Chris, Tali, Jesse & Ava

Having just moved into a new house, Tali and Chris are still settling in, but they are so smitten with their home that they wanted to capture these precious early memories as things came together. This is the house they have been dreaming about for a long time and although it is not yet finished, they were keen to get some photos all together with Ava while big brother Jesse was home for the holidays. The family are very outdoorsy people, loving swimming, boating, traveling and anything outside with the dogs, but this was their first Christmas in their new home so it seemed like the perfect spot for the shoot.

I love that they decided to go glam for the shoot. It makes it such an occasion and really makes for dramatic images. This is their living room which is still very stark but I loved it for the photos. Of course I rearranged everything to get the best light but think it is such a fun angle with even a glimpse of their amazing water view in the glass doors of the fireplace.

The dogs are absolutely a part of the family and how divine is it that the carpet almost seems to match the whippets' coats? Cookie, the female whippet, was given to Ava for her second birthday, and a year later, for her third birthday, Oscar joined the family. Sweet little Marchello is a Yorkie and is only six months old and was a gift for Ava's 5th birthday - can you imagine the house full of animals in a few years time if they keep up the birthday presents at the same rate?

Ava adores having Jesse home. He is so great with her and she is his biggest fan.

Seventeen year old Jesse loves his computer and always has. He is also a voracious reader. He shares his mother's love of travel and together, they have seen 13 countries together. He also really enjoys charitable work and has gone to El Salvador with Habitat for Humanity for the past three summers and is thinking of going to Kenya this summer for the same reason.

Ava is five and is a princess in every sense of the word. She adores spending time with her friends, playing dress up (in princess costumes of course!) though lately that has changed to trying on every outfit in her wardrobe and trying to look like a teenager. She has a shoe closet that rivals Imelda Marcos, yet as much as she is a princess, she is also very active in sports from gymnastics to karate to jazz, tap and ballet. She loves animals, nature and the outdoors, while also loving spending time in her dreamy new bedroom and playroom which is bright and happy and girly and the perfect place to let the imagination go wild.

Christmas morning, Ava was taken down to the bottom of the garden and shown her gift. In secret, her parents had had constructed the most elaborate tree house. It was unveiled to one very surprised little girl who was over the moon with her new home away from home. There is lots they want to do with it and our shoot was only days after the holiday so it was all very new, but we decided to have a tea party down there and make some real memories. Ava brought down her favourite teddies and some tea party things. We even brought her mini Christmas tree and some blankets and pillows, plus picked some gorgeous roses from their garden. It was magical.

Then Jesse joined in and later the whole family, including all the dogs and it was just such fun, I didn't know how to contain myself - I love these sorts of shoots!

Tali is such a babe, I couldn't get over the fact that she is mother to a seventeen year old. I love this picture and couldn't choose which processing I preferred so I included both.

These two have such a lovely closeness - so nice to see a teenage boy still love his mama bear so much!

And cute Chris was a darling and these two just look great together.

Tali, Chris, Jesse and Ava - thanks for such a fun shoot - I love your new home and am so happy for you. So many memories have already been made in that home and such a wonderful future lies ahead. xxx