The Newest Members of the Kreitz Family :)

Some of you may know that we lost our longtime family member, Duffy, this summer at the age of 15. It was a very hard time for all of us.

Recently, we decided that our house was just a little too lonely without some canine feet running around. We went to the Humane Society to see if we could find a dog that would fit into our family. Well, big surprise!! We found TWO puppies in need of a home, and just couldn't leave one behind.

So I am proud to introduce Milo and Zoey, the two newest members of our family!!

Here is a quick snap of Ben with the pups on their first night home...

Last week we took the kids and puppies out to the forest preserve to get some photos of them together before sunset... the puppies weren't exactly interested in spending much time taking pics, as there was so much to explore! But I grabbed a few quick shots while I could...

And one of the two babies together :) We just love Zoey's little "beard" and her adorable spotted paws, and Milo's little flopped-over ear is too cute!!

Since I'm pretty much done with photo sessions for the year (unless anyone has a maternity or newborn they need to squeeze in), I just wanted to show off my new babies a bit :)

I think it's finally my last mini-session sneak peek...

OK, I think this is my final preview from my holiday mini-sessions this fall. I meant to get this up sooner, but my life has been such a whirlwind lately that I have fallen a bit behind. Imagine that!!

Anyway, this is K, one of my son's soccer teammates from this fall. K's mom helped coach, and his little brother was always running around at the games too! It was fun to get the boys in the studio for a quick session (the ground was too wet after what felt like the monsoon season passed). Here are individual shots of the boys...

And one of the two together... aren't they cute?! I thought that they might be wild and crazy after seeing them running around at soccer, but they were so well behaved and patient!

Sorry I'm a little slow with your sneak peek... your full gallery will be ready for viewing shortly!

Mini-session Sneak Peek

I enjoyed this mini-session... it was fun to work with a girl who seemed to be having a good time, and who I didn't have to chase or corral or try to stop from escaping!!

I just loved her outfit, and I thought this was so cute when I told her to pose and give me a little "attitude"!!

And I really loved this one... look at those big, beautiful eyes!!

I hope you had fun, and I am so happy I got to photograph you!

Another Mini Session Sneak Peek...

Here are a couple more from another one of my mini sessions... these are some friends of mine and not only are they beautiful, but they are some of the sweetest people ever!

Look at these two girls... just adorable!!!

And we had to get a photo of the happy couple... it was their anniversary, after all!!

Finally, a family photo... I just love these guys! They are just the nicest family ever... not to mention photogenic!

Thanks for letting me capture these memories for you :)

Another Mini-Session Preview...

Last year I did some family photos with C and her son E, and this year we were able to include her fiance, M, as well. I think this one turned out so nice!

And one with the three of them together...

Even though we had to move the session into the studio because of the weather, we got some great shots. Thanks for driving down again this year, and congratulations on your engagement!

Little K is Turning 1...

I was very happy to get to see Miss K and her family again... we had just done an outdoor family session the week before, so I knew just how cute she was going to be!

How can you not smile when you see that little face... not to mention her ponytail!!

Who doesn't just LOVE a baby in a basket?! I even got to try out my newest blanket, which I thought worked lovely here :)

And finally a shot with her parents... I just love how happy they all look here!

Thanks so much for making the drive to my studio from Naperville... it was so much fun to see all of you again, and capture these moments as K turns one!

OK, one more!!

I know I said I was only putting up one, but I had to add another :) Everyone who knows me knows I just can't resist a good black and white!!!

Another Mini Session Preview

I have quite a few sessions stacked up ready to be edited - it has been a BUSY couple weeks! There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day... so here is just one from last Tuesday's session. I have worked with this family a number of times over the past year, and these kids just keep getting cuter every time!!

Last year at this time it was torture to get Miss A in front of the camera, and this year she kept telling me "Heidi, don't forget to take a picture of me!! And now... take another one now!! And look at me doing this... and over here... how about now?!" Too cute :)

And what can I say... anyone who shows up wearing Packers clothes for a photo session is #1 in my book!!! Love it... Go Pack Go :)

Fall family session... lots of girls!

As I mentioned, this unpredictable fall weather has forced me to reschedule a few sessions... this was one of them. Luckily, Sunday was a beautiful day and we got some great outdoor family photos!

I thought this one turned out great, and I'm so happy we convinced dad to get in here too...

And here is one of the four girls... I like this one a lot!!!

So here are a couple from Sunday.... hope you enjoy them!! The ones with the girls fighting and making faces are coming later (haha)!!

Mini Sessions are in Full Swing...

I just looked at the last blog post and realized it's been over a month since I've been on here!! How bad is that?! I've had a busy month... homecoming photos for the neighbor girls, fall photos for a local preschool, and now the Mini-sessions have begun! Weather has not been very cooperative recently... we've had to reschedule several sessions due to rain and cold. Sunday I had a mini-session with a client who I last saw in the spring... Baby K was 3 months old then, and she is turning 1 now! In fact, I'll be posting photos from her 1-yr session before long :)

For now, here are a couple photos from the mini session... a cute one of K alone, and one of her with her big brother and sister :) I just love these!

It was nice to meet the rest of the family, and I had a great time with all of you! Enjoy your sneak peek...

An Anniversary Session!

I had the opportunity to take photos of this extended family this past weekend while they were celebrating their parents' 25th Anniversary! I know how hard it is to get the entire family together, much less all in a photo at the same time. We got some really nice shots of each family individually that day...

Isn't their Boston Terrier pup the cutest ever?!

And finally, the whole group together :)

Anyone who knows me or has followed my blog at all knows that I couldn't do an entire post without at least ONE black and white! Isn't this sweet... an anniversary kiss :)

I hope everyone enjoyed their preview, and I'll be sending you all a password for your completed gallery before too much longer!

Super Fun Engagement Session!!

I was so excited to meet this fun couple on Sunday! We had a rocky start to the day - had to postpone the session a couple hours b/c the area was shrouded in a heavy fog bank - but I'm so glad we waited!

The weather was beautiful, and so were my clients! They were so sweet, and I absolutely fell in love with their two sweet Boston Terriers, Tyson and Simon. Isn't this the cutest family photo?

Aren't these great?!

This one looks like a magazine ad to me...

And one of my faves, such a fun shot!!

It was so great to meet you, L & J (not to mention the boys)! I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Newborn! Sweet Baby A

I've been a bad blogger lately... I apologize :) I need to do better about that... but here is a sneak peek of a sweet little newborn girl. This little doll is the spitting image of her father... I was amazed when mom showed me his newborn photo, because they look so much alike!

As fate would have it, the little baby who slept nonstop for the first 11 days of her life decided that Day 12 was going to be the day she stayed awake all morning!! So while we didn't get the curled up, sleepy naked baby shots we were hoping for (Miss A was also modest and didn't seem to like being naked very much!) we did get some other sweet photos.

Isn't this family shot just beautiful?!

Hope you enjoyed your quick preview, A & S! Congrats on your new addition, she is truly precious!

I finally shot some "me" photos!

No, not photos OF me, but FOR me!! I haven't really shot anything for myself in a while, so last week a friend and I took our kids to this AWESOME Children's Garden near us. I'm so glad D introduced me to this place!! The kids had so much fun playing, and I had some fun playing too! I just took these with my (cheapo) zoom lens set to the "macro" setting, which isn't truly macro, but I had fun anyway. Can't wait till my new macro gets here and I can try a whole new bunch of ideas out!!

Pretty red flower that just pops against the sea of green...

Butterfly that loved these purple flowers. I didn't even realize I got the bee in the photo until I loaded it on the computer... I was so focused on the butterfly I wasn't paying attention to anything else!!

My very own "Toothless Wonder"... always willing to flash me that gap-toothed smile. Just love him to pieces! He still eats corn on the cob, if you can believe that!

And his friend, Sweet T... just love her too! She had the toothless grin going on in the spring :)

And all the little kids up on top of a BIG hill... love this one!

So don't forget to take time for fun... for the kids, for yourself, and everyone will be happier :)

Grand prize winner.... my daughter!

Just wanted to make a post on here sharing our excitement. My daughter was the winner of the Grand Prize drawing at our local library! She won a Wii system... how cool is that!

This is just a quick snapshot of her receiving the grand prize. Thanks so much to the library... they had great programs all summer and this is a fabulous prize!

A 1-yr old session and cake smash!!

I was lucky to get to work with this family again... I first took N's pics last fall when he was only 3 months old (see the link here: http://heidikreitzphotography.blogspot.com/2008/11/mini-session-with-two-sweet-munchkins.html ). Now, we were commemorating his 1st birthday!!

He wasn't real thrilled about smiling whenever I stuck that big black box in his face, but we managed to get some adorable shots nonetheless.

I was excited to get some pics with him and mom's gear. She is a firefighter, and I thought these photos were so cool! The helmet was awesome... it belonged to mom, and her father before her! Great family tradition!!

Then we broke out the cake!! N did not hesitate to dive in and get his hands (and face, and everything else!) dirty. I think we can safely say this was his favorite part of the session :)

Love how his hand is completely buried in the cake up to his wrist!

And finally, one that is kind of an outtake, but I think it is SO funny I had to post it! We all know this feeling, when we have stuffed ourselves and feel like we cannot possibly eat another bite. Ever. The way he's kind of sitting there in a stupor is just priceless. Love it!!!

So, thanks again to the C family for allowing me to work with you! I had alot of fun, and I hope you did too. Enjoy your previews, and I'll let you know when the entire gallery is ready for viewing!

A Special Maternity Session

I had the honor of photographing A and S, who are expecting their first baby. S is one of my husband's oldest friends, so it was exciting to get to witness this special time for them. Knowing S as we do and having seen him age (mature might be too strong a term!), fatherhood might come as somewhat of a shock... for instance, child-appropriate TV channels include Disney or Nickelodeon, not MTV. Just one example!! Luckily A will be there to set things straight :)

I was excited to try this shot incorporating the ultrasound... baby's first photo, I guess!!

We did some of mom (and belly) alone...

and then a few with both parents...

Thanks to A & S for letting me document this special time in your life! Congratulations, and enjoy your preview. Can't wait to meet Baby Girl when she arrives next month!!