At Home with Ellie

I can't think of many things more fun than chasing after a one year old- letting them lead the way and completely being present in those moments. Their smiles, laughs and discoveries fill your heart with so much joy it can brim over for days.

Little Miss Ellie is exactly that type of one year old. We played, chased and she even paused here and there to let me capture some of the sweetest images of her. There was absolutely no doubt who was in complete control of her session ;)

Over the years I have fallen in love shooting lifestyle sessions with newborns- in their home, their nurseries and those special moments with their parents and siblings. As far as sessions with older children, this is the first intentional toddler lifestyle session and I am so thankful that Heather shared my vision for simplicity and just letting Ellie be herself.

We started inside and let Ellie take the lead in playing and snuggling in with momma for a story. When she was finished with her books she led us into the living room and there we enjoyed playing with all her favorite toys before heading outside :)

Once her little feet hit the pavement of the driveway she was off and running and only stopped for a few brief moments before taking a wagon ride.

After all was said and done we had only two goals with Ellie's session: 1) Capture her in all her one year old glory and 2) If possible have at lease one image with her and that oh-so-cute bonnet. And I definitely think that we not only reached those goals but exceeded them exponentially. Elli's expression says it all in one of the last images we took from her wagon ride back to the house for some snacks. So much fun!

Ellie enjoyed her snack while momma and I visited and shared reflections on motherhood, temper tantrums and the many blessings, fears, worries and joys children bring. It's a whole new world and I am so thankful for getting to see it through the eyes of this little one year old- Happy One Year, Ellie!