Spring Has Sprung

About a year ago I was invited by a friend to join her and a few other ladies with our little ones for a lovely picnic lunch under her cherry blossom tree. It was truly the most spectacular bloom I'd ever seen. So majestic yet so serene. I'd always hoped to come back at spring's peak again with camera in tow to capture her family with the blooms. And so that day came! Here are some pics of Heather and John's lovely family.

 This next one is my favorite family shot of the day. Please put this in your family room, Heather!

I do like the traditional shots before I move onto the other stuff. OK, you can put this one in your family room, too.

I love John and Heather's expressions here. In the craziness of parenthood, it's nice to have some photos of you enjoying your kids. One day I hope you'll look back at this photo and get a little bit of that feeling back again.

Just had to get the trio.

Ain't nothin' like sisters.

Individual kid shots in the grass. I love getting into the grass to capture her eye level and the texture of the greens, too.

 Little sis was being playful. Such a sweet smile.

 Goofing off makes for a fun picture.

 This next one shows the difference in these sisters' demeanor at these ages.

Great catchlights in her eyes.

 More catchlights. And peeking from behind a tree is almost always a sure fire way to get a smile.

I often wonder what goes on in children's imaginations.....something is definitely stirring in this image.

 A nice direct look into the camera makes a sweet connection.

 Funny how a change in hand position changes the shot. Still sweet, though.

 Getting bigger but still doing little girl things.

 Nothing beats hugs.

 I almost cropped in close to this shot but I missed the way the arms were wrapped around each other.

 Pretty mama!

 Heather and John are naturals in front of the camera.

 I think they felt kind of goofy when I told them to look at each other (most parents do), but in between the silliness I got a nice shot.

 Into the bushes we go....I love the textures.

 This is one of those shots when mom and day say, "I can't believe how big she is getting. Sigh."

 Oh how I love this one.

 Good at taking direction.

 "I don't wanna." Well, you're cute anyway and I just love this picture!

 Forsythia made a lovely background.

 Great shot of Heather.

 John has such warmth in his photos, right?

 The kids were pooped so a few more shots of mom and dad. I love the texture of the wall and using it to draw your eye into the subject.

 Definitely my favorite John and Heather shot of the day. It has a "looking forward" kind of feel to it.

 Spring has sprung and will come and go quickly, but what stays is this right here. I was so glad to capture it - thanks, Heather and John!