I’ve been loving these lifestyle sessions so much over the Winter! For Melanie’s sixth birthday photos, we did a bit extra this time. We did a full day-in-the-life session capturing fun moments of her, mom Steph and dad Kris spending time doing things they love. Games, nails and makeup, cooking in the kitchen and of course jumping on the bed were all part of the fun!

Every kid is pretty excited to get the “go-ahead” to jump on the bed and Mel was no exception. She seemed like a pro though…so I’m guessing she’s done this before! She was also a big fan of showing me all the pretty things in her room. She’s had the giraffe in the corner since her newborn pictures and I’m thinking she’s about as tall as him now. *sniff sniff*

They also got comfy on what has really become the “family bed.” I know how that goes! If you’re lucky you’ll be able to keep your whole body on the very edge without falling out while kids and dogs sprawl out in the middle. Right?! I don’t think I’m alone in this!

And while game-time was super fun, it’s not always an easy task keeping kids (…and maybe mom…) from cheating a little bit. Haha! I’m pretty sure bumping into people during their turn in operation is grounds for disqualification, but we allowed it because it was hilarious! Anything for smiles and laughs!

After game-time Kris started boiling potatoes since Mel’s favorite food (at least for now) is mashed potatoes. They would finish cooking them together, but in the meantime we decided to do some fingernail painting. Melanie already had purple nails and Steph informed me that they couldn’t locate any remover at the moment. So lucky mom got to have her nails painted…for work tomorrow…with no remover in site (sorry Steph)! Actually, Mel did a pretty good job! Better than I was expecting anyway. She even knew to wipe the brush off first before painting. She also forgot to do that a few times. Hehe!

Our starving little almost six year old was anxious to finish up those potatoes so she mashed like she’s never mashed before! There were potatoes flying and happy dogs ready and willing to help clean up the mess! I knew kitchen time with dad was an important part of the day to capture because they love cooking together. In fact, Melanie’s birthday party will be baking themed. I’m thinking she’s going to be one amazing cook someday! Maybe it’s not the norm, but we ended this session with spoonfuls of mashed potatoes and it was just perfect!

Melanie’s smile says it all!