Ginette had a big birthday this week. To celebrate we had an adults only cocktail party at our apartment. It was wild hanging out with lots of parents and having no kids present. Here is Ginette drinking a Mint Julep made by yours truly and showing off her stylish new hairdo. Picture by Kristy Lindsay.

Day 11 of the December Photo Project. Here fishy fishy.

Phew! Posting everyday this year for the December Photo Project has been much harder than I anticipated! Something about having a thriving business (which I am thankful for everyday) and a busy toddler (who makes me consistently makes me laugh…but is always keeping me running). So today I am going to do a big post of “catch up”. Sorry to the dedicated fans who were looking forward to a picture everyday. Please forgive me!

Day 7. My breakfast, soyrizo and eggs. Don’t judge it until you have tried it….cause it is MIGHTY delicious.

Day 8. Dayla and her good friend Kaitlyn. Dance Party 2009. It was as awesome as it looks.

Day 9. Okay, Day nine is really a couple more from day 8. Turns out I might have forgotten to take a day! :O Here is Dayla and Kaitlyn, playing “night night”. Cause that is what good girl friends do…have sleep-overs!

Day 10. Today was my 30th birthday! I didn’t want to document the new wrinkles (I kid I kid), but we did get some pictures of our niece Violet. MAN, she is so cute.

Not much happening on day 6 of the December Photo Project… so I photographed my lunch. Peanut butter, bananas, and honey on grilled sourdough.

Tears. That’s right. I would have never considered myself a “crier”, but since becoming a mom somehow a tear lever released. The dam has been opened. I think before motherhood I could count the times I cried on two hands. Now I cry more than that in a week. Not sad tears, but usually tears of love or joy. Things move me in ways that they never did before. I feel like I feel love and joy and beauty in ways I never did before. And I am thankful.

I had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot over the Thanksgiving holiday that I was MORE than thankful for. For SO many reasons. Not only did I get to spend time with an amazing family, but it was the family of my oldest brother Marc. A brother that I looked up to all my life. The brother, who although he is 17 years older than me, never treated me like a kid. That means a lot to a youngest, to be treated like an adult long before you deserve to be.

It was amazing to be there, having the honor and compliment of being hired, and photographing their incredible family. Getting to fall in love head over heals for Matthew and Madeleine as they just ran about and embraced life in a way that I am want to emulate. Getting to bask in the love that they all shared as a family.

But if I were to be honest, I think my favorite thing about this photo shoot was that Marc and Christine were the quintessential clients. (And I am not just saying that because they are family.) They didn’t prep the kids for a “photo shoot”, but told them we were just going to play together. And that is just what we did. There weren’t very many “look at the camera” or “smile now” or “how do you want us to look?” moments. And when I said to them, “I am just capturing a lot of candid family moments” they replied, “Perfect!” So I captured REAL moments. And I think that is what is touching me so much as I am going through and editing these photos. Not only was it a stress free photo shoot for everyone, but we got to capture the kids being KIDS. Just being the amazing people that God made them to be. Matthew being quiet, but strong, and a leader. Madeleine being sweet, loving, admiring her brother and following his lead (in between being a total ham for the camera).

So as I sit here and edit these photos, I am not ashamed to say that I have cried. But something is just so beautiful to me about kids being kids.

Thank you guys so much! My heart is brimming over and the tears are coming, and I am thankful.

We started the shoot in the trees for a little picnic.  I have been dreaming of this idea and I am so excited to see it come to life!  Notice that the kids were hamming it up for the camera BIG time.

Any photo shoot in which capes are brought out is going to be a good one. Introducing the superheros:

Then we headed to the beach where I got the chance to play with a lot of sun flare.

This picture below is no doubt my favorite picture of all time.   ALL TIME.  I am in LOVE with everything about it.

And getting laughs is pretty great too:

Because family shoots don’t just have to be about the kids:

But kids sure do offer some sweet moments.

Bringing capes to a photo shoot = win.  Letting kids play in capes on the beach at sunset = EPIC WIN.

Until next time….sleep tight.