Hello, dear friends!

I came across an article recently showing how people are putting their Christmas lights back up to bring some cheer to this otherwise tough & uncertain time. Adding a little light back into our lives sounds like a great idea and mayyybe I’ll be able to convince my husband to get on board with that idea. 🙂

Either way, however unseasonal it may be, it seems like a great time to share Alicia & Edward’s lifestyle family session with you from December! I went over to their house one afternoon to witness ALL the fun of kiddos putting together ingredients, mixing & rolling dough, and cutting out some cute holiday shapes. Alicia’s preparations ahead of time made it a seamless experience – we all had a blast and there were yummy cookies to enjoy!

These are some of my FAVORITE types of sessions, when I get to come to your house and capture your family doing something you love together. I get a peek of each of you in your element, and the photos that result tell the story of a fun afternoon spent together.

Hope you enjoy the photos too!

Alicia & Edward
Christmas Cookie Family Photo Session
Raleigh Lifestyle Family Photography

Alicia was prepared – down to ingredients pre-measured in glass bowls, everything we needed set out on the counter, and even a batch of pre-baked cookies waiting for us for the decorating phase. Oh, and the matching Christmas pajamas! Can’t forget the matching pjs!

Ethan & Abigail were excited to be part of the process all the way through. They took it upon themselves to taste test the batter early on – even though it was just butter & sugar at that point! – and didn’t hesitate to take some more tastes while mixing more things in. 🙂 They took turns mixing and had some fun with flour after Alicia dusted the countertop with it! It’s any parents’ natural reaction to ask them to stop buuut I can’t say I helped – I knew they would make for some great photos & reflect the kids’ current personalities so well 😀

Ethan was a little ham while waiting for his turn to help again! Waiting & taking turns isn’t always easy… Don’t let us fool you – any session with kids has its fair share of meltdowns & tantrums. See if you can find the one photo I left in of Abigail’s unhappy face 😉 If you’re worried that your kids won’t behave for a photo session, have no fear. They usually bounce back pretty quickly (especially when there’s a fun activity to do) and we’ll get lots of happy photos anyway!

After mixing & rolling it was time to cut out the Christmas cookies with the cookie cutters! Ethan also had some fun pretending the cookie cutters were cars – I love seeing kids’ big imagination come to life <3

We knew the kids wouldn’t want to wait to decorate the cookies while the batch we mixed baked, so Alicia made some other cookies using premade dough! (The key is to be prepared but not overdo it, mama. Using store-bought tear & bake dough is perfectly fine for the pre-baked batch!!)

Once the cookies pictured above were ready for the oven, she brought out the already-baked cookies, frosting already in piping bags (apparently Pillsbury sells it like this – amazing), and sprinkles!

And then, of course, it was time for the kids to taste their masterpieces! Yummm.

Ethan even helped clean up after we were all done. 🙂 Now who wants some cookies?!

Alicia & Edward had a spring session with me last year as well, and they used a couple photos from each session in Year in Review cards to send out to friends and family! I loved creating this with them, and it’s amazing how much text they were able to put on the back in a family update to everyone who would be receiving it.

They also wanted to be able to show the full photo story of baking the Christmas cookies together, so they ordered a bunch of mini prints to put together in a DIY album. This is a fun way for the more crafty mamas out there to create something personal & homemade while still using the professional prints that will last for generations to come!

Thank you, Alicia & Edward, for inviting me into your home to capture these fun memories for you! I’m so excited to celebrate Abigail this year with a milestone birthday session as she turns 5.

And thank you, readers, for joining us here today! If you’d like to see some more cute kiddos having fun, check out Kristyn & Eric’s graduation & family session at NC State!

What are some of your favorite activities to do together as a family? Do you have photos that capture those special moments? Are you in them, too? Lifestyle family sessions help you preserve your family’s everyday moments so you’ll always remember how much fun you have together, even when the going gets hard and when your kids are grown. You & your kids alike will love having these photos that reflect this fleeting time in your lives.

Let me know if I can help you preserve your family’s memories to enjoy forever!

Stay safe and healthy, friends, and don’t forget to seek out joy & self care during this otherwise stressful time! Talk to y’all soon!