Documenting

Professional family photos were not something I gave a lot of thought to when Steve and I started a family. My parents had never had them done when I was growing up, so it wasn't really on my radar. But then...

A woman, my age, just down the road, who I was starting to get to know a little and had kids about the same age as mine, asked if she could take some photos of our family because she was thinking about starting a small photography business, and wanted some practice. Of course, I said "Yes!".

In that very first photo session, she caught moments that otherwise wouldn't have gotten documented, especially as they were some of the first pictures of the four of us as a family (Buddy had not even turned 1 yet). I knew then that a family photo shoot was something we needed to make happen every year.

Fast forward to now, two years later. We just had our third photo shoot with Jess, and yet again, she amazed us with her abilities. It was a very, very cold morning but she made it fun, and you wouldn't even know from the pictures that the kids were complaining most of the time. I gaze in wonder at these photos, knowing that we will treasure them for years and years to come.

Can we take decent photos with our phones? Yes. But it'll never quite capture what a professional photographer can do with the right lighting, the right props and the right attitude.

This photographer, by the way? She and I are really good friends now, and she's the one I wrote about a few weeks ago who takes me as I am, even when I'm grumpy. She is the owner of her very own successful photography business, Pumpkin Head Photography. 

A lot can happen in two years! Dreams can become realities, and neighbors can become people you can't imagine your life without. To top it off, we have beautiful family photos that will be enjoyed for years to come. You can't put a price tag on any of those things.