my sister in law has amazing taste.  she buys the best quality organic food, she works for the best companies and she has the best taste in quality home decor.  it never hurt my feelings that my sis-in-law didn’t ask me to do her photos.  honestly.  i knew she was a stickler for amazing images so why would she ask me.  when i compared myself to the photographers she has used in the past, i didn’t feel up to par.  seriously.  i am not fishing for compliments or throwing myself a pity party.  there is always room for improvement and there will always be a million amazing photographers out there.  but this time…she asked me.  the moment the words spilled through the phone, i felt i had reached some high-up altitude in mountain climbing or some crazy level in Call of Duty.  i let the hot air evacuate my head and laughed out loud at the fact that i was probably chosen because all her other options were exhausted.  yeah…that sounded more accurate.  either way…i could hardly wait for my avery doodle session.

sweet avery.  + doodle.  that is what i call her.  avery doodle.  i think because she is super sweet…like a cookie.  a snicker-doodle cookie.  and avery doodle just seemed to fit well.  or i just made all of that up and just decided to call her that one day without any rhyme or reason.  but it stuck.  for three years now, that is what we call her and i don’t foresee it to end.

all my sessions are special for one reason or another but this one…this was extra special.  i got to spend the evening with my one and only niece, playing and giggling and prancing around seattle on one of the last summer days we might have seen this year.  even more special…it was all about avery.  normally she has three little funny cousins to compete with for attention, but this evening…it was all about avery doodle.  loved it.

she read me and dog (her favorite stuffed animal) her favorite book in her favorite skirt with her favorite bare feet.  so fitting that pinkalicious happens to be her most loved book since pink is her most loved color.  couldn’t tell by the outfit could you?

avery is super smart.  as she flipped the pages, she made up the story from what she could recall and was very emphatic about it all.  sorry yellow…pink might be MY favorite color now!

there were these huge amazing chrome column rounds strewn about as if a chrome column had fallen over near a museum.  then a mysterious giant seemed to have taken a giant chrome butter knife and cut the chrome column up as if they were cutting a chrome banana to sprinkle on top of their cheerios…but then just left them lying on their sides on the ground.  and this is the visual picture i paint for you if just to describe the item giving such an awesome reflection of my beautiful niece.  we played peek-a-boo over the 3 foot high rounds for quite some time.  i loved that she didn’t know i could see her in the reflection of the round behind her…sneaky auntie amy!

sometimes (i have learned) when kids get bored of having their photo taken, it is fun to pull out a little prop for them to play with.  i know it wasn’t raining but hey…i am a sucker for polka dots.  and big eyes.  and my niece.  so i let her play!  and she took my breath away.

and then she started making these silly faces that mommy, daddy and i had never seen.  we could make an entire story board of giggle out of all the faces we caught.  oh avery.

down to the pier to catch some sunset light.  avery loves to never stop moving.  but she especially loves to jump.  so she jumped.  and jumped.  and just when i was getting tired from watching her jump, she would start again.  and again…

after all that jumping, the evening was winding down.  she was sick of having her picture taken but we wanted to squeeze a couple more shots in with this awesome dress.  did i mention that my sis has the best taste in clothes?  avery’s closet is every mother-of-a-girl’s dream.  f’real.

to make avery feel like we weren’t taking pictures any more, we had to do some serious staging.  while this photo may seem easy…it was not.  i really wanted to capture one of the many milestones she had reached as she turned three.  bye bye boo.  boo = binky/pacifier and as she turned tres, she had to say good bye to her long loved friend.  if she saw these in our possession, the night would have been over.  with mommy’s help and daddy’s awesome dance moves, we got the shot without her even knowing what was going on.  avery doodle…i am so proud of you for being such a big girl!

looking for the octopus [brown kelp] in the water near the aquarium.  i swear…those eyes…

avery has an awesome relationship with mommy and daddy.  one that tugs at your heart a bit.  she loves them with everything she is.  she runs to them, cries out for them, wraps her arms around their necks and giggles with them.  she loves them and that love is definitely and fully returned.  and felt by all those around them.

thank you avery doodle.  holding your hand, tickling your belly and kissing your cheeks never felt so good.  i am so honored to be your auntie and thank God for every moment we get together.  special time with you was super fun and my strong feelings are that we need more auntie + avery dates.  and thank you sis.  you always show me such faith and support.  you believe in me, you give me opportunity and you stand by me through thick and thin.  i love you and am so humbled that you asked me to do miss avery doodles three year pictures.  i am honored to be your high quality or your last resort.  thank you.