“She loves balloons!” her dad said when we were planning N’s session. Having just turned two, it only seemed appropriate to surprise her with a bunch for her photoshoot! As you would with balloons, she ran, laughed, jumped and played with them, and I have SO many fun action shots. There weren’t many moments where she was standing still, but when she was, it was magic.

N was having so much fun, we breezed through a couple more sets. She loved playing with our vintage plane, and took a tea party quite seriously.    I got my workout in, running with her and playing peekaboo!

Such a fun session. P family, enjoy your preview!

~ Mariah

I’ve been photographing this adorable family for the past three years, starting when big sister D was just days old.  Last week it was time to celebrate little brother W’s first birthday with a colorful cake smash!  Both little ones have birthdays close together and their party this year is a little buckaroo theme.  How adorable!  We planned a fun cake smash outdoors to match and Sweet Indulgence made us the perfect little cowboy cake to match.  W enjoyed his cake like no other.  He couldn’t get enough, as you can see below, and between each bite he just kept saying “mmmmmmmmm,  mmmmmmmmm”   I’m laughing just recalling how adorable he was.  It was so hard picking favorites for this preview because I honestly wanted to share them all!  Can’t wait to show you the rest mom and dad :0)

I last met this beautiful family when they welcomed newborn Q into the world almost 2 years ago.  Remember this beauty?

I was so thrilled to capture Q as a big sister this time around!  At almost 2 years old she was so sweet with her little brother C.  We focused much of our session on capturing everyone together as a family.  Of course I had to get a couple of individuals of Q as well!  With the help of Elmo we managed to pull of some beautiful portraits of both siblings.  I couldn’t get over how much Q and C look alike as newborns.  Then C made his big photo debut with some classic newborn portraits to finish off our session.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

We had a fun time running around with V at the studio last week for her 2nd birthday session.  She was one of the busiest two-year-olds I’ve ever photographed, but when she’d glance at the camera for a split second, it was magic!  V is gorgeous with her big brown eyes, long beautiful lashes, and the delicate curls that frame her face.  Two year old cake smashes are even more fun than our first birthdays because by two, kids actually understand what fun it is to have a giant cake all to themselves.  V was still hesitant to get messy, so we stopped for a few clean ups in between bites.  She was adorable trying to put the cake back on to the stand anytime it fell off!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

Mariah, here! Heidi and I wanted to test out a few outdoor locations this morning, so we thought- why not do a maternity shoot while we’re at it? The weather was perfect, and we headed just down the road from the studio to a little spot by the bay. I love the location, and the reeds and water matched the pastel styling perfectly. We brought some Organic Bloom frames for props, that you may recognize from a certain gender reveal shoot!

Needless to say, Heidi, Shaun, and Giuliana made my job pretty easy, and I love the results.

- Mariah

What a fun week I had last week with the preschool crowd!  E was so much fun to chase around the studio.  We started with some classic portraits and then played dress up with some pettiskirts and girly props.  I think E’s favorite part of the session was all of the rounds of peek-a-boo.  I loved capturing those gorgeous blue eyes and big smile!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I had so much fun at the Little Star Session for little miss O last week.  I’ve been photographing her family since mom was expecting her over two years ago and I enjoy each time we get to see each other again!  O seemed so grown up to me at our most recent session.  She reminded me so much of my own daughter in her mannerisms and expressions.  I could have played all day!  The best part of our session was all of O’s giggles.  She’s a beauty inside and out!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I first met this little princess at her newborn session 2 years ago and I’ve adored watching her grow and capturing her big personality ever since!  At 2 years old, A is at an age full of curiosity and playfulness.  She loved trying out every toy in the studio.  Mom warned us ahead of time that A might not want to make a mess with her cake so we came up with the perfect way for A to have her cake AND keep her table manners; a cake smash tea party!  Complete with utensils and wipes, A enjoyed celebrating her 2nd birthday sans mess.  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I sometimes get a little nervous having toddler siblings on the schedule.  Will I manage get them both together for a shot?  Do I have enough tricks up my sleeve?  With E and D I had nothing to worry about.  They are just the sweetest siblings!  They laughed and played and were so good to each other.  We danced our whole session away and ended up with some gorgeous portraits.  I can’t wait to show you the rest mom!  Enjoy your sneak peek.

Last week 2 year old J and his family visited the studio and we had such a nice morning laughing and playing.  J loved to explore the shooting room and all of our toys.  In between playing he was quite the ham.  About half way through the session we asked him to smile and he would actually drop what he was doing and flash a giant, adorable smile for the camera.  After a half hour of making animal noises like a fool, I was amazed that all I had to do was say “smile” to get the perfect shot!  Go figure!  J’s expressions were priceless and his big brown eyes completely melted me.  Enjoy your sneak peek!