Henry, Olive and Kate {Round Lake, Camas, WA}

This darling family is one of my favorites, and I've been so privileged to capture them three times over the last year or so. Our sessions are always a blast. This time, we spent a morning stomping around the Round Lake Park area in Camas. The kids were as lively and joyful as I remembered, maybe even more so, and their parents, Michael and Jen are a hoot as well. Fabulous families like this remind me of why I have the best job in the world!

The Beyer Family {Laurelhurst Park, Portland, OR}

I met up with the Beyer family on a sunny, bright morning in early July, and their kindness and easy-going attitude made for a great shoot. They were naturals in front of the camera, but I love the shots where they are interacting as if I'm not there the very best! They are a truly beautiful bunch, and Max, their 3 year old, is just a total doll.

Thank you Beyer family, for the privilege of taking your portraits! I hope you enjoy your photos!

Ben and Lucas {Columbia Children's Arboretum, Portland, OR}

What fabulous folks the Fransons are! I have rarely laughed as much as I did with this family. Brothers Ben and Lucas are adorable with their matching haircuts and killer smiles. Older brother Ben is a typical nine year old, in that his true smile came out when topics turned to bodily functions.He can turn out a belch! He was a great help too in getting his brother to look and smile. He is a seriously great kid.

Little brother Lucas had a more difficult time, as is typical when you are 3, but his family did a great job of keeping him happy, especially his Dad, who ran and played with him almost the entire time.
Thanks for spending your afternoon with me at the Arboretum, Franson family! Enjoy your photos!

Sawyer Turns One! {Sherwood, OR}

Miss Sawyer, my favorite little pumpkin, easygoing little sister, and joy of her family, turned one! The year has gone so fast!

I was incredibly excited to take her first birthday portraits. I spotted a gorgeous clover field with beautiful trees in the background, and knowing I just HAD to shoot there, I did my due diligence, called and talked to "Jim", who referred me to his cousin "Skeeter", the owner of the field. I was given the go ahead (yay!), and day of, showed up and began unloading all of our props, balloons, and of course, the precious baby.

We hadn't even gotten a picture taken, when blazing out on a tractor was a kind gentleman who apologetically informed us that Skeeter was not the owner, and that the true owner, his boss, wanted no one stepping foot in his clover. We were asked to leave immediately. Not a great start to our photos. At least we still had some perfect balloons to incorporate in our new impromptu shoot location! Oh wait, the photographer accidentally let go of them all after a single pose. Whoops! So many things went wrong.

 But, fortunately, the Merlock girls are always adorable, and that's all that really matters! Thanks, girls, for an unforgettable morning!

Olivia Grace {Sherwood, OR}

Meet beautiful little Olivia Grace, new daughter of Jake and Lisa!

Alyssa and Naia {George Rogers Park, Lake Oswego, OR}

It was such a pleasure to work with this family! Parents Fremont (coolest Dad name ever!) and Jennifer, along with their gorgeous daughters, Alyssa and Naia, met me at George Rogers Park for a morning of dog watching, duck chasing, oh, and family photos too. Big sister Alyssa is precocious, sassy and has the most amazing, infectious smile. Little sister Naia is beautiful, with some of the best baby chub I've come across. Her Daddy seems particularly taken with her, kissing her sweet little face at every opportunity.

The park provided lots of varied backgrounds, including the lake and beach area, and lots of flowers and trees. I was sad for the session to end, but this busy family was off to swim lessons and a camping trip!

Thanks Jennifer and Fremont, I hope we can do it again some time!

Laney & Benjamin {Laurelhurst Park, Portland}

Yay! I'm excited to get to write this post and introduce you to my friend Beth and her adorable children, Laney and Benjamin.

Besides being an amazing mom to her kids, Beth is also the Director of Woodlawn Swap'N Play. Additionally, she's one of my favorite moms to "talk shop" with, and always has great insight and wisdom on preschools, discipline, and sibling relations. So glad to have her as a friend!

Her children are equally adored by not only me, but also my son, who often refers to Ben as his "best friend", even though they are years apart in age.Ben is sweet and smiley, and I understand why Miles can't get enough of him! And Laney is an energetic, adorable firecracker of a girl with crazy dance moves and beautiful blonde hair that she's forever brushing out of her face. Such a fabulous family!