Spring Cleaning

Okay, it's actually more like a "Honey Do" list than a "Spring Cleaning" list, but we have been busy making improvements around the studio! We have created more seating in our entry area, with Chris building another alcove seat (which we both tend to call a "window seat", though it lacks a window). We now have a larger viewing area in our meeting room. The leather couch is a comfy addition to the room, too. And my favorite, we now have a mini coffee bar! The world wouldn't be the same without coffee, and now we can share the caffeine with all of our friends!

Booking Weddings for 2009

Wow! We are amazed at how many brides and grooms we have met with that are already booking weddings for 2009. We are excited to see so many organized couples! It appears that some of those prime dates will be filled earlier than usual for next year. We do still have a couple dates for 2008, so feel free to call to check availability.

NILMDTS on Today Show

There was a great story on The Today Show this morning about Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, a non-profit organization, for which we volunteer. Here is the link to check it out: Today video

Henry's Baptism

Henry was baptized today. He actually seemed to enjoy having the holy water poured on his head! Here he is, in his 3 month photograph, which shows his Christening gown. It took us a bit of work to find a simple gown for a boy, as we wanted something traditional that could be passed on in the family. We found this beautiful gown at Goo Goo Gaa Gaa in Brookfield, WI. They were so helpful!

Diaper Fluff!

We made the switch to cloth diapers, which are much better for the environment than disposable diapers. So far, things are going well! We are using a Madison business, Mother Nature's Diaper Service. So, good for the earth, good for local business. Three month old Henry and twenty-three month old Lydia show off their diaper covers!

On-line Ordering

To streamline on-line orders, all orders placed through the website will now be shipped directly to you. This will allow us to get your order to you quicker! Orders over $400 will receive free shipping! As the ordering website is separate from the studio, there is no option for special requests when ordering on-line. Special requests, albums, collections, etc. are still available however, and will need to be ordered directly through the studio, by appointment.

2008 Bridal Show

We had a great time at the 2008 Wedding Planner and Guide bridal show this weekend! This was our 7th year at the show, and it just keeps getting better. We meet with a lot of happy brides and grooms and look forward to chatting more! Thanks to everyone that stopped by to say "hello"!

Twinkle, twinkle little star...

We have updated our large display window with photographs of baby Henry, our newest little star! Here are a few of the images you will see when you stop by. Thank you, everyone, for the well-wishes. We appreciate it!

We Welcome with Love

We are happy to announce the arrival of our son, Henry William. He joined us on November 12th, weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 21.5 inches long. We have included a few photographs taken at the hospital. Henry will have his first studio session very soon and will be featured in one of our display windows. We will let you know when we update them!

Quick Update

We are just posting quick to let everyone know that our new baby has arrived and everyone is healthy and doing good. We welcomed a boy on Monday. We'll update soon with information and photos!

Limited Hours and Planning Ahead

We are expecting our new little baby any day now! Therefore, we are very limited in our availability for appointments for the next few weeks. If you need to get in touch with us, e-mail is best. We will also return voicemails, but probably not as quickly.

Also, now is a great time for you to plan ahead for portrait sessions and save! All sessions booked between now and December 7th will be at current prices for sessions, portraits, albums and wall groupings. This includes sessions that will be taking place over the next couple of months, not just through December. Sessions booked after December 7th will be at our new 2008 rates. Let us know if you have any questions and when you would like to schedule your session!

Happy Halloween!

Madalyn took forever to decide what she wanted to be for Halloween this year. So many options, only one day! Finally, she decided she wanted to be a University of Wisconsin cheerleader. And only a Badgers uniform would do! So, while it would have been cute to dress Lydia up like a cat (as in "copycat") or a monkey (as in "monkey see, monkey do"), Lydia is a Baby Badger cheerleader.

Final Countdown!

With only a few weeks left until the baby comes, we have finally decided we need to start thinking of baby names. There is a lot of pressure to find the "perfect" name, especially when you need to take into account sibling names, last names, and preconceived impressions about names.

A fun name website is http://www.babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html. Type in your name and see when its popularity was at its peak. The NameVoyager tracks names of babies born in the United States, as reported by the Social Security Administration, with data compiled from 1880 to 2005.

If you know of any other fun name websites, let us know!

Holiday Reminder

If you need portraits for the holidays, now is the time to get them done! We have a few more session times available that will still ensure that you have enough time to have finished portraits for holiday gift-giving. If you have already had your session, order your Holiday cards now! We have single-sided traditional cards, postcards, and folded greeting cards. Let us help you send personalized cards this year that your friends and family will cherish!

Goodbye Mary Beth!

Tonight, we had to say goodbye to our nanny, Mary Beth. It was very hard and there were a few tears shed. This summer, Mary Beth had discovered that Madalyn loves ABBA. She quickly learned all the lyrics and requested to hear ABBA every time they got into Mary Bath's car. She has already started listening to the CD Mary Beth gave her as a "going away" present. We wish Mary Beth the best as she goes forward, with Master's degree in hand. Also, we would like to welcome our new nanny, Maria. We are excited to get to know her.

Vow Renewal

We just returned from a great family trip. Becky's parents have been married 35 years and they renewed their wedding vows this summer, with the whole family in attendance. It was wonderful to have all of us together for such a happy event (there are 17 of us now)!

Start Planning Ahead (Christmas!)

We are scheduling portrait sessions now and into the fall, with only limited dates available at the end of the year. Please call today to get your session time reserved! (Yes, we are scheduling December sessions already!) Please be aware that we will not be able to take appointments during the month of November (see previous post, Awaiting Baby), which includes sessions, viewing appointments and orders.

If you would like photographs for the holidays (think Christmas gifts!), we need to plan your sessions now! Ideally, you should schedule family portrait sessions for August, September or early October. This would allow you time to get your photographs, frames and Christmas cards back in time for the holiday season. No orders placed in December can be guaranteed for holiday delivery.
We are also full for 2007 weddings and booking 2008 weddings!

New Wedding Albums

Since our photography style encourages variety, we decided our albums should, too! We have expanded our current album options for clients. We had been offering three different styles, in various sizes. We have broadened that to include three all new album lines. We want each and every album to showcase the personality of the people that are in it, and there is no better way than to give people the choice in how the photographs are shown! We'll show you all the options the next time you come in!

Awaiting Baby!

We are excited to share our news- we are expecting a baby in November! The ultrasound revealed a healthy baby, who is currently 1 pound, 5 ounces and very active. Madalyn is excited to be a big sister again, and thinks the 3-D ultrasound picture (the orange one) looks like a boy. (Nope, we are NOT finding out the gender this time!)

Studio Windows

Have you seen our studio windows lately? Take a drive or a walk by our studio soon and take a look!