Park Forest~Family Photographer~Garvey Family

I had the joy of donating a free photo session to the ASPIRE organization, that works with disabled children and their families.

The winner of the session was the Garvey family, and I had the pleasure of meeting them on a chilly fall day, to do their photo session. We headed to a beautiful country club near here, and took on the task of photographing her lovely family on a very chilly and windy day.

Here children were great troopers through the session, and I had a wonderful time working with them.

Well Barb, it was great meeting you, and as I try to finish your gallery please enjoy your sneak peak.

River Forest~Thatcher Woods~Child/ Family Photography~Bella Session (October)

My Bella Session for the Month of October was pumpkins, and I was so glad to have the Fuentes Family family sign up for a session. Lisette is a friend of mine from Parenthesis, and it was such a pleasure capturing her beautiful girls :).

We meet at Thatcher woods in River Forest, and the girls worked the camera for me, especially the youngest!

Here is a few images from their session!

This little girl surprised up both, she came over to me as if she didn't want her picture taken, but when I told her she could stand, this is what she gave me :) LOVE!!

Oak Park/ Western Suburbs~Lifestyle Family Photographer~ Greer Family

I was contacted by a co-worker of my husband, to come out to Oak Park and do a family session. I accepted of course, and during the discussion of details, it was mentioned that they wanted the family dog in the picture, a 80 lb bulldog mix. From that moment on I knew this was going to be a fun session.

The weather was perfect that morning, and I had a blast working with the Greer family and their lovely but energetic dog!!

Greer Family here is a sneak peak from your session!

This image is my favorite from the session, it absolutely stole me heart!!!

And here their dog is, in the most relaxed state we could get :)

Greer Family it was a pleasure!!!

Chicago area/ Elmhurst Birth Photography!

Tonight I was given the honor and privilege to capture the birth of my cousins 1st child. Carole and her husband Eddy welcomed their son into the world in the wee hours of the morning. They had a boy!!! It was a surprise to us all, they didn't want to find out the sex of the baby till delivery.

Grandma was also present, and so excited to welcome her newest grandson. It was truly a blessed day indeed.

Happy 3rd birthday to my superhero!!!

Today we celebrate the birth of my middle child. My first born son Richard! My lil man is growing so fast, and it is almost bitter sweet to have to wish him a Happy Birthday today, I mean in my mind he is still my baby :(.

As we hit the three year old stage, Richard truly has grown into a typical boy! He loves, loves, loves trains, of all shapes and sizes. Talk about anything related to a train, and he is yours :). He also loves to pretend he is a superhero, especially when it comes to helping mommy :).

He is the sweetest little boy you could ever come across, and he can also wear you out in about 2 minutes!! As I reminisce about the day he was born, my only child that had to be induced and he was still to stubborn to come out. I am thankful for the joy and smiles he brings to my face each morning.

So to my little superhero, who helps mommy when she is in trouble, like opening a car door, and running to get mommy's purse that was left behind. To my little conductor, who dreams and talks about trains every minute of the day. Mommy and Daddy love you dearly, and we hope you enjoy this your special day!!!

Izzy's First day returning to Pre-school!!

Today my lil 4 yr old made her way back to preschool. My husband and I had been on the fence, with her returning due to finances, but alas, she has returned. Just like last year she proudly walked into her class, and gave me a kiss bye bye. And just like last year, her brother made a scene because he couldn't go!!! My lil girl is growing soo fast :( for this post I thought I would go down memory lane here.

Here is my baby girl on her first day last year

And here she is this morning!! (She has grown soo much!! )

Friday Feature| Chicago Newborn, Wedding Photographer

As a goal to help others in my local community, I plan on having Friday Features! A blog post about a company, small business,or as in the case of today's feature a blogger! (if interested in being featured, always feel free to shoot me a note or email at jamillayipp@hotmail.com )

OK everyone, today's exciting feature is the Frugalista herself :) Otherwise known as Carrie. I met Carrie at Parenthesis, a local group we both attend with our children, and it was there she filled me in on what she is about.

I did a informal interview with her, so that she could better describe what she is about, sit back people, and get ready for an interesting read!!

(Jyipp): Hi Carrie tell us a little about yourself?

(Carrie):
I'm an Oak Park mom of three and a freelance writer. When I first became a mom, my husband Erik and I were living in San Francisco and I was working as a business reporter at The San Francisco Chronicle. I thought moving to the comparatively inexpensive Chicago area would make it easy for us to go down to one income and add another kid or two. Turns out it took more than just a location change to get our outgo in line with our new income.

I discovered "extreme couponing" and "the drugstore game," both lynchpins of the Frugalista lifestyle, as well as frugal living tactics like setting and sticking to a grocery budget and making more things from scratch.

I had already been blogging about being a mom at My Funny, Funny Family, and when I realized that my readers were getting a little tired of my brags about bringing home 15 boxes of cereal for $10, Frugalista was born.

(Jyipp): When did you start the Frugalista?

(Carrie):
Actually, I first started a blog called "Shoplifting With Permission," and I wrote for frugal lifestyle blog Wise Bread as well (still do). But last year the Chicago Tribune started a blog network, ChicagoNow.com, and they asked me to become one of their launch bloggers. So I started fresh with Frugalista for them.

I try to share baby steps toward a more cost-conscious lifestyle with my more "mainstream" friends. Not everyone will want to take couponing and cost-cutting as seriously as I do! However, I am sure that nearly every family could cut 20% from their grocery budget without hardship.

(Jyipp): Is this a lifestyle easy for other mom’s or families?

(Carrie):
On Frugalista I help people who are just getting started by letting them know exactly where to find a coupon for an item that is on sale, or how many items they need to by to get a special deal at Jewel or Dominick's.
A lot of people try out couponing thinking it's going to be a chore, but end up having fun with it, which is exactly what I do.

(Jyipp): How can people find out about the frugalista?

(Carrie):
Please come check out the blog at www.chicagonow.com/frugalista. I've been doing giveaways every week, so not only will you learn something, but you might also win something!

To me Carrie is a wonderful person to meet, and she truly believes in what she does! You can't help but want to learn more, if given a chance to speak with her. So enough of me talking about her go check her out for yourself. The Frugalista