This is my FOURTH year doing birthday photos for this set of cuties! Well, technically, fourth year with the oldest two and second year with the youngest. Last year the baby turned one and we did a smash cake session along with all the usual photos, and it was ADORABLE.

Their mom does the neatest “show their growth” thing that I have ever seen a mom do. We all know that many moms will document baby’s first year month-by-month with a onesie that says the number of months or maybe a nursery blanket, but this mama captures each year in a very special way. She has her daughters “wear” her wedding dress (“wear” in parenthesis because it’s a loose term when you’re putting it on a two year old - haha!), and she has her son wear one of his dad’s white button-down shirts. As they grow, they begin to fill out these items more and more.

It’s a sentimental and magical way to document the inevitable passing of time.

It’s also kind of hilarious to document how their personalities change over the years because THIS year big brother and sister were not nearly as amused by me! They’re getting to that stage of being more self-conscious and they were definitely not as into smiling readily, but more into giving me all kinds of anti-smile faces. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t crack ‘em! Haha!

The littlest one was just the sweetest. I have always had the oldest girl grab the sides of the dress and spin from side-to-side, so this year the two year old was old enough to stand up and try the same and she LOVED IT! She just spun and spun and threw the dress in the air. It was the sweetest. It’s a perfect way to capture a birthday milestone in photos.

After we finish with the dress & shirt looks, we always move on to something a little more fun! We do a different background each year. This year, for their 2nd, 6th and 7th birthday photos, I did a background of all different color streamers. It looked so festive!

This type of shoot isn’t a traditional lifestyle session like I normally do, but I’m all about customizing my shoots to what works for my clients so that’s what we do here every year!

It's so fun to be able to shoot in a client's home.  I mean, you never know what you're walking into - lighting, rearranging furniture, room sizes - but even though some things can be a challenge, I LOVE getting to know a client that way.  You see a little of how they live, how they like to decorate, what they surround themselves with.  I use all of that information when I edit their galleries.  

And Anna's shoot was no different.  There were tons of photos of the kids all around the house, so I knew this was a family that wanted to get the images off the disk and onto the walls!  I also got to see their color scheme and know exactly what I wanted to do with the images so that, when they ended up on display, they'd look perfect.

This shot is one of my favorites, and it's the last setup we did.  It's not unique to me - I'm sure you've seen it before, likely on Pinterest.  Her mom did a shot just like this of her older one back when she was 9 months and I KNEW we had to re-create it!  I feel like it's becoming a standard shot for the 9-month rage, and I'm so okay with that!

We actually started off using a little crib that was given to the family by Anna's grandfather.  It was important to her mom to get some shots in there.  Anna wasn't too keen on being in it for long, but we got some good stuff before she got upset!

Every client with kids gets concerned that they won't get "perfect" photos.  I loved Anna's mom for saying, "Listen, if she cries, I'm okay with those kinds of photos, too!"  I love it because it's part of the memory of the day.  And, really, isn't this just adorable?  Oh, and it's not like you can't just grab some detail shots real quick before they need mommy!  Love the little hand and foot.

Another reason I love shooting in a client's home is the little treasures I find.  Many times a client won't realize what a treasure they have, but I do!  And in this case, it was this darling rug in Anna's sister's room.  Isn't it the sweetest thing for a background?!

Happy 9 Months, Anna!  I loved being a part of your special day and giving you and your family some memories to keep forever!