorable little girl. What fun it has been to photograph her at 3 months (Here) 6 months (Here) and now at 9 months! It is always a joy to be a part of clients lives throughout […]
Three years ago our world was rocked when Elise Ann entered the world. My husband joked as we went out to the mall that it was the perfect night to have a baby. Much to our surprise, my water broke while we were at the play land in the mall and we headed straight to the hospital. Five hours later, Elise graced her presence into the world and it has never been the same- for the better! Although our first year was tough (going from 1-2 kids was the roughest for me) we have felt so blessed to have this wonderful child in our world. She makes us all laugh and is extremely caring and heart-felt. When one of the other 2 kids is feeling sad, she’ll try to make them laugh by making funny faces or just loving on them. We love her sweet spirit, and can not wait for what God has for her as she continues to grow.
To celebrate Elise’s 3 years, I am giving away 3 free 30 minute child shoots! To enter, leave your name and a comment on why you love your child below. Winners will receive a 30 minute shoot within 40 miles of zip code 55422, and one 5×7 print.
Shoots will be taken during the month of March 2010.
Winner chosen Friday 02.12.10 at 8pm Central time.
Only comments placed on the blog will be entered. Thanks for celebrating Elise with me!
Hi Karen! I’m going to enter more to see you and your kiddos…but of course I would LOVE a photo shoot as well:) I love my two-year-old Nora for many reasons, but lately, I really appreciate her encouraging heart. Like yesterday, we were clearing our plates after dinner and she looks over at me and says, “Good job mommy!” I love this phase:)
After trying to conceive for so long with our first daughter it was definately worth the wait! We were blessed with another girl and they truly are already best friends!
Karen,
What cute pictures of Elise! Today is my dad’s birthday, too.
One thing that I love about my daughter is how she gets so giggly and happy right before bed time. She knows it’s time to sleep and she’s excited! Then she gets really cuddly as I rock her a little bit, and tells me she loves me when I put her in her crib. She’s such a little sweetheart. 🙂
My 15-month-old daughter, Brenna, is so full of joy! She loves new people and laughs at everything around her.
Today, she was listening to a kid’s music cd and started singing “do-dah, do-dah” along with the music.
She inspires me to relax and take life each day, to have fun and always remember to smile.
Life is good.
Before they were born it was hard to imagine my life with children, and now I can’t imagine my life without them. My three year old daddy’s girl Allie still refuses to go to bed until Mommy rocks her and sings to her, and one year old Sofie snuggles into my neck when I ask her for a hug. I have been blessed beyond measure with my two precious girls! Congratulations Karen on your beautiful family and business, and Happy Birthday Elise!
Hi Karen…..I recently became a mom to my 4 month old, Ellie. I love her simpleness. She laughs and smiles at the simplest things I do. Her laugh is contagious 🙂 She lets me have a silly side. My favorite is when I go to get her from a nap and she just looks at me and smiles….even if she’s not in the crib like I put her 🙂 it’s cute! P.s. I love the pic with Elise in the swing…so cute. Thanks!
I have an almost 3-year-old son, Caiden, and a 10-month-old daughter, Jaida, and I love them both for sooo many reasons–far too many to list here! Caiden is getting SO chatty and has the funniest one-liners! He’s always been active, but now he’s active with a purpose. Jaida just started walking and is the happiest baby ever. She is such a GIRL–gets shy and hides her smiling face when people approach her. They are truly gifts from God–I can’t imagine my life without them. Your kids are adorable! Happy Birthday to Elise!
I’m Audra Charlebois, but I’d like to enter on behalf of my sister so her kids could win a shoot! I love my nephew and nieces because they are sweet, sweet children who are always generous with their cousins (my kids), always willing to share, and they have the cutest little mumbly voices.
Elijah is 3 and has the cutest puppy dog eyes.
Naomi is 2 and her cheeks are so squishable.
Ruthie will be one soon, and she is ALWAYS smiling!
I’d love to bless my sister with a shoot!
love,
Audra
It is so fun to see pictures of your kids on here Karen. My son Caden is 7 months old today and I love it when he giggles when I tickle him. Happy Birthday to Elise!
I have two sweet little girls. Eliana is one month old. She’s getting to the point where she will smile and “coo” at me. Those toothless, gummy smiles will melt my heart every single time. I had quickly forgotten how precious tiny babies are. Natalie just turned 2, and I love her for more reasons than I can count. Every day she blows me away by how much knowledge her little brain is learning. Her vocabulary surpasses that of any other two-year-old, and she’s so inquisitive of EVERYTHING! She has adjusted extremely well to the new baby in the house, and her motherly traits are already surfacing. When Eliana starts crying, Natalie quickly finds her ‘nukky’ and tries to console her baby sister by asking, “What’s a matter, El-we-ana? Don’t cry. Be happy, like this [as she puts a huge smile on her face]”
Thank you, Karen, for prompting me to write why I love my kids. Even if I don’t win the drawing, I have had a peaceful few moments that brought back hundreds of special memories of my kids.
Hi Karen – I would like to enter the photo shoot to win a session to have my 3 grandchildren photographed together! I think grandchildren are so precious and it would be great to have pictures of all three of them together. Happy 3rd birthday to Elise…it is hard to believe that she has grown up so much already! Elizabeth will be 3 in March too…time flies by too fast!
My daughter Sophia Renee Linder was born just over a year ago. She is a complete angel and reminds me daily how everyone should view the world; through the eyes of pure love and excitement. Whether you wake her up early in the morning or keep her up late at night she always has the greatest attitude; she just goes with the flow. She melts my heart after a long day at work by the simple things she does; waving at her stuffed animals, throwing her toys in her crib and peering through the bars to see where they landed, burying her head in my shoulder to tell me she loves me, and the little giggle she lets out when you call, “I’m going to get you!” I never thought that there could be so much emotion that was untouched before Sophia graced us with her personally picked arrival, but there was. She is such a sweetheart and I am delighted to be her Mom.
Hi Karen! Thanks for sharing Elise’s birthday celebration with us on your web-site! I love the picture of her and Lydia in DULUTH! What a great spot! My favorite time with my children right now is bedtime. We have a ritual of saying our “best and worst” moments of the day. Most days they turn it into “best and best.” Nearly every day last week Elijah’s “best” was afternoon school, which is comprised of reading books and snuggling with Mom. It makes me so happy that he wants to be with me! Tonight Yedidyah said the whole day was a “best.” Then she remembered that she had a fit about not wanting to take her nap and that was the “worst.” I am thankful that she can already see that it’s sin, specifically her own sin and not her circumstances, that makes part of the day “bad.” It took me 30 years to learn that!
I love my son for a lot of different reasons but right now the thing I really love about him is his excitement to be a big brother! We’re expecting his little sister in May, Lord willing, and it’s all he can talk about. He dotes over every baby we see and even over pictures of babies. I just know that he’s going to be a great big brother and I can’t wait to see him in action!
What a fun idea Karen…I love so many things about my little guy Crosby. I think one of my favorites is the total innocence and joy that he carries with him all the time. At times I will look over to see him joyously dancing to the music only he can hear:) I also love his total trust and desire to be near mommy and daddy. What a blessing they are, even at those crazy times!
Hi Karen. I love being the mom of three boys. They are each so different, I can’t begin to say what I love about them. One thing is for sure, I PRAISE God for each one of them and the refinement that happens every moment I am with them. Thank you for sharing your gift and your sweet girl!
Hey Karen! Happy Birthday to your little one! How can I explain how much and why I love our little Grace? We waited for her little life and now cannot imagine life without her. She is a picture of the handiwork of our God that brings a depth of love that cannot be described. She is entirely wonderful and has expanded my view of the mercy and grace of the Lord. Winner or not, we’ll be seeing you soon!
Thanks for sharing such fun ideas! We miss seeing Elise in music class. I love so much about all 4 of my kiddos, but I am blown away that the Lord would allow me the priveledge of parenting our twins. Brought from a world away into our home and melded in with their big brothers to form the zaniest, cuddliest, most imaginitive foursome you ever would meet. Along with my awesome hubby, I never could have dreamed of such a perfect family for me.
Hi Karen!
I love my kids because they teach me, daily, how much I need Christ! God has used them to refine me in areas I never even knew needed refining. They are truly gifts from God!
Hi Karen! Happy Birthday Elise! I came on here hoping to win my friend a free wedding shoot, but I guess its just for kids so I’ll try it for Ian!
I love Ian so much because he’s such a little comedian! Sometimes I will catch him trying to balance with two feet in one sock with this huge smile on his face like he accomplished something important! Whenever we see a picture of a penguin and I ask him what’s that? he doesn’t know but he’ll start doing the happy feet dance. and Sometimes he gets on this kick where he’ll go HUH whats that? HUH! over and over and put his hands on his face like the Home Alone kid, like he’s in awe of everything he looks at! I love it, he’s funnier than anyone I know!
And of course the sweet stuff that makes me melt like when he says thank you after dinner (rare), and when he gets tired and plays with my hair. Best of all is our favorite time, when we eat jello and read stories before bed.
I love my son!
Happy Birthday, Elise! It’s hard to believe that’s the same newborn we visited three years ago.
Shane…most days I love his energy and excitement for life. It’s infectious!
Hi Karen & Happy Birthday Elise! Mackenna is 16 months old and what I most love about her is that she is such a perfect combination of her daddy and myself, yet so perfectly her own unique person at the same time. She has a goofy, joyful, silly side like her daddy; a caring, thoughtful side like me; and a spunky, curious personality of her own that brings us joy every day! Thanks for encouraging me to think about what I love most about my sweet girl!
Karen, I don’t know you…but have had the joy of seeing your handiwork on your website and in people’s homes. There are so many reasons why I love our little boy Isaiah. But, one reason is that he is a living, breathing reminder of our answered prayers. Anytime, I feel doubt in God’s ability or his goodness- I just have to look across the room and see God’s answer to our prayers in the face of this handsome 14 month old.
Hi Karen, How fun to have a contest to brighten some of the winter blues! Um, I just keep hearing the Sid the Science Kid song, “I love my mom, I love my friends, I love my …” and so on – He rocks! I love my kids because they are gifts from the Lord and I just get to be a small part of how God speaks to them.
Hi Karen! What a fun idea to celebrate your daughter’s birthday. Thanks for the invitation on the MOMS blog to participate! I love so many things about my kids, but recently I love that they smile and hug me when I cry. They are always ready with hugs and kisses. They love to read as much as I do. I also love that they are so quick to forgive me and so ready to humbly help me, when I need it, to talk kindly and not with a mean mommy voice! They are true treasures.
That truly is a loaded question because I just don’t think words could possibly describe the love that I have in my heart; for all three of them; and each for such different reasons! Preston is our oldest and came at the most unexpected time. We were newly married and had just moved from VA to NE. My college classes had just resumed and “timing,” as I soon learned, was never mine. This little boy made an entrance nine months later as we transferred once again to this icey state of MN. Just 2 mos. before he was born, we moved out of our temporary home (Roger’s Aunt and Uncles here in MN) into our own home. Shortly after his birth, we nearly lost him to a peanut allergy exposure, after a hard year already, of milk, chicken, corn and everything in between allergies. Today he is happy, healthy, and 15 and loves the Lord with all his heart. I am so thankful for all he has taught me. Austen came next and was planned to a “t.” He made his entrance with his blonde little head and warmed our hearts with his sweet litttle face. He is the one whose heart is so large, yet with a spirit that will truly wear you out. 😀 He is giving and kind and will pray for you at the drop of a hat when you’re not feeling well. He is 12 now and I love him to pieces. Kelsey is threee. She is my joy and my sunshine on the cloudiest of days. She was the little girl I always wanted, yet never had. My womb ached for her and a year after I prayed for a daughter, she was completely and unexpectantly conceived. She truly is, my answered prayer. We were not “trying,” even though my heart longed for another. What a blessing she has been to my life, and to our family. She is the missing link to the puzzle and the sail that was never raised. I love all my children and thank God for each one of them and the diversity between them. They bring much love, much stress, and everything in between, yet I wouldn’t trade it for the world. God has truly blessed us and I love being their mom.
This is good, it is thought provoking and reminds us just why we chose (God definitely chose them for us first!) to have these precious bundles that we call daughters and sons.
I love my oldest because he is brave, he is loyal and kind. He is a thinker and it suits him. He sends secret smiles my way when no one else is looking.
I love my middlest :o) because he has a charm that shines the most when he’s the silliest. He is a little care taker and loves to bring blankets when someone is resting.
I love my youngest because she is spunky and imaginative. She loves to sing and laugh and make joyful noise; it would be much too quiet in our house without her.
Most simply put; I love my children because God has given them to me and I’m so thankful for the blessing and priveledge to love.
Karen!! I love my Brittney for so many reasons. First of all, the child literally saved my life. It was because of her that I HAD to figure out a way to live better which led me to my 14 month stay at Mercy Ministires. Secondly, she tells me very seriously that she is so thankful I am her mom because she doesn’t think any other mom would teach her so many things and play so much with her. Thirdly, I love her because she absolutely loves God and asks to pray together several times a day and reminds me if we forget devotions. If I get worried about something she says, “Mom, God is in control and he will take care of us”. She is wise beyond her years. Children are a blessing all around!!!
Including siblings in your newborn session… yes or no?
My answer is always yes.
It might feel a little chaotic in the moment, but those are often the images you end up treasuring the most—the real connection, the tiny interactions, the beginning of a new family story.
I’ve loved watching the Luong family grow through all three of their children’s newborn sessions, and those sibling moments are always some of my favorites.
If you’re wondering how it all works (and how we make it easy), I wrote a full blog post about it! Check it out in my stories
#newbornphotography #minnesotaphotographer #familyphotography #siblinglove
NEW WEBSITE. SAME HEART.
After a long time behind the scenes… it’s finally here.
And I want YOU to be one of the first to experience it.
So I made it a little more fun 👇
✨ I’m giving away TWO mini sessions for 2026 ✨
How to enter:
• Visit the new website (link in bio)
• Look around
• Enter the giveaway
That’s it.
If you’ve been thinking about booking photos this is your sign!
Tag a friend who should enter with you below and add to your stories for another entry!! (Make sure to tag me!!)
No one said you had to do newborn photos inside! Taking lifestyle newborn photos outside and making them true to your style makes them even more meaningful and significant!!
Based in the Twin Cities area and available for travel worldwide.
Hi Karen! Just wanted to say that your blog is my lunchtime activity at school each day! I get 30 minutes, and as I eat, I always check to see your latest blog post! Question for you: Is it possible for you to link your “I heart faces” photo to the contest on their website to see other photographers’ entries? I find that website a bit difficult to navigate. Thanks for perking me up with your beautiful photos during lunch! 🙂