Hakone Gardens

We had Kekoa's 1 year photo shoot yesterday at the gorgeous, tranquil Japanese tea gardens, Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. Auntie Cassie is such an amazing photographer and took the photos. Kekoa has such a connection with her and is totally at peace when she is around. I was a little worried since Kekoa only took a 50 minute nap and didn't really want to eat before we left, but he was as photogenic as ever and always so excited to be somewhere new. He has a very expressive face! He was such a trooper and very cooperative, as long as he had his Cheerios to snack on!

I picked Hakone Gardens because Scott and I went there last year, when I was pregnant. We were there exactly 1 month before Kekoa was born. It was like coming full circle to have Kekoa there yesterday. It was such a nice way to spend the early afternoon, walking around and finding the perfect spots to shoot, it was just so peaceful. Scott had his camera too and took some really cool photos of Kekoa sitting in this long, bushy grass. He was so cute, just kicking back and relaxing while the grass looked like it was a big fluffy cushion enveloping him. We also took photos in the bamboo forest, underneath a beautiful Japanese maple tree and along this rocky path. We had so much fun taking pictures! Thank you so much Cassie, we can't wait to see the photos you took!

July 19, 2009
The rocky path...
Blessings from the ancient redwood tree.











Cassie in action!


In case you were wondering what that sign said...