Ohhhh remember baby Alden from last year who loved to stare into your soul with intense, prolonged eye contact? He turned ONE during this session (happy birthday, Alden!) and now stares into your soul slightly less (disappointing but age-appropriate). Now when he looks at you, it’s quickly followed by a clever little smirk like he knows everything about you from previous soul-stealing baby sessions and is definitely going to use it against you in the future. His smile is hilarious and almost looks like he’s incredibly proud of himself… the type of smile that happens right before you’d get a big head nod and he’d open his mouth and say, “Hey bro,” except he’s a baby. It’s incredible. I’d be confident too if I knew how to successfully fish for cats at the age of twelve months. Also, his parents are Kathy and Andrew, whom we love, so obviously this helps to bolster his self-esteem. He’s cute and charming. We did a lot of activities and so by the time we busted out the adorable water table that Alden’s parents bought him for his birthday, he was way tired, and I can say with hands-down certainty that Kathy was the person who enjoyed that table the most (this may have happened even if Alden wasn’t wiped out… Kathy really loved that table). We’re so glad we were there to document this little future-cat-lover (and hopefully extremely good secret-keeper) turn one.

Look. At. This. Doggo. I have photographed a lot of doggos over the years, but none quite so royal or regal as Latte. Maybe it’s because he’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel so he sounds all fancy-pants, or maybe because he just is fancy pants. He is A VERY, VERY GOOD BOY. He is extremely calm, surprisingly undistracted, barks on command, sits on command, and follows directions. He likes sticks and is fluffy and is my hero. I cannot stress enough just how much of a very good boy he is. Latte is the very first dog of Pelin and Sertalp (which is quite impressive since he is SUCH A VERY GOOD BOY). Pelin and Sertalp are Turkish! And they are actually my very first clients and human beings that I’ve ever met from Turkey! It was a ton of fun talking to them about Turkey (foods, weddings, radio and movies) and the places they’ve traveled all over the world and in the US. They are enjoying their home in North Carolina and especially their time with Latte. I did ask if they dress up Latte for Halloween, and Pelin told me, “Yes! We put him in a pumpkin, and then he is a Pumpkin Latte.” THE BEST.

Little James recently turned one year old, and every good one year old worth his salt has a totally awesome Batman jacket. James came with sunglasses, little adorable canvas shoes, a heavy appetite for goldfish crackers and ice cream, and two fabulous parents who like 90s rock as much as we do and were able to hold actual conversations about The Presidents of the United States of America and the Counting Crows. Also the Batman soundtracks (of course!). We met at the fountain in downtown Cary and walked around with these awesome guys, hitting up a flowering tree or two and doing our best to avoid grass (James, new to walking, has an extreme grass-aversion. He won’t walk on it, won’t touch it, and has a zero grass tolerance policy). There was also much cat discussion (this family has two, named after cheeses) and a lot of airplane noises made in the direction of James in attempts to get him to smile while we were in the vicinity of grass (which worried him). So here are some pictures of this adorable little boy and his parents, celebrating his birthday and his newfound walking skills and shunning grass at every turn. Happy birthday, James!