I decided to go to OHS’s website to start. I was amazed that I could filter by personality traits. Laid back, affectionate, playful, good with children, and good with cats… our little Cougie had lots to fill! My results were just shy of one page, and Cougar stood out. I spent a couple of days thinking about going to meet him. Then the night before we were going, he got transferred to an outreach location, Cedar Mill Veterinary Hospital.

We went early on a Saturday morning, and they brought him into a private room to spend time with us. He was instantly kissing us and seemed to even like Mackenzie. I say even because many cats we met were scared of her since she can be loud and make sudden moves, like most toddlers. I wanted to take him home but hubby being the practical one said we should think about it. So we left and continued our day of meeting cats at Sherwood’s Cat Adoption Team shelter. I’m not sure why we went because all Dan and the little one could say all afternoon was “Cougar”.

When we got home the vet’s office was at was closed for the weekend so we had to wait for Cougar. First thing Monday morning I called and was very happy to hear he was still there. Mackenzie and I went to pick him up that afternoon. He didn’t care for the car ride much but seemed to make himself at home pretty quickly. What used to be referred to as my office is now called Cougar’s room.

He posed wonderfully for my camera on Easter, when he wasn’t trying to rummage through Mackenzie’s basket.

The night before we had made up a basket and hid plastic eggs with candy inside.  We left the real eggs that were colored on Good Friday to hide later, upstairs.  On Saturday night as we were filling eggs, I was putting in 1-2 little mini candies in each egg.  Hubby of course commented, “but look I can fit 4″.  For some reason I listened and starting putting in more.  Back to Sunday morning, no breakfast yet and now Mackenzie is finding lots of eggs, all filled with multiple pieces of candy.  I start running around the room discretely taking eggs that she has not seen yet and stashing them in a kitchen drawer, realizing the sugar madness we are about to experience.

After way too much chocolate, and a rejected breakfast of strawberries, cheese, and whole wheat crackers, one at a time we hid colored real eggs upstairs. I was a bit scared that they could not compare to plastic ones full of candy.  We went up and started our hunt.  Apparently I hid the eggs for my hubby to find.  My little girl is bright but I seemed to forget she is just over two and couldn’t possibly find them in her doll’s diaper case or under a bunch of pillows. She did get a kick out of it though, running around announcing “we found egg!”.

We had tons of fun, and once the sugar wore off, enjoyed a quiet family day together.

Style: Some families prefer more posed portraits while others want someone to capture candids during a little part of their day. Look over the photographer’s work and make sure your ideas mesh. If you have specific ideas of what you want talk to your photographer before booking the session.

Time of Day: If you have a toddler that always naps from noon to two, schedule for early in the morning or late in the afternoon. You may have a job that keeps you up late, and feel your best in the afternoon. If you are doing outdoor portraits, morning and evening light are very different. Mid-day sun can sometimes be harsh. Most photographers will know how to work with different light but you may have a preference.

Weather and Environment: I try to make recommendations for photography locations based on the families ages but every child is different. My daughter can not stand to be hot but a little bit of a cool breeze and she can still be happy. Some little ones can be some place that requires more quiet, where others have to be free.

Dress: Much of what I talk about in my engagement photography post applies here too. Be comfortable, don’t clash but no need to coordinate, and be yourself!

Food and other Needs: When scheduling portrait sessions, especially with babies, I keep in mind that they will need to stop to have a diaper change, to nurse, or have a snack. With toddlers, they may just need a little break to run wild or be quiet. Bring snacks, extra jackets, and changes of clothing. If you have a newborn, you may want to have an extra shirt for yourself too.

Communication: Let the photographer know if your two year old likes to run at the camera (like mine), or you have an expression that you make and don’t like. Chatting and feeling comfortable really helps create great family portraits.