Maybe it’s just me, but after all the excitement of the holiday season, I can feel rather down in the dumps. We spend November working on being thankful, we go right into December counting down each moment and jam-packing a ton of activities in as we celebrate baby Jesus’ birth at Christmas, and then within a week we are sent into a new year. Wow, just thinking about it leaves my head spinning. And yet, we do this every year… and I’m starting to notice a pattern for myself of where I feel a bit overwhelmed with the daunting tasks and unknown future of the new year as I step into early January.

We all love the classic photos where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling – the ones that get used for family Christmas cards, the ones that get hung on grandpa and grandma’s wall, and the ones that are our profile or cover photo on facebook. These are the photos that we look back to on years to come to see the different ages of growth and development within a family that freeze a stage of a family’s life; but there are also the different kind of photos – the candid ones. The ones where a family is able to laugh and play, making real giggling memories, showing real relationships and moments within that stage of life. I just printed our own updated family photos for our photo wall in our home. It’s been almost two years (yes, even photographers struggle with it! #reallife). I printed off a large 20x30 of our three kids looking at me behind the camera, a new 8x10 of me and my hubby smilling at the camera, and the rest of the photos? Candids. A 20x30 of us chatting with each other on the beach this summer – bringing us back to a precious vacation time. A handful of ones of the boys playing together and Chloe looking over my shoulder – all showing the special relationships, snuggles, and fun. Both types of photos are important and precious!

I love the chance to step into the everyday life of our amazing couples and families when we step into their homes for a family lifestyle session. We know that it may mean that they do some quick cleanup – or sometimes not so quick – but getting to see a family in their everyday moments, especially in the holly jolly of Christmas time, just adds such a special element to a family photo session.

A lifestyle portrait session at a Woodbury family’s home during a beautiful summer night? Yes, please! It was so good to catch up with the Hobbs family on their newest adventure and addition to the family by meeting little Giana! We met the Hobbs family back when our families were only us married couples and one boy – now we each have two boys and a girl running – err, I mean roaming – the house! We have had the pleasure of capturing this family for a few years, and the first session involved a blue balloon revealing little Keelan’s gender. We’ve since documented Keelan's entrance into the world, gone on an adventure at the ice castles, photographed them at one of their favorite spots (Lake Elmo), and explored one of my favorite spots at LeDuc Historic Estates.

One of the things we challenge our couples to do when it comes to their engagement portraits is to stay true to themselves as a couple; so, for Gabby & Donny that meant taking their engagement photos at Gabby's family home and spending some time hanging in their favorite spot: the at-home theater. Delicious snacks, buttery popcorn, comfortable chairs, and "The Office" on the big screen -- need I say more? Their family said it's where you find these two together most, and we loved the unique setup!