Us.

We have this amazingly talented friend named Lisa.  I've known her since I was in kindergarten.  Our  moms met at a garage sale that my mom was having.......and the rest........well.......you know how it goes.    Lisa grew up to become a wizard behind the camera and the pictures she takes of our family are some of my most prized possessions.

She can capture all of G's bigger than life personality through her lens and even when I don't know she's taking pictures at our shoots she's getting some of the best stuff yet.  She'll travel anywhere and come up with the most creative ideas you've ever seen.  Check out her website!

And check out some of my favorites from our session this past month!

One of the things that I value most about going and having our family pictures taken is how they freeze time in a very specific way.  They're just us.  They aren't about a birthday party that's happening, presents that are being unwrapped, a funny dive in a pool, a new puppy, a fishing trip, an under-dog at the park, or learning how to ride a tricycle.  Those things are all amazing and need to be captured because they define the moments of our life.........

But family pictures capture the love of a family, and just that.  Sure--maybe we were having a "discussion" ten minutes before the photos began, maybe I was cranky about too much laundry waiting for me back home, maybe I had a little head-ache, but when that camera starts clicking it has to fade away because gosh darnit we're here to have our pictures taken and we're going to make this good, after all, these are going to be hanging somewhere for........maybe the rest of time.

And then you get those pictures back and you don't remember all the little "things" that were happening before the pictures--they don't matter anymore--because there's you and the people you love most just loving each other and laughing and being caught in the moment of being a family.

Make sure to make it a habit to go and get caught in the moment of being a family, with no distractions, so that years from now you have these fabulous book ends to seasons of your life to look back on.  You won't regret it.  You'll love it..........and so will your kids.