Chiefs vs. Eagles | Our Super Bowl Sunday 2023

Raise your hand if you’re still smiling because the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII. Me! Me! Me! Wow! Not only was it a great game but a great season as well. Sunday’s game wasn’t the first time they had us on the edge of our seats. In the end, they did what they do best - they fought hard and came back to win the monumental game. It was another great Super Bowl victory for our KC Chiefs!

If you’ve been following the blog for a bit, you already know that I love party planning and together Justan and I love to host our family and friends. Super Bowl is one of our favorite events of the year. Football, food, family, and friends - it doesn’t get better than that! Mix in our favorite team and it took this year’s Super Bowl celebration to another level. We had the best time with everyone watching the game, enjoying the delicious food, laughing, high-fiving, and cheering on the Chiefs play after play. It was an evening that we will always remember!

This is the second Super Bowl win for the Chiefs in the last four years, and it won’t be the last. Until next time and until next season I say with great excitement and anticipation, “How ‘bout those Chiefs!”

“The Williams - #23” Super Bowl LVII Signature Cocktail

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Until next year … Let’s Go Chiefs!

Summer Fun at Jordan Valley Park in Springfield, Missouri - Sophia and Jayce

Are there enough adjectives to describe how adorable Sophia and Jayce are? No, no there are not. I've had the wonderful privilege of working with these two for years. They always do such a wonderful job at every session. It doesn't matter how hot and humid it is outside, these kids always knock it out of the park. I have so much fun photographing them as they run around and play during their session. I couldn't help but laugh right along with them that evening. Their smiles and giggles are definitely contagious.

Nothing says "Sunset Summer Session" like playing in the fountains at Jordan Valley Park. I absolutely adore those images. To me, that is what being a kid is all about. A hot summer evening, running around playing with your brother and sister, laughing and having fun while splashing around in the water together. Oh, how I love sweet summertime in Springfield, Missouri!

As we are closing in on the last few weeks of summer, this blog post is the perfect way to close out this year’s Summer Blog Posts. I'm already looking forward to next year’s Summer Sessions and working with Sophia and Jayce again. They both hold a very special place in my heart. Until then, here are a few of my favorite images of these two precious kiddos. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Spring Maternity Session in Springfield, Missouri - The LaRue Family

It was the perfect day at Nathanael Green Park for The LaRue Family. Baby Liam will be here in just a few short weeks and I’m so honored that Emily and Dylan asked me to document this special time preparing for their new baby, but also savoring the time left as a family of three.

We originally had to re-schedule the maternity session due to bad weather. I’m sure that can sometimes be discouraging news when you’ve set aside time for the whole family to come and take pictures. I will say though, that it was totally worth the wait because the weather was absolutely fabulous on this day in Springfield.

This is the first time for The LaRue Family to have family pictures taken, so it was such an exciting time not only to get to know them, but to be able to give them family pictures that will surely bring joy for years to come.

Everything about this park makes me happy. From the lilac bush behind the family, to the fountain, to the grassy areas, it was all just perfect for little Wesson to run around and play during the session. He was so well-behaved and sweet, even holding his mama’s hat while she got more pictures taken. He just talked to me like we were old friends and it doesn’t hurt that he has the prettiest little eyes.

Children have a way of breaking down the walls of adults and softening us around our rough edges. They are always forgiving and kind-something we could use a lot more of in this world. Emily and Dylan are doing such a good job raising Wesson and I just know that they will do the same with Baby Liam.

I cannot wait to meet the new addition to The LaRue Family and share more moments with them in the fall as a family of four.

Congrats Emily and Dylan!

The Petr Family

The phrase "good things come to those who wait" definitely applies to The Petr Family. They patiently waited as we rescheduled their session several times over the course of about three months. However, their endurance paid off because the day of their family session was absolutely lovely. The sun was shining, the temperature was warm and pleasant, and they were dressed to perfection. I remember smiling so big as I turned the corner and started to walk closer to them because I love love loved their outfits. Deborah said that she was going to go glam with their outfits, and she did a wonderful job because they all looked fabulous!

I really enjoyed putting their blog post together today. I had so much fun with them and you instantly know why. They had the best smiles and laughs, and you can feel the joy and happiness immediately when viewing their images. Being able to work with them was definitely worth the wait and I'm already looking forward to our next session together. Until then, here are some of my favorite images of the adorable Petr Family. Enjoy and I hope everyone has an awesome day!

KC Goes To Tampa Bay | Our Super Bowl Sunday 2021

If you have been following my blog for a while, you already know that Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year. I love getting together with family and friends, eating the best food, and cheering on my favorite team. If you don’t really care about the game, being with family, friends, and eating yummy food are reasons enough to love Super Bowl Sunday. Ha!

Our annual party looked a lot different this year than it has in the years past. However, can’t we say that about pretty everything right now? :-) Even though we weren’t hosting a party; that didn’t stop Justan and I from planning all of our favorite appetizers, main dishes, and desserts to enjoy during the big game. Did we go a little overboard? Probably! However, game day foods are even better when you get to enjoy them for a few days after too. Ha! Since we were cheering on the Kansas City Chiefs, that meant that all of the desserts had to reflect the colors of our favorite team. We had so much fun putting together everything for that evening.

It’s been a few days since Super Bowl LV, and I have to admit that I’m still sad that our Kansas City Chiefs didn’t win. However, they had a great season overall and I’m already counting down the days until the start of next season. We will be cheering them on all next season too and hopefully right into another Super Bowl win! Until then, I’m excited to share a few of my favorite images from our Super Bowl night. Enjoy and Go Chiefs!

Wally & Winston wanted to say “Thank You” for following along and we’ll see you next year! Go Chiefs!

The Wyrsch Family

I can't say it enough, I love love love working with The Wyrsch Family! They are the sweetest family and so much fun to photograph. Maurus and Azlynn always have us laughing the entire time we are together. They have the sweetest personalities that shine through in each and every image.

Kari and Justin always enjoy the fall season in Missouri; and I couldn’t have handpicked better weather for that day. It was a beautiful afternoon and the trees at the park were in full bloom and were truly stunning. The girls had the best time playing in the leaves and those images are absolutely darling. You can feel their joy and hear their laughter in each photograph. I love it!

Without further ado, I give you some of my favorite images from The Wyrsch's Fall Family Session. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Donna & Herb

For those of you who don’t know, Donna and Herb are my adorable Mom and Dad. I cherish each and every session that I get to do with them, especially this session. We all know that 2020 was a crazy year and keeping up with different traditions wasn’t always an option. Every fall I photograph my parents, but this year we didn’t know if it would be possible or not. Like all children, my brothers, sister, and I are extremely cautious and concerned with the health and safety of our Mom and Dad. We took all of the necessary precautions to make sure we were all safe and physically distancing, while still being able to have a fun a memorable session together.

Each fall my parent’s dog, J-Lo, would accompany them in their session. Sadly, they had to say their final goodbye to her in October. They are both such animal lovers that within just a few weeks they adopted not only one but two adorable terriers. Jade and Nita were still a little shy around new people at this time, so I had to move slowly around them. They did great for their first fall session and I can’t wait to photograph the four of them again soon!

These images are so special and I can’t express enough how much I love Mom and Dad’s giggles and grins in each image. They have some very contagious smiles indeed. I’m excited to share some of my favorite images with everyone today. Enjoy and Happy Friday my friends!

The Stuart Family

What a beautiful family and truly a joy to be with. There have been some changes since the last time The Stuart Family was on the Steph Layne Photography blog. Zoey and Kylie were so little and I don’t think Kylie had started school yet. The biggest change is the arrival of their baby sister, Aurora. What a cutie pie! All these girls are absolutely precious and oh so pretty! Catherine and Joseph must be so proud of their three amazing daughters.

I had the best time with them the afternoon of their family session. The weather was perfect and the smiles were non-stop. Not only can you see the laughter in these images, but you can also feel it too. It truly warms my heart to be able to photograph my clients and know that I am capturing such sweet moments between them.

Everyone did such an amazing job that day! I’m so excited to share a few of my favorite images from their fall family session. I know that you will love them as much as I do. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.