Susanne Ashby Photography

As 2012 soon comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about my goals for next year and also about the ones I set this year . I wanted to do 12 photo shoots of my own children this year (one for each month) and while I didn’t make it to twelve as wedding season arrived and then the busy Christmas season, I’m so glad that I attempted this little project. I ended up taking more pictures of my kids, which is exactly why I set that goal in the first place, and I have some really unique pictures to show for it. I’ve also spent a lot more time dreaming up fun themed sessions and I’ll probably bring some of my ideas to shoots next year, as well. I can’t wait! For our Christmas cards this year, I had this idea in my head that didn’t turn out exactly like I wanted, but I’m still proud of this mini session. We drove about an hour to this adorable Christmas tree farm, called Crest Ranch, up in the mountains of Santa Cruz. It was quite an adventure…  the weather was a lot colder than we were expecting. We were FREEZING the entire time (I somehow forgot to bring a jacket!).  It also became dark a lot sooner than I expected, so by the time we got there after picking the kids up from school, the sun was nearly behind the hills! However, our entire family had a blast, and we were able to capture some great images for our card this year (and enjoyed hot chocolate and a trip to Pizza My Heart afterward – bonus!!!). Here are a few favorites from our quick little photo shoot…