Most of you know, I am a mama myself. I have 3 absolutely precious babies and the oldest is now a pre-teen. Let me tell you a few things I have learned in my years of parenting. There are highs and lows. Days when you feel on top the the world and days when you feel like the world is crashing down on you. But also, those children have the ability to make everything alright with that one look that tells you that you are their everything. 
Time passes too quickly. It is absolutely one of the most heartbreaking things of parenthood. The days can seem so long, but the years go by so, so fast. I always hate the expression "in the blink of an eye" because it's so cliché  ... but it does go by in the blink of an eye and I can't think of a better way to tell you or prepare you for that. There really is no preparation for it.  But what I can do for you is freeze a few of those moments. Capture just a few of those quiet, beautiful in betweens. The moments that make you feel something. The ones that will make you long for one more cuddle. 

There's going to be a day when you won't have that baby at home any more. There will be a day when you drop them off to school. Or even if you homeschool, there will be a day when more time is spent away from you than with you. And that, my friends, that is where the real heartbreak begins. You're torn between being so proud of them for growing strong, curious, and independent...yet, there's a part of you that's so sad. It's a strange phenomenon and it feels so...different. Seasons of change have the tendency to make us feel all sorts of different ways. It can be a real emotional rollercoaster. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not good with change. 
Maybe it's the artist in me, but I think as humans we just find it easier for art to give a voice to our feelings.  I find a lot of comfort in the pictures we have together. I look back at them from over the years and it fills my heart with joy to see the memories we have made, the things I have forgotten. 

Mornings with Mom sessions are sessions specifically designed to document this season of life. These sessions are 1 hour, in home or at your favorite place. They come with a gallery of  10-15 images for you to download and a beautiful, vintage brass 5x7 keepsake hanging frame with a 4x6 gorgeous torn edge heirloom print mounted inside. These sessions are $275 and are only available weekdays from  9am-12 pm during the calendar school year. 
If you'd like to book a session, contact me here or use the Contact tab above. Also, while we are on the subject, take a look at this blog: 3 Things I Wish Every Mother Knew Before Her Session. Written from my heart to yours, whether you book a session with me or not. I want every mama to know that I am in your corner, I am rooting for you, and you are enough. 

I am many things. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a photographer. I know what it's like to be down in the trenches of motherhood. I know the whole range of emotions that come with that because I am right. there. with. you. Mom's I'm talking to you this blog- I'm writing this straight to you. If you've ever considered a scheduling a shoot with me, but have been held back, I just want you to know these 3 things before you book with me. 

1. I am totally and completely non-judgmental when it comes to your house or how clean it is. Look, I know that in the age of social media, we can curate our feeds to show a completely idealistic and pinterest worthy life. And if you have that, that's awesome! If you are a complete Type A and everything sparkles and is perfectly organized and cleaning makes you feel happy? More power to you. That's truly awesome and I wish I had that skill set, Lord knows I need it. And I also know that some people can feel shame and feel like they don't want to be that Type A person. They don't want that label or the expectations that come along with it (it seems like a heavy load to bear emotionally). Let me tell you, I am not going to think one way or the other whether your house is spotless or whether you are like me and there is 4 loads of laundry on the "laundry chair". Okay, I lied. It's more like 6 loads. I promise you, it doesn't make a hill of beans to me. And no, I'm not going to come in and photograph your mess. I'm not there for that. I'm there to photograph the relationship and connection I see in front of me. How is that possible, you say? Because when I'm behind the camera, all I'm thinking about is the light and my shots. I'm literally not worried about anything else. I have zero room or capacity left in my brain because my whole soul is focus on your session and what I am shooting. Not the pile of clutter. Not the laundry. The only time I will shoot something like that is if it adds value to the story- say your kid left a half eaten muffin on a stack of magazines. I'd totally shoot (in an artistically composed way) that because that is toddler life at it's core! And, also, you don't have to show that to anyone if you don't want to- but on down the line when you're telling stories and reminiscing, you can pull out that picture and hopefully laugh at it! 
2. You. Are. Beautiful. PERIOD.  And you know what else? You are ENOUGH. Your family and your kids think you are amazing and they love you so much. You are their rock. You are a pillar of their world. They don't care if you think you have a few extra pounds to lose. They don't care what you look like in your bathing suit or if you have a few extra grey hairs on your head or stretch marks on your belly. I have heard from so many mama's that say they will schedule a shoot when they reach their goal weight- as if it's some sort of prize to be thin or as if you don't deserve the pictures because you feel like you don't look good enough? I'm here to tell you, I understand first hand being self conscious. I think we all do. Everyone has something about themselves that they don't like. I'm 100% body positive and I fiercely believe that you deserve happiness and that your kids deserve to have their mama in the pictures looking and feeling HAPPY. You know what I wish you knew before you scheduled a shoot with me? My sincere wish is that you see yourself the way your kids see you. Strong. Brave. Beautiful. Kind. Loving. Safe. Your perceived imperfections are perfect. 
3.  Your kids are just fine. Seriously. I've got 3 kids. I am no stranger to the chaos that can ensue when you're actually trying to do something. Your crazy is nothing I haven't seen in my own home. But that's one of the many beauties of documentary photography. We embrace the crazy! And also, I'm not asking them to sit still and I'm not asking them to say cheese for me. I'm following them around and hoping they take me for an adventure. I'm talking to them and I'm actually interested in what they have to say.  When you remove those expectations for those perfectly posed and curated images, you'll be so surprised and so in love with what you end up with- something so unique to your family, something that encompasses who you are as a family! It's fun, it's laid back, there's no super high expectations to be perfect, act perfect, or look perfect. For those reasons, Dad's really get on board too! No one needs to coordinate outfits and no one needs to comb their hair just perfect- honestly the only thing I ever really even tell my clients is to lay off the colored drinks or candy unless they want a colored mouth in every single picture- once that stuff is on your face, it doesn't come off! 

These are the things I want you to know before your session. Your house is fine. You are fine. Your kids are fine. Book the session, laugh a lot, hug your kids, kiss your husband, play fetch with the dog. You deserve to be in pictures with your kids. Take these 3 things into consideration and I promise you will get the most out of your session with me!  And yes, that bottom picture is me without a single drop of makeup and my hair in a ponytail and my kids are in their play clothes. It's my favorite picture of us. 

Rachel's story is one a lot of us can relate to, yet unique to their own family. She and her husband both work from home. They've settled into a comfortable routine, the kind that comes with doing life together for years...the kind that can be comfortable in silence and in chaos. Their life together has been built on triumph and tragedy, love and loss.
Though the home they are in is a temporary one, it's home for now. They have each other and that's home enough. The feeling of "home" is all encompassing the second you walk through their door.

Their beautiful, yet ordinary, mornings consist of Daddy getting up first and fixing breakfast for the children. Promptly at 7:30am, the girls are sent to wake up Mommy. I arrived just in time to see them jumping on the bed and snuggling in for morning cuddles. Then, the familiar routine of divide and conquer begins. Daddy brushing teeth assembly line style, while Mommy dresses and brushes hair. A quick goodbye as Daddy takes the girls to school.
And then, there were two.
Mommy and Little get quiet time together to snuggle, read, and fill up Little's heart with love and quality time before Mommy settles in for work.
I asked Rachel about her work and what it means to her to be able to work from home and share in these moments with her girls. She says, "I have shared my passion and educated my community on Young Living Essential Oils for the past 5 years and I've made a full time career out of it. We're [my husband and I] both extremely entrepreneurial minded and have been happiest working at home for ourselves! As far as motherhood, I've been super intentional with my time. I have set time blocks for work and set time blocks for family. Of course it can vary day to day which is the beauty of working from home." 
Intentional. I like that a lot. Being intentional with our time, our relationships, and our commitments. 

My Reflections:
To say that I enjoyed photographing and working with their family would be an understatement. They welcomed me into their home as if I were an old family friend, greeted at the door on a cold, crisp fall morning with a warm hug and offers of hot coffee- by strangers no less. I was thrown directly into their morning routine and I was rewarded with real life goodness and given the freedom to document their truth...even down to brushing teeth and struggling to put tights on wiggly little girls. Being given that freedom and that trust is an honor.
I think being in front of the camera can do one of two things: it can make you self-conscious and "camera aware" (as we call it in the documentary community) or you can embrace it in an authentic and organic way. They embraced it and in turn, they truly have images that document this season of their life. They will be able to look back at this unscripted morning and see the real, honest love an ordinary morning brings.