I was offering cake smash Mini Photo Shoots in June with delicious cakes made by Libby of Chicago Custom Cakes.  It was meant for babies turning one and I get a text from Kate of Kate Johnson Artistry saying "OMG, can I bring Honey..... my dog?"
Absolutely!  I then give Libby the count for cakes and for a cake for a dog.  "A dog?" Libby asks.
"You can do it Libby!"  and she did.  She made a delicious carrot cake with a peanut butter frosting for Honey (yes, I tried it).
Kate was in Dallas on business a year ago today and (I don't remember the story exactly) happened upon Honey.  Honey was lost, alone and scared and clung to Kate once she found her.  Kate brought Honey to her hotel, bathed and fed her and took to facebook to ask what she should do with this dog.  The response was unanimous.... KEEP THE DOG!
Kate kept Honey and they fell in love fast, their relationship is hilarious and they were meant to be together.
Kate showed us in true Kate fashion and I would not have had it any other way.  Balloons, a sparkly pink backdrop and a huge necklace for Honey to wear.
Honey loved the cake and I loved photographing Honey.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from Honey's photo shoot.
Happy 1st Anniversary of finding each other Honey & Kate!

#loriksapiophotography #toddlerphotography #familyphotography #chicagophotographer #toddlerfashion #babyfashion #toddler #familyphotographer #logansquare #humboldtpark #bucktown #family #parents #chicagofamilyphotographer #logansquarefamilyphotographer #humboldtparkfamilyphotographer #bucktownfamilyphotographer #babyphotographer #chicagobaby #chicagobabyphotographer #newborn #newbornphotographer #chicagonewbornphotographer #chicago #oneyearold #firstbirthdayphotography #firstbirthdayphotographer #chicagofirstbirthday #cakesmash #family #lincolnpark #lincolnparkphotographer #lincolnparkfamilyphotographer #chicagocustomcakes #Dog #Chicagodog #Chicagopet #rescuedog

I have wanted to be a Mom ever since I was 14 years old.  My Grandmother had 10 kids and I always wanted to be just like her.  I am the second oldest of 5 girls and I thrive on chaos.  Our house was never quiet, trying to be alone was almost impossible.

My Grandmother was a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM), my Mom was a SAHM for most of my life.  Despite the chaos, we always had a family dinner, Mom was always there for all of our sports and activities.  We may not always have seen eye to eye but each of us knew we were loved and supported in all of our interests.

I wanted to be there all of the time for my children, the good, the bad, the everything.  I pictured life with my kids as constant activities and art, cooking healthy, always singing, teaching them everything under the sun and never raising my voice.

I then had my oldest Viola at 35, after a 10 year absence from my photography I went on my own again with my photography studio.  4 weeks after signing the lease on my new studio space I found out I was expecting.  My world completely changed.  I was photographing clients for boudoir and glamour.  After finding out I was pregnant I wanted to focus on families and children as well.  I also wanted to spend as much time with my child and take at least 3 months to myself for a maternity leave.... to bond with my child.

I lasted 10 days..... 10 days into my 3 month intended maternity leave.  I needed interaction with other adults, I needed my creative outlet.  I started off slow by photographing 3 clients a day, and slowly moved up to 30 clients a week.  I brought Viola to the studio with me almost every day.  I was breastfeeding exclusively, she refused a bottle.  I either brought her with me or scheduled shoots around her feedings and when Dad was home.  I didn't want anyone else to raise my child.  I wanted to be a SAHM, but I also wanted my career.
I wanted to be there for every milestone my daughter experienced.

When Viola was a bit over a year (15 months after moving into a larger studio space) we found out I was expecting natural triplets... we were floored!  I got used to the fact that we would have 4 kids under 4 (my big family, woo hoo!) and started thinking about hiring associate photographers and figuring out how I would be able to work in addition to caring for my children.  We lost the triplets at about 10.5 weeks and then became pregnant with our rainbow baby Oona a couple of months later.

Oona arrived and I was going to finally take 3 months to adjust to having 2 girls, to enjoy the summer and bond with my babies..... I lasted 5 days this time and went back to work!  Obviously being a full time SAHM is not for me and I am OK with it!  My parenting style is "what may work for me, may not for you."  AND THAT'S OK TOO!

I yell, I scold, I am a mean Mommy at times.  Trying to juggle owning a business and being there for my kids is insane.  I feel like I'm being pulled in many directions at once.  I need to work better on scheduling when I am in work mode and when I am in Mommy mode so no area will suffer.  Who am I kidding, there will always be an area that suffers.  I'm exhausted all the time, I complain a lot, but at the end of the day I love it all and wouldn't trade it in for anything.

I was interviewed and photographed for an article on SAHM's in the Chicago Tribune. 

I really wanted to be a Stay at Home Mom more than I am, but it really isn't for me. I am beyond fortunate to have a career I love that provides me with the flexibility to work and be there for my girls.

I brought the girls to my studio before photographing headshots for a friend/client.  I figured I would get some updated shots.  Again, what I conjured up in my head didn't happen.  Viola wanted a yellow balloon, Viola ripped out her cute hairstyle then started to cry when I put her hair in a ponytail.  The girls wouldn't sit together.  More time was spent chasing Oona, placing her and attempting to run back to take her photo.  I was a hot sweaty mess per the norm.  I love photographing my girls but it's easier photographing someone else's kids!

Here are some of my favorite images from the recent shoot of my girls.

#loriksapiophotography #toddlerphotography #familyphotography #chicagophotographer #toddlerfashion #babyfashion #toddler #familyphotographer #logansquare #humboldtpark #bucktown #family #parents #chicagofamilyphotographer #logansquarefamilyphotographer #humboldtparkfamilyphotographer #bucktownfamilyphotographer #babyphotographer #chicagobaby #chicagobabyphotographer #newborn #newbornphotographer #chicagonewbornphotographer #chicago #family #lincolnpark #lincolnparkphotographer #lincolnparkfamilyphotographer

This little girl is one to watch out for…..
Her Mom and I used to work together years back and I had the pleasure of meeting little Zoe for lunch one day.  My oldest Viola is currently the age Zoe was then, and I was completely charmed by that little girl that day.

Her Dad Josh is accomplished artist and creativity flows in that household.  Zoe landed a voiceover gig and her Mom heard that she needed some headshot and contacted me.

Zoe is a natural.  She was acting for my camera with no prompts from me, her expressions weren’t forced and she moved through emotions with as much ease as telling me a story.
I enjoyed having her at my studio and will work with her any day of the week, here are some of my favorite pics from her first professional photo shoot.

#chicago #chicagophotographer #chicagofamily #chicagobaby #chicagotoddler #chicagofamilyphotographer #chicagofamilyphotography #chicagophotography #toddler #momandson #mommysboy #logansquare #lincolnpark #humboldtpark #bond #familyphotographer #familyphotography #model #babymodel #actor #westtown #chicago #chicagoactor #headshot #headshots

I love kids..... I love cake......
Kids and cake are an amazing combination.  I have teamed up with Libby of Chicago Custom Cakes so my adorable 1 year old clients may destroy and devour her delicious creations.
I wanted to share some of my favorite photos of these little cutie pie 1 year olds and their cake smash photo shoots.

#loriksapiophotography #toddlerphotography #familyphotography #chicagophotographer #toddlerfashion #babyfashion #toddler #familyphotographer #logansquare #humboldtpark #bucktown #family #parents #chicagofamilyphotographer #logansquarefamilyphotographer #humboldtparkfamilyphotographer #bucktownfamilyphotographer #babyphotographer #chicagobaby #chicagobabyphotographer #newborn #newbornphotographer #chicagonewbornphotographer #chicago #oneyearold #firstbirthdayphotography #firstbirthdayphotographer #chicagofirstbirthday #cakesmash #family #lincolnpark #lincolnparkphotographer #lincolnparkfamilyphotographer #chicagocustomcakes

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing Stephanie Izard's adorable son Ernie at almost 3 weeks old.
Mom is the Chef/Owner of Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat and is responsible for so much more deliciousness out there.  Ernie will most likely inherit his Mother's amazing palete.  (Until he hits the picky toddler stage my 3 year old Viola is at.... at least she still loves her seaweed and KBBQ.  I can't wait until her adventurous palate comes back).

My boyfriend is a part of the Goat family and when he told me Stephanie was expecting, I wanted to reach out and gift her a shoot for her little one.  I respect the hell out of any woman who has a successful career and becomes a Mom.  The juggle is insane and if I could help ease one decision (or burden as some Moms say) of taking pics of her little guy, I was happy to do so.

I sometimes social media stalk my clients to see if there are any special touches I can add to their newborn shoot.  I saw that they are major Star Wars fans, so brought my Star Wars blankie from when I was a baby to shoot Ernie in.  Stephanie also brought a blanket made by her Aunt, an uncomfortable but adorable knit baseball outfit (Dad, Mom and Ernie are Cubs fans), a cute little outfit, his giraffe WubbaNub and some other blankets.

I love newborns, I love snuggling them, I love their moods.  Even though they are brand new, they still have a personality.  Ernie got lots of food and snuggles and only got annoyed with me from time to time upon moving him from his comfortable spot.  I am always so happy when a newborn stays awake for the majority of their shoot, Ernie didn't disappoint.  He flipped me the bird, which is another score for me from a newborn shoot.  He also modeled his Pampers unlike any other baby... cover model material.

When a newborn shoot is all about the baby, I like to incorporate their parent in some way.  With Ernie, I love the baseball butt shot, it looks like Mom is holding one.  Also was able to rep the Goat with Mom cuddling her little guy close.

I had a lot of fun photographing this little man, here are some of my favorite pics from Ernie's 3 week old shoot at my studio.

#chicago #chicagophotographer #chicagofamily #chicagobaby #chicagonewborn #chicagofamilyphotographer #chicagofamilyphotography #chicagophotography #newborn #newbornphotographer #evanston #evanstonfamily #logansquare #lincolnpark #humboldtpark #bond #familyphotographer #familyphotography #model #babymodel #WestTown #FamilyFun #lilman #love #pampers #StephanieIzard #celebrity #celebritychef #chef #girlandthegoat #littlegoat #duckduckgoat #boka #bokagroup #foodie #Cubs #ChicagoCubs #chicagofood #Chicagorestaurant #Restaurant #goat #pampers #diapers #StarWars #cutiepie