July 28, 2026
Some of the sweetest family memories are made in the most ordinary places. In this session, it all started right in Katie Oleson’s home, with a little flour on the counter, bare feet on the carpet, and everyone gathered together ready to make chocolate chip cookies.
As soon as I walked in the door, the tiniest blonde cutie came up to me and said, “We’re making SWEET TREATS!” The excitement was loud and infectious!
For Katie and her kiddos, Layla, Sophia, and Jesse, their recent family session began in the kitchen with cookie dough, tiny hands and plenty of joyful chaos.
Katie stayed nearby, lovingly supervising, smiling and embracing the mess as part of the memory. Meanwhile, Jesse followed the family dog around the kitchen counter, keeping a close watch on everything happening above him. Every so often, he would sneak in for a closer look—or a tiny taste when mom plopped him on the counter—before returning to his very important puppy pursuit or mommy snuggles.
Layla and Sophia twirled through the living room in their new ruffle dresses, swirling across the carpet and showing off every layer before heading into the kitchen to bake. Once the ingredients were mixed, the girls enthusiastically “kneaded” the dough until it was nearly liquid—a baking technique entirely their own.
The beauty of an in-home family session is that no one has to perform. Children can move, explore, play, and settle into the spaces where they already feel most comfortable. The photographs become less about creating the perfect moment and more about preserving what life actually feels like right now.
Layla and Sophia twirled through the living room in their new ruffle dresses, swirling across the carpet and showing off every layer before heading into the kitchen to bake. Once the ingredients were mixed, the girls enthusiastically “kneaded” the dough until it was nearly liquid, a baking technique I’ve truly never seen before :).
After the cookies were finished and the kitchen sufficiently covered in dough, everyone headed outside for the perfect ending: splashing in the hose, running through the grass and soaking up the freedom of a warm afternoon.
It was playful, imperfect and completely full of love.
Family photographs do not always need a grand location or elaborate plan. Sometimes, the most meaningful session begins with a favorite recipe, a few beautiful dresses, and permission to let the evening unfold exactly as it will.
Because years from now, the mess will be long gone, but the sweetness of this season will still be there in captured photographs and sweet sweet memories.
Comments