Sweet Caroline

A sweet little girl named Caroline recently celebrated her 4th birthday, and her fabulous mom Amanda (and dad Todd) threw her the birthday bash of the year! It was "rainbow" themed- see if you can spot all the little rainbow-inspired details. I'll let you know in advance that they are A LOT of them! I seriously think this party was as detail-oriented as some weddings are, and it was not in vain. Rest assured, it was a sugar coated, rainbow filled, sticky finger, (nose-picking) good time ;)  Happy birthday, Caroline!

We started the day off with a few portraits of the birthday girl! Her first reaction was, "Mom, I don't want any pictures!" But she warmed up quickly, thanks to the help of my wonderful friend and Caroline's babysitter, Lacey! 

Meanwhile, decorations had been put up and the rainbow juice was ready to be poured...

Friends started to arrive, and the party began!

Presents, anyone? (Trust me- everyone wanted to be "in" on the present opening! You could call it a small riot ;) 

And finally, it was time to cut the cake!

Sugar, anyone?

The time was drawing near to say goodbye. But before doing so, the grand finale was revealed- rainbow candy in treat bags for everyone to take home! I bet all the parents were loving Amanda right now ;)

One last lap around the yard, and then it was time to crash in mom's arms! Thanks for a VERY amusing and memorable experience, Amanda & Caroline! I can't wait to see what next year's party will be like :)

I've Been Slacking.

Last minute wedding planning. Or should I say wedding planning in general, all taking place in the last week because I am not a good wedding planner! Fortunately I have an absolutely wonderful mother, grandmother, and future mother-in-law, and even fiance who are all much better at wedding planning than I am. So, just because I miss posting, here's a graduation picture of half my family :) I'll be better after all this wedding craziness is over, I promise!

The Papson Family

Could this family be any cuter? I was so excited for this session- I know Brent (the dad) from school and couldn't wait to meet Ashley and Caden! Families are often the trickiest to photograph (in my opinion), especially when young children are involved, and this session was no exception- but as Ashley commented when she saw a few preview photos, "It even looks like Caden was being cooperative!" Success? I think so :) I laughed so hard when I was editing these just recalling the storyline of the evening and of Caden's unpredictable and endearing antics. It went a little like this...

First, there was the issue of the hand holding. You see, Caden wanted to hold his mom's hand- and only his mom's hand. Check out that scowl! Poor Brent- he took it all in stride.

Props to Caden for the cool purple effect that I love (he was being my assistant at this point and his purple flower got in front of my lens) and to the sun for the haze... a love evening sessions. The richness of the sun adds a magical, almost surreal quality! Thanks so much for a fun session, Papson family, and I cannot wait to meet little Colin in June! :)