i'm seeing yellow.

i've never been a yellow person... but lately, i'm finding it keeps drawing me in.

and i'm seeing little bits of it more and more in my life.

my favorite new hobo wallet:

i've been looking at these for years, finally i got one.

the greatest thing about this wallet is it's versitility.
 for everyday use, i just throw it into my messenger bag.

but, for a night out, i pull it out and carry it as a clutch.

i love the color it adds to an outfit.

a favorite lovely necklace that goes with everything: (from here)

i got this over a year ago and i wear it all the time. LOVE.

i'm not sure if the ACORN BEACH is still making things or not. 

but i hope so.

i think i would like to have my morning coffee out of this pretty:

just saw this today from VESSELSANDWARES. so much beautiful stuff there.

and of course there was this incident that happened in CA:

and i found this itty bitty yellow on a walk with my girl:

(she took the picture... pretty nice, would you say?)

perhaps my new found love for yellow is due to the lack of it in the sky here this month.

(but don't worry about us, elliot and i took matters into our own hands.)

regardless of how you feel about yellow,

i hope you're at least seeing it out of your window too. ;)

happy memorial day.

happy birthday to my mom.

and happy yellow.

xo.

three.

from my third CA photography session.

stanford | palo alto, CA

i don't mean to be dramatic.

but there are pictures from my sessions that make my heart sorta stop.

i have a physical reaction

to what i see:

a moment of real beauty and peace and wonder

that can exist within a family.

like this one:

i'm not sure how many minutes i've spent looking at this one.

i could spend more.

it's like a good song that you can hear over and over.

there is nothing forced. posed. structured.

it's just a moment of light.

this one does it to me too:

my heart stops.

i'm afraid of getting pregnant from staring at this too long.

that can happen right?

i'm not saying that it's something special about my photography.

what i'm saying is this sweet face or those moments

are TRUE beauty in this broken world.

it gives me hope. builds my faith. and reminds me of joy.

maybe you think i'm crazy... but i need to see this sort of thing.

******

okay. enough of this. here are some more lighthearted shots from the day.

like soccer in a ornate outdoor hallway...

and simple family time...

and bubbles... dad was a master at bubbles...

if he ever needs a second job, 

i'm considering creating a position as "photoshoot bubble blower."

and i can't leave some of these out.

i know it's too many to show you~

but i just can't choose.

so much sweetness. so many favorites.

thank you for hiring me again my friends... it's such a delight to watch you grow.

last day of five.

my baby girl turns SIX tomorrow.

we will wake her with breakfast in bed.

sing the song.

then, we will head to school

to show her classmates old pictures of her

and share five memories of her past years.

(that's what they do at our school instead of bringing treats.)

tonight, when i was tucking her into bed

and she was all snuggled up with the same blanket

and same thumb that you see in the photo above,

i said to her, "today is your last day of five."

(why do i do that kind of thing!?)

as soon as it was out of my mouth, 

the lump in my throat grew immense.

i told her, "that makes me kinda sad."

she turned her face around and i saw there were tears in her eyes.

she said, "it makes me sad too."

surprised, i asked her why it makes her sad.

she said, "i'm just sad because i feel like i might not be a little girl anymore."

then we talked about some of the great things of being five:

starting kindergarten

learning monkey bars

riding without training wheels

learning to read

and we talked about what six might be like:

riding faster

reading more

loosing baby teeth

and just growing bigger, stronger, and kinder. 

we are pretty sure being six makes you even nicer.

i'm sure SIX will be great, regardless.

i'm looking forward to walking it with you...

love you baby girl!!!

like i told you tonight... you'll always be my baby girl!

oh, remind me to post about our birthday parties this year.

we've had a really good time.

two.

second CA photography session.
at home | menlo park, ca

fresh lemonade.

homemade chocolate chip cookies.

and this little peanut.

were all waiting on me for my second CA session. 

this little fella gave his parents a scare by coming into their lives early.

they spent way too many days in the hospital.

with wires. needles. monitors.

and praying. oh and lots of waiting.

but little nealon is now home.

thriving, wouldn't you say?

it's amazing what being surrounded by two adoring parents can do for a guy.

his room was cooler than any room i've ever lived in.

one of my most favorite shots below with the beautiful mama and delightful nealon:

safe and snug with daddy:

happiness.

love.

snuggly baby skin.

don't you just want to hold him?

and then there was the music:

i always think there is something special about families who share music together.

especially when they have as awesome accordion case to put their babies into. ;)

you guys are wonderful parents to nealon...

he is beautiful and i'm so thankful to have spent some time with you!!

(you guys are welcome to post any of these to fb or your blog.)

one.

i've been busy.

i had the privilege of photographing seven families in CA

two weekends ago.

so this post is ONE. out of SEVEN.

hope you all can get used to seeing some of these sessions. ;)

have i mentioned how much i LOVE my job????

what a joy. truly.

so these are two favorites from my first session.

(v. @ seven months)

(a. @ four years)

 japanese tea garden | san francisco, ca

i have totally been swooning.

over babies.

little girls.

floral patterns.

veggie t-shirts.

golden gate park.

and the love in this family of four:

(1)

the dad who left a REALLY busy day for photos...

"because it was important to his bride."

(2)

a mom who uses her eye for beauty

to show her girls another way of seeing the world.

(3)

a big sister who explores her world with vigor

and loves her sister with tenderness.

(4)

and the baby girl who just seems to make it all okay.

with her sparkly eyes and contagious smile.

you four are a privilege to watch.

i hope you see what i do in your photos!

(for more, head over to katieprentiss photography facebook page.)

or if it's just to difficult to go there,

here is a mash-up of some of my favorites:

(laura, you're more than welcome to post any of these to your blog if you'd like!)