Why I need to remember to book our own family photos...

Our dear friend, Tonia Flaman, took our wedding photos for us.

​I think sometimes the thing I do the least well is make sure that our family is booked for our own family photos. 
​When our kids were little - I did so good at making sure to book someone to capture us.  I think because I realized that I was so busy with the day to day of life and I was busy taking pictures with my phone of our kids (and all of the silly and crazy moments), I realized how important it was to make sure I had pictures of my family all together. ​

​I also believe that having pictures of our family,
happy and together around our home,
helps us to remember how much we love each other during the inevitable  challenging times in our lives. 

Our dear friend, Tonia Flaman, took our wedding photos for us that you see above.  It was such an amazing day!

We printed a few of them and have had them on the end wall of our hallway since the boys were little.  We are currently renovating (probably the better question is...when are we not renovating?) so they're hanging out in a box waiting for us to get that project finished. 

I love this image. 
In a split second I feel how in love we were...
And it makes me appreciate how a life built together is  a compilation of how we work to stay together despite all of the challenges life throws at us...

​Just like everyone...
Most of our pictures are quick snaps here and there...
and since most of the time,
I'm the one holding the camera,
I don't make it into the album unless it's something important.

This was such a special day...
the day our second son, Quinn, was born
and our first son, Iain, got to meet his baby brother.
He was beside himself...
he was SO happy
and SO excited
and I feel it EVERY time I see
his little hand on the side of his face.

(This helps me when they're having a "teenager moment" in our house.)

And then...
they grew...
and time passed...
and as life got busier....
and I forgot to make it a priority to have someone take photos of our family...
​(since selfies don't count...)

So...I hired my amazing coworker, friend and photographer, Lori Trost, to catch us up after a few years of missed family photos...          (You can find out more about Lori here...)

How is it that my babies can grow up SO fast?

So...
here's the morale of the story...  Don't wait. 
Find a photographer in your community to capture you and the people you love before time passes.
Don't wait for the moment when you've <insert silly excuse here>...because then you won't have images that capture the people you love before tomorrow is here. 
I have realized, I have a very short time before these boys are grown up and out living the lives they dream of. 
We are so lucky to live in a community where there are so many amazing photographers! Find a photographer who speaks to your style. 
Book a session and document these moments in time.

On this cold day, I'm staying warm and planning out which photos I want printed for our walls.
(I may also be doing laundry and enjoying coffee in my jammies...  sometimes you have to savor the small details.)
And then it will be time to start planning for next year...

Stay warm.

Always & forever,
Melissa
​