We took a bit of a gamble selecting the date for his First Birthday photo shoot, hoping that there would be at least a few sunflowers out in Austin by the time his session rolled around. Boy, did we win that bet, as this year we have been treated to a beautiful display of sunflowers.  Whenever I do these kind of milestone photo sessions, I intentionally don’t go back to look at the newborn photos until it’s time for me to blog the First Birthday images because I like to be surprised and wowed by how alike and how different babies can be from their first photo shoot when they were just a few days old to a whole year later. Mr. F was an absolutely ADORABLE newborn baby, there is no denying that. Looking back, yes I can see some of his features in his newborn photos, but my oh my, is it possible that he has gotten even MORE adorable over the course of a year???? His eyes are positively stunning (I remember we had to work very hard to get to see his eyes when we did his newborn photo shoot, lol) and that pout? Well, I can’t imagine anyone ever being able to tell him no for any reason. And he’s such a *good* kiddo, too. That’s the most fun part…getting to see a personality emerge over time. What a joy to see such a happy, healthy, handsome baby turning into a happy, healthy, handsome little boy!

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You guys! Remember HIM??? Well, he’s almost ONE now and we marked this wonderful milestone early one morning under a glorious sunrise. He was so easy-going and full of smiles and cute expressions as he played around the Airstream (trying to get the tires, lol) and then when we plopped him down into the unruly, but photographically awesome garden. ‘Lil farmer ;0). Hope you have an awesome birthday, little man, and your parents have done a fantastic job during their first year of parenthood! Favity fav!

But these boys do ;-). I cannot say enough wonderful things about my time with this family. For starters, they are AUTHENTIC and FUN and the boys loved to smother their mommy with bear hugs and kisses. Add to that the fact that mom let them wear casual clothing for their family photo session that still reflected a little personality and perhaps a bit of team rivalry in their household. And dad just got right in and played with them, even when we stumbled upon an abandoned game of tug-o-war. And then there were the capes…oh the capes!!! It was like those boys completely transformed when they put them on and my heart melted. These are the photo sessions that memories are made from.

These two gorgeous and kind and intelligent young ladies are recent (well…one is soon-to-be recent) high school grads and while they live in two different states, they have actually been incredibly close friends since they were super little. In fact, I think their birthdays are just a few weeks apart? It was really something special to get to photograph them AND their mommies together (who have been best friends all this time as well) as we all explored downtown Austin and strolled along South Congress. One mother/daughter pair had flown in super late the night before and thanks to storms in the forecast, we had to do our session at sunrise the very next morning. Wow, they sure were troopers up for this adventure with only a few hours of sleep the night before! Way impressed!!! Favity fav HERE!

She took my breath away when I saw her again for the first time in a few years. She’s not a baby anymore. She’s a bright, spirited, energetic, sweet, giggly, adorable, caring, HEALTHY little girl! She has probably been through more since birth than many grown ups experience in a lifetime, but she has overcome every challenge thrown her way. And she has the beautiful scars to prove it. She is a sweet heart in more ways than I can count and it is a JOY to know her.

It’s yet another one of those bittersweet moments when I realize I’ve been working with these children since before two of them were even born. Their family photo session this spring was a pretty big milestone as they were marking the time before their firstborn leaves for college and I honestly get choked up just thinking about that…not only for his mom and dad, but for myself as I know I’m going to be facing that in just a few short years. I don’t know why I did this to myself, but I went back and looked through images from some of their earlier sessions and gah! It was heart wrenching to see how quickly the time has passed and how much these kids have grown–in particular the eldest three (as they were the ones I met first all those years back). I think mom and dad should be incredibly proud of the super people that have raised/are raising and their baby birds leaving the nest, one by one, are going to be super grown ups. [Random fav image HERE…she reminds me of Lana Del Rey for some reason].

Side note: if you are going to be visiting Austin and need a place to stay, might I suggest their awesome red barn???

This little guy was SUCH an angel for his newborn photo shoot! He was asleep and cozy when we needed him to be and then alert and curious for the later half of the session. It was really a perfect blend for newborn photos. I also loved that when I first arrived, there were mimosas (for two) and a bottle of milk (for one) to celebrate Dad’s birthday…my how life changes after having a baby, huh? And then…we got to go out and take photos around/in their adorable Casita! I can see so many wonderful memories being made for him as they travel together. The connection and love flowed with authenticity and ease among this sweet family. It really reminded me of why I like doing what I do so much: getting to see those interactions on such an intimate level, watching people actually become parents, seeing the looks of wonder over their baby and one another…enough to make my heart burst with joy! Favity fav HERE.

We were barely able to squeeze in this maternity photo session in the GORGEOUS Texas bluebonnets before their precious baby made his way into this world. And, we happened to hit this field right at peak season with perfect temps and a perfect sunset to go along with it. Another FAV HERE. I hope that every year when the wildflowers come out, they’ll remember this time of anticipation and excitement over the miracle that was about to grace their lives ;-).

Speaking of whom, would you like to meet him?

Yes…he is *really* cute and I very much look forward to getting my hands on him again soon to properly appreciate his squishiness ;-).

The great thing about this family is that there is virtually no “posing” required on my part. They just do. They are themselves. They play and have fun and make one another laugh out loud and invite me along to document those interactions. I’ve been working with them since (quite literally) the very day the youngest brother was born and spending time with them feels a lot like spending time with my own family and I am very grateful to be in that position after all these years. Very grateful, indeed.

{Psssst…the bottom one on the right up there? Her son took that! Loved the way he caught his mommy looking at his daddy. Well done, little man!}

I figured I had better get these maternity photos posted because I’m thinking this sweet baby girl will be arriving any day now ;-). You guys, I am not even kidding when I say it was the windiest day on which I’ve ever done a photo session. And it wasn’t a gentle, warm breeze that would lightly tousle the hair. Oh, no, this was a “constantly blowing, wind gusts that could knock you off your feet and why is it also so cold?” kind of wind. Thanks to that, this may have also been one of the fastest photo sessions I’ve ever done because dealing with that wind and trying to keep her sweet boy warm and happy was exhausting.

But on top of all that, everyone still managed to look happy and Rebecca still managed to be positively GLOWING! I seriously don’t know how she has done all that she has done in the past couple of years…opening up TWO Pure Barre Studios (Cedar Park and Round Rock), keeping up with a very busy little boy, being a wife and mommy, AND growing a baby at the same time. Hats off to you, my friend! You are the very definition of Super Mom and you are already setting quite the example for both of your kiddos. [One of my favs HERE].