Photography: Crystal Amen started her photography adventure in 2012, specializing in all aspects of photography. Crystal has three young daughters that love to be her models when she isn't photographing clients. Crystal lives in Cottonwood, CA, where she and her husband raise about 30 head of cattle and help run the family feed store, Shasta Farm & Equipment. Check out her work at crystalamenphotography.com. (more…)

Cora Hanelt enjoys gymnastics, baking, cake decorating, soccer, hockey, skiing, gardening, getting good grades, helping take care of her two-year-old sister and playing with her eight-year-old brother. She also loves to visit Maagic Mountain Farm (maagicmtnherd.com) in Mt. Shasta, CA, to cuddle with the mini Nubian kids as pictured on the cover.

On the Cover: Schooldays are returning! For many of our North State students, schools are welcoming kids back into the classrooms with COVID-19 safety measures in place and a healthy dose of cautious optimism. This school year will look different, but children are still anticipating a return to connection and learning with the same eagerness as always, whether they will be learning on campus, as homeschoolers or in the digital classroom. Let’s support them with a genuine positivity about learning.Children are constantly observing and looking to you their parent while they form their own opinions and thoughts. Your child will be much more excited about school and willing to learn if they know you are equally excited about it as well.

Photography: Photographer Katie Drake snapped this darling photo at Book Family Farm, Katie’s childhood home and favorite backdrop. Katie, who has a husband and three children, specializes in child and family portraits. Find Katie’s work at www.facebook.com/katiedrakephotography On the Cover: Men today are redefining the role of father, dismissing the idea that fathers are best known for roughhousing and silly jokes. Today’s fathers are partners and teachers, support systems and active participants in each aspect of their family’s day to day lives. Kevin and Leah joyfully share the responsibilities of raising their children Eliana and Owen and both parents a vital part of the dynamic duo of parenthood. 

Photography: Nicole Roberts Photography. Nicole specializes in family photography, on location or in her beautiful, spacious 3,200-square-foot studio near downtown Chico. In addition to capturing special moments with your growing family, her full-service studio offers framing, prints, fine art and more. Contact Nicole at (530) 895-8000. On the Cover: Growth and grins are shared by Ava Vanella, age 6, and her pediatrician, Anna Robertson, DO, FAAP, during a health check-up at Chico Pediatrics. Ava enjoys art, singing and dancing and her health is important to her dream of being an American Ninja Warrior.