One year old Diya with big sister Zoya

Oh fall, how I miss thee!  We had a couple weeks of gorgeous fall weather in the Chicagoland area this year, and then we were soon struck with winter.  So here I am, re-living that weather with this session.  The two sisters are so adorable together.  I love how they had coordinating outfits throughout the whole session, including matching dresses at the end!  Here's a peek of this little family:

Zoya was so happy at the end when we told her we were all done, that she took the opportunity to run around us in circles.  This picture captures the excitement in her smile!  Hope the sunshine in these photos warmed up your day!  

Zayna's cake smash and session with big brother Ayman

Rain, rain, go away, we have some pictures to take today!  Unfortunately, my tune of the day wasn't as successful as I had hoped, so we had to do a little improvising and change our plans of a photo session at the park.  I headed to a book store with Ayman and Zayna where we ended up with these beautiful pictures of the two.  It amazes me how a three year old already fulfills the role of "big brother" by making sure his little sister is safe and happy at all times.  Vice versa, even at one, Zayna already looks to Ayman for his guidance and approval   Check out how sweet these two are together:

 

I love Zayna's expressions in those last two photos!  A few days later, we got together again to celebrate Zayna's birthday with some cake.  It was the first time she tasted something so sweet, and she kept coming back for more.  At first, she was being extremely cautious and kept glancing at her parents to make sure she wasn't going to get in trouble.  But once she figured out the whole cake was for her, she went at it.  

TBT: Jaydin's cake smash

Meet Jaydin: my little fireball.  This photo shoot was done 18 months ago, right before his first birthday.  Back then he was an innocent little one, now at 2.5 innocent wouldn't be the best word to describe him.  He's sassy, energetic, demanding, and consuming, all while also being warm, loving, compassionate, and extremely caring.  He mimics those around him, which can be heart-warming at times, and embarrassing at others.  But let's throwback to the time he was my sweet little 1 year old.

I remember preparing for this photo shoot for weeks.  I was going through Pinterest for inspiration and finally found a day where my husband and I would both be home; I figured I would need an extra hand in case the situation got messy.

The evening before cake smash day, I baked the cake and then fell asleep early, as I was exhausted.  The next morning, I woke up with the worst fever and nausea ever.  I was flu struck!  My husband kept telling me that we'll take the pictures another day, but with Jaydin's birthday a week away, I knew there would be no other day!  Plus the cake was all ready to go so I insisted we take the pictures anyways.  Take a look at our cake smash bash.

And the aftermath: