I love, love, love working on SOCO (South Congress) in downtown Austin. I love, love, love when I get to do so with a VERY fun family that loves to laugh and explore and is up for pretty much anything. Makes me really appreciate the city in which I live and the awesome people that dwell here with me! (Another fav HERE).

Seriously…photo sessions at home are the BEST! No one has to go anywhere (well…except for me), you can be a bit more relaxed, you’re in familiar surroundings, and most of all, you have the opportunity to capture favorite play things and treasured spaces for your children to remember years down the road.

We’ve been working together since he was still in his mommy’s tummy. Small world, because shortly after he was born, we discovered (through Facebook, of course) that she went to school with my husband’s late brother. It really makes me happy to get to see them year after year. I feel like part of the family. {Don’t miss little man and his guitar HERE.}

Their mommy and I have been chatting about doing a session like this for quite some time. I am soooooooo excited that she finally gave us the go ahead this year. Her boys were the perfect ages to capture something like this. The memories will be so real to them when they look through this album when they get older. See what this scene looked like from the outside. Also, outtake of puppy dog HERE.

When trying to title this set of images, “Sparkle and Shine” immediately came to mind. I found that to be incredibly ironic because I distinctly remember that this sweet girl’s daddy sang that very song to her during her newborn session. That was more than 4 years ago and since that time, I’ve photographed her brother’s newborn session and many milestones in between. And these children grow more and more beautiful each and every time I see them. How in the world is that possible??? (Don’t miss this one HERE).

We pretty much let the boys guide this session and it was funny how enthusiastically they jumped into each activity. I love that about kiddos this age–they feel emotions very deeply and are very present in every moment. Honestly, I could learn a lot from that ;-). My personal fav image can be found HERE.

I left their home that evening grinning from ear to ear. How could I not? That little cutie’s energy and enthusiasm is wildly contagious. Plus, I’m a sucker for redheads anyway. But just look at how his parents were admiring him in those last couple of images. That boy is LOVED! No doubt about it! Fav family image HERE and then THIS ONE just slays me.

Just a reminder…I’ve got a few openings left for my holiday minis coming up at the end of November. It’s not too late to snag your spot, but in a few weeks, it will be :-(.

I love that this mama loves color just as much as I do (if not more?). I will maintain that this was the very last day of summer, even though this was just a few weeks ago at the end of September. While it’s not “cold” by any stretch of the imagination right now, it’s certainly not warm enough to do a kitschy, Airstream, all-American-summer-fun inspired photo session these days. I’m so glad we got to do this! It makes me think of my summers as a kiddo, where a soda pop, a pinwheel, and a blow up pool could turn an ordinary day into something magical! Another image HERE and my absolute FAV HERE and do NOT miss this one HERE!

Oh, this little man. So handsome and he knows it! There was so much for him to see while we were in downtown Austin and he sure enjoyed being the center of attention with his entourage. We grown ups must have looked like a bunch crazies, cooing and making faces and trying to get him to laugh, LOL. He does dashing well, though, don’t you think?

P.S. The last I looked, the holiday mini sessions are more than half full. Don’t miss out!

Make no mistake about it, this mama is BUSY!!!  I remember being so amazed during her maternity session several years ago that there were TWO babies in there and now I’m just as amazed by how she keeps up with these adorable little monkey bugs with perfect grace and enthusiasm nowadays! In case you missed it, you should really treat yourself to these smarties in a little behind-the-scenes video from their session. Couple of favs featured HERE and HERE. And oh yes, we thought we’d revisit THIS attempt at a specific image last year ;-). I love both equally.

And finally, side note: the 3rd Annual Holiday Mini sessions are being snagged up pretty quickly. Don’t wait too much longer to secure your spot. We will not be adding extra dates and times.

Yeah, I always get a bit misty when I see my newborns for their ONE YEAR photo session :-(. I love seeing how much they’ve stayed the same and at the same time, just how much they’ve changed. Mommy brought a special book to use for this session…it was hers growing up (you can even see her name she wrote on the cover) and he was completely enthralled with looking at the pages. Smart kid! {another fav HERE}