Waiting for Cooper :: Kristina Lehner Photography:: Grand Rapids, MI. Child, Maternity, Newborn & Family Photographer

 Two beautiful boys and another one on the way... 

Valentines Day. Not just another Halmark Holiday?::Grand Rapids Photographer

Rob and I have never really celebrated Valentines Day.  We’ve always called it a Hallmark Holiday.  No one is going to TELL us when we should do nice things for each other.  We will do it when we choose on our own time.  Who's with me?!?

The problem is though, we rarely do. 

With a 3 year old and a 5 month old, a house, jobs, and whatever else comes along with it, my husband and I barely have enough time to even look at each other… and some days we don’t.  There are nights I go to bed and think to myself “did I even give him a hug or a kiss today?  I know I kissed my children 547 times, but did I kiss him even once?”

This past summer I had a terrible health scare during my pregnancy.  It landed me in the hospital for 6 weeks with numerous operations and procedures.  I almost lost my life 5 or more times.  There were nights that I thought I should pull out a pen and paper and write  ‘good bye letters’ to my husband, son, family and friends (not that I could have because I was so sick).  Miraculously, I came out alive and am still on the road to recovery.  My daughter came out just fine… a TOTAL miracle. 

Since ‘Health scare’ 2012 I have noticed that I approach life quite differently than days of old.  I actually take time to ‘stop and smell the roses’.  I revel in doing nice things for others.  Make a meal for a family in need, give a smile to the old man in the grocery store, or hold the door open for the woman with the stroller.  Just little, simple things, and it’s amazing how good it makes me feel to give and not expect anything in return.  I didn’t used to do this, and now I make it my goal to do something nice for someone else everyday. 

So, when Valentines Day rolled around this year I wanted to express my love to, well, my loved ones.  We made & decorated heart-shaped cookies and put together little gift bags for our family and friends.  I did a mini photo session of my children and turned a few of my favorite pictures into their Valentine Cards.  

I put together Valentine bags for my children and husband and gave them to them after their special V-Day dinner (complete with heart-shaped ice cubes in their water glasses).  The next night my husband and I went out for OUR Valentines Day date.  We participated in a ‘Partners’ Yoga class (highly recommended!) and went out to a REALLY nice dinner in a trendy part of town.  We had a delicious meal and laughed and chatted while we talked, miraculously, not about the kids! 

At a time in our lives where we are sucked into the hustle and bustle, I think it’s nice to have a holiday that makes us stop and do nice things for those we care about most.  I mean, what’s so bad about a holiday that celebrates LOVE?!?

Heads up, Robbie, I’m celebrating every year from now on. 

Ps: these are the flowers my husband gave me… aren’t they WONDERFUL? 

CHRISTMAS MINI SESSIONS:: GRAND RAPIDS FAMILY, CHILD, AND NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

CHRISTMAS MINI SESSIONS

ONE DAY ONLY/5 SPOTS AVAILABLE

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11

*

$50

15 MINUTES

5 PHOTO FILES (UPGRADES AVAILABLE)

PERSONAL PRINTING & SHARING RIGHTS

TIMES:

10:00

10:15

10:30

10:45: Mulder

11:00: Howe

Location to be announced

Email me @ kristinalehnerphotography@gmail.com to sign up

Jodi's Girls~Sneak Peek:: Grand Rapids Family, Children, and Newborn Photographer

 Four gorgeous girls on a beautiful Fall evening... Enjoy.

I.  Died.  THOSE EYES!!!!  

FALL MINI SESSIONS::GRAND RAPIDS NEWBORN, CHILD, & FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

FALL MINI SESSIONS

$50

*15 Minute session

*5 Photo files

(FULL RESOLUTION IMAGES SENT TO YOUR EMAIL)

*Personal printing & sharing rights to your images

*Upgrades available upon viewing your proofs

AVAILABLE DATES/TIMES

Friday, Oct. 12

4:00- *M

4:15- Johnston

4:30: Roberts

5:15

5:30

5:45: Willick

6:00: O'Brien

6:15: Osebold

Saturday, Oct. 13

9:00 ~ Booked.  *M.- moved to Friday.

9:15 ~ Booked.  Ware.

9:30 ~ Booked.  Johnston. 

9:45 ~ Booked.  Osebold.- moved to Friday.

10:00 ~ Booked.  McKay.  

Sunday, Oct. 14 - CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN FORECAST!

9:00 

9:15

9:30 ~ Booked.  Willick.- Moved to Friday.

9:45 ~ Booked.  O Brien.  - Moved to Friday.

10:00 ~ Booked.  Roberts. - Moved to Friday.

How do I sign up???

email kristinalehnerphotography@gmail.com 

with the following information:

*Your top 3 time slots

*The names and ages of all to be photographed

*A cell phone number you can be reached at/receive a text on in case I need to contact you quickly

I am planning on having a few 'stations/scenes' set up and bringing a few fun props along.  I will email all 'Fall Mini Session-ers' with final details (location, more prop suggestions) 4 days prior to the session date.

Alternate rain/bad weather date will be the following weekend.  October 20 & 21.  Same times.  

Looking forward to playing in the leaves with all of you!  

Kristina Lehner

Important Update

Dear Family, Friends and Clients:

You may have noticed that I haven’t been pretty “silent” lately, and as my friends and clients, I wanted to let you know what has been going on over the past few weeks.   On June 4^th I was admitted to Spectrum due to severe dehydration and weight loss, unable to consume solids or drink liquids without getting extremely sick.  After a few days with no improvement, they inserted a port in my chest for a feeding tube, which I continue to receive nourishment through. Due to complications during that procedure, I suffered from a collapsed lung, which was addressed with 2 additional procedures.   Although, it seems my lung has healed, I continue to experience discomfort and continue to feel very ill.  I started a new medication to treat and ease the symptoms associated with my digestive complications, but it will take up to 2 weeks before the medicine fully takes effect.  Until the medicine kicks in and I am able to eat on my own, I will remain in the hospital.  Each day I hope to feel better than the day before and eagerly await the medicine to do its job.  Through all of this our unborn daughter has remained healthy and from what the doctor’s say, she has no idea that any of this is going on, which we are very thankful for.

To my Friends and Family, THANK YOU so much for all of your help, care, and concern.  You have no idea how much all of that helps during this time, and please know that it is not going unnoticed.  I apologize that I cannot respond to every text, email, or phone call, but each and every one is very much appreciated.

To my clients anxiously awaiting their photos, I appreciate your patience as I am not able to work at this time.  It is my intention to begin work as soon as I am discharged and able. I promise that I will make it worth the wait, and I truly appreciate your understanding.

To my clients scheduled for June, unfortunately I will need to reschedule with you for middle to end of July.  Feel free to message or email me, otherwise I will contact you when I am discharged from the hospital.  If you choose to use another photographer, please know that I will not take it personally, and hope to work with you in the future.

Again, I thank you all for your prayers, well wishes, flowers, cards, meals for my family and all of the help we have received through this difficult time. 

*At this time due to the nature of my illness and extent of my medical team I am keeping my visitors to immediate family only.

Mother's Day blog post::Grand Rapids Children, Newborn, & Family Photographer

"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." 
 Tenneva Jordan

I'm a week late but I wanted to post this.  Better late than never, I guess. :)

Thank you to all of the Mother's and their beautiful children who participated in the Mommy & Me Mini Sessions this year.  I enjoyed the time we spent together during our sessions and found myself tearing up during many of the hours I spent working on each of your galleries.  There is no greater love than that of a Mother for her children.  Truth.

Each women in these photographs holds a very different story on how she came to be a mother.  Each story uniquely beautiful in it's own way.  For some, the journey to motherhood is effortless. And for others, like myself, it is a struggle every step of the way.  No matter how we get there the end result is a love that knows no limits. 

For the past 2 1/2 years I have said that the greatest gift I have ever been given is my son.  For years I was convinced that I was never going to be called Mommy. Years of sadness, anger, and sometimes jealousy left me questioning and resenting my body because it would not do what a women's body was supposed to do.  And now, as I write this post with my perfect (to me) little guy snuggled next to me (asking if he can watch 'just one more cartoon before bed') I know that it all happened exactly the way it was supposed to happen.  He is worth every second of that wait. 

 This particular set of mini sessions held a very special place in my heart.  When I look at these images I see more than just a mother and child.  I see her feeling her baby kick for the first time. I see a new life being placed in her arms after hours & hours of labor.  I see being up all night with a sick child and worrying endlessly about a cough that's lasting a little too long.  I see the excitement of hearing her child's first words and her heart skipping a beat when her baby gives her that first hug and kiss. 

Again, thank you ladies for allowing me to create these magical images with you and those glorious children! 

Happy Mother's Day (Hey, it's still May)! 


KLP

And finally, here are MY boys.  They fill my heart with love and my life with joy. They have made my life better than I ever could have imagined. 

And if I thought my heart couldn't fill any more... we eagerly await the arrival of our little girl just a few short months from now.  God is so good. 

Making a decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
Elizabeth Stone