I’m thinking babies grow too fast. This little sweetie belongs to my friends Kacy and Chad—and it seems like just a few weeks ago that I held her newborn body in my arms at the hospital. Priya is wearing pink and white striped Osh Kosh overalls in this shot. Livia had a similar pair she wore as a little bitty girl. Now that I think of it, all kids grow fast! Which is why [cough cough] you should hire me to take your family photos.

Our kids? They keep growing, with or without our express permission. So get those family pictures scheduled and then make actual prints for your walls. And whether you hire me or not, that’s another thing entirely. You know where to find me. ;)

If you’ve ever taken family pictures with me, you know I’ll say “we’re done!” and then we’ll proceed to take a few more shots on our way to the finish line. There’s a reason I do this. Every so often the payoff is magical. Everyone relaxes, moods lift, the light is glorious, and inspiration is mine.

Thanks for the Rajala family for being awesome. More images to come.

**So my husband just asked who took this picture and who’s the girl in the picture. My feathers got a bit ruffled as I said, “Me! And Tess Wittmann!” And that’s not the point, I thought with a little indignation. Yes, the blurry image is a change of pace from my norm; however that’s exactly what I was in the mood for today—a change of pace. I posted it because I really like it. I like the movement captured, I like the colors and I like the composition. Explanation complete.

Remember this family from two years ago? Here they are again, featured on The Prairie Box, and perhaps taking home a special award for the Most Hilarious Kids Ever. I could hang out with Marshall and Bryce all day because their energy and goofiness kills me. The first pic below is so very JC Penney catalog and yet I absolutely adore it. I can reassure you they didn’t maintain those serious faces for more than two seconds.

Thanks to the Parishes for hanging out with me and my camera! I think you guys are great.

My friend Amy waited a long time for this baby, this little guy who filled up her arms and her heart last fall. I am so excited to see their sweet family again this weekend!

One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous… He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter—the boy who lived!”

I have been waiting so long to read Harry Potter to Livia. It is time! While Jeremy is at a meeting we decided to crack open some play dough and get reading. Or rather, I decided to do this and Livia went along with my plans until…

She was done. And bored again. But Mom wanted to read more. So…

Face paints. Hoo boy, let the good times roll.

This is life with one child in the Tredway household. Harry Potter and play dough and face paints in the span of a two hour meeting on a quiet Sunday morning. You know what also happens with life with one child? Television. I think we set an all-time television-watching-record-of-shame yesterday, so today we’re trying to counter it with something more productive.

**As something of a postscript to my post: Livia would like you to guess what she is in these pictures. The second shot captures her in action.

Karen Choi’s debut album Paper Birch will be released October 16. You can listen a song and read a bit more about Karen on her new site. I could encourage you to buy a copy of Paper Birch simply to support an artist from Lincoln, Nebraska—and that would be good enough. But people? This album is going to be great, so you should buy it to support Karen and, of equal importance, to please your ears.

Lucas, a 2013 senior at Lincoln Southwest High school, had grand plans of not cutting his hair during his senior year (or is it just for the football season?), so his mom requested his session a bit earlier. Last spring, to be exact. I went out to his family’s acreage and enjoyed a beautiful evening outside the city. I remember babysitting Lucas and his big sister many many years ago. Suffice to say, the kid has grown a bit since then.

I hope you have an awesome senior year, Lucas. Go, Silver Hawks!

Happy birthday to my husband Jeremy! The two people in this shot are incredibly precious to me—they make this life sweet indeed.