It was a day that I'd easily describe as freezing. They met me at an early 8am with their 3 kiddos: the littlest with the biggest smile, the middle with her deep blue eyes that seemed to see every bit of you both inside and out, and the oldest who wanted nothing more than to find his momma some flowers.

The parents told me that they wanted great photos of their kids...just being kids. 

My specialty. 

There's is no secret to keeping kids warm other than layers and movement. We ran and jumped and the littles snuggled with their parents when they needed. After about 15 minutes we saw that they were getting really cold and headed to a cafe for some chocolate chaud and heating.

With kids, especially little ones, you can't push them, you'll never get natural expressions that way nor will they have any fun.

Let them be THEM.

Isn't that what photos are for anyway? To capture their spirits in full blast, even if that means it’s next to a cafe heater or riding on dad’s shoulders.