Happy Monday! I'm going to share snippets of my recent sessions along with one advice blog post a week. I'm kicking off this week with Aspen's birthday float, a flamingo we purchased from Urban Outfitters (currently on sale in stores too!). Since it was a floor model, I purchased mine for $28 (insanely good deal). I might have to go back for the lily pad and seashell floats. I think Aspen enjoyed it too!
Local Preview: Aldie, Virginia & Delaplane, Virginia
As part of our year long goal to visit every Virginia state park, we headed west to Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane and stopped in Aldie along the way.
Sky Meadows State Park: I've been to Sky Meadows multiple times and must say it's one of our favorite spots in Northern Virginia. It's surprising how few people visit this park, located just 60 miles from DC and closer than Shenandoah National Park with miles of trails, cows, chickens (new!), campsites, ponds for fishing, and more. If you haven't been, and especially if you have kids, put it on your to do list for the summer but be sure to dress accordingly; Aspen and Koa came back with more ticks than I've ever seen. I think we're going to see a bad tick season if this weekend is any preview (ugh! tips for combatting them welcomed).
Aldie Mill: I took the long way via route 50 and finally stopped at Aldie's historic Mill. So glad we did as it was pet friendly! The two tour guides couldn't have been more generous; they saw me snapping pictures of Koa and Aspen near the mill and told us to come in for the next tour. It's a quick tour but perfect for kids because you see how the mill works and you even get to touch the grain produced by their short demo.
Here's a preview of our weekend but more to come -
Koa and Aspen sit inside one of the fireplaces at historic Aldie Mill.
Koa enjoys the cow from a distance.
Adventure Friday: Koa at Lake Moomaw, Virginia
Where are your weekend plans taking you? It's raining most of the weekend so we're catching up on sleep, photo editing, and potentially playing in the rain for fun shots. It's hard to believe this shot was taken over a year ago at Lake Moomaw when Koa was only a few months old. I'll be sharing adventure pictures of the pups every Friday to encourage getting outside during the weekend.
Hope y'all have a good one!
Alexandria Family Session: Feat. Tanner the Golden Puppy
She emailed me about taking pictures of their newest addition: a 10 week old golden retriever puppy named Tanner. Yes, please? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely jealous of this couple. From their outfits to adorable Tanner, I wanted it all. And can we just look at that fluff ball? I just wanted to squeeze him (who doesn't feel like this when seeing a cute puppy?).
We played around Belle Haven Marina before heading to historic Old Town Alexandria where Tanner didn't fall asleep once. I mean check out that epic running/Baywatch picture of Tanner; I died. Thank you both for asking me to document this special time - before you know it, Tanner will be a big beast like Koa yet act as if his size hasn't changed!
