After a beautiful stretch of summer spent with my own family — road trips, catching sunsets, making memories — I’m finally back and ready to share some of the joy I’ve been lucky enough to capture behind the lens.

This session felt like childhood bottled up: wild, colorful, spontaneous, and full of laughter. To celebrate their baby boy turning one, this family opted for a paint splash instead of the traditional cake smash — and it turned out to be the sweetest kind of messy magic.

We met in the early morning in Grandma’s backyard — open, wooded, quiet, and filled with soft light dancing through the trees. The setup was simple: a blank canvas, homemade edible paint (just in case it ended up in any mouths — spoiler: it did), a few brushes, and two excited kids in their paint clothes.

We gave Little Brother the spotlight first, holding Big Sister back so he could ease into it on his own. At first, he was cautious, just dipping one curious finger into the pallet, but soon, something clicked. He was all in — hands deep in paint, streaks of color running up his arms, a brush (or two) tucked into the back pocket of his denim overalls, and golden curls speckled with blue and red. And yes, he did taste test the paint… more than once.

Once Big Sister joined in — tutu and all — the session exploded into full-on color and chaos. She dove in without hesitation, bringing energy, joy, and just enough mischief to balance her brother’s quiet curiosity. Giggles filled the air, paint flew, and we even ended with a bit of spontaneous face painting. One small hiccup... we may have forgotten that Big Sister had a dance recital just a couple of days later! But thankfully, a good long bubble bath did the trick, and there was no lasting evidence of the blue streaks across her cheeks.

This session reminded me how beautiful it is to document joy in ways that feel true to each family. Sometimes it’s a quiet moment in the nursery. Sometimes it’s a barefoot toddler, covered in paint, in the middle of the woods at 10 a.m.

If you're looking for a fun, low-stress, personality-filled way to mark your little one’s milestone — this paint splash session might just be the perfect fit.

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