When I moved into my home studio, one of the inns I was most excited about was the fact that we had a beautiful backyard which backed up to an equally beautiful golf course.  While most of my milestone sessions take place in my studio occasionally, if weather allows, we can sneak outside for a few images and take advantage of the greenery and natural light.  This was a perfect idea for Miss Eloise’s one year session.  Mom mentioned that she would like a picture of Eloise with each of her parents to capture her big milestone of turning one.   I remember the day this sweet little girl was born and being there at the hospital that day was so much fun.

After we moved inside to capture a few images it was time for her smash cake!  Her mom had coordinated the most adorable pink and gold set-up but….unfortunately Eloise wanted nothing to do with her cake (it happens more than you think.)   Getting sticky icing on her fingers was the last thing this cutie wanted.  Fortunately, mom jumped in and was able to warm her up to the idea of cake- as long as mom would feed her to her, lol!     Can’t wait for this cutie to become a big sister this coming April!

One year olds just crack me up sometimes.   It is that age where they are getting out of the infancy stage and starting to explore the world around them and often times give me the cutest expressions!   For the smash cake portion of his session little Otto was so much fun to watch as he devoured his yummy monster cake.   One of my favorite things to do after a smash cake is what I call the splash portion.   Since little ones tend to get quite messy during their smash cakes, I have found that putting them in a small bath afterwards not only helps the parents to clean them off before going home, but also reaps some adorable extra images for their gallery.   How cute is Otto’s sweet smile as he enjoys his warm bubble bath?!

I just love when my former newborn clients return for milestone sessions and when Ava’s mom told me she was looking for an image for her first birthday invitation I was super excited to get the chance to work with her again!   No longer that tiny little newborn, Ava was an adorable little *almost* one year ago who wanted to put anything she could in her mouth, including the long pearls we had her wearing (gotta love that teething age!)   With her gorgeous blue eyes and fine blond hair, Ava was such a sweetheart for her session!