We could not have asked for a more beautiful winter day in Utah for family photos! 
This wonderful family drove all the way down to here to Lindon, Utah for this beautiful location called Wadley Farm. This location is absolutely beautiful, whether your style is a deep wood & trees or fountains & flower gardens. They are so friendly here and remembered me from just coming in to book our appointment. It's been the most beautiful wedding venue that I have come across yet in Utah, I LOVE it!
And this family... aren't they beautiful! 
Grandma came all the way from Switzerland for a visit and we added so much life to our session. Her energy and playful nature is definitely something being passed along to the rest of the family. There is no better family to work with than playful and happy!
Each child had their own personality and adorable little unique traits.  
My favorite ... the freckles!

Having no children of my own (yet) I am always caught off guard by how young personality starts to show in kids. This has been something I have especially noticed with "Cake Smash" photography sessions, which are most common to celebrate the 1st birthday. Some kids hate to get messy! Some kids LOVE it (even a little too much)!
Sometimes we have babies that just can't stand having frosting on their hands, sometimes they look up to see if they're aloud and sometimes they really DIG IN!
For me, the messier the baby the better! It's so cute and not every day that they get Mom excited about cleaning up a huge mess. So, here are some tips that I've come up with to help make your cake smash photography session a success for you as the parents!
1 - Throw your expectations for your baby's reaction out the window.
They are who they are, but know that by the end they always cry, it's ok. They're sticky, high on sugar and probably exhausted from all the fun they've been having!
2- Do a practice run at home! I have had many mom's with incredible baking & DIY skills who want to make their own cake to bring to the session. If you're going to make a practice cake at home, why not let your little one take a couple fit fulls out of it! 
(You could just use a cupcake if you don't want a huge mess, but still want a trial run.)
Babies that have been "allowed" to be messy with a cake before are typically more comfortable and dig right in. Making for bolder images and less convincing time.
3- Plan on a mess! That's the fun part of the whole thing, messy is good when it comes to this. 
4- We will always do the pretty pictures in fancy clothes first, cake smash last. So don't worry if your cake has brightly dyed frosting because the baby is all yours afterward!

Hope these little tips make you feel a little more comfortable and excited about your cake smash session, they are some of my favorites to do!