walk4williams.org

i am helping my friend sarah raise funds & awareness for her son matthew. when we first moved to phoenix i trained to become a respite therapist & was assigned to matthew. i took care of him for 6 months. he is an incredible kid who happens to have williams syndrome.

"williams syndrome is a rare genetic condition that is present at birth and can affect anyone. It is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning disabilities. These occur side by side with striking verbal abilities, highly social personalities and an affinity for music."

i met matthew when he was 3 & couldn't speak or communicate all that well. loud noises highly affected him & they'd just moved to a new neighborhood with lots of construction. when he'd get really worked up we had one magic trick... josh groban. we could put his cd on & matthew would immediately calm down. a few years later i was visiting with him & when i walked in the door he said "hi, miss megan." he'd remembered me & could talk & he had the SWEETEST voice i'd ever heard. one of the highlights of my life!!!! not to be dramatic but this was just such an amazing thing. just last year sarah posted a video on facebook of matthew getting up in front of his school & singing in his talent show. i cried as i watched that video. i made byran watch it with me & i cried again. bryan had gotten to know matthew pretty well. matthew adored him. so this little guy has a special place in our hearts.



which is why donating to this cause is a no brainer for us.

if you'd like to make a donation click on this link & be sure to leave a comment here with your name if you'd like a chance to win a portrait session.

the walk is may12th, so the contest will end may 11th at midnight phx time.

the portrait session is valued at $374. includes 1 hour on location. 1 - 11x14 print & 2 - 5x7's.

kaplan's : phoenix family photographer

i met this sweet family from a very round about way... but i'm so glad our paths crossed. scott & laura brought their handsome boys, ben & william to phoenix for a vacation with the grandparents.  they spent the week catching a few spring training games, playing golf & swimming in the pool. they even allowed me to hang out for a bit! 

here are a few of my favorites:

peggy & zach jumped in for a few!

cute boys.

& i'll end with my favorite.

it was so nice meeting you all!

bill & colette : phoenix wedding photographer

this was such a sweet wedding & an awesome way to start off 2012!

friends set this couple up & after only a few dates bill asked colette if you could fall in love with someone after 4 dates & she said "yes & i love you too." talk about a tear jerker!  they both have kids from previous relationships so that was the deciding factor. their kids had to get along & i can attest, they do beautifully.   so happy for this sweet couple!

here are a few of my favorites.


this necklace has been in bill's family for over 150 years.

both bill & colette are hair dressers. this was the first time i'd seen the father doing everyone's hair :)


they got ready together :)

they walked down the aisle together. i LOVE the look they're  giving each other.

:)

their kids make this picture awesome!

colette asked for this photo & i love it!




can't get over these eyes.


& here are a few of the love birds!





favorite!!


they wanted a simple, elegant garden theme & i think they accomplished it beautifully.

a few amazing cupcakes from ollie cake make everyone happy!

there was some serious dancing going on.

the big sisters :)

a couple really beautiful toasts...

those are the ingredients for a beautiful day. congratulations you guys!

rachel & jason : phoenix engagement photographer

meet rachel & jason. these love birds are gettin hitched in january!

we know rachel from grad school. bryan & rachel became friends while studying geography together & i quickly stole her as one of my favorite chica's in this whole wide world.

rachel & jason now live in california, but wanted to do their session in phoenix because it's where they met; while working at a border's bookstore. unfortunately, it's closed otherwise we would have snuck in there for their session :)

here are a few of my favorites!

this is one of my favorites.

so sweet. it's pretty obvious he adores her.

another favorite. she's always giving him this look.

:)

there's only one way & it's down that road together.... corny, yeah? but i had to!

another fav.

two seconds after he licked her. love her face.

i had such a great time with you two & CAN NOT wait for your wedding next year. hurry up already!!!!

meet landon : phoenix family photographer

my dear friend, jenn & her husband chad, just welcomed a baby boy into this world! avery now has a baby landon to love on.   jenn used to have an in house day care & finn was one of her kiddos; man did we loved it there! but now we're enjoying play dates with them instead :)

here are some pictures we got from our 2 part session:

avery is an awesome big brother, always wanting to love on him.

 :)

thinking something quite serious!

avery & chad. avery is a mini chad for sure!

i love his smile.

i love these next two.

my favorite of landon.

my favorite of the four of them together!

& we'll end with a nice series of avery, who just turned 3!

i tried to get him to hold up three fingers & the next few were his take on that.

i don't know HOW!


sweet sweet family! thanks for hanging out with me!