Bella Butters Photo

Life lately in the Butters Household 🏠

Picture #1: a cozy sleeping Louie.
Picture #2: first tooth out for Des!
Picture #3: finding cozy places to explore this winter. I keep a running list on google maps & this nature center was a big win!
Picture #4: nothing prepared me for the love notes left in my books- I love keeping them as book marks!
Picture #5: getting some winter energy out. 15 mins after this, Louie tripped & busted his mouth bad. with kids, I like to say that there are minor & major catastrophes happening all throughout the day. A minor is usually happening every 30-60 mins (plate of food dropped everywhere, p*e all over the floor, that kind of thing) & a major happening less frequent but more sporadic (usually things like a goose egg, a busted lip from wrestling, etc.) once I learned to anticipate the frequency of these things, I was no longer surprised by them & playing the “why is this happening to me” card.
Picture #6: sweet little Helena.
Picture #7: all the hands for catching baby boy’s movements!
Picture #8: we thoroughly enjoy Arabel. & I love when she plays mommy!
Picture #9: walked out of the kids bedtime to find Blake closing a real estate deal! This whole self employment has been a major test of faith & getting to watch God bless Blake’s hard work & determination has been the best thing. I jokingly but not jokingly told him that I was saving this picture for the book he was going to write someday. 😉
Picture #10: a little post read loud celebration. This was an *incredible* read aloud. Highly recommend! The kids had been looking forward to making popple cream the whole book- we made it after finishing the book, the kids hated it, but it was a valuable lesson of “you win some, you lose some” 😂
Picture #11: some slow day winter entertainment racing cars.
Picture #12: allistair’s pure enjoyment for wings brings us a lot of joy
Picture #13: a cozy Sunday afternoon nap.
Picture #14: trip to the science museum with cousins learning about the sanctity of human life 💁‍♀️😮‍💨
Picture #15: cute brothers dressed alike for the day- Seeing their relationships build is so fun to watch!
Picture #16: on a walk with my Louie Bouie!

Hellooooo, instagram! It has been a hot minute since I’ve shared any work. 2024 was extremely sweet, business wise especially. Chicago grew, I made more visits to Dubuque, & limited my trips to Des Moines (if you didn’t know, those are the 3 areas that I serve year round!❤️) Which meant I was here in Chicago getting to actually feel the effect of word of mouth & the good Lord Himself, we spent more overnights with our Dubuque friends & got to watch our kids grow up together, & I was not living out of a suitcase from visiting DSM as frequently as I was the year previous, which meant I was able to pack in more sessions with you guys when I did come which I absolutely loved!

Whoo! I am letting the pressure roll off of perfectly & consistently sharing work. I like to share work because I’m excited about it & not because I feel like I have to in order to “make it”. This year was testament to that. Not a whole lot of work shared, but lots of galleries delivered, relationships made, & a heart that felt the freedom to be present with the people that God brought my way.

This session with Bethany & Liam was one of those sessions that I wish I could have druuugggg out the time. I had so much fun with them! They wanted some awkward JC penny styled photos in their apartment before hand & then wanted to finish off taking a walk they often take together. I love it when couples make their session their own! The next time they will be in front of my camera is on their WEDDING day 😳 I can’t wait!!