I didn’t actually realise until the session that this adorable, tiny little peanut (born at only 6lb!)  is the cousin of baby Xavier, my last newborn! How incredibly special it will be for these two cousins to grow up so close in age together (and live literally around the corner from each other too) - I can see them being the best of friends as they grow up!

{Kelly and Anthony, that little man of yours will grow so quickly and certainly won’t be little for long (well, apart from his toes Anthony…) so cuddle, and kiss and hug him tight and appreciate these beautiful new moments as your son grows into the man he is yet to become}

Yep, that’s baby bro Noah… delish!! He had this adorable comfort habit of putting these two fingers into his mouth (rock on dude!!) and then gaze up at me with the most adorable baby blues complete with long black lashes (both of the boys had lashes most girls would kill for – seriously). Such a happy little thing he was too – such a joy connecting with these beautiful souls!

{What a beautiful morning with your gorgeous boys Paula. Such a treat for me – hugs for Noah and thank Caleb for being such a wonderful helper!}

June. How did that happen?!

It’s true what they say that as you get older, life seems to get faster. Now I just need to find that dial to tell life to slow down, before I realise it’s the end of the year and wonder where 2009 went!

I had one of those moments on the weekend when photographing this little dude. He is a previous client of mine and I saw him for itty bitty newborn photography back when he was soooo little!!! I swear it felt like yesterday, and yet – here he was, almost 7 months later and sitting, laughing and virtually crawling all by himself. Loved seeing him again so much!

{How lucky do I feel getting to see him again, Rachael! Hope the rest of your weekend was good, and I will be in touch soon}

Ethan had the most gorgeous captivating eyes (honestly… check out the last sneak peek photo of him below) and was a gorgeous little munchkin to hang out with!

{Lisa I hope you had a safe trip home to your ‘warmer’ Sydney weather!! Thanks for the fun afternoon}

Big brother Harry was divine – he made my memory work overtime when we had an in-depth conversation about TMNT (that’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for all of you not in the ‘know’…) and their new nicknames, adventures and who had the coolest gear.

Lil’ bro Archie was one of the cutest little munchkins, with a massive mop of curly hair for me to play with. I swear this kid’s cricket skills are beyond normal – he has more coordination at two than I have at 29… seriously. It was embarrassing really – ah well, I will get over it eventually!

{Maree, thanks for choosing me to spend a wonderful morning with your family! Cricket, TMNT speak, coffee breaks and all…!}

I got to play with the beautiful Miss Hayden on Saturday who adored being a daddy’s girl, with a bit of rough and tumble thrown in for good measure. And if you don’t believe me about Melbourne’s weather, 5 minutes before that second blue sky shot was taken it was raining… go figure! Loved her cheeky grin (and how she smiles with her eyes).

{She was a doll Andree – such a little infectious personality and clearly loves the attention of her parents. What a treat!!}

Sunday I got to see my most favourite twins that I have now photographed three times (as newborns, at 7 months and now at just over a year old). I adore this entire family – they have me laughing non-stop the whole time I am with them and I always have so much fun. The great thing for me was to see how much the twins had changed since I saw them last. Now they were on the move – and quickly! Their little personalities had blossomed and it was like spending time with friends that morning.

ADORE these two!!!

{How lucky am I Michelle to have seen you all again!!! I am always on a high after your sessions and this was no exception! Hope you all had a ball and the kids enjoyed themselves!}

Baby Sophie had just learned to toddle around, and that grin of hers…check out that second last image – it’s her all over! Cheeky as they come and totally and utterly adorable. The outfits these girls had picked out for them too were also totally divine – so, so gorgeous they were!!

{Your girls are divine Karen, I could have cuddled with them all day long and still not have had enough!! Seriously, adored their session, adored them and hope to do it again with you all sometime soon!}

Gorgeous little Leila was your typical toddler on the run – I tell you, once they find their feet they are off and running non-stop. It’s such a beautiful and fun stage to capture. And Joshua – the gorgeous cheeky almost four year old he is provided me with so many laughs. He was up for anything which made us enjoy the session together so much!

You know what I’m going to say though about these two don’t you…. their EYES!!! Urgh, I could swim in them. My deep dark eye obsession continues!!

{Sahar, had a great morning with you all and can’t wait for you to see the rest of the proofs when they’re ready. I will be in touch!}

Max is the youngest of three in this family, and absolutely adores and is adored by his two big sisters. Mum Alison wanted mostly black and white portraits of her little cherub, and he was in full smile mode when I first arrived! He has the most adorable little grin, and check out those bottom two toothy pegs…!

{It was lovely to spend the morning with your little family Alison – it’s obvious the kids love spending time with each other and it won’t be long until Max catches up and can join in on his own terms in the fun!}

That was literally the space of time I had to capture the ‘moments’ of this little one as she stopped running. The best part about watching her running was that she would always make sure someone was running after her before she went into full gear – after all, there’s nothing better than a good chase is there?

You can see what a gorgeous little personality Emmerson is from her images – lots of laughs and giant genuine smiles, big cheeky grin and a mop of hair to die for.

Enjoyed every inch of this girl.

{I adored learning about her little personality at this session, Melinda! She has such a wonderful little sense of humour at such a young age – gorgeous thing she is!}

Oliver is just over two years of age, but is going on 30. He honestly did not stop chatting the whole time we were together blurting out fully formed sentences about what he was doing, or where he wanted to go – he had my in hysterics most of the time. I know he is going to make such a wonderful big brother!

{Jane, would you believe I got sunburn?!? How stupid am I? First time ever on a shoot! Had a lovely relaxing afternoon with you all, and can’t wait to see you again in a few weeks!}

It is that beautiful transformation and watching kids come out of their shells so they can enjoy themselves and be…. themselves(!) that makes this so enjoyable for me.

You can’t fake the real smiles – they come from within. The big-belly-laugh-tickle-me-all-over-run-with-my-heart-and-look-full-of-love type of smiles. Those are the ones I adore…

{Those adorable kids were a joy Tamsin – I adored every minute with them!}

{Jaci, Harry was a trooper and obviously loves spending time at the beach. I hope you guys had a lovely morning and stayed as cool as you could for the rest of the day!}

However, the day turned into a day that I, nor any Australian, will soon forget. Raging bushfires stormed through Victoria taking with them lives, properties and hope. It probably took a good day or two for the grim reality of what hit our state to sink in and even now as I sit here typing this I still can’t quite believe what has happened. The current death toll stands at 180 with over 750 properties gone, entire towns have been lost – all from one day.

I’ve been sitting here thinking of what I can do to help, and when my gorgeous friend Kris Leigh from Newcastle said that she was going to be donating her session fees to the Red Cross to directly help the victims of the bushfires, I knew instantly what a beautiful idea it was.

For anyone here on in booking a session for April, please visit the Australian Red Cross website, donate your $99 session fee via the secure online donations form, send me an electronic copy of your receipt and we will confirm your session booking. However, please be sure to email me first so I know to reserve a date and also to let me know to expect your receipt!

All of my thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims affected, directly or indirectly, from the fires and I can only hope that as time passes, the process of rebuilding your lives becomes a little easier.

I got to play all morning with gorgeous little Noah and Lucy – Noah and I hunted for monsters and played Ernie Says (which apparently is Noah’s new version of Simon Says, I have so much to learn…!) and Lucy, who adored her big brother, followed him wherever he went!

{You can’t ask for more than kids being kids Ali, and that is the beauty of your children. Gorgeous souls, and I had a lovely morning with you all. I will be in touch soon}