~Ava~

It took me a year to get these photos done and blogged. I should be working on blogging her 8 year pictures, which I still haven’t even taken yet, but instead I’m finally blogging these. It’s actually fun to look back on this session, 1 year later before her 8th birthday and see how much she’s changed. But quiet honestly, it feels like this was just yesterday. This year just flew by. I barely even remember 7, although I do remember thinking, “man, this is so far my least favorite age”. I’m pretty sure I have a 16 year old, not a 7 year old but I suppose it’s just preparing me for what’s to come. And although some days I was pulling my hair out, at night, I just snuggled her sleeping face into mine and thanked God for this amazing child. She might drive me crazy but she is the most amazing little being and I love her more than I could ever express. The craziness of parenthood, right?

This session. My aunt gave me this gorgeous red dress and I immediately thought, let’s go dressed up, fancy, Audrey Hepburn looking, into San Francisco, specifically City Hall. I thought we’d be able to go in but of course I choose to do this on a holiday and it was closed. Which was a catastrophe for my” I need to pee right this second!” child. So in her beautiful dress, with the car door sort of shielding her, I taught her to squat and pee. I mean come on, everyone pees on the streets of San Francisco at some point, right?? Her time just came at the young age of 7. I digress. Once the catastrophe was resolved, lipstick and diamonds were applied, hair was puffed up, and my little 7 year old strutted her tiny little self down the street in this big city towards City Hall as if she owned the place. Heads were turning, people were smiling, whispering “oh my goodness how cute is she?!” as they passed her. And she was.  We made it to the steps of City Hall and in true Ava fashion she began posing like a princess/diva without direction and I’m snapping away and then all of a sudden I see this hand in my viewfinder waiving me to the side. I look at Ava, still waiving at me to move. I look behind me and there’s a group of tourists taking her picture over my shoulder. Excuse me, they say, can we take a picture with her?? She was in Heaven. Little miss celebrity. Peeing and paparazzi. So far this was the most eventful photo shoot I’ve ever been apart of. Once the picture taking by the unknowns was complete, we finished up our shoot in the City and headed back to the car to change and headed to the beach for part 2 of this shoot. (coming in a separate post)

She is truly a photographer’s daughter. She’s also my inspiration and the reason I’m even here today doing this. I’m thankful to her for that. For helping me find something I love doing so much and for helping me get better one shoot after another by being my little model. 2 weeks till her 8th birthday and I have no idea what I’m going to do for those pictures but I’m sure we’ll think of something that fits HER. But in the meantime, here’s to saying goodbye to 7. {Que the tears} You were a crazy year but you made us both stronger and ever so appreciative of new years and new ages. Here’s to 8!

Dress: Lollipops and Daisies Children’s Boutique

Hair: Lindsay Skog for 645 Salon, Pleasanton