Joanna & I have known each other for EIGHT years -- honestly, even typing that I have no idea how so many years have passed since we first met moving boxes into an apartment one summer! We were roommates in Boston in our twenties, and we enjoyed so many adventures together with the other girls that we lived with.

Now she's on a whole new kind of adventure with her husband and their handsome little toddler in Charlestown. When she suggested a family portrait session at Monument Square in Charlestown, I was so excited to get to explore this beautiful location in their neighborhood that they visit every night with their son Holden to tire him out before bedtime.

She wanted a perfectly New England vibe, with sweaters, flannel, beautiful foliage, and a hint of glamour with a gold sequined skirt from Rent the Runway that looked AMAZING on her!

Nicole Starr Photography | Saratoga Springs Family Photographer | Boston Family Photographer | Upstate NY Family Photographer | Family Photographer

Holden, of course, was such a little flirt and he loved posing on my tiny wooden stool and smiling for the camera. How adorable is he with those rolled cuffs peeking out of his sweater?!?!

One thing about toddlers during portrait sessions is that they are always in the "Energizer Bunny Mode". We went up and down the hill, chasing Holden all around the monument as he was on the lookout for all of the puppies out for their evening stroll. This little boy is obsessed with puppies, and they were the only thing that made him slow down and smile -- so cute!