Family sessions are currently on special through the months of September and October. (Absolutely can’t believe one of those is basically already over). And this family was my first of many! We dealt with a lot, between a mix up with the cake and constant rainy weather that threatened the date we’d chosen for the session. But the one thing that couldn’t have gone wrong is the precious connection between this mom, dad, and baby girl. I mean, look at that face.

Sarah and I planned the session for week. I was dismayed when there was rain on the forecast for the exact hour we’d planned to meet for a week ahead of time. Every time I checked it, my weather app confirmed: Saturday September 15. 6pm. Rain. That would start an hour before that, in fact. Sarah was amazing, keeping in touch with me as the week went on and staying relaxed and flexible the entire time. That is part of what makes sweet families like this my favourite! We arranged to move our session up earlier in the day, picked a location, and met up at Vitruvian Park in Addison.

Well: OF COURSE, it did not rain a drop that day. When I arrived to the park at 2pm, the blue sky was filled with fluffy white clouds and wasn’t overcast at all. (I’d been depending on that; thanks Google weather.) The photographer and the control freak in me was POSITIVELY FREAKING OUT that I was now shooting the session in full sun and not in the golden hour, which I’ve really come to rely on to ensure beautiful images. However, a big part of life is thinking on our feet, right? And I knew that was just what I was going to have to do, with the help of Sarah and Frank, and their adorable newly one-year-old daughter, Carina.

Carina wasn’t sure about me at first, but I brought out all the tricks to win those adorable smiles. Once she warmed up, it was easy. I think I may not have ever seen a baby so eager to dive into a cake! (And then so quick to be over it once it was on her.) Many a baby has felt totally at home in the magic teepee. Especially once those white rugs are involved. And Carina was no exception! Y’all .. I don’t know what it is. Those rugs were $20 a piece from Walmart. Worth every penny. And babies..just..LOVE them!

The cake smash itself was quick but Carina was a natural. She actually dove for the cake several times before we were ready for her to do so! (Hashtag, heart attack!) The purple color of this cake was epic. And Sarah, I think it came out beautifully! And please don’t worry about the rugs. I made Paul wash them as soon as I got home last weekend, and they are back to perfect condition! Almost as though they never had blue and purple icing smeared all over them in the trunk of my car.

Rugs and all other things bought at Walmart are replaceable, a family connection like this is not. I was so struck by how warm and friendly Sarah and Frank both were. A lot of husbands let the wife do all the talking, especially when meeting me as a photographer for the first (and sometimes only) time, but Frank was refreshingly conversational. I learned that the Carusos had just moved here from Illinois (nowhere near Chicago, where Paul is from, but I still got excited when I saw the license place!). The love between these three really shines through the pictures, I think. And I was honored and thrilled to photograph it.

Your gallery is in the works, y’all! I can’t wait to see which ones are your favourites. Thank you so much for meeting with me and completely going with the flow. You guys were awesome, and I look forward to working with you again in the future!