cora tripodi: family.

chrissy has been one of my closest friends since pretty much forever.  we went to the same school and church all growing up, spent a lot of time playing video games and eating ice cream snicker bars in her basement, loved to put on makeup and take photos modeling together as "cover girls" (ha!), studied for just about every test together, worked on just about every project together, were bridesmaids in each other's weddings, married men who have quite a bromance going on, and even now as we live a long way away from each other, always manage to pick back up right where we left off.

chrissy is one of those women who just seems to know how to do it all. she is an amazing wife and mom and can somehow manage the ups and downs of raising three small kids with such grace and joy. whenever we are together, i just watch in utter amazement. 

so when i was back in rockford this last week, i was more than happy to take photos of her youngest, cora, for her first birthday. cora is one of the sweetest babies i've been around (she must get it from her mom). she laughed, dug in to her cake, and didn't seem to mind at all when we gave her a little bath in the middle of the backyard. 

bottom line: tripodi family, i just adore you. you've got a really good thing going on here. 

hattie ray: family.

you may remember this little lady from some photos i took of her last year, and it's incredible to see how much she's grown in such a short time. 

hattie is our landlords' daughter, so i get the privilege of seeing her adorable face all the time. she loves to sit in her baby pool in the front lawn, play with her bucket and rakes, pick rocks for her collection, and just be the cutest little girl you've ever seen.

i can't wait to watch her continue to grow and learn and start talking up a storm because i know it's only a matter of time.

i realize i say this a lot, but you will just die when you look at these photos. the cuteness is just too much.

the williams: family.

tameka is one of those people you just love instantly. we've worked together for the past three years, and i love to stop by her office to chat whenever i get the chance. she is hilarious, thoughtful, and loves to talk about clothes, so clearly we were meant to be friends. 

this photo shoot was extra special because she wanted to take family photos to send to her husband who is currently deployed. she was able to put a care package together for him and send these along for father's day. 

it's clear her children are completely adorable and equally as hilarious. we had a horse drop by for part of the shoot, which they loved, and only a couple of them ended the evening with allergic reactions (whoops!) 

enjoy some of my favorites of these adorable kids and their amazing mamma! 

the rwubusisis: family.

you may remember sam and becki and their adorable twins, lila and noah from the photos of their first birthday party last year. well, now they are back and more adorable (if that's even possible) than ever.

sam and becki are good friends of ours, and we just adore their family. they are amazing people, who parent with a lot of humor and honesty, and i always love spending time with them.

our afternoon photo shoot last weekend was no different. lila and noah are masters of the poker face, and i couldn't help but laugh watching sam and becki pull out their most ridiculous antics to get them to smile.

and then they pulled out the sunglasses, and i just about died. 

enjoy some of my favorites from our afternoon in the park with this adorable family. you probably won't be able to handle it.