Aw, this family was so sweet, you guys. It was a beautiful fall day and mom did an excellent job keeping everyone’s outfits in cream and blue tones! So pretty!

As can happen with kiddos, this little girl just wasn’t having it for a while, but I never ever find that a problem. I’m all about letting kiddos be in whatever mood they want to be in. Often, just allowing them to be a little cranky or clingy for a bit is enough to pull them right out of it. Plus, clingy (aka snuggly) photos can be some of the absolute sweetest!

This particular family photoshoot was at Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, which is a great choice! And probably why it’s so popular! Lots of space for littles to run and roam freely without worry.

Father

I’m a complete sucker for all things moody, so when this mama was like, “I’m thinking I want to do a rainy day,” I pretty much gave her no other option than to stick to her word! ha!

It actually turned out to be a perfect moody day for a family lifestyle photoshoot in that it rained JUST ENOUGH. No one got soaked, but there was enough drizzle to wet the umbrella and turn hair into a moody dream.

Little girls! Aren’t they the sweetest?! With one toddler girl and one newborn girl, this session was not lacking in sweetness! As all my expectant moms do, this one texted me when baby Madeline had made her entrance into the world and we set up our in-home newborn session. I adore shooting newborns and their families in their homes. It’s the best way to truly document what it was like in those first couple of weeks home as the family has changed, “onlies” and “youngests” become “big sisters” and “big brothers,” and mom and dad are sweetly spent. It’s a time that goes by so quick and can be so hard to easily to recall the details of.

I started off with Olivia, from here on known as the Big Sister. It’s easy and natural for newborn to get most of the attention, so starting our shoot with Olivia showing me around her room - stuffed animals and pillows! - was a great way to make her feel not only included, but important as well. ;) AND, it let mommy finish up her makeup!

Once we got baby Madeline in the shoot, she was happy for only short periods of time without being held. She was a little fussy and, completely heartwarmingly, was calmed quickly by her dad’s hand on her back and his gentle sway and loud hum. They also had grandpa there visiting and he was loving on his granddaughters!

It didn’t take long for Olivia, in her darling blue dress and with her adorable little lips, to get completely comfortable with the camera and try to be in every photo! haha! This happens a ton with older siblings, so we all let her jump in, but daddy took her out of the room for a bit to do some reading together so that I could focus on mama and baby in the soft pink nursery. Finally, everyone got in together and snuggled up as a family of four! It was such a successful shoot, even with baby Madeline not being happy the whole time, and it helped to work with such a loving and gentle family.