of real family life!  Being a mother of one myself, I often find that I’m scatterbrained and running around every day chasing my boy all over the place….I can only imagine how fast paced things must be with three little ones! So in case anyone’s curious, here’s a daily dose of some real family life. Ingredients include: Cool/calm/collected mommy and daddy duo, a sweet and sassy 3 year old, an energetic and extremely fast 4 year old…and an adorably cute and cuddly 1 year old. Family sessions like this one take on a life of their own. I typically offer some direction, but always take the kids’ lead in the end. It’s so much fun letting events unfold naturally…because I get images that are real…and completely special and unique to the family and their one of a kind dynamics. Yes, I always try to get a handful of “everyone looking at the camera” images…and sitting down/staying *relatively* still shots….BUT, my favorites are of moments when the kids are being kids! Running, jumping, having fun!!! Family sessions are fast, hilarious, and involve lots of movement…and very little posing. Here are some of my faves!

The last image here pretty much sums up how the session went. Lots of jumping, laughing, kids just being kids…and guess what — with the help of a few dum dums, we ended up getting what I like to call,  ”the” shot (one with everyone looking at me)! Woohoo :)

…mama to be is hot! Lookin’ fierce in her third trimester – very saucy and pretty as can be. She’s spunky, energetic, upbeat and positive — just the type of person I love to hang out with! We got along so, so well — it was as if we’ve known each other for years :) Though it was cloudy on the morning of our photo shoot, mommy and daddy to be brought enough fire to keep warm (how cute and in love are they?!) Plus, just look at Bruno, their first baby – he is seriously the sweetest doggie ever! He’s going to be a wonderful big  brother to buttercup. I’m so excited to meet her in a little under a month (or sooner!)

After her maternity session, it became pretty clear to me that their baby was going to be a cutie pie. And boy, did I hit the nail right on the head! He looks just like mommy – with daddy’s big brown eyes…what a perfect combination. He wasn’t very into the idea of sleeping (unless being in mommy or daddy’s arms of course). Sooo, naturally, we ended up with a lot of images of him….well…being held! And there’s nothing wrong with that :) My son was the same way. I literally wore him in a sling around the clock, all day, every day — for the first 3 months of his life! Here’s the lovely family (and P.S. – don’t you love the nursery? My clients seem to have the best interior design skills ever – so inspiring lately that I’ve been redecorating my house like mad — good for Crate & Barrel + West Elm, bad for my wallet).

…..with his mama! This sweet baby boy was just smmmiitten with his mommy – especially when she sang songs for him. I’m pretty sure it was the sound of her voice and loving smile that made him coo and giggle like he did. It was seriously the cutest sight to see when he giggled and drooled with excitement! And just look at his big brown eyes – so adorable….and some majorly awesome hair! Lots lots more images I loved from this session…here are just a few:

The only ingredients needed are: One soft cushy surface that’s bouncy – and one willing participant. We had both of those – well, the latter after a little coaxing and some loud music…oh, and a funny dog with a dancing tail :)

Once our participant was willing and interested — she perfectly demonstrated the proper way to Bed Jump. So, on to Bed Jumping 101. First, listen to some music to get hyped up – don’t be afraid to clap your hands and sing. Second, brace yourself for the first push off….then JUMP! Next, get ready for the *seat plant*, brace yourself…stand back up and do it again! Oh how I wish I could do this all day long, too! How fun! My only fear is that if I tried it, I may break the bed :)

Clearly, a super sweet girl with a smile that was so so charming…but, her pout was just as cute :)

…to little miss for being a sleepy 3 week old! Often times, babies around 3 weeks are wide awake for photo sessions which means there’s a slim chance that I’d be able to get those adorabel sleepy poses. BUT, this baby girl surprised us all by falling asleep at just the right moments :) I guess it doesn’t matter whether she was asleep or not, because she is just as lovely awake (with her pretty blue eyes). A wonderful family – and lots of fun chasing big sister around — and playing lots of peek-a-boo!

Wedding bells! It was an absolutely gorgeous day at the Wayfarer’s Chapel. That morning, the clouds were low in the sky  - filtering the sun light for some amazing blue skies. It’s rare that I photograph weddings, but this one was special…so I was more than a little excited to document this special time for such a wonderful family…here are just a few that stood out to me right away as I loaded them from my cards – I particularly love the father + daughter image :) I’m so so so looking forward to sharing the rest with you!

What can happen in 11 months? ALOT! Baby boy is chubby wubby, just adorable, and totally on the move (and about to celebrate his first birthday). It’s hard to believe that when I first met him, he was small enough to fit in my hands. Although some things change, many things remain the same….like his big, beautiful, soulful brown eyes that captivated me when he was only days old. And the spark, flame, love that mommy and daddy share – that is so totally obvious in photos – yes, even after baby, they’ve still got it!

Just like his big sister, he’s got such a beautiful complexion! Soft, fair and very delicate, this baby boy is just as handsome as can be at less than 10 days old. Is he not gorgeous?! And I’m not sure what’s going on, but perfect light seems to hover around them. With every session, the light is always devine…it amazes me. Sigh, I realllly love newborn sessions – with each family, I have a renewed sense of wonderment and awe of how precious newborns are – how delicate and fragile they are…and how beautiful new life is. As always, it was a joy photographing this sweet family! I’m so, so excited about their newest addition :) One boy and one girl – so perfect! I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing them grow up together – I bet they’ll be best buds within a few months time!