The holidays are full of magic & cheer, but it can also be a really busy season. If you’ve been caught in the hustle & bustle of the season or are just craving some more festivities, here are 4 family-friendly things to put on your calendar! It’s not too late!

“This morning we dropped Isaac off for his first day of school EVER, and I’m over here all emotional about it, as mamas will be! We had to take those classic first day of school photos, and CAN YOU EVEN?! I also want to share some new stage of motherhood thoughts & feelings, because well, there are lots of them. I’m using this space to document, process, and share in hopes that you can relate & maybe feel a little more validated in all your own feelings & emotions as a mama with kids in transition.”

“Our son just turned two years old, and we had such a fun little birthday party for him! We all had a blast (pun intended ) at his “Two Infinity and Beyond” birthday party. Let me share some of the things we did to tie in to the theme, as well as some more that you could do! We kept it pretty simple, and it felt like the perfect fit for us this year. Hope you see some ideas you’d like for your own party!”

Spoiler alert – I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the last session I had with this sweet family as a family of three… Since we took these photos last fall, they have welcomed a baby boy & we’ve done maternity and newborn photos for them as part of the New Life Collection! I’m eager to share those photos with you all too, but it just didn’t feel right to skip over these photos and go straight to their maternity photos. Ada is too cute in these and I’ve got to share!

“You’re 3 months into motherhood… You’re finally settling into life with a baby, finding new rhythms, and hopefully getting to some kind of new normal. Baby is growing! You can hardly recognize her from the newborn photos you had taken just a few months ago. How is it that she already looks so different? With her physical growth & changes comes some personality too – she’s smiling, she’s laughing, she’s playing… oh, what a joy to see her become more interactive! There’s a little person in there!”

“Baby Preston will be making his grand debut any day now, so let’s make sure this sweet family’s maternity photos make it on the blog before then! I helped photograph Ashley & Nick’s wedding reception years ago, and I was thrilled when they thought of me to capture this sweet time of anticipation before welcoming their baby boy. Their 5-year-old daughter Belle was amazing during the session, and I know she’s going to be the best big sister!”

They ordered a gallery image and prints with their order, so they see these photos every day in their entry way, in their living room, on a nightstand… And let me say, they always decorate their home with different kinds of beautiful artwork, but not typically large personal photos of family. After saying they probably wouldn’t get a gallery image, they got a gallery image. AND, her parents now have their first large family photo in their home too! <3

“I’m excited to introduce you to Charlotte, Aaron, & their beautiful baby Dominic! Dom turned 1 year old in January (fun fact – he and my son are exactly 5 months apart!), and I was so honored to help celebrate him with a fun photo session. I think this session also goes to show that you can indeed have outdoor photo sessions in the winter in North Carolina – and with beautiful evening light at that! (Morning light works too, if your kiddos’ naptimes conflict with evening times like mine!)”

“I’m so excited to share another sweet baby with you! Zoey was born in November, and we had her in-home newborn session soon after. She ended up being fussy for some of the session despite our best efforts with timing the session when babies are typically happy – funny how newborns just have a mind of their own already, huh? – but I hope you’ll agree that we got some super sweet photos of her & her parents anyway! The laid-back nature of these sessions gives plenty of time for soothing & cuddling, as well as the practical stuff like nursing/feeding & diaper changes :)”

“Jessica & Ben are two of my longest clients & friends. They were the first ones to call me their ‘family photographer’ as I’ve captured all their major life moments from engagement & wedding, to maternity & newborn for their first son, to the New Life Collection with their second son. As soon as they said ‘our family photographer,’ I knew I wanted more of that! Recently I’ve fallen even more in love with maternity, newborn, & family photos, and I’m so excited to be pursuing that in a more focused way as I freeze these special moments in time for more young families!”