We knew we were in for a treat when we first met the Lewis family.  Miss P was right around a year old, and this is such a fun age to capture!  Stacey had plenty of great ideas and brought the clothes to match!  For those of you wondering how to put clothing together for a family session, take notes!  They weren’t sure if they wanted to go light or dark, so they did both.  I LOVE the way both looks turned out so classic looking, yet in no way boring or without style.  We had such a great time with the Lewis family, and P was a trooper all the way!  We also learned some very exciting news the day of the session….they’re expecting baby #2!  Congrats to you guys!  On a personal note, James and I are very grateful to Stacey for being one of the people who told us about our new workout obsession, The Dailey Method.  Whenever I’m struggling during the class, I just think about Stacey and her now bigger pregnant belly doing the same things and just grin and bear it!

When we met the Garcia family we knew it would be a fun session because they were so excited about doing it.  Jennifer is a photo bug herself so collaborating on their family session was a treat for all of us.  They knew they wanted to be out in nature somewhere, so we headed over to one of our favorite spots in Roseville for their session.  Brothers G & G (G squared, maybe??) were super agreeable and didn’t seem to mind standing barefoot in the pokey dry weeds….kids are such troopers!  Something I will never forget is that they were leaving the next morning for a big vacation, and Jennifer was so organized with clothing for the session and didn’t seemed stressed at all; not sure I would have been, but glad they were!  Meet the Garcia family:

We started photographing the Pulley family when mom was expecting baby A, and now he’s over a year old.  We were thrilled to have been able to document for them from pregnancy and throughout his first year.  The images here were from his Bebe graduation, and we got the whole family in on this one!  The kids were great and we just loved the variety in clothing they brought along.  One of our very fav’s from the session (and of of their fav’s as well!) is the one here with A’s big sister’s walking away with him.  Sorry A, but your sisters tried to steal your show!

We met little Miss S when she was only 2 weeks old.  Her mommy found out about us from another great client of ours, the Hattendorff family.  Little S snoozed pretty much the entire session, which we loved because then we could do whatever we wanted with her!  I just loved the little “girly” touches mom brought, including her headband and tutu.  Can’t wait to see S back for her 2nd Bebe session….maybe she’ll even be awake for a few! 🙂

When Miss L’s grandma called and said she wanted to bring her sweet granddaughter for portraits, and that she already had purchased an outfit and had several other ideas, we knew it would be fun!  They drove an hour to get to us, so we knew they were as excited as we were for the photo session.  Of course, Miss L did not disappoint.  She was the most willing 5-year old I think we’ve ever photographed.  She went from one outfit to the next without a single complaint and just kept giving us these fantastic looks.  She was especially excited when her little stuffed friend and her shopping bag got to be props in her portrait.  Thanks to Miss L and her family for making such efforts to help create these darling images!

(James):  After hearing about an exercise program called The Dailey Method from several of our clients, Stef and I decided to give it a try.  Now I can’t speak for Stef, but it has been a long time since the brutal workout routine I used to hurl my body through in my college days.  Back then I would throw crazy amounts of weights around and run…and run…and run.  So when I tried the first class at the Dailey Method, I expected it to be tough, but not “I can’t move my abs” tough.  It is very challenging and I have a long way to go before I can make it through a class without a little bit of “cheating”.

(Stefani):  I have known for a long time that my body wasn’t going to tone and strengthen itself, so when 2 of our clients within the same week informed us of a workout class they absolutely love, we decided to check it out.  The class was originally being held in the home of Stacey & Adam Armijo, owners of the local Dailey Method.  We knew their brand-new studio was opening up close to our home, so we decided to try it out when the studio opened up.  After inquiring about the class, Stacey asked if we’d be interested in photographing the studio and instructors; of course we would!  So last Saturday we began our journey to more fit bodies.  For those of you wondering what exactly The Dailey Method is, in a nutshell, it’s “a unique combination of ballet barre work, core conditioning, stretching, and orthopedic exercise.”  In short, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, I was extremely sore after the first class, and it’s awesome!

This weekend is the grand opening celebration, and free classes are being offered both Saturday and Sunday, so if you’re curious, check it out!  Visit their website for a class schedule.  It will be well worth it!

It’s been a couple of years since we photographed Miss P and Sir N, so we were thrilled when we received a last-minute request for a Mother’s Day surprise for their mom!  We started at the studio and then headed down to the historic district in old Roseville.  A change of scenery is always fun, but it was especially fun when we heard the gray building they were standing in the doorway of used to be original jail down there.  N and P actually seem to get along and {insert gasp here! } really love each other! 🙂  Thanks for sharing your darling kiddos with us, and we can’t wait for a fun and creative family session still to come!

When I first spoke with the Garrettson’s on the phone, I will be honest that I was a little nervous when they told me they wanted family portraits with their 17-month old; nervous only because that can be one of the most difficult ages to photograph a child.  It seems that between about 14 months and 2 1/2 years, kids realize that they can move at their own will and exercise their independence.  Most importantly, they are too young to be bribed at this age!  Well, once they came in for their design consultation and we met little C, my concerns started to wane dramatically.  He was the cutest, sweetest little boy ever!  The day of our session was no different; C was picture perfect in every way.  He did everything we wanted him to with no resistance (or complaints).  I love to be proven wrong, and this was one of those magical sessions where I was over and over.  Now, this isn’t meant to discourage anyone from having children this age photographed, but for those of you who have kids this age, you know that it can be a gamble, which is what makes those million-dollar moments being captured even more precious.  This is what I love so much about photographing families and kids!  Meet the lovely Garrettson family:

Baby D gave us everything we could hope for in a newborn session–asleep and awake moments to capture!  He was such a good baby I don’t think he cried even once during his session, which is a rarity for babies this age.  He was slightly older than some newborns we photograph, as they had to wait for daddy to return from being away on military duties to come for his session.  We’re glad they waited for him, because we just love this family image!  Can’t wait to see them back in a few months for his 2nd Bebe session.  Meet baby D and family:

When Chris called and said she wanted us to photograph her grandchildren, we were so excited!  Chris is not only our financial planner, but she was also largely responsible for me (Stef) becoming a financial planner as well over ten years ago.  I met Chris before James and I were married and I was living in San Diego; she was my mom’s financial planner, helping her to plan wisely for her future.  I credit so much to her, even though I am no longer practicing in the field.  She still talks about how I was supposed to come to work with her when we moved back to Sacramento, but instead somehow started a photography business with James!  Sorry about that, Chris, but just think, you wouldn’t have these beautiful portraits of your adorable grandchildren! 🙂