​I’ll never forget the moment we decided to have another child. We were on a family vacation, sitting on the couch in a friend’s beautiful family cabin in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We were talking about our future as we listened to the rain ting off the tin roof above our heads. I had brought up the subject and Mark was as gracious as ever about timing for the third child as he knew my hesitation of wanting to have my “own body” for a while.

Whenever I get the opportunity to drive to a client’s home and be invited into their everyday life by doing a lifestyle portrait session, I can’t wait to soon be heading back to my home and importing the photos, so I can relive the specialness of relationships and moments of daily life. This was definitely the case in getting to capture little Eliza’s newborn portraits in her family’s Cottage Grove, MN home. 

Wow, oh wow, oh wow. As I sit here and have a chance to look back at every wedding day, engagement session, family portraits, anniversary photos, mini sessions, maternity portraits, lifestyle sessions, newborn portraits, senior portraits, and more, all I can say is wow. 2018 was such a blessing. You blessed us! So many special announcements, new steps and chapters in life, and stopping to document life are seen below. You trusted us and invited us to walk alongside of you in these precious moments -- allowing us to live vicariously through you and celebrate the best parts of life with you. So below, you'll find some of our favorite photos as wedding and portrait photographers that highlight many more photos and moments not shown, each freezing memories to be looked back on for a lifetime.

Mark hadn't been wrong with our first two and he was insistent that this baby was also a baby boy, so insistent that even though I had thought at first baby was a girl, he had me convinced that we were going into the realm of three boys. I love being a boy mom, so I was totally game for our third little one being a boy. After all, my pregnancies were all so similar, so according to almost everyone we talked with, that had to mean baby was a boy just like the big brothers.

Okay how cute is little Miss Evelyn? I told her mom and dad that I would be expecting a PDF from her explaining to other future newborns how she prepped for her session because she was the perfect little peanut! It was such an honor to meet her and her amazing parents, Heidi and Bilal, for their lifestyle newborn portrait session at their home in Hastings, MN.

Meet the Hood Family! This amazing family of four just moved to Cottage Grove from Wisconsin. As you can see they have two adorable little kiddos that made it quite an exciting in-home lifestyle portrait session. I always love family portraits at home and a lifestyle session that includes playing with Christmas lights? Count me in!

I’m not sure where to begin with Trav and Samantha’s in-home lifestyle portrait session in Newport, MN. How about the minute we got back in the car, Mark said, “I could see ourselves hanging out with them often -- they’re so cool”? He wasn’t just talking about Trav and Samantha’s adorable dogs, Hunter & Lilly, either (who we definitely spent most of the time playing with). 

We love this dear family! We met the Wongs a little over two years ago when we just had Ethan and they had little Abigail. Ethan and Abigail immediately hit it off when we met them at our church, Hope Community Church, and then Ethan and I bumped into Lori and Abigail at the Cottage Grove library's storytime in the next few weeks. Since then we've added more kiddos to the families and stopping right now to look back at how we've all grown since we first met is definitely something to be grateful for.

​It was hot, like really hot. All three of us adults were sweating and slightly uncomfortable, but it was oh-so-worth-it as we stood around an adorable little newborn. The little guy was a week old and to help him keep warm, we laughed at the fact that the Rock’s household was probably the only house in Woodbury in mid-July with the heat on – the things you do for a newborn portrait session!

​​Mark told his mom that we haven’t crawled into bed before 11:30 pm in the past two weeks and he’s right. We’ve been pushing really hard. In fact, Lindsay totally got an email this week about the 25 Tips for Avoiding Mom Burnout with the subtitle of “a list for those who – like me – struggle with overcommitting and overworking.” Did she read it? No… Lindsay quickly skimmed the first few and then acknowledging that she need to spend more time thinking through them (and chatting with Mark), she printed them off to be completed and comprehended as homework at another date. What does this have to do with the Taylor family? We’re glad you asked!

This post has taken a long time in coming. Lindsay has had the privilege of looking back on countless sessions from last year and struggled to pick only a handful of photos from each session which is why this is getting posted mid-January instead of end of December 2017. We just love you all too much!
 
You know what else we love? Traditions. Especially ones that help us to reflect on the past year, those we love, and how we've grown. This is definitely a tradition that we will continue on (we did do a reflection on 2016 – but this year we can’t narrow it to 50 photos).
 
2017 was quite the year. We traveled to Georgia to visit Mark’s grandma and introduce her to our firstborn son. We welcomed our second-born son in April. We jam-packed our summer – some of our favorite moments were getting to take the boys to Wisconsin Dells’ Kalahari with our church’s youth group, hanging out for a week at Big Sandy Camp as a family, and then ending summer with a trip with Lindsay’s family getting to explore the always gorgeous Duluth and further up north. We traveled to Michigan for Thanksgiving to visit Lindsay’s grandparents and then to Montana for Christmas to visit Mark’s parents. But this post really isn’t about us. (We will have a coming post of our personal favorite photos of 2017 soon!) It’s about you – our awesome clients.
 
Getting to walk along with other families and amazing couples through their precious additions, new beginnings, and documenting family life always leaves us so grateful. You kept us busy. You kept us creative. You kept us alive and excited to share life as we experienced one joyful moment after another. You walked alongside us as we tweaked our business practices. You laughed at Mark’s dad jokes. You celebrated us as we welcomed our second son.
 
All this to say, we love you guys. We appreciate you. We can’t wait to serve you this year! Happy 2018!

We do photography because we love families -- in all shapes, stages, and sizes. So, getting to connect with the Bakri family and work with their latest little addition leaves me full of those newborn cuddles. Don't worry, Mark, I don't want another baby... yet ;) Liam, you're adorable! Rest well in your strong parent's arms.

<3 LW

I love baby features. Seriously! Those tiny little fingers, curly little toes, and scrunchy nose are my favorite! Capturing little ones like Baby B and helping our clients remember how adorable their little one was as a newborn and how big they've grown already is our joy. It was such a fun time visiting the Rosenburg family to meet this new little fella. He's got two big sisters who definitely will spoil him with lots of love. Congrats Rosenburg family! 

​<3 LW

The first time we tried to do the Koch's family portrait session it was a cold and very wet day. Thankfully, both Krista and I agreed that we should try for another day and wha-la! Gorgeous sunset, perfect temperature, and a light breeze! I loved getting to see how this family interacts and loves one another. Their joy is evidently seen through their photos and it was such an honor to capture their beautiful family! Little Miss Adelynn just turned one. She's a little bundle of joy and so curious about the world around her. Knowing that these photos will be viewed for years to come is why I do what I do.

​<3 LW

As we get closer and closer to our due date of our second little one, I can't help but reflect how grateful I am to have solid friends and family around us who have gone before us in this exciting journey. 

One such family is the Anderson's. While they have two precious girls instead of boys, they are one amazing family with a heart to love and to serve. Every time we visit we leave feeling refreshed and encouraged as well as challenged to grow deeper and stronger for what's ahead.

This last visit we got to meet the adorable little Hallyn and capture a few photos of her in her "natural habitat." Hope you enjoy! 

<3 LW 

PS -- Don't you just love that window light?! We do!