my mother’s day gift

I told my family not to get me anything for Mother’s Day.  I didn’t want breakfast in bed or a big bouquet of flowers……I told them I didn’t even need a card. (Although my sweet girl made me one that said “You are prettier than Taylor Swift.” So that was awesome!)  Nope all I wanted was a simple 30 minute family photo session.  
I didn’t want this to be a typical family photo shoot with us in dressed-up-totally-coordinating-outfits. What I really wanted was a chance to capture my family just as we are in this stage of life; no special outfit coordinating required.  Grass stains and unbrushed hair welcome!   My one and only requirement was – be yourselves and have fun.  You know – pretend like you enjoy being a member of this family.  😉 
It’s been a while since you’ve seen Elsa (our mini schnauzer and resident snow queen) and Gandalf (our standard schnauzer who needs no staff to work his magic).  #LOTRnerdalert  
Look how much they’ve grown! 
Nothing makes me happier than this kid’s big toothy grin.  And this is a typical Gandalf photo.  He moves at the speed of light. 
This next one is one of my favs from this session.  It really captures where he is right now…..always moving…….always ready to try something new. 
I just love my girls. 
This girl is sweet as a pie and tough as nails.  
She is the definition of a daddy’s girl. 
These two are like peas in a pod.  Literally, they were cut from the same crazy cloth. 
I can’t think of a better Mother’s Day gift than time to capture this precious moment in our lives.  It took me almost two years, probably one million tears and countless prayers to get pregnant.  I wouldn’t change the journey for one second.  I’m grateful for His faithfulness and His amazing plan!  
My only mommy regret thus far is that I didn’t learn how to use a big girl camera (dslr) until my kiddos were long past the baby and toddler stage.  But it’s never too late to learn something new.  If you’re looking for some helpful tips on shooting in manual mode – check out this photography post here.  If you want a cheat sheet to remember how to manipulate your settings – check out this printable here.  And last but not least, these photos were possible thanks to a tripod (which is how I shot our Christmas card pics last year), and I highly recommend picking one up if you don’t already own one.  You won’t regret it and you can typically find them for under $30!

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  • Everything about this post makes me swoon! I love family photos, but my family is always such a stick in the mud about it. I'd love to have something like this be their gift to me! Great idea! BTW- I love your daughter's outfit. That looks like something my oldest would love! Do you mind to share the details about it?

  • Thanks so much Andrea! I think because everyone just got to wear whatever they wanted and act however they wanted no one groaned about being in front of the camera. The tank my girl is wearing was a Crewcuts find from an end of summer sale last year and the leggings my dad actually bought her as a gift. He found them at Burlington Coat Factory……sometimes they have really good stuff there, if you live near one it's worth checking out every now and again. My girl LOVES leggings!

  • This was precious and priceless. I always love hearing about your family and seeing them, as my kids are about the same age. I think if we were closer, our boys would be buddies. 😀

  • Those are some nice looking pictures! I like the casual look better, too. Those tend to be the pictures I like best (or trip pictures, bc everyone is so happy and relaxed.) What a great idea for a Mother's Day gift! I appreciate the photography tips you have on the blog and reference them a lot. I'm not getting better (yet!) but I'm trying.

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