The Cole Family | Walnut Creek Family Photographer | Pleasanton Family Photographer

These three adorable kids made me laugh for an hour straight! Childhood is so easy to capture if you just let it naturally unfold in front of you. They are silly, full of personality, and so pure in their joy. I am guilty of sometimes focusing on perfection when I shoot, not always, but sometimes, and this morning in Walnut Creek with the Cole family perfection wasn't on my mind at all. The fact of the matter is this: life with kids is chaos, it sometimes stressful, it's messy, but it's also full of belly laughs, more love than you can possibly imagine, and laughter. All I really want is to show that authentically, so thank you Cole family for letting me do just that with your beautiful little family. 

A special Mother's Day Single Mama shoot | Pleasanton Family Photographer

When I was approached by my friend Cristin More asking if I would be interested in donating a session as part of a big Mother's Day giveaway for single moms my answer was yes, absolutely yes. People were asked to nominate single mothers who were deserving of a free photo session and the response was overwhelming. It turns out there are a lot of strong, amazing women filling that role. No surprise. I was primarily raised by a single mother (Hi Mom!!) and while we faced challenges, the love was NEVER lacking.

This is the amazing Alexis and her two beautiful, sweet kiddos. I had the best time watching their interaction and it was an honor to gift this session to them. I know that when these two young people are grown they will appreciate having photos with the women who taught them strength, courage, and love.