Cannon | 1 Year

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A few weeks ago, I worked with two sisters and their amazing families.  One sister, Megan, along with her husband, Chris, have an absolutely adorable son, Cannon.  And Cannon was already excited to celebrate his first birthday, which was April 16th!  Happy (belated!) Birthday, Cannon!  I hope you had a wonderful birthday, complete with family, friends, cake, and surprises!  Thank you for sharing your afternoon with me, it was so fun to meet you!  Family and friends can view Cannon's entire online gallery here.  And now for some of my favorites from the day!

Cannon's Mom is so creative and talented!  She made him

this adorable cowboy outfit to wear!  Love it!

A favorite!

Since it was a nice spring day, we headed outdoors for some more fun! 

Cannon loves sticks, and he found the perfect one for some photos!

Another favorite! 

Cannon, you are too adorable!  I just love his eyes, don't you? 

Taking some steps with Mommy...

Not only is Megan super-talented, she's super beautiful too! :)

Then it was time for a ride on Cannon's vintage scooter!

This image was a Sneak Peek on Facebook earlier this week, and I just couldn't leave it out of this post!  Such a happy little guy!  His smile is the BEST!

Cute lil' hand!

Hi there, Cannon!  

Another fave right here. 

Love this one too!  More steps...

That ten-gallon hat was such a fun prop!

And look what happened next!  Remember all those steps he took earlier with Mommy and then again with Mommy and Daddy?  Well, they paid off!  Cannon took his first steps - all by himself! - just minutes later!  Grandpa had come outside, and Cannon loves him to pieces and just had to go say hi!  So cool to see!  Have I mentioned how much I love what I do?! 

Megan, I may need to ask you to make some of these chaps for me...well not for me to wear, but for kiddos!  ;)

And Grandpa got some video of the momentous occasion too!  Love it!  Another favorite!

Hats off to you, Cannon!  ;)

Chris, Megan, and Cannon, thank you so much for such a fun session!  It was such a pleasure to meet you and your sweet family!  Cannon is just precious, what a lucky guy!  Happy 1st Birthday, Cannon!

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Recipe | Chicken Pesto Florentine

Pin It Do you ever find yourself in a cooking rut?  Always making the same dinners?  Like every Tuesday becomes taco night?  Or we're having grilled chicken...again!  Well, I was feeling this way yesterday, after having felt this way for a few weeks.  As I was editing, somehow Chicken Florentine popped into my head.  I was determined to find a good recipe and head to the grocery store!  After searching online, I found two recipes that I combined to make my own dish...and voila!  Chicken Pesto Florentine!  


As I was listening to Pandora and dicing onions, cooking chicken, baking bread, and chopping garlic, I posted on facebook that I was in the midst of making this wonderful dinner, or so I hoped!  I promised to share it, if and only if, it was, in fact, a delish dish!  The verdict is in, and with two votes, my husband's and mine, we WILL have this meal again in the future!  Plus, we have leftovers for the next couple of days!  Win!

           Chicken Pesto Florentine

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast*
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Cups Philadelphia Cooking Creme**
1 pound bowtie pasta or other small noodle
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Place oil in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in spinach leaves, cook, stirring until wilted about 2 minutes. Add chicken, salt, and pepper, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add cooking cream, stirring to combine.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Add pasta to chicken mixture stirring to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish and top with cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Makes 8 servings

Notes: 

*I didn't shred my chicken.  I used thin slices just to add more of a chunky texture to the dish.

**I did not have 2 cups of Philadelphia Cooke Creme, or cream cheese. After a quick google search, I learned that pureed cottage cheese was a substitute!  Hooray for not having to make another trip to the store!  

Sources: Bowtie Pasta | Picky Palate (main recipe), Pesto Pasta Recipe | Simply Recipes (brilliant idea to add pesto!), Common Ingredient Substitutions (so handy!)

A little spinach salad is a great addition, and as our friends say, salad makes any meal truly gourmet! ;)

Basil Pesto gave this dish just the punch of flavor that it deserves!

And pairing some lemon water in a wine glass made my lunch extra fancy today! 

I highly recommend adding some yummy crusty Italian bread to dip in the pesto sauce!  

This particular bread needed to be baked first, and it was so wonderfully fresh and warm out of the oven!

Bon Appétit!   Do you have a new favorite recipe?  I'd love to try it!  Leave it in the comments or email it to me!  If I make your dish, I will photograph it and send you a thank you! 

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Family | John + Sarah + Alice

Pin It I've been so excited to share images from this adorable family's recent spring session!   You may remember seeing this sweet couple, Sarah and John, on the blog a little over a year ago.   They were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first baby.  They had a perfect, beautiful baby girl named Alice Maryella.  She turned one this January, and with the early spring weather, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to capture this time in their lives.  John, Sarah, and Alice, thank you for sharing your morning with me!  You are so sweet, so kind, so fun, and such an inspiration!  And I'm so thankful to have you as friends!  Enjoy some of my favorites from your session!  Friends and family can view their entire gallery here.

We started the session in Alice's beautifully cheery nursery!  

One of many favorites from the day!

Such a sweet smile!!!

Alice has such beautiful blue eyes!  And she can crawl so fast!

 I just had to include the Sneak Peek that I posted on facebook (left)!  It is one of my all-time favorite family photos!

Then it was time to enjoy some nice spring weather!  What better way than with a swing!

Love these two!

Alice's dad, John, has quite a green thumb.  Alice wanted a perfect yellow tulip to hold!

Another favorite!

Oh, Alice, you are too adorable!

LOOOOOVE.

This one?  Another favorite. 

We had to get some photos with Louise!  She is just smitten with her little sister!

John, Sarah, and Alice, thank you for such a fun session!  I loved spending time with you guys and seeing how much love you have for each other!  

Alice, you have the best parents a girl could ask for, and you are the light of their lives!  

Thanks again for being so wonderful!

See you soon! 

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