Today I get to share something a little different here on the blog… US! That’s right, it’s our family portrait time and thanks to the wonderful Ms. Natalie we have our first ever SPRING family portraits. We’ve always been fall portrait people mostly because I’m a big fan of long pants, boots, sweaters, coats, layers layers layers (and UG do I NOT like to be HOT). But this year our lovely little spring baby B turned TWO and since we would need her annual portrait close to her birthday I decided we were all getting in on the ‘fun’ …. and to Ryan’s relief this will suffice as our annual portrait so we’ll be warming your mailboxes up come Christmas card time with these images (pretend to forget them by then!).
So yes, you heard that right, I make these poor people that I love so dearly do this family portrait thing EVERY single year. Why?? Honestly, it’s mostly so I never lose touch with how stressful and tough it can be to get these done! And boy is it. I was shopping the night before the session to find Ryan a shirt that matched and fit (because look at that hunky man who has lost like a bazillion lbs in the last year) and then on my way out of the store I found a shirt for Ryan that matched B’s second outfit perfectly which initiated a hunt for something for me that would match so we’d all have a full second look (like seriously people all this less than 24 hours before the shoot). Dogs groomed, leashes found, outfits and bows and snacks and water and wipes and diaper and bug spray and candy in my HUGE mom bag and we were out the door (simple as that).
So what did we forget?!? Well I didn’t have my normal hair/makeup done so was winging it on my own and in the rush to get out the door we left Ryan’s second shirt (the one that sparked our whole second outfit) at the house and didn’t remember until we were nearly to the session so, oh well. Poor Ryan had just had a couple hours of sleep and was tired and hungry and my chubby pup had to be carried most of the way around Allerton because she was going to die. Oh and the pooooo… yes this dang dog pooed 27 times (ok ok it was more like 4, but FOUR) while walking around the park and Allerton can I just tell you that you need more trash cans so I mommas like me don’t have to carry poo all around the park. But I say all this not to complain because despite the stress the day of a photo session these are always some of my favorite moments of our year. It’s our time together, to laugh, to love, to show us (all of us Ryan, YES the dogs do have to come too)…. to be who we are TODAY, this year and because the result is always so so so so so worth it. I cannot be happier with what Natalie created for us.
Yes mommas, I could be skinnier (ug the first photo session when your man becomes a skinny hunk is not an easy one for the self-confidence) but you know what, I can always be skinnier or tanner, etc and that won’t matter one bit to my little girl and really, though these are for us now, they are for her later. I’ll never get another photo with my momma but this little gal will have 10408726 that show her family by the time she’s ready to start her own.
And when Ryan and I have tough days (because #marriage folks) we can walk by that photo ^^ and think ‘daayymmmnnn’ (because how cute is he?!?) and also remember that we loved each other enough to look at each other like that EVEN on stressful photo day.
And because we know that we’ll all be saying goodbye to our fur babies long before we’re ever ready to B will always have these images to remember them!
We change… life, jobs, homes, cities, states, looks. She’s changing right before our eyes but I’ll never get tired of savoring these moments which once the photos are done just look blissful (no more stress, forgotten shirts, sleepy husbands, whiney toddlers and poopy dogs) when the photos are done all that’s left is happy LOVE.
Well and a little bit of sass!
And if you need a little deeper look at the chaos of a toddler party…
Thanks goes out to Natalie McKee for yet another beautiful session for our family and to Bodine Baking Co for B’s delicious and lovely cake/cookies!
We wanted something with a little urban texture and with the whites/creams/reds/blues that we knew would match their home decor well so this location was a perfect fit. 
And the best part about photographing a family session on a golf course has to be the golf cart rides (especially if you’re a boy!). I definitely don’t think these guys minded that part one bit!
