I usually put my camera down on my days off with Poppy and Gus but today I decided to snap some photos of them playing in the alleyway in our street.  Or as they like to call it, the ‘bumpy road’.  I’m so glad I did, as contrary to what most people think I don’t actually take that many photographs of them (once you take my iphone out of the equation).  It’s hard to believe but they turn three this month.  Two has been such a fun year, full of so many laughs and giggles, and although they have always been good buddies the last few months has seen a real surge in the enjoyment they get from each others’ company.   They have a great ability to play and have fun together now without intervention from anyone else, and I love just sitting back and watching them when they do.  Yep, if I could box the last year up and put it on the shelf it would definitely be a keeper.

PS. How gorgeous are those autumn leaves in the background!?  Once you get over the rain, this time of year really is beautiful …

I photographed this gorgeous little angel when she was just a few weeks old, so it was lovely to see her and her parents for another session 12 months later.  She’s grown into the cutest little thing ever, and has a pair of trainers to match …  

A few weeks ago our lovely, lovely neighbours – who we sadly only got to live next door to for a short time up – up and left to live in Copenhagen.  I love Melbourne but I have to admit I am just a little bit envious!!!  Unfortunately they had to leave behind their gorgeous pup Alan, so we took a few snaps of him with his best friend before they had to part ways.  I hope they are both coping okay without each other in their new homes … xoxo

Back in June and July I did some mini-sessions with families from Tree House Child Care in St Kilda to raise money for the Mirabel Foundation, a wonderful organisation that helps children up to the age of 17 that have been either orphaned or abandoned due to drug use by their parents.  Please check out their site when you have time.  My words here really wouldn’t do justice to the amazing work they do; reading the stories of just some of the children that they have helped is heart-wrenching and a stark reminder of the stress-free life most of us have. But back to the mini-sessions!  I have a few that I have been dying to blog and I thought I would start with one of my faves.  This little guy totally stole my heart, and no doubt you will be able to tell from the images below how much fun we had and what a beautiful spirit he has.

Speaking of heart-wrenching, some beautiful shots of Ethan with his mum to finish off …

A couple of weeks ago I blogged the first of two posts I have been dying to share with everyone here.  So this is part two and I hope you enjoy these images.  These guys are such special friends of mine, and their little man is going to grow up into a gorgeous, smart and much-loved individual, just like both of his parents.  I really treasured being able to take these photos for them.

I want to give a special thanks here to Sarah for allowing me to share the first few images below.  Even though I have signed consent to post images from any of my sessions I always check with clients first before posting anything of a personal nature, and if they prefer I didn’t well then I don’t.  Sarah however was kind enough to let me share these and I’m so grateful as I think they are beautiful images of a beautiful subject.  I’m sure you’ll all agree!

Fast forward a few weeks and it doesn’t get much cuter than this.

A couple of months ago two very special friends of mine gave birth to absolutely gorgeous baby boys within a few weeks of each other.  In both cases I had the opportunity to capture some maternity images for them followed by a newborn session, which was really, really special for me, and I’ve been looking forward to posting some images from both.  So here’s the first one!  If you follow my blog you may recognise Deb and her gorgeous son from previous posts here and here.  Her ability to produce the cutest boys ever is just one of her many talents.  Here are some images of them both, joined by cute son No 2 …

and the little bundle of joy that arrived a couple of months later …

I think these two are going to get on well.

These two gorgeous kids had personalities that were as bright and beautiful as their outfits!  Was so much fun photographing them.  Hope I get another chance to capture them together down the track …

It’s not hard to see where they get their infectious smiles from …

It’s almost over so to all the mums out there I hope you had the most marvellous Mother’s Day and got totally spoilt, whether it was just a little or a lot!  I spent this morning with my own lovely mum and this afternoon/evening was treated to a picnic by Tony, Poppy and Gus.  It had to be transferred from outside to the living room floor due to the weather but the kids didn’t mind as they got to watch the Wiggles all the way through so they were so happy! Now they are tucked up in bed soundly sleeping and I’m enjoying a drink on the couch before transferring myself to bed with a book and my favourite footwarmer (Tony).  Couldn’t think of a better way to finish Mother’s day …

I had grand plans about putting together a post with all my favourite shots of mums and their kids for today but as with most things on my to-do list I ran out of time so I’ll have to save the idea for next year.  Instead I’m dedicating this post to a very special family – my brother’s.  I took these images about three months ago just before Emma gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl, so it was their last session as a family of four.  It looks like three sessions but we just did a couple of quick outfit changes at the one location which looked totally different depending on which part of the parkland we used.  It’s such a beautiful spot, I can’t wait to get back there for another session.  Talking about beautiful, they’re not a bad-looking family either …