Adalyn Turns 2!

Look at this sweet girl! I love when I get to photograph her!

Adalyn's sweet Mama, Rachel, wanted to do a second birthday session at Gibson Pond Park in Lexington. Tell me why when we got there, the wind was blowing like crazy? Balloons were flying away, hair was going all over the place, and it was also pretty chilly! We were battling the sky with having full sunshine, then really thick clouds covering the sun, making it extremely dark in contrast from the second before. It overall felt like it started out chaotic, but Rachel and I had such a great time laughing at ourselves while we tried to troubleshoot what we could do to make it all work!

Adalyn was such a great sport about it all. She loves her big chair with her name on it, so I'm sure she felt right at home when she was sitting in it. She also LOVES ducks, according to her parents. So that's why this session was duck themed! I thought bringing a book for Adalyn to read was such a cute touch, especially because it also had ducks on the page.

Rachel and I were having to think on our feet when it came to the props we were using for the session. She had some helium balloons that would just not stay still enough for it to look okay, and the number "2" balloon was flying all over the place on a string. It would not stay upright to even look like the number two if I were to have taken the picture. So what did we come up with? Rachel thought it was the best idea for her to hold the balloon steady and upright herself while hiding behind Adalyn's grey chair! I made sure I didn't see her through my lens, and we made it work! No one would have ever known. It was genius, and I was able to get so many great shots with it!

One of the things I love about spending time with Rachel is that she has a firecracker of a daughter, just like my daughter, Eliana. Both girls are super headstrong and know exactly what they want, when they want it. We both LOVE that about our girls, but it's almost laughable how we relate with typical toddler stuff. Towards the end of the session when Adalyn just wanted to explore because she was tired of me being behind the camera, we just sat in the grass and talked. Such a wonderful human, Rachel is. I absolutely adore her. It's always been so easy to talk with each other, so much so that we can get caught up and lose track of time.

I think Adalyn did such an amazing job as a toddler getting her picture taken all by herself. It's not easy being the only one in front of the camera. Rachel and I were doing our best to entertain her enough to look my way or even catch her smiling a time or two! I love capturing birthday sessions, because these photos are what parents look back on in the years to come. Those memories are priceless, and to be able to capture this moment in their lives is so special.

Thank you so much, Rachel, allowing me to be the one to photograph this stage in Adalyn's life!

Enjoy scrolling through some of my favorites from her session.