I had such a wonderful morning photographing the Hodgkins family in Laconia, NH. I grew up with Pete and Sue's kids but, as happens with the day-to-day hustle, it had been a long time since I had seen them. The family was preparing for a large reunion but took an hour of our their preparation for an immediate family photo session before their guests arrived (brave!). Robyn and Kevin have two adorable little kids, who were willing to work for ice cream (bribery ALWAYS works with the minis). They were such laid-back kids who made family pictures effortless. We started by their neighborhood beach, took a walk around the neighborhood, and ended our session at their gorgeous lake house. Summer is the time when families reunite! Book your family session today!

I think my kids are sick of me. Or my camera. Or forcing them to love each other. I had been on a desperate quest to photograph my two little loves together, looking well... lovey. Here's the thing. My three-year old is kinda over his little sister. First off, I wanted him to hold her. I had to promise him a bowl of chocolate chips, but that's besides the point. Here's picture one:

Okay, we need a little direction here. "Okay, Houston... look at Leah and put your arm around her!" Picture two:

Getting closer, right? Here's where I started to go wrong... "Great, Houston! Now squeeze her tight like you LOVE her!"

Now before you go calling DCYF on me, realize that at this point, even I dropped my camera to save my newborn daughter from her older brother's "love" and I don't drop the cam often. After a little shuffling, another talk about "gentle hands" and a healthy break, we tried one last time...  "Okay Houston, just put your head close to your sis, and say cheese." And finally I got this little gem:

See? They DO love each other. Just forget the last 3 pictures. Modeling can be brutal for a newborn and a three year old... but they earned their pay in about three thousand kisses, a delicious bottle of milk and a bowl of chocolate chips.

Here's the "Rosy" part of Rosy Hue... Miss Leah Rose.

One of the most common things I hear ALL parents after taking pictures of their kids is, "Sorry (insert name here) was so crazy." The funny thing is, being the mom of a VERY active toddler, I never really notice other people's "crazy" kids - or maybe they just don't compare to my own. The thing is, I could probably get my sweet Houston to sit for about 3 seconds and probably even get a half-way decent portrait of him. But I don't really want that. It's not him. It's not real. Some of my favorite pictures of Houston, and my clients' children, are those candid, natural, silly shots. I love this picture of these two sweeties - because it reminds me of my sisters, and how many silly, loving memories I have of them. And isn't that the real purpose of a picture? To evoke some kind of an emotion? I love my family shoots, because they're always sure to make me smile!